Mail Call

Here is a selection of Christmas and thank you cards I have received in the last few months.  I have chosen not to publish all the cards I have received, as some families do not want their photos published.

Princess Astrid celebrates her 93rd birthday

 

all images Marlene A Eilers Koenig Collection

Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner celebrates her 93rd birthday.  She is the second of three children of Olav V of Norway and Princess Martha of Sweden.  She is King Harald V's elder sister.

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2022/02/princess-astrid-of-norway-celebrates.html

Princess Ines Marie Lilian Silvia

 

@H. K. H. Prinsessan Sofia/Kungl. Hovstaterna

10 February 2025

Princess Ines Marie Lilian Silvia, Duchess of Västerbotten

On Monday 10 February, a Council of State was held at the Royal Palace on the occasion of the birth of TRH Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia’s fourth child.

At the Council of State, HM The King informed the Government that the Princess, who is eighth in line to the Throne, will be named Ines Marie Lilian Silvia and known as Princess Ines.

Princess Ines has been granted the Duchy of Västerbotten.

In accordance with His Majesty The King’s decision of 7 October 2019 regarding changes in The Royal House, Princess Ines is a member of the Royal Family but not of The Royal House. The Princess will therefore not enjoy the style of Royal Highness.

Alberta Sturges - the first American Countess of Sandwich

In due course -- following her father-in-law, the 11th Earl of Sandwich's funeral -- Viscountess Hinchingbrooke will be styled as Countess of Sandwich as her husband, Luke is the heir apparent.  

The heirs are not styled by their new title until after the funeral of the deceased peer.

Lady Hinchingbrooke is an American.  She was born Julie Fisher in Sugar Grove, Illinois, in 1972. In the early 2000s, Julie moved to London to work for a digital firm. By that time, she was a single mother of two young children.  She met Luke Montagu, Viscount Hinchingbrooke in 2003.   A year later, they married at Mapperton.  The couple have two sons, Hon. William and Hon. Nestor.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicoletrilivas/2020/05/17/julie-montagu-america-aristocrats-guide-to-great-estates-smithsonian-channel/

She appeared in Ladies of London,  Million Dollar American Princess and was the host of the Smithsonian Channel's An American Aristocrat's Guide to Great Estates. Lady Hinchingbrooke now has her own YouTube Channel, American Viscountess.  

https://americanviscountess.com/

The soon-to-be-styled Countess of Sandwich is an eloquent, brilliant, funny stately home historian.  She is not, however, the first American to marry an Earl of Sandwich.

In June 1905, Miss Alberta Sturges became engaged to George George Charles Montagu, MP, the son of Rear Admiral the Hon Victor Montagu (1841-1916) and the nephew of the unmarried Edward George Henry Montagu, 8th Earl of Sandwich (1839-1916).    They married on July 25, 1905, at St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge.  

 Miss Sturges "possessed of a large fortune in her own right" was one of the Dollar Princesses who married into the British peerage.  The Duchess of Manchester (Helena Zimmerman) was a close friend.

Alberta was the daughter of William  Solomon Sturges (1824-1894) and Elizabeth "Betty" MacLeod (1857-1931). She was born in Chicago, Illinois   She had one brother, Hollister, and one half-sister, Frances Leggett.     A year after Sturges' death, Betty married Francis Howard Leggett, a wealthy New York grocer.    Leggett moved the family to London, where Alberta made her debut in 1901

Along with her mother, her aunt Josephine MacLeod, and her stepfather, Alberta was a devotee of a Hindu monk Swami Vivekananda.   Alberta's two daughters, Lady Mary Faith and Lady Elizabeth, were also followers of Hinduism.

Mr and Mrs George Sandwich segued into the positions of Earl and Countess of Sandwich when his uncle died in 1916.  The couple had four children:  Alexander Victor Edward Paulet Montagu (1906 – 1995); The Hon. William Drogo Sturges Montagu (1908-1940); Lady Mary Faith Montagu (1911=1983) and Lady Elizabeth Montagu (1917- 2006)

The family lived at Hinchingbrooke House, which the 9th Earl had transferred to his eldest son, Victor, the future 10th Earl.  During the Second World War, the house was used as a hospital.  In 1955, Victor sold the estate as he could no longer afford the maintenance.  The family moved to Mapperton in Dorset after the sale of Hinchingbrooke House.  The house is now a school.

https://historicengland.org.uk/services-skills/education/educational-images/hinchingbrooke-house-huntingdon-5802

The Countess of Sandwich died in Huntingdon on October 23, 1951.

https://mapperton.com/home/gilded-age-american-heiress-exhibtion/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z74LoE7MlnM

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3gg2w16p2lo

https://www.doaks.org/resources/bliss-tyler-correspondence/annotations/alberta-sturges-montagu

The 11th Earl of Sandwich (1943-2025)

@Roger Harris

John Edward Hollister Montagu, 11th Earl of Sandwich  "passed away peacefully" on February 1, 2025, at Mapperton House in Dorset.  His family was with him when he died.

