On 1 May 1868, Prince Friedrich Karl Ludwig Konstantin of Hesse was born at the family manor of Gut Panker in Holstein. Friedrich Karl was the third son and fourth child of Landgrave Friedrich Wilhelm of Hesse (1820-1884) and his second wife Princess Anna of Prussia (1836-1918).
Prince Friedrich Karl of Hesse and Princess Margarete of Prussia in 1893
On 25 January 1893 at Berlin, Prince Friedrich Karl married his second cousin Princess Margarete of Prussia (1872-1954). Margarethe was the daughter of the German Emperor Friedrich III and Empress Victoria. The princess was the youngest sister of Emperor Wilhelm II and a granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. They had six children, all sons, including two sets of twins: Prince Friedrich Wilhelm (1893-1916), Prince Maximilian (1894-1914), twins Prince Philipp (1896-1980; eventual Head of House Hesse) and Prince Wolfgang (1896-1989), as well as twins Prince Richard (1901-1969) and Prince Christoph (1901-1943).
The six sons of Friedrich Karl of Hesse and Margarete of Prussia
In the waning days of World War I, Wilhelm II found an opportunity for his brother-in-law to attain a regal status. On 9 October 1918, Prince Friedrich Karl of Hesse was elected as King of Finland by the parliament of the country, which had declared independence from Russia on 6 December 1917. During his brief reign, Friedrich Karl became known as HM King Frederik Kaarle I of Finland. The last Finnish king renounced his throne on 14 December 1918, having never set foot in his country.
King Frederik Kaarle I of Finland
In 1925, Friedrich Karl's elder brother Alexander Friedrich abdicated as Head of House Hesse-Kassel - Friedrich Karl succeeded him in this role. When Friedrich Karl died on 28 May 1940 at the age of seventy-two, he was succeeded by his eldest surviving son Philipp, who was married to Princess Mafalda of Savoy (1902-1944), the daughter of King Vittorio Emanuele II and Queen Elena of Italy.
Philipp of Hesse and Mafalda of Savoy on their wedding day in 1925
Although the last Kingdom of Finland lasted for barely two months, a crown was designed for its monarch. Since the final product was never realised, a replica of what the regalia would have looked like resides in the Kemi Gemstone Gallery.
A prototype of the crown planned for King Frederik Kaarle I of Finland
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011 after their wedding
Yesterday, 29 April, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (née Catherine Middleton) celebrated eight years of marriage: The Queen made the Duchess of Cambridge a Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order on the occasion of the anniversary. The Duke and Duchess were married on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey. Since then, they have become the parents of three children: Prince George (b.2013), Princess Charlotte (b.2015), and Prince Louis (b.2018).
When the Cambridges married eight years ago, a series of interviews were given by their relatives. Some of the most interesting of these were given by members of the Greek and Serbian royal families. The King and Queen of Greece, the Crown Prince of Serbia, and his cousin Princess Elizabeth (Elisaveta) were all guests at the Cambridge wedding.
One of the most fascinating interviews was granted by King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes. The couple recounted their close connections to the British royal family, as well as their hopes for the couple. The king is the godfather of the Duke of Cambridge, and the Duke of Cambridge is the godfather of Prince Constantine-Alexios, the royal couple's grandson. King Constantine and the Duke of Cambridge are second cousins once removed through their mutual descent from King George I of Greece and his wife Queen Olga (née Russia). Queen Anne-Marie and the Duke of Cambridge are third cousins once removed through their mutual descent from King Christian IX of Denmark and his wife Queen Louise (née Hesse-Kassel).
Another interview of note took place with Crown Prince Alexander II of Serbia. The crown prince is the godson of The Queen. Crown Prince Alexander and the Duke of Cambridge are third cousins through their mutual descent from King George I of Greece and his wife Queen Olga (née Russia).
Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia also gave her insight into this happy event in the British royal family. The princess is a close friend of the Prince of Wales. Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Cambridge are second cousins once removed through their mutual descent from King George I of Greece and his wife Queen Olga (née Russia).
