Has Lord Snowdon found his new countess?

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For the past two years, the Earl of Snowdon has been snapped with Isabelle Chopin de la Bruyere.  The Daily Mail's gossip columnist, Richard Eden has written several articles about this romance.  The most recent article was published on March 8th.  This article featured photos of the couple exchanging kisses!

Kissing leads to marriage, right? 

Lord Snowdon's first marriage to Lady Serena Stanhope, daughter of the 12th Earl of Harrington ended when the couple separated in early 2020.  They have since divorced.   Lord Snowdon and Serena, Lady Snowdon, have two children:  Charles, Viscount Linley, 24, and 21-year-old Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones.

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 Isabelle Anne Cecile Chopin de la Bruyere was born in France in September 1971.  She is the daughter of Jean Henri Brion Chopin de la Bruyere (1928-1990) and his second wife, Christine Soulie.  He has three children from his first marriage to Solange Batshell and no children from his third marriage to Ana Maria Nasi, an Argentine national.

Jean de la Bruyere was born in Paris, France, in 1928.  He emigrated to Alberta, Canada in 1952  Two years later with his friend Alastair  "Sandy" Auld Mactaggart, younger son of Sr John Mactaggart, 2nd Bt.. founded the Maclab Development Group (then known as Maclab Enterprises).  The two men met at Harvard University, where they were living in the same dorm.

Sandy and Jean "formed a friendship that would last a lifetime and produce a successful business partnership that would transform a city."   Isabelle's older half-brother, Marc, who is now one of the firm's managers, told the Toronto Globe & Mail in 2017.  "They were complete opposites. Sandy was the brake, my father was the accelerator. Sandy was very conservative, and my father was rock 'n' roll. Sandy was strategic, and my father was a deal-maker. Sandy was a Scot, my father was a Frenchman."

Jean de la Bruyere, who was a naturalized Canadian citizen, and Mactaggart  "built the suburban dream in Edmonton, creating the sprawling subdivisions on the edge of the city so in demand at the time," according to the Globe & Mail.

Isabelle's father died on April 6, 1990, in Edmonton.  His family placed a death notice in the Los Angeles Times, as Maclab Enterprises also developed properties in California.  The obituary noted his youngest daughter, Isabelle-Anne was then living in Los Angeles, where her late father owned property.  In December 1985,  Isabelle was the maid of honor at her older half-sister, Jacqueline's, marriage to Herve Farman.

She is a great-granddaughter of French aviation pioneer Louis Charles Breuget.

https://www.centennialofflight.net/essay/Dictionary/Breguet/DI12.htm

. Isabelle attended Northwood School in Lake Placid, New York, where she graduated in 1989.  She headed back to Paris and the American University of Paris.  In 1994, she received a BA in Art History.

It was back to the United States and the Christie's Education Program, where Isabelle earned a Master's degree in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Art in 1996.

She spent more than 20 years working for Christie's, first as a Specialist in Impressionist and Modern Art and later as Head of Orientalist Art Sales.  This would be followed by positions in Europe and in the Middle East.   Isabelle was the Head of Client Advisory and Senior Director, Chairman's Office, Europe, Middle East, Russia & India, a position she held for nearly 11 years before she left Christie's in September 2023.

Isabelle de la Bruyere is now the first CEO of the Opera Gallery Group.   The founder of the Opera Gallery Group said after announcing Isabelle as the company's first CEO “We are thrilled to bring Isabelle de La Bruyère on board as the first CEO of Opera Gallery Group. As a globally recognized art expert, Isabelle is poised to guide our trajectory toward greater accomplishments in the years to come. We are indeed fortunate to have her expertise and invaluable insights into the nuances of the art market. With Isabelle’s vision and expertise, we are confident that Opera Gallery will play an even more significant role in the global art arena. We are excited to begin our collaborative journey with Isabelle."

Isabelle's job will be to oversee the "group's global operations and strengthen the Group's markets and influence."

https://www.operagallery.com/

In early 2024, Artnet sat down with de la Bruyere to "find out how she fell in love with art and the little life moments she treasures most."  Isabelle said her greatest asset is "determination."   She told Artnet she was "blown away" by Manet's A Bar at the Folies-Bergére at the Courtauld Institute.  Isabelle said she was "blown away by the anguish and emotion that I felt from the central figure. This particular piece was so poignant to me that I even wrote my thesis on it in college."