Lord Sandwich was 81 years old.

His eldest son, Lord Hinchingbroke, said:  “His career was in overseas development, humanitarian aid and human rights but he was also devoted to Mapperton and its community."

  Embed from Getty Images

Lord Sandwich was the eldest son of Alexander Victor Edward Paulet Montagu (1906-1995) and his first wife, Maud Rosemary Peto (1916–1998), who divorced in 1958.  In 1961, Rosemary abandoned the Montagu surname and the courtesy title, Viscountess Hinchingbrooke, and reverted to her maiden name by deed poll. She was a goddaughter of Queen Maud of Norway.

At the time of his birth, Lord Sandwich was second in line to the earldom, His father was styled Viscount Hinchingbroke until 1962 when the 9th Earl died, and Victor succeeded as the 10th Earl.

In 1964, the 10th Earl disclaimed his peerage for life, according to the Peerage Act (1963), as he wanted to continue his Parliamentary career. He served in five Parliaments as the Tory MP for South Dorset.  When his father died, the new Earl gave up his seat to move into the  House of Lords.  After disclaiming the earldom, he was known as Victor Montagu. In the 1964 General Election, he ran for the seat in Accrington but did not win his seat.  

Victor Montagu's decision to disclaim his peerage did not apply to his children who retained their courtesy titles, including John, styled as Viscount Hinchingbrooke.  Victor died in 1995, and John succeeded as the 11th Earl.

In 1968,  Lord Hinchingbroke married  Susan Caroline Hayman, daughter of an Anglican priest Perceval Ecroyd Cobham Hayman.  They had three children: Luke Timothy Charles Montagu (December 5, 1969), the Hon. Orlando William Montagu (1971), and Lady Jemima Mary Abrashi, who is married to Fisnik Abrashi, the Director of Global Customer Engagement at the Associated Press.   

The late Lord Sandwich sat in the House of Lords from 1995 through May 2024.  He was seated as a hereditary peer until November 1999. and then served as an elected peer. 

  Embed from Getty Images

Lord Sandwich and his second son, Orlando, established a fast-food restaurant chain, the Earl of Sandwich with 50 restaurants in the United States, Canada, France, South Korea, and the Philippines.  The fourth earl is credited with inventing the sandwich when he put meat between two pieces of bread.

He is survived by his wife, Caroline, their three children, Lord Hinchingbrooke, Orlando, and Jemima, and his nephew, Timothy, and at least five grandchildren, Hon William and Hon. Nestor Montagu,  Walter and Nancy Montagu and Lettice Montagu Abrashi.   

William and Nancy are the children of Orlando Montagu and Lady Honor Wellesley, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Wellington.

Lord Sandwich's eldest son, Luke succeeds as the 12th Earl of Sandwich. He is married to Julie Fisher, an American, and they have two sons.  According to peerage tradition, Luke will not be styled as the Earl of Sandwich until after the funeral.  At that time, his elder son, William will have the courtesy title Viscount Hinchingbrooke.

https://www.bridportnews.co.uk/news/24918633.family-share-heart-warming-tribute-earl-sandwich/

https://mapperton.com/visit/house/

 

60 Years ago - Prince Michael of Greece married Marina Karella

 

Marlene A Eilers Koenig Collection.

February 7, 1965

Prince Michael of Greece today married Miss Marina Karella, a Greek commoner.   The Greek Orthodox wedding ceremony took place in the Athens palace ballroom where a "mobile chapel had been erected in the ballroom."  This chapel had been "consecrated for the veteran Greek Navy cruiser Averoff."

Marina Karella is the heiress "to a vast industrial fortune," according to The Times. She is in her own right a "talented artist."

King Constantine II was the best man. The wedding was described as a "close family affair."

  Embed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty Images 

 As Miss Karella is a commoner, Prince Michael renounced his rights and the rights of his descendants to the Greek throne " before obtaining the king's permission to marry a commoner.  His wife will not have a royal title.  She will be known as "Marina, the consort of Prince Michael."