Today, HRH Princess Micaëla d'Orléans, Dowager Countess of Paris, marks her eighty-first birthday.
The Dowager Countess of Paris was born doña Micaëla Ana María Cousiño y Quiñones de León on 30 April 1938 at Vichy, France. Her parents were Luis Maximiliano Cousiño y Sébire (1895-1970) and his wife doña Antonia Quiñones de Léon y Bañuelos (1895-1982), 4th Marquesa of San Carlos and Grandee of Spain; the couple had married at Paris on 9 June 1922. The Marquesa of San Carlos and her husband were divorced in the late 1940s after having had seven children. Nearly fifteen years separated their first child, don Juan Luis (1923-2017), from their last, doña Micaëla (b.1938).
doña Antonia Quiñones de Léon y Bañuelos, IV marquesa de San Carlos, in 1929
Doña Micaëla Cousiño y Quiñones de León married firstly in a civil ceremony on 12 June 1961 at Saint-Cloud to Jean Marie Maurice Bœuf (b.1934). The couple had one son, Alexis Francis-Bœuf (b.1964). The marriage of Micaëla and Jean ended in divorce in 1966.
Alexis Francis-Bœf with his stepfather and mother, the Count and Countess of Paris, in 2017
Micaëla began her career on the radio in France. Her first husband Jean Bœuf was an employee of Télévision Française. Later, Micaëla worked for an advertising group both in Madrid and in Paris. From 1978 until May 1981, she was responsible for the communications of the minister and the senior directors at the cabinet of minister Raymond Barre.
The Count of Clermont and the Princess of Joinville
On 21 January 1973, Micaëla Cousiño met Prince Henri d'Orléans, Count of Clermont, the eldest son of the Count and Countess of Paris. Henri had been married since 1957 to Duchess Marie-Thérèse of Württemberg and they had five children; however, the couple's union had deteriorated over time. When Henri and Micaëla encountered one another, it was love at first sight. Their devotion to one another was to stand the test of adversity and time.
Henri and Micaëla
In 1984, the Count of Clermont and his wife Marie-Thérèse, who was granted the title Duchess of Montpensier by her father-in-law, were civilly divorced. Prince Henri d'Orléans and doña Micaëla Cousiño y Quiñones de León contracted a civil marriage at Bordeaux on 31 October 1984; this action greatly displeased the groom's father, who sought to disinherit his son for a number of years. However, the Count of Paris and the Count of Clermont were reconciled in 1991; at this time, the Count of Paris granted his daughter-in-law Micaëla the title Princess of Joinville.
The civil marriage of Prince Henri d'Orléans and doña Micaëla Cousiño in 1984
Point de Vue covers the reconciliation of father and son in 1991
In 1999, the Count of Paris died and was succeeded by his eldest son Henri as Head of House France. Henri assumed the title Count of Paris; however, Micaëla chose to remain titled as Princess of Joinville from 1999 until 2003, when her mother-in-law passed away. The "new" Count of Paris and his first wife the Duchess of Montpensier received a religious annulment in 2008 from the Vatican. In light of this, Henri and Micaëla, the Count and Countess of Paris, were joined in a Roman Catholic ceremony on 26 September 2009 at Biarritz.
The Count and Countess of Paris after their religious wedding in 2009
Photograph (c) Alamy
The Count and Countess of Paris with Empress Farah of Iran
After thirty-four years of marriage to his second wife, the Count of Paris died on 21 January 2019 in Paris. His death came exactly forty-six years after he crossed paths with the woman who was to be his partner for the rest of his life. The Countess of Paris was unable to attend the funeral of her husband due to poor health; however, Princess Micaëla did attend a recent requiem mass in memory of her spouse.
The funeral of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg will take place on this Saturday, 4 May, at Notre-Dame Cathedral, Luxembourg.
Many royal houses have already announced that they will be present to pay tribute to the late grand duke, who was well-loved by his people and well-known for his bravery during World War II.