She said the most "overrated thing in the world" is "buying with your ears, rather than your eyes.  I think it's important to trust your instincts and pay attention to how a piece makes you feel."

She was also asked about her "most treasured possession."  Isabelle responded with: "A priceless and intangible possession is time spent with my son."   She said her best investment is "My friendships."

Isabelle de la Bruyere's first marriage to Saudi filmmaker Hani M S Farsi ended in divorce before 2004.  It was a brief marriage, which took place in London on October 27, 2000.  The marriage is listed in the England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005.  The middle initial for the bride is Isabelle A. 

In April 2004, Hani married Rebecca Lobdell. 

None of the interviews with Isabelle de la Bruyère provides any information about her son, aside from the fact that she has one. The All England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007 does not include registration for the birth of a male child with the mother's maiden name as de la Bruyere.  It is possible that the child was born before or after her marriage or in another country, perhaps France, as Isabelle is a French national.

https://www.enigma-mag.com/hani-farsi/

Thanks to a genealogist, we have learned Lord Snowdon and Isabelle de la Bruyere are 11th cousins. Their common ancestors are Guilheim Ramon, Baron de Cauna (1443-1502), and his wife, Jeanne de Bazillac (c1453-1490).  Isabelle is a descendant of the eldest son,  Baron Etienne de Cauna (1480-1544).  Lord Snowdon's lines of descent are from Patris de Cauna, seigneur de Fousseries (d 1528) and Helene du Boutet (d 1528).    Yes, lines of descent.  David has numerous lines of descent from Patris, whose great-great-great-great-granddaughter, Eléonore Desmier d'Olbreuse (1639-1722). 

Eléonore, Duchess of Brunswick (Royal Collection)

In 1676, she married Georg Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick-Celle (1624-1705).  She had been his mistress for at least a decade. In 1666, she gave birth to a daughter, Sophia Dorothea.  It was not until 1680 that Eléonore's position as Duchess of Brunswick was recognized.  Her daughter's new title was Princess Sophia of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle.  Georg Wilhelm's younger brother, Ernst August, Elector of Hanover (1629-1698), whose wife, Sophia, was the heiress presumptive to the British throne.  

 Sophia Dorothea's legitimation enabled Ernst August's eldest son, Georg Ludwig, to marry his first cousin.

The marriage took place in 1682.  A year later, Sophia Dorothea gave birth to a son, Georg.  A daughter, Sophia Dorothea, was born in 1687.   The marriage between the future George I (who succeeded Queen Anne in 1714) stands as one of the most miserable and cruel marriages among members of the British Royal Family. 

Lord Snowdon has several lines of descent from Eléonore and the Duke of Brunswick.

The King is Your Co-pilot

 

This is your King, I mean, your Captain speaking.

Two KLM pilots heading to their flight.  If one of the pilots looks familiar ..... no need for that double take.

Yes, the pilot on the right is First Officer HM King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.  The photo was taken recently in Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport.  

@Natascha Libbert/KLM

Willem-Alexander received his private pilot's license in 1985. Two years later, he earned his commercial pilot's license.  The king also has a military license and an Airport Transport pilot license. 

To keep his license active, the King flies several times a year, usually for KLM's City Hopper service.

https://www.royal-house.nl/members-royal-house/king-willem-alexander/flying

https://thepointsguy.com/news/netherlands-king-klm-pilot/

Dutch aviation journalist Menno Swart shared the image on his Twitter account.  The photographer has chosen to remain anonymous.

Thank you to the photographer and Mr. Swart for allowing me to use the photo. The photographer is the copyright holder.

Protection orders for Prince Leka and his estranged wife.

@Berta Celibashi

Prince Leka of Albania and his estranged wife Elia Zaharia must keep a distance of five meters (16 feet) from other each, according to a court ruling in Tirana earlier today.  Leka will be able to see his daughter, Princess Geraldine, in the presence of her nanny.