The 25-year-old bride was given away by her father, a well-known textile manufacturer." She studied art in Athens and Paris and has "gained a reputation as a successful stage designer for Athenian theatres."   She wore a "silk gown in Empire style with a 10ft long veil edged with Brussels lace, " designed by Jacques Heime of Paris The veil was held in place "by an eighteenth-century diamond and pearl tiara." 

  Embed from Getty Images

Prince Michael, 26, currently serves in the Greek army but has said that he will resign his commission to "pursue his studies to obtain a doctorate in political science. 

He is the son of the late Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark and the late Princess Francoise of Orléans.  

It was on October 19th when King Constantine II gave his permission for Michael and Marina to marry. At the time, Michael was third in line to the throne, after Crown Princess Irene, the king's younger sister.

The guests at the wedding included Queen Anne Marie, Crown Princess Irene, Princess Katherine and her husband, Major Richard Brandram, Princess Andrew, and Queen Frederika, who "escorted the bridegroom to the altar.   The Times also noted "that members of the French nobility attended, "  including the Count and Countess of Paris.

Princess Francoise

Prince Christopher and Princess Francoise

Michael was only a year old when his father, Prince Christopher died.  After his mother died in 1853, Michael lived with his uncle, the Count of Paris, and his family until he moved to Athens for compulsory military service.     He and Marina share a common interest in the theater, and met when she was "in charge of designs for a production of Gogel, "The Diary of a Madman."

  Embed from Getty Images

The couple had no plans for a honeymoon and would live in Michael's home in Ekali, 11 miles north of Athens.

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2024/07/hrh-prince-michael-of-greece-and.html

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2024/08/the-funeral-of-prince-michael-of-greece.html

Nikolaos and Chrysi - official photos

@Nicky Economou (all photos)

On Friday, February 7, 2025, at 18:00, the Greek Orthodox wedding of Nikolaos De Grèce and Chrysi Vardinogianni took place at the Holy Church of St. Nicholas Rangavas in Athens. The ceremony was led by His Eminence, Metropolitan of Kissamos & Selinos, Amphilochios, and attended by close relatives and friends.

The groom’s siblings, Pavlos, Alexia, and Theodora, and his nephew Konstantinos-Alexios were among the couple's best men and bridesmaids.

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2025/02/prince-nikolaos-wedding-on-tv.html

 

It is a girl for Princess Sofia and Prince Carl Philip

HRH Princess Sofia of Sweden gave birth to a daughter today at the  Danderyds Hospital.  This is the fourth child and first daughter of Princess Sofia and her husband, Prince Carl Philip.

The new princess weighed 8lbs 4 ozs and is 19 inches long.

Prince Carl Philip was present for the birth.  He told the press: “We are happy to welcome our newborn daughter into the world. The big brothers look forward to getting to know their new little sister."

Here is the translation of the press release.

"The Office of the Marshal of the Realm is pleased to announce that HRH Princess Sofia, on Friday, February 7, 2025, at 1:10 p.m., gave birth to a healthy and prosperous daughter at Danderyd Hospital."

@ The Royal Court of Sweden

The new mother celebrated her 40th birthday in December.  The former Sofia Hellqvist married HRH Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, the second of three children of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, on June 13, 2015.

They have three sons, Prince Alexander, 8, Prince Gabriel,7, and three-year-old Prince Julian. 

The King will announce the baby's name and dukedom at a Cabinet meeting in the next few days. The new baby is the King and Queen's ninth grandchild. 

Prince Nikolaos and Princess Chrysi's wedding.

Embed from Getty Images 

 Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark and  Chrysí Vardinogianni were married today at the Church of Saint Nicholas Ragavas in Athens.  

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The guests included Queen Anne Marie, Princess Alexia and her husband, Carlos Morales and two of their daughters,  Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie Chantal with two of their sons, Prince Constantine-Alexios and Prince Aristides-Stavros, Queen Sofia of Spain with her daughter Infanta Cristina of Spain and her sister, Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark,  Princess Benedikte of Denmark with her daughter, Princess Alexandra and her son, Prince Gustav, and his wife, Princess Carina,  Marina Karella, the widow of Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark, with her daughters, Princess Alexandra and the Duchess of Aosta and her son-in-law, Nicolas Mirzayantz 

This is the second marriage for both Prince Nikolaos and Princess Chrysi.  Nikolaos married Tatiana Blatnik in 2010.  Their divorce was announced in April 2024.

Chrysi has two children, Giorgi and Karen Agapi by her first husband Stefanos Xypolitas. They married in 2012 and were divorced five years later.   In December 2023, she ended a five-year relationship with Greek actor/director Konstantinos Markoulakis.