Below is a compilation of those foreign royals who have already established that they will be in attendance on Saturday for the funeral of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg.
Belgium:
TM The King and Queen
TM King Albert and Queen Paola
TI&RH Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz, Archduchess and Archduke of Austria
HRH Prince Laurent
HRH Princess Léa
HRH Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant
Brazil:
HRH Prince Rafael of Orléans-Bragança
HRH The Princess of Ligne
Denmark:
HM The Queen
France:
HRH The Count of Paris
Greece:
HM Queen Anne-Marie
Liechtenstein:
HSH The Hereditary Prince and HRH The Hereditary Princess
Monaco:
HSH Prince Albert II
The Netherlands:
HRH Princess Beatrix
Norway:
TM The King and Queen
HH Princess Astrid
Parma:
TRH The Duke and Duchess of Parma and Piacenza
Portugal:
HRH The Duke of Bragança
Romania:
TRH Crown Princess Margarita and Prince Radu
Spain:
TM King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía
From Sweden:
TM The King and Queen
United Kingdom:
HRH The Princess Royal
TRH The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester
Others:
don Luis Alfonso de Borbón y Martínez-Bordiú
On 27 April 1938, King Zog I of the Albanians (né Amet Bej Zogu) married Countess Geraldine Margit Virginia Olga Mária Apponyi de Nagy-Appony in a grand ceremony at Tirana. The forty-two year-old groom was born on 8 October 1895 at Burgajet as the son of Xhemal Pasha Zogu (~1860-1911) and his second wife Sadijé Toptani Khanum (1876-1934; titled "Queen Mother of the Albanians" during her son's reign). The twenty-two year-old bride was born at Budapest as the daughter of Count Gyula Apponyi de Nagy-Appony (1873-1924) and his wife Gladys Virginia Steuart (1891–1947; married secondly to Gontran Girault). The union of the Albanian king and Hungarian countess brought an infusion of blue blood into the nascent royal family: Albania had only become a kingdom on 1 September 1928 when the then-President Amet Bej Zogu was proclaimed monarch as Zog I.
Due to their religious faiths, Zog being Muslim and Geraldine being Roman Catholic, the couple settled on a civil marriage. The wedding of the king and queen was recounted in detail by Gwen Robyns, the author of Geraldine of the Albanians - The Authorised Biography:
On the morning of the wedding Princess Geraldine woke at six o'clock despite the fact that she had not gone to bed until late and been given a sedative to make her sleep. Soon everyone was awake at the villa and emotions ran high as - typically Hungarian - first the grandmother, and then her mother and aunts, began to cry.
Geraldine was astonishingly calm as she put on the pearl and diamanté embroidered wedding dress from Worth that had been selected for her. Again she had not been consulted, but the King's taste was so sensitive that its elegant lines flowed over her willowy figure.
It was Madame Girault's romantic wish that she place the wedding veil on her daughter's head and then from a hidden box she disclosed the white gold chain with diamond cross that Geraldine had admired with the King. It was another touch of finesse that made this man so different. At the time it was reported that the bride was taller than the King, but this was merely the height of her coronet of orange blossom, an insignificant fact that still piques her to this day.
As the wedding was to be a civil one only, it was held in the flower-decked hall of the palace. Followed by her six bridesmaids, all in white, Princess Geraldine entered the room to join the King who looked most impressive in his white uniform, his rows of decorations and his sabre. As Princess Geraldine took his arm the King placed on the fourth finger of her right hand a huge blue fourteen carat solitaire diamond ring to match the blue white one he had given her as an engagement ring.
The King's witnesses were Count Ciano and Zog's Turkish brother-in-law, Prince Abid, the Albanian Minister to France. Representing the Queen was Count Charles Apponyi, her guardian and uncle, and Baron Frederick Vilany, Hungarian Minister to Italy. Her train was carried by the King's nephew, Tati. Helqmet Delvina, the white-bearded president of the two Houses of Parliament united the couple by reading from the civil code...