The protection orders were issued after a video was released to the media that allegedly showed Prince Leka being attacked by his father-in-law, Gjerji Zaharia.  Prince Leka filmed the attack as evidence, which he shared with the Tirana police.  The Prince, who is head of the Albanian royal house,  stated emphatically that he did not release the video to the media.

The alleged attack took place on March 5.   According to several Albanian news sources, Prince Leka, 41, went to see his daughter.  Elia's father was babysitting as she was not home.   Both the prince and Mr. Zahara acknowledge the meeting quickly became violent.  The prince claimed he was attacked by his father-in-law, who stated he was too old to attack anyone.  Prince Leka said  Zaharia "started with insulting and threatening words in my direction, telling me that you should change the way when you look at me."

According to Prince Leka's statement to the police, Gjergi Zaharia also ripped Leka's sweatshirt in front of Princess Geraldine,  Leka's three-year-old daughter.

A protection order was not approved for Elia's father. 

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The Prosecutor's Office in Tirana has begun two investigations, domestic violence and who released Prince Leka's video, which is considered "material evidence," to the press.

Here is the text of Prince Leka's testimony:

It was at 15:20 (3:30 p.m.)  in my apartment on "Murat Toptani" street, the residence of the royal family No. 6, Tirana to meet my 3-year-old daughter, as my wife, Elia Zogu, and I are in the process of divorcing... I first met with the Head of the Yard's administration, citizen Syl Mulosmanaj, whom I asked about a closet that was emptied in violation of the agreement.

Then I asked Syla to accompany me to my daughter to meet her. My estranged wife and are working toward a divorce settlement agreement.

I arrived with Syla and found my little daughter Geraldina Zogu, aged 3, who was in the company of her grandfather, Gjergj Zaharia.

At this moment, I hugged my daughter and the Gjergj Zaharia started using insulting and threatening words in my direction, telling me that O should change the way when I  look at you.

My reaction in this situation was to tell Gjergji, not to insult and threaten me, especially in the presence of my daughter, and I asked him to leave the room where I was staying with my daughter

In the next few minutes, Gjergj Zaharia aggravated the situation. He approached me, pushing me and kicking my legs. My reaction was only defensive, but Gjergji continued to hit me and tore my sweatshirt and also took a hard object (wooden statue) with which he hit me."

Leka's father-in-law, Gjergi Zaharia also testified: "The prince was violent towards me and spoke to me in a harsh language. I did not violate him, I only defended myself. I'm 70 or so years old and I can't stand on my feet, I can't kick the prince who is 2 meters tall  (6.6 feet) anymore".

In January, the couple announced they were separating.  They married in Tirana on October 8, 2016.

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2024/01/a-divorce-for-crown-prince-leka-and.html

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2024/01/crown-prince-leka-confirms-divorce.html

Elia, 41, and her 73-year-old father attended the court proceedings.  Prince Leka was represented by his lawyer.

According to Elia, an Albanian actress, she came home to find her father and her estranged husband in an altercation.  "It is a difficult situation for me and my family as it is not easy to return home and find Leka trying to attack my 73-year-old father.  The conflict has nothing to do with me, except that I tried to stop it."  

The video shows her father allegedly attacking Prince Leka.

Both parties signed the agreement,  According to a statement released by the prince, there have been no problems with finalizing the divorce.  The prince's lawyer states Leka has given Elia assets to "provide her with a dignified life."

Elia and Geraldine have remained in the marital home, the royal palace, but she has no rights to this residence.  They will have to leave the palace and move into an apartment with the rent paid by Leka.

Leka's office issued a statement yesterday: 

 "The Royal Court expresses its deep disappointment with the law enforcement institutions, which we suspect have violated the right to anonymity, by distributing the videos to third parties.

As you have been informed, on the afternoon of March 5, Prince Leka was physically attacked with hard objects by his ex-wife and ex-father-in-law, and the videos of this moment were made public on social networks.

The videos were submitted only to the police station by Prince Leka ll Zogu, as material evidence of the violence against him, but despite being considered a secret, these materials, together with the statement, circulated widely on social networks and in the media. conveys unpleasant and violent images.