Nikolaos's younger brother, Prince Philippos, and his wife, Princess Nina did not attend the wedding.

Hereditary Prince of Coburg dead at 24

February 6, 1899

The Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha died today at the age of 24.

The following is an excerpt from my book, Queen Victoria's Descendants.

"Within a year of their St. Petersburg wedding, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh were the proud parents of a son, to be followed over the next ten years by four daughters. Unlike his four sisters, young Prince Alfred's health was not robust, but as the eventual heir to the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, it was decided that he should be brought up in Germany. While the Duke was still pursuing his naval career, his son's upbringing was left largely to his mother, and Queen Marie of Roumania has recorded that their father was "even a little bit of a stranger" to his children.

Young Alfred was only 24 when he died, and little has been written about him. Separated from his sisters, he was a lonely young man with a father frequently absent, and a mother who was hard to please and unable to show her feelings. The most significant event in the manner of his short life was his death, across which a veil of reticence has been drawn. In her memoirs, his sister Marie simply relates that his health broke down; other writers have attributed his death to consumption. The Times announced that Prince Alfred's death was due to a tumor, but it seems clear that as The Complete Peerage states, he shot himself. Unfortunately, he could not have chosen a more awkward moment for his tragic action, as it occurred in the midst of his parents' silver wedding anniversary celebrations. Though severely wounded, he survived. Angry at so embarrassing an incident occurring when all the family was present, Duchess Marie, against the wishes of the doctors, insisted on having her son moved to Meran, where it was hoped he would recuperate. But the journey proved too much, and young Alfred died alone save for the presence of a doctor and his manservant.

It is idle to speculate on the reasons for his suicide. A legend has been fostered that he married one Mabel Fitzgerald, but no evidence of this exists. Whatever the cause, it is an unhappy story. His life is best summed up by his aunt, Empress Friedrich, who wrote to her daughter Sophie, "I knew how shocked and grieved you would be at the terrible death of your poor cousin. It is indeed terrible. You ask about the cause. It is true that he was giddy and wild, as many young men alas are, and that he contracted an illness of which I know next to nothing, as I have never asked or heard anything about it, one dislikes thinking about it, and still more speaking or writing about it. This was neglected, and the poor boy led a dissipated life besides. Potsdam! -- there was not the place for him. He was too inexperienced and heedless and giddy to resist temptations, bad examples, etc. It is not all too miserable! I loved that boy, but there was something irresistibly taking about him. He was one of those who are not fit to take care of themselves, not from evil disposition but from weakness of character."

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh were stunned by their son's death; and Queen Marie of Roumania recorded her astonishment at seeing her mother break down and sink sobbing to her knees as her son's coffin was brought back to Gotha.

"All of the church bells of Gotha began ringing and we heard the muffled tones of a funeral march, and Mamma, generally so sober of movement, so undemonstrative, sank to her knees, crossing herself many times and then burst into tears. Mamma! Mamma who always hid every motion; it was an overwhelming sight; Mamma weeping for her first-born.""

And from Queen Victoria's Descendants A Companion Volume

"The Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha’s British titles, which included the Edinburgh dukedom, reverted to the Crown when he died. His only son, the Hereditary Prince Alfred, committed suicide in 1899, having lived a dissipated life that included gambling scandals. He never married nor had issue, but on January 28, 1895, the Court Circular published the following: “We are informed that a marriage has been arranged between his Royal Highness Prince Alfred of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, only son of their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and grandson of her Majesty, and her Royal Highness the Duchess Elsa Matilda Marie, elder twin daughter of the late Duke William Eugene of Württemberg by his marriage with the Grand Duchess Vera of Russia. The Duchess Elsa attains her 19th year on March 1 next, and Prince Alfred, who is a lieutenant à la suite in the German army, comes of age in October this year.”

Two days earlier, the New York Times reported from London that “the Central News learns that Prince Alfred, only son of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, is betrothed to the Duchess Elsa of Württemberg.”

There are no further reports in either paper (or in any biographies or published correspondence) about the marriage, although it was probably arranged and championed by Alfred and Elsa’s mothers, both of whom were Russian grand duchesses by birth. One can only assume that the engagement was broken by the bride’s family when they learned more about young Alfred’s lifestyle, which was reported avidly in the German tabloid press.

Another marriage was eventually arranged for Duchess Elsa. On May 6, 1897 at Stuttgart, she married Prince Albrecht of Schaumburg-Lippe.

When Hereditary Prince Alfred reached his majority in October 1895, he received a letter from his father “exhorting him to be mindful of the duties of a German prince, and to aid in furthering the welfare of the duchy and the empire.”