The service lasted three minutes. The king then placed her trembling hand on his arm and led his bride to the balcony to greet the thousands milling in Skanderbeg Square. Again and again they returned to wave to the people who were overjoyed to see their monarch so relaxed and fulfilled. It seemed that a while new era of prosperity was dawning for this nation which had known only turbulence in the past. After this the King led her into the wedding reception, followed by her line of fluttering bridesmaids, the close family and the Court behind. They moved from salon to salon shaking hands and greeting guests. All the Queen remembers today of this part of her wedding was a sea of faces, so many loving faces, and the strange dream-like feeling of receiving reverences from her family...
Queen Geraldine cut the three metre wide wedding cake with the King's sabre and her beloved brother Gyula, just fourteen years of age, made a speech. With the permission of the King, the Apponyi family had arranged to bring to Tirana one of the most famous gypsy orchestras from Budapest to play at the reception. They played Geraldine's favourite tunes until, to the horror of the King, his bride began to cry.
Antoinette de Szinyei-Merse, Geraldine's eventual lady-in-waiting and childhood friend, recalled in her 1940 book Ten Years, Ten Months, Ten Days the various guests who came from abroad to witness the wedding of the King of the Albanians and the Countess Apponyi: "From Hungary, the Duke and Counts Esterházy and Festetich, the Apponyis, Károlyis, Szapárys, Berchtolds, and Edelsheim, the baronial Inkeys and Urbáns. From other countries the Princesses Borghese and Radziwill, the Counts Seeherr-Thoss and Trautenberg, and a great many representatives of Central European aristocracy." The Italian royal family was represented by the Duke of Bergamo.
King Zog and Queen Geraldine on their wedding day
The newlyweds received a treasure-trove of wedding gifts. Admiral Horthy, Regent of Hungary, sent Geraldine a set of china for forty-eight persons that was created by the Herend factory. Baron Villány, the Hungarian Ambassador to Rome, gave the couple a coach complete with Hungarian harness and two silver pure-bred horses from the Hungarian State stud - a coachman was also included: he was to remain on as a part of Geraldine's staff. The German Führer sent the couple a scarlet Mercedes-Benz 540K; ironically, this gift would come in handy when the king and queen and their newborn son had to flee Albania in the vehicle in 1939 after the Italian invasion. The Turkish government sent twenty-four Oriental carpets. President Lebrun of France contributed a white Sèvres porcelain table-piece. Prime Minister Mussolini of Italy promised the king and queen the extravagant gift of a yacht (which had not been constructed in time for the royal nuptials). Lastly, King Zog gave his wife a plethora of jewellery: bracelets, diadems, necklaces, pearls, and solitaire diamonds.
The King and Queen of the Albanians
On 5 April 1939, the King and Queen welcomed the birth of their only child Crown Prince Leka, who was born at the Royal Palace in Tirana. Two days later on Good Friday, 7 April, Italian troops invaded the Kingdom of Albania: Zog and Geraldine dashed into exile with their son. The family first relocated to France, then to England, and then to Egypt, and finally to France. [After King Zog's death, Queen Geraldine and her son Leka and his family moved to Spain, then to South Africa, and then returned to Albania in 2002.]
Statue of King Zog in Tirana
Aged sixty-five, King Zog died at Paris on 9 April 1961. Zog and Geraldine had been married for twenty-three years. After the royal family was able to return to Albania, Queen Geraldine died at Tirana at the great age of eighty-seven, having lived through an unspeakable amount of unfortunate events. The king and queen rest in repose at the Royal Mausoleum in Tirana.
Geraldine of Albania at the 1975 marriage of her son King Leka I to Queen Susan (née Cullen-Ward)
Crown Prince Leka (II) of the Albanians, King Zog and Queen Geraldine's only grandchild, is the current Head of House Albania. Together with his wife, Crown Princess Elia, the couple are dedicated to promoting the welfare of the people of their country. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess reside in Tirana at the Royal Court.