The Royal Court expresses its deep disappointment with the law enforcement institutions which we suspect have violated the right to anonymity by distributing the videos to third parties.

The Royal Court also requests the intervention of the police and relevant institutions to delete these images from social networks and the media."

[Royal Musings will not provide links that include the video.]

Infanta Margarita celebrates her 85th birthday

 

Marlene A Eilers Koenig Collection

HRH Infanta Doña Margarita María de la Victoria Esperanza Jacoba Felicidad Perpetua de Todos los Santos of Spain was born on March 6, 1939, at the Anglo-American Hotel in Rome, where her parents were living in exile.  She is the youngest child of the late HRH Infante Don Juan Carlos Teresa Silverio Alfonso of Spain and HRH Princess María de las Mercedes Cristina Genara Isabel Luisa Carolina Victoria y Todos los Santos de Borbón y Orléans.

She is the only surviving sibling of King Juan Carlos II of Spain. 

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The Infanta has two ducal titles.  She is the 2nd Duchess of Hernani, which she received in an inheritance following the death of a distant cousin,  Manfredo de Borbón, who died on January 6, 1979.  He was unmarried and had no children.  He left the title in his will to Margarita.  King Juan Carlos confirmed the inheritance on May 27, 1981.  This title included the dignity of Grandee of Spain.

One month later, King Juan Carlos I created Margarita as Duchess of Soria.  This is a life ducal title that will revert to the Spanish crown when Margarita dies.

Marlene A Eilers Koenig Collection

Margarita married Don Carlos Zurita y Delgado on October 12, 1972, at the Church of San Antonio, in Estoril, Portugal.  He is a retired medical doctor who specialized in circulatory and respiratory issues. They spent their honeymoon in Houston, Texas, where Dr. Zurita took part in a heart study program at Texas Medical Center, and in several South American countries. 

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The couple have two children, Don Alfonso Juan Carlos Zurita y de Borbón (1973) and Doña María Sofía Emilia Carmen Zurita y de Borbón (1975).  Neither child has married but Maria Zurita is the mother of a son, Carlos Alfonso Juan Zurita y de Borbón born in 2018.

Margarita, who has been blind since birth, and Don Carlos live with their two children and grandson in the Salamanca neighborhood in Madrid.  She has never allowed her disability to hamper her life.  She learned to play the piano and enjoys different styles of music - from classical to rock.   She is also a linguist and speaks nine languages.  Before her marriage, she took a nursing course in Madrid.

Don Alfonso studied Political Science at the University of Sussex and then moved to Baltimore, Maryland, where he completed a master's degree in International Relations at Johns Hopkins University.  He has worked in finance and has written several books on economics and finance.

He will succeed his mother as 3rd Duke of Hernani.

Doña Maria has a degree in  Translation and Interpreting from Madrid European University,  She speaks, English, Portuguese, French, Italian, and German.  Spanish is her native language. After working for a translation firm for several years, Maria decided to start her own firm.  She launched  Zesauro Traducciones, a translation company in 2002.

https://zesauro.com/en/

A nice note to me from Infanta Margarita and Don Carlos

Duke Georg von Oldenburg to marry Baroness Camilla von Meerheimb

 

Camilla von Meerheimb @LinkedIn

HH Duke Georg Friedrich August Karl Constantin Hubertus Claus of Oldenburg is engaged to marry Baroness Camilla von Meerheimb, the daughter of Baron Hans Thomas Cay von Meerheimb, managing director of Gutshof-Ei, a poultry farm in Schackendorf, and his wife, Yvonne von Schwerdtner.  She is one of four children, one older brother, Hans Jasper, and a younger brother and sister, Felix and Cosima.

Georg, second of three sons of HH Duke Nikolaus Anton-Günther Max Johann Alfred Ernst of Oldenburg, and his wife, Anna Klara Maria Dyckerhoff, was born on January 29, 1990, in Hamburg.  He is the grandson of Duke Peter Friedrich August Max of Oldenburg and Princess Gertrude of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Oldenburg.