But young Affie was unable to live up to his father’s demands and expectations
as a son and Hereditary Prince."

(if you liked this article)

To Be or Not to be a Knatchbull

 Phoebe Knatchbull and Leopold Glover recently announced their engagement.  The Tatler's  Isaac Bickerstaff was so excited about this announcement that he rushed out a mistake-filled article. 

https://www.tatler.com/article/congratulations-mountbatten-phoebe-knatchbull-engagement

*  "The Mountbatten heiress Phoebe Knatchbull, 29, who is the great-granddaughter of the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma." 

* "Phoebe, 29, was born to Atalanta Cowan and the Hon. Philip Knatchbull, who is the son of Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma, the eldest daughter of Prince Philip's beloved uncle 'Dickie' Mountbatten."

Issac, darling, she was not born to Atalanta Cowan and the Hon. Philip Knatchbull.  

Phoebe Heather Wills was born in the Portland Hospital on April 20, 1995, to Wendy (nee Leach). Wendy was married to Alexander John Wills in 1992.  They divorced in 1996.

The birth announcement was published in The Times on April 25, 1995.

Here is the official GRO registration

For more than 20 years, I corresponded with the late Patricia, Countess of Mountbatten of Burma.  This was due to my research for my book Queen Victoria's Descendants.  

In a March 16, 2005 letter,  Lady Mountbatten told me about Philip selling the family home on Montpelier Walk in London.  Patricia and her husband, Lord Brabourne, had given Philip the house "a good many years ago."  They lived on the top two floors with "his growing family."

Philip and "his very nice second wife, Wendy, have a small daughter each, and also share two very small sons and decided to move to a very nice house in Chelsea." 

Two words stick out: Each and Share.   Daisy is Philip (Atalanta's daughter), and Phoebe is Wendy's.   The two sons are Frederick and John.    Philip and his first wife were divorced in  2000.  He married Wendy in 2002.  

The Hon. Philip Knatchbull considers Phoebe his daughter.  He and Wendy raised her together.  At some point, Phoebe began to use the Knatchbull surname rather than the surname on her birth certificate.  

This is not the first time Bickerstaff (a nom de plume?) has rushed to hit the submit button.  His article on Princess Mafalda of Bulgaria's divorce was similar to mine, including a misspelled word I later fixed in my post.  

Charles goes to Church in Flitcham

 

@Ken Stone

King Charles III attended St. Mary the Virgin Church church in Flitcham, Norfolk on January 26.  The church is not far from Sandringham House.

The King with the Bishop of Salisbury @Ken Stone

@Ken Stone

Ken Stone is the copyright holder.  I am grateful that Ken allows me to post some of his royal photos. 

Nikolaos and Chrysi set the date

Embed from Getty Images 

Private Office of the Greek Royal Family 

 The Greek Orthodox wedding ceremony of HRH Prince Nikolaos, now known as Nikolaos De Grèce, and Ms. Chrysi Vardinogianni will be held on Friday, February 7th, 2025, at 6:00 pm at the Holy Church of Saint Nicholas Ragavas in Athens in a private ceremony amongst close family and friends 

 Nikolaos's first marriage was dissolved by divorce in April 2024.

A baby for Princess Maria Laura and William Isvy

Belgian royal house

 The Belgian Royal Family's press office has released the following statement:

"Princess Maria Laura and Mr. William Isvy are delighted to announce the birth of their son Albert, born on Sunday 26 January in Brussels. Albert weighs 3.5 kg and is doing well, just like his mother. The families of the young parents share in their happiness."

3.5 kilograms is 7.7lbs

Albert Isvy is Princess Maria Laura and her husband's first child. He is the fourth grandchild of Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz. Their eldest child, Prince Amedeo, is the father of

This is the third grandchild of Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz of Belgium. Their eldest child, Prince Amedeo, and his wife, Elisabetta, are the parents of Archduchess Anna Astrid, Archduke Maximilian and Archduchess Alix of Austria.

A new QVD: Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi

 

@Edo Mapelli Mozzi

"Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are delighted to announce the safe arrival of their daughter, Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi, born on Wednesday, 22nd January, at 12:57pm. 

The baby was born weighing 4 pounds and 5 ounces.

The King and Queen, and other members of The Royal Family have all been informed and are delighted with the news. 

Princess Beatrice and Mr Mapelli Mozzi would like to thank all the staff at the hospital for their wonderful care. 

Her Royal Highness and her daughter are healthy and doing well, and the family are enjoying spending time together with Athena’s older siblings, Wolfie and Sienna."