The wedding of Crown Prince Leka and Crown Princess Elia of the Albanians
Photograph (c) Seth B. Leonard
Early this morning (27 April), HI&RH Prince Bertrand, Prince Imperial of Brazil, was admitted to hospital at São Paolo. This forced the prince to miss a meeting of monarchists that he was due to attend later in the day. The reasons for the prince's hospitalisation are unknown. Bertrand was encouraged by doctors to rest at home in order to avoid the necessity of surgery.
Prince Bertrand, Prince Imperial of Brazil
Aged seventy-eight, Prince Bertrand is the heir to his brother, Prince Luíz Gastão, Head of House Brazil. The Secretariat of the Imperial House has released a statement that Bertrand is now recuperating at the residence he shares with his elder brother and feeling much better.
Source: COMUNICADO SOBRE O ESTADO DE SAÚDE DO PRÍNCIPE DOM BERTRAND
On 27 April 1938, King Zog I of the Albanians (né Amet Bej Zogu) married Countess Geraldine Margit Virginia Olga Mária Apponyi de Nagy-Appony in a grand ceremony at Tirana. The forty-two year-old groom was born on 8 October 1895 at Burgajet as the son of Xhemal Pasha Zogu (~1860-1911) and his second wife Sadijé Toptani Khanum (1876-1934; titled "Queen Mother of the Albanians" during her son's reign). The twenty-two year-old bride was born at Budapest as the daughter of Count Gyula Apponyi de Nagy-Appony (1873-1924) and his wife Gladys Virginia Steuart (1891–1947; married secondly to Gontran Girault). The union of the Albanian king and Hungarian countess brought an infusion of blue blood into the nascent royal family: Albania had only become a kingdom on 1 September 1928 when the then-President Amet Bej Zogu was proclaimed monarch as Zog I.
Due to their religious faiths, Zog being Muslim and Geraldine being Roman Catholic, the couple settled on a civil marriage. The wedding of the king and queen was recounted in detail by Gwen Robyns, the author of Geraldine of the Albanians - The Authorised Biography:
On the morning of the wedding Princess Geraldine woke at six o'clock despite the fact that she had not gone to bed until late and been given a sedative to make her sleep. Soon everyone was awake at the villa and emotions ran high as - typically Hungarian - first the grandmother, and then her mother and aunts, began to cry.
Geraldine was astonishingly calm as she put on the pearl and diamanté embroidered wedding dress from Worth that had been selected for her. Again she had not been consulted, but the King's taste was so sensitive that its elegant lines flowed over her willowy figure.
It was Madame Girault's romantic wish that she place the wedding veil on her daughter's head and then from a hidden box she disclosed the white gold chain with diamond cross that Geraldine had admired with the King. It was another touch of finesse that made this man so different. At the time it was reported that the bride was taller than the King, but this was merely the height of her coronet of orange blossom, an insignificant fact that still piques her to this day.
As the wedding was to be a civil one only, it was held in the flower-decked hall of the palace. Followed by her six bridesmaids, all in white, Princess Geraldine entered the room to join the King who looked most impressive in his white uniform, his rows of decorations and his sabre. As Princess Geraldine took his arm the King placed on the fourth finger of her right hand a huge blue fourteen carat solitaire diamond ring to match the blue white one he had given her as an engagement ring.
The King's witnesses were Count Ciano and Zog's Turkish brother-in-law, Prince Abid, the Albanian Minister to France. Representing the Queen was Count Charles Apponyi, her guardian and uncle, and Baron Frederick Vilany, Hungarian Minister to Italy. Her train was carried by the King's nephew, Tati. Helqmet Delvina, the white-bearded president of the two Houses of Parliament united the couple by reading from the civil code...
The service lasted three minutes. The king then placed her trembling hand on his arm and led his bride to the balcony to greet the thousands milling in Skanderbeg Square. Again and again they returned to wave to the people who were overjoyed to see their monarch so relaxed and fulfilled. It seemed that a while new era of prosperity was dawning for this nation which had known only turbulence in the past. After this the King led her into the wedding reception, followed by her line of fluttering bridesmaids, the close family and the Court behind. They moved from salon to salon shaking hands and greeting guests. All the Queen remembers today of this part of her wedding was a sea of faces, so many loving faces, and the strange dream-like feeling of receiving reverences from her family...