The bride-to-be attended the private Louisenlund School in Güby, Schleswig-Holstein, graduating in 2010.  In 2014, she earned a BA in Media and Communication Management from the University of Applied Sciences Fresenius.  Two years later, Camilla received a Master of Science in International Marketing Communications from London Metropolitan University.

Camilla works in marketing and communications in Berlin.  Several weeks ago, she was certified as a Scrum Master, a "professional who leads a team using Agile project management through the course of a project."

Duke Georg studied law at the Universities of Göttingen, Lausanne, and Münster.  He is a principal with Dacapo2, an investment firm based in Berlin.

Princess Sophie Alexandra of Bavaria is pregnant

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HRH Princess Sophie Alexandra of Bavaria is expecting a baby in the late summer.    This will be the first child for the Princess and her husband, Prince Ludwig, who is the future head of the house.   She alluded to the pregnancy during a lecture on the United Nations sustainability goals last Thursday. 

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 Princess Sophie said she would not be able to attend the annual Löwenmarsh, a fundraising run organized by her husband, as it is too close to her due date.  

The  Bavarian Royal House's office has confirmed the pregnancy.  Speaking for the Duke of Bavaria's office, Carmen Schramka told the Augsburger Allegmeine, a local newspaper, that further information will be provided after the baby is born.  "After all, pregnancy is a long press," she said.

If the baby is a boy, he will be in the line of succession after his father.

Prince Ludwig and the former Sophie Alexandra Evekink were married in Munich on May 21, 2023.

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2023/03/prince-ludwig-of-bavaria-to-marry.html

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2023/05/a-bavarian-royal-wedding-tomorrow.html

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2023/05/prince-ludwig-and-sophie-are-married.html

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2023/11/prince-ludwig-and-princess-sophie.html

 

King Harald to get a permanent pacemaker

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"His Majesty The King, as informed in recent days, has been suffering from an infection and low heart rate, requiring hospitalization and medical transportation home.

The infection has recently become more under control. His Majesty has a low heart rate and will require a permanent pacemaker.

The timing of the pacemaker implantation will be determined by when His Majesty is completely free from infection. This could take several days, so The King is likely to remain at Rikshospitalet until after the weekend."

New to my collection

 

A very dear friend sent me these postcards.  I think there may be a The Passions of the Kings of Romania (I).  Thank year, Mark for your kindness.

@Alex Lubomirski

@Camera Press

Carl XVI Gustaf's 50th-anniversary formal portrait  @Thron Ullberg/Kungl.Hovstaterina

King Harald returning to Norway

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Update:  

"His Majesty The King arrived in Norway this evening. The transportation went well, and His Majesty’s health is improving.

His Majesty The King will be admitted to the hospital Rikshospitalet for medical examinations. He will stay in hospital for a few days for treatment and rest."

From the Norwegian Palace Press office

"His Majesty the King will shortly be on his way to Langkawi airport for medical repatriation. Her Majesty the Queen will travel with the King. 

 When the King arrives in Norway, he will be admitted to the National Hospital. The king will be on sick leave for two weeks. 

During this period, the Crown Prince will be regent and take over the King's constitutional duties."

Can Queen Camilla do an investiture? Yes, she can.

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In a recent article by Rebecca English, the Daily Mail's Royal Correspondent, "Currently only 'blood' royals hand out gongs. This is limited to the King, the Prince of Wales, and Princess Anne."  One source who spoke to Rebecca said: 'In my opinion, they should be performed by members of the Royal Family in direct line of succession."

Memo to Rebecca: don't use this source again.

Where was the research for this article, apart from speaking to unnamed sources?  Why didn't the reporter take time to search the Court Circular?  All of the major British newspapers are digitally available through Gale.  British public libraries have access to The Times and other newspapers.  Surely, the Daily Mail newsroom has subscriptions to several of Gale's publications, which includes the historical Daily Mail.   Rebecca's Newspapers is doing a disservice to its reporters if it does not offer these sources as well as Nexis, Factica, and the Proquest databases, which include US newspapers and magazines, including the New York Times and the Washington Post.

I understand the Mail closed its news library some years ago (another disservice).  But a good reporter should be able to do research (no, not Google, which is a search engine, not a research engine.)