Queen Geraldine cut the three metre wide wedding cake with the King's sabre and her beloved brother Gyula, just fourteen years of age, made a speech. With the permission of the King, the Apponyi family had arranged to bring to Tirana one of the most famous gypsy orchestras from Budapest to play at the reception. They played Geraldine's favourite tunes until, to the horror of the King, his bride began to cry.
Antoinette de Szinyei-Merse, Geraldine's eventual lady-in-waiting and childhood friend, recalled in her 1940 book Ten Years, Ten Months, Ten Days the various guests who came from abroad to witness the wedding of the King of the Albanians and the Countess Apponyi: "From Hungary, the Duke and Counts Esterházy and Festetich, the Apponyis, Károlyis, Szapárys, Berchtolds, and Edelsheim, the baronial Inkeys and Urbáns. From other countries the Princesses Borghese and Radziwill, the Counts Seeherr-Thoss and Trautenberg, and a great many representatives of Central European aristocracy." The Italian royal family was represented by the Duke of Bergamo.
King Zog and Queen Geraldine on their wedding day
The newlyweds received a treasure-trove of wedding gifts. Admiral Horthy, Regent of Hungary, sent Geraldine a set of china for forty-eight persons that was created by the Herend factory. Baron Villány, the Hungarian Ambassador to Rome, gave the couple a coach complete with Hungarian harness and two silver pure-bred horses from the Hungarian State stud - a coachman was also included: he was to remain on as a part of Geraldine's staff. The German Führer sent the couple a scarlet Mercedes-Benz 540K; ironically, this gift would come in handy when the king and queen and their newborn son had to flee Albania in the vehicle in 1939 after the Italian invasion. The Turkish government sent twenty-four Oriental carpets. President Lebrun of France contributed a white Sèvres porcelain table-piece. Prime Minister Mussolini of Italy promised the king and queen the extravagant gift of a yacht (which had not been constructed in time for the royal nuptials). Lastly, King Zog gave his wife a plethora of jewellery: bracelets, diadems, necklaces, pearls, and solitaire diamonds.
The King and Queen of the Albanians
On 5 April 1939, the King and Queen welcomed the birth of their only child Crown Prince Leka, who was born at the Royal Palace in Tirana. Two days later on Good Friday, 7 April, Italian troops invaded the Kingdom of Albania: Zog and Geraldine dashed into exile with their son. The family first relocated to France, then to England, and then to Egypt, and finally to France. [After King Zog's death, Queen Geraldine and her son Leka and his family moved to Spain, then to South Africa, and then returned to Albania in 2002.]
Statue of King Zog in Tirana
Aged sixty-five, King Zog died at Paris on 9 April 1961. Zog and Geraldine had been married for twenty-three years. After the royal family was able to return to Albania, Queen Geraldine died at Tirana at the great age of eighty-seven, having lived through an unspeakable amount of unfortunate events. The king and queen rest in repose at the Royal Mausoleum in Tirana.
Geraldine of Albania at the 1975 marriage of her son King Leka I to Queen Susan (née Cullen-Ward)
Crown Prince Leka (II) of the Albanians, King Zog and Queen Geraldine's only grandchild, is the current Head of House Albania. Together with his wife, Crown Princess Elia, the couple are dedicated to promoting the welfare of the people of their country. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess reside in Tirana at the Royal Court.
The wedding of Crown Prince Leka and Crown Princess Elia of the Albanians
Photograph (c) Seth B. Leonard
Today, HRH Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark celebrates his thirty-third birthday. Philippos is the third son and youngest child of HM King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes (née Denmark). The prince was born at London on 26 April 1986. Philippos joined four older siblings: Princess Alexia (b.1965), Crown Prince Pavlos (b.1967), Prince Nikolaos (b.1969), and Princess Theodora (b.1983).
Photograph taken on the occasion of the baptism of Prince Philippos
King Juan Carlos of Spain holds his nephew and godson Prince Philippos
The Princess of Wales with her godson Philippos
On 10 July 1986, Prince Philippos was baptised into the Greek Orthodox faith at St Sophia's Cathedral in London. Among his godparents were his uncle King Juan Carlos of Spain, his first cousin twice removed the Duke of Edinburgh, the Princess of Wales, his aunt Princess Benedikte of Denmark, and his first cousin Infanta Elena of Spain.
The King and Queen of the Hellenes with their children
Philippos of Greece was raised in London; he visited Greece for the first time in 1993. As part of his primary education, the prince attended the Hellenic School at London, which was founded by his parents. Philippos went on to study Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, DC; he graduated from Georgetown in 2008 with his bachelors.
Philippos with his family after his graduation from Georgetown University
The Royal Greek Brothers (l to r): Nikolaos, Pavlos, and Philippos
The prince lives in New York City. Since 2014, Philippos has worked as an analyst for Ortelius Capital, "an alternative investment group specializing in hedge funds and private equity." Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark has been in a relationship with Nina Flohr, the only child of Swiss billionaire Thomas Flohr, founder of VistaJet, and his ex-wife Katharina Konecny. Philippos and Nina attended the wedding of Princess Eugenie of York and Mr Jack Brooksbank in 2018.
Prince Philippos and his partner Nina Flohr
Philippos and Nina at the wedding of Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank
Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg on the day in April 1945 when she returned to her people
"Charlotte: A Royal At War is the remarkable story of Grand Duchess Charlotte, daughter of Guillaume IV, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. As the constitutional monarch of the small European country from 1919 to 1964, she faced daunting challenges during the chaotic and frightening years of World War II. Charlotte, however, found the courage to inspire her devastated nation through the power of radio, reaching her people in their darkest hour."
The release poster for the documentary on Grand Duchess Charlotte
+ Princess Gabriele of Bavaria, Dowager Duchess of Croÿ
Princess Gabriele, Dowager Duchess of Croÿ, and her sister Princess Sophie, Dowager Duchess of Arenberg
HRH Princess Gabriele of Bavaria, Dowager Duchess of Croÿ, passed away on Friday, 19 April, at the age of ninety-one. She was the widow of Carl, Duke of Croÿ (1914-2011). The Dowager Duchess is survived by her three children and ten grandchildren.
Death notice of Princess Gabriele of Bavaria, Dowager Duchess of Croÿ
Photograph (c) Frankfurter Allgemeine Lebenswege
Princess Gabriele of Bavaria was born at Berchtesgaden on 10 May 1927 as the fifth chid and fourth daughter of Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria (1869-1955) and his second wife Crown Princess Antonia of Bavaria (1899-1954; née Luxembourg). Overall, Gabriele was the fifth daughter and ninth child of Crown Prince Rupprecht when one counts the children from his first marriage to Duchess Marie Gabriele in Bavaria (1878-1912). Gabriele's half-siblings from her father's first union were Prince Luitpold (1901-1914), Princess Irmingard (1902-1903), Duke Albrecht of Bavaria (1905-1996), and Prince Rudolf (1909-1912). The princess had joined four older siblings and was followed by one younger sister: Prince Heinrich (1922-1958), Princess Irmingard (1923-2010), Princess Editha (1924-2013), Princess Hilda (1926-2002), and Princess Sophie (b.1935).