Being in line to the throne and a blood royal are not requirements for doing the Investitures on behalf of the King.  Most investitures are carried by the sovereign.  The Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal have many "I dub thee" in the past few years.  

The Times  February 17, 1954

The Times February 17, 1954

Queen Camilla can also do Investitures!  Yes, SHE CAN!    There is a precedent.  Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother carried out at least 50 Investiture ceremonies from February 16, 1954, through the late 1980s.   These engagements were carried out on "behalf of the Queen."   The Queen Mother was the consort of King George VI. She did not do Investitures during her husband's reign.  She was, however, a consort of a sovereign.   As is Camilla.

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In the early years of Queen Elizabeth II's reign,  her uncle, the Duke of Gloucester stepped on occasion.  So did the Duke of Edinburgh, but the Queen Mother did more than 50 (probably more but I lost count) investitures. By the late 1980s, it was the Prince of Wales (now King Charles III) who filled in for his mother.

On occasion, the late Queen's first cousin, the Duke of Kent, also did Investitures on her behalf.

The Times  July 16, 1958

In February 1960, the Duke of Edinburgh stepped in for the Queen Mother who was to fill in for the Queen, who was in her final days of her third pregnancy.

February 15, 1960

October 12, 1963

There is precedence for a consort of the Sovereign (Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and the Duke of Edinburgh, to carry out Investitures on behalf of the Sovereign.  If the Princess of Wales is allowed to hand out the Orders and Knighthoods, she will be establishing a new precedent for the spouse of an Heir Apparent.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13147243/kate-middleton-camilla-honours-buckingham-palace-king-charles.html

If you appreciated my research, you could buy me a peppermint latte.

Remembering Don Fernando Gómez-Acebo

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 Family and friends paid their respects to Don Fernando Gómez-Acebo, the youngest child of the late Infanta Pilar of Spain, who died yesterday who died yesterday in a Madrid hospital.

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Among those who were spotted paying their respects were Infanta Elena of Spain, Pedro Lopez-Quesada (husband of Princess Cristina of Bourbon-Two-Sicilies), Beltran and Bruno Gómez-Acebo (brothers of Fernando), Simoneta Gómez-Acebo (sister of Fernando), Maria Zurita de Borbón (daughter of Infanta Margarita of Spain), and Monica Martin Luque (Fernando's first wife).

https://www.semana.es/familia-real-espanola/rey-felipe-acude-solitario-entierro-fernando-gomez-acebo_2781395

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2024/03/qvd-fernando-gomez-acebo-de-borbon-1974.html

an Update on King Harald

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From the Norwegian Royal Press office

"His Majesty the King has today had a temporary pacemaker inserted at the Sultanah Maliha Hospital in Langkawi.

The pacemaker was implanted because of a low heart rate. The decision was made this morning, and the operation was successful. According to the conditions, the king is doing well but still needs rest. The operation will make the journey home safer, says the King's anesthesiologist Bjørn Bendz.

The medical transport home will probably take place within a couple of days."

QVD: Fernando Gómez-Acebo de Borbón (1974-2024)

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 March 1, 2024

Don Fernando Humberto Gómez-Acebo de Borbón died today  in Madrid.  He was 49 years old. The cause of death was chronic respiratory failure, which was "complicated by influenza and Covid."  He had been battling respiratory issues for some time, and in recent months, his health began to decline.  In January, he underwent a tracheostomy, to relieve his bronchial issues.  

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 It has been reported in the Spanish media that Fernando's first cousin, King Felipe VI, visited him in the hospital last night.

Don Fernando was born at the Sanatorio de Nuestra Señora del Rosario in Madrid on September 30, 1974. He was the fifth and youngest child of HRH Infanta Doña María del Pilar Alfonsa Juana Victoria Luisa Ignacia y Todos los Santos of Spain, Duchess of Badajoz (1936-2020)  and Don Luis Gómez-Acebo y Duque de Estrada, 2nd Viscount of La Torre (1934-1991).  Infanta Pilar was the eldest child of HRH Infante Don Juan Carlos Teresa Silverio Alfonso of Spain, Count of Barcelona (1913-1993), and HRH María de las Mercedes Cristina Genara Isabel Luisa Carolina Victoria y Todos los Santos of Bourbon-Two-Sicilies (1910-2000). 

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The Count of Barcelona was the third son and heir of King Alfonso XIII of Spain.

Don Fernando's health problems have worried his family for some time.  To his family and friends, he was known as Coco.  Although he tried to maintain a low profile, his "love affairs" were fodder for the Spanish gossip columnists.   

He was married twice.  

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 His first marriage to Mónica Martin Luque took place on November 26, 2006, at the Real Monasterio de la Encarnacion in the presence of the entire Spanish royal family as he was the nephew of King Juan Carlos I.  The couple separated two years later and divorced in 2013.  They remained good friends.  "The fact that we had separated does not mean we get along badly," Mónica Martin Luque told a reporter.

 Don Fernando married for a second time on May 31, 2016.  This marriage was in a civil ceremony at the City Hall in Paleo Faliro in Greece where he wed Greek journalist and businesswoman, Nadia Halamandari.  

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 Five days after the wedding,  Nadia gave birth to the couple's son, Nicolás in an Athens clinic.  The couple separated within a year, as it was difficult for Fernando and Nadia to maintain a long-distance marriage, as Nadia helped run her father's business, in Greece, and Fernando was back living in his family's home in Puerta de Hierro in Madrid.   It has not been confirmed if the couple were divorced.

In 2017,  Don Fernando denied rumors of a divorce.  He told El Mundo "It's not the best situation we can be in, but hey, it is what it is.  Life is like that and it's not drama nor are we doing to tear our clothes off.  We are three hours away by plane and I go to Greece many times."

Don Fernando is survived by his widow, Nadia, and their son, Nicolás, and his siblings, Doña Simoneta  Gómez-Acebo y Borbón, Don Juan Filiberto Gómez-Acebo y Borbón, 3rd Viscount of La Torre, Don Bruno Alejandro Gómez-Acebo y Borbón and Don Luis Beltrán  Gómez-Acebo y Borbón and numerous nieces and nephews.

His body has been taken to the Tanatorio de La Paz Mortuary in Tres Canto, a Madrid suburb, where his family and friends will pay their respects.  

Don Fernando was a descendant of Queen Victoria.

Victoria - Beatrice - Victoria Eugenie - Juan - Pilar - Fernando

https://www.vanitatis.elconfidencial.com/casas-reales/2024-03-01/muere-fernando-gomez-acebo-coco-acebo-a-los-49-anos-primo-felipe-vi_3841216/

More Photos from Constantine's memorial service in London

Crown Prince Pavlos  all photos @Katrina Warne

These photos were taken by a good friend, Katrina Warne.  She told me there were only five "royal watchers", including herself and Ken Stone, and five photographers.  Thank you, Katrina, for letting me use your photos!

"We were expecting the Royals to come out the front entrance, but they must have made their way from inside into a side garden. We saw Crown Prince Pavlos and Prince Nikolaos being interviewed in the garden. The cars moved from the front of the cathedral around the corner and we ran around the corner to see Queen Anne Marie & the family emerge from a side gate."

Prince Nikolaos

Matthew Kumar and Princess Theodora & Prince Nikolaos (with phone)

 all photos @Katrina Warne

 https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2024/02/a-second-service-for-king-constantine-ii.html

Tom Kingston Inquest

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 An inquest into the death of Thomas Kingston, the husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor,  opened today in Gloucestershire.  The 45-year-old financier took his own life, according to Katy Skerrett, senior coroner for Gloucestershire.   He died from a gunshot wound to his head.

The coroner said Tom had lunch with his parents, Martin and Jill Kingston at their home in Kemble.  After lunch, Martin took the family dogs for a walk.   

When Martin Kingston returned from the walk, he discovered  his son was "not in the house."   Mrs. Martin went in search of her son before his father "forced entry into an outbuilding," according to the coroner. 

Thomas Kingston was found dead "with a catastrophic head injury."  A gun was found near his body.

The cause of death was a single gunshot to the head.