Crown Prince Rupprecht and Crown Princess Antonia with their five eldest children
As is well-known, the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany mean that the Bavarian Royal Family eventually had to leave their country, owing to the Wittelsbachs' noted opposition to the policies of the National Socialists. This lead to Crown Prince Rupprecht, his wife Antonia, and his offspring from both marriages being scattered around Europe for the duration of the Nazi's time in power, especially during World War II. Gabriele and her sisters Hilda and Sophie first found themselves in Florence, where they began their education. As a result of her time there, Princess Gabriele became fluent in Italian. Thereafter, she moved to the South Tyrol with her mother Crown Princess Antonia. Now living at Brixen in South Tyrol, Gabriele continued her studies at the School of the Loreto Sisters. After two years in Brixen, Gabriele and her younger sister Sophie returned to Italy where they continued their education at Assisi under the supervision of Countess Paula Bellegarde, a friend of the family. At some point, Countess Paula and the Bavarian princess were discovered by the Gestapo and sent to Weimar: from there, they would endure a series of tribulations.
Princesses Editha, Sophie, Gabriele, and Hilda at Florence in early 1944
Photograph (c) Noel McFerran
By late 1944, Gabriele and many members of her immediate family found themselves in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. As the Russians advanced into Germany, the Bavarian royals were moved to the Flossenbürg concentration camp. Gabriele and her sisters were allowed to go for walks at Flossenbürg, where they witnessed the executions of prisoners who were forced to work in the labour camp but had collapsed along the way to fulfil their "duties." Gabriele later recalled the murders at the camp: "These pictures haunted us for years." After Flossenbürg, Gabriele and her family were transported to Dachau. It was from this concentration camp that the princess and the Bavarian royal family were liberated on 29 April 1945 by American forces.
After the end of the war, Princess Gabriele was able to finish her education. She attended the Ecole des Arts et Métiers at Lausanne, where she studied photography. Again, she was under the watchful eye of Countess Paula Bellegarde. Gabriele graduated in 1949, after which time she traveled to Egypt and Peru to pursue her photographic passion.
Crown Prince Rupprecht with his children (l to r): Heinrich, Editha, Sophie, Hilda, Gabriele, and Irmingard.
The family is pictured in the 1950s.
In 1950, Gabriele met her future husband Carl of Croÿ at the wedding of her sister Irmingard to their first cousin Prince Ludwig of Bavaria (1913-2008). Gabriele and Carl became engaged in early 1953. They celebrated their religious marriage on 18 June 1953 at Nymphenburg; Cardinal Wendel, Archbishop of Munich, presided over the ceremony. Hereditary Prince Carl of Croÿ was the eldest child and first son of Duke Carl Rudolf of Croÿ (1889-1974) and his first wife Nancy Louise Leishman (1894-1983), the daughter of John George Alexander Leishman (1857-1924), onetime US ambassador to Turkey, Switzerland, and Germany, and his wife Julia Crawford (1862-1918).
Duke Carl Rudolf and Duchess Helen of Croÿ
Carl succeeded as the Duke of Croÿ after his father's death in 1974. In the meantime, Carl and Gabriele became the parents of three children: Princess Marie-Thérèse (b.1954), Prince Rudolf (b.1955; the current Duke of Croÿ), and Prince Stefan (b.1959). In due time, all children married: Rudolf to Countess Alexandra Miloradovich (1960-2015) in 1987, Stefan to Countess Béatrice du Chastel de la Howarderie (b.1964) in 1990, and Marie-Thérèse to Count Stephan von Walderdorff (1963-2011) in 2002.
Carl and Gabriele with their son Rudolf, daughter-in-law Alexandra, and grandchildren Carl Philipp and Xenia.
Photograph (c) Alamy
Carl, Duke of Croÿ died on 14 June 2011 at the age of ninety-six. After her husband's death, Princess Gabriele, Dowager Duchess of Croÿ, continued to reside at Schloß Merfeld. A memorial Mass for Gabriele will take place on 3 May at Klosterkirche St Jakobus at Dülmen. Gabriele's sister Princess Sophie, Dowager Duchess of Arenberg, is the only surviving child of Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria.
Duke Carl and Duchess Gabriele of Croÿ in 1981
Photograph (c) Alamy
Carl and Gabriele, Duke and Duchess of Croÿ, in 1985
Photograph (c) Alamy
The Duke and Duchess of Croÿ in 1989.
Photograph (c) Alamy
