Royal Karađorđević Baby Expected!

Princess Ljubica and Prince Mihailo of Serbia with their daughter Princess Natalija.

Princess Ljubica of Serbia shared last week that she and her husband, Prince Mihailo, are expecting their second child. The couple, who married five years ago in October 2016, have one daughter, Princess Natalija, born in 2018. The newest Karađorđević will be a great-grandchild of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia and Queen Marie (née Romania); Prince Mihailo, father of Princess Natalija and her younger sibling-to-be, is the youngest child of the king and queen's second son, Prince Tomislav. 

 

Source: 

PRINCEZA LJUBICA I PRINC MIHAILO IMAJU LEPE VESTI: Uskoro postaju roditelji po drugi put!

Lobkowicz Twins Karl and Nicolas Engaged to European Aristocrats

The engagements of the twin and youngest sons of Prince Wenceslas von Lobkowicz (b.1953) and his wife Princess Armelle (b.1955; née de Guillebon) have recently been announced. 

Prince Karl von Lobkowicz (b.1993) is engaged to Astrid Dagneau de Richecour, the daughter of Dominique Dagneau de Richecour (b.3 August 1961) and his wife Béatrice (b.1965; née de La Barre de Nanteuil). Astrid has four siblings, two brothers and two sisters: Eléonore, Thomas, Mayeul, and Pauline. Astrid's paternal grandparents are Louis René Robert Dagneau de Richecour (1927-Paris 3 August 2012) and Marie Jeanne-Françoise de Font-Réaulx (Paris 29 June 1934-Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, Paris 12 May 2001). Astrid's maternal grandparents are Vicomte Joachim de La Barre de Nanteuil and Geneviève de Rubercy (d.13 August 2013).

Prince Nicolas von Lobkowicz (b.1993) is engaged to Benedetta Zanardi Landi, the daughter of Count Antonio Zanardi Landi di Veano (b.Udine 24 May 1950), an Italian ambassador to various countries, and his wife Countess Sabina (b.1963; née Cornaggia Medici Castiglioni). Benedetta has a brother, Pietro, and a sister, Catarina. Benedetta's paternal grandparents are Count Vittorio Zanardi Landi di Veano (~1909-1999) and Mariangela De Faveri Tron (~1926-2017). Benedetta's maternal grandparents are Gherardo Cornaggia Medici dei Marchesi di Castellanza (Milan 11 November 1912-Porto Ercole 17 August 1983) and Donna Guilia Boghese (Rome 21 March 1926-Rome 13 November 2006).

Sources:

January 2004 - Un udinese ambasciatore a Belgrado

August 2013 - Madame Geneviève De La Barre De Nanteuil

October 2017 - Oggi l’ultimo saluto alla contessa Zanardi Landi

November 2021 - Fiançailles princières Lobkowicz

The Fiftieth Birthday of the Duchess of Aosta

Princess Olga.
Painted by her mother Marina Karella (Princess Marina of Greece).

Today, Princess Olga of Savoy, Duchess of Aosta, celebrates her fiftieth birthday!

 

Princess Olga and her father Prince Michael.

Born at Athens on 17 November 1971, Princess Olga Isabelle of Greece is the second daughter of Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark (b.1939) and Princess Marina (b.1941; born Marina Karella), who married in 1965. Olga has one sister, Princess Alexandra (b.1968; married Nicolas Mirzayantz).

Princess Françoise d'Orléans and Prince Christoper of Greece on their wedding day, 1929.

The paternal grandparents of Olga are Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark and Princess Françoise d'Orléans. The maternal grandparents of the princess are Theodoros Karella and Elly Chalikiopoulos.

Aimone and Olga's engagement picture, 2005.

On 7 May 2005, Princess Olga and Prince Aimone of Savoy (b.1967), Duke of Apulia, became engaged in Turin. Aimone is the only son of Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta, and his first wife Princess Claude d'Orléans. Although related in several different ways, Olga and Aimone are second cousins. Both are the great-grandchildren of Prince Jean d'Orléans, Duke de Guise, and his wife and first cousin Princess Isabelle d'Orléans. 

The Duke and Duchess of Apulia on the day of their religious wedding, 2008.

On 16 September 2008, Aimone of Savoy and Olga of Greece were civilly married at the Italian embassy in Moscow, Russia, where the couple live. The pair celebrated their religious wedding on 27 September at the Church of Panagia Diasozousa on the Isle of Patmos in Greece. Their union was attended by their parents and by King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes.

The Duke and Duchess of Apulia with their first child, Prince Umberto, at his baptism.

The first child of the Duke and Duchess of Apulia arrived in 2009. Prince Umberto Sathya of Savoy, Prince of Piedmont, was born on 7 March at Neuilly-sur-Seine. The prince was baptised on 18 June and received as godparents Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy and Carlo Radicati di Primeglio.

The baptism of Prince Amedeo of Savoy.

Aimone and Olga welcomed their second child in 2011. Prince Amedeo Michel of Savoy, Duke of the Abruzzi, was born on 24 May at Paris. The prince was baptised on 8 June 2012 at Milan in the Basilica of San Marco and received as godparents Princess Mafalda of Savoy, Princess Marina of Greece and George Antaki.

The baptism of Princess Isabella of Savoy.

The Duke and Duchess of Apulia had their third child and only daughter in 2012. Princess Isabella Marina Vita of Savoy was born at Paris on 14 December. The princess was baptised on her first birthday, 14 December 2013, at the église Saint-Thomas-d'Aquin in Paris.

The 2020 Christmas card of the Aostas, showing Prince Umberto, Princess Isabella, and Prince Amedeo.

Prince Aimone and Princess Olga, Duke and Duchess of Aosta, live with their children in Russia. Naturally, they have very close ties with their families in Italy and Greece. 

Princess Olga and Prince Aimone arrive at the reception following the wedding of Grand Duke George of Russia in Saint Petersburg, 2021.

Our best wishes to Princess Olga on her birthday!

A Century Since the Death of Princess Imperial Isabel of Brazil

The Brazilian imperial sarcophagi (from left to right): Princess Imperial Isabel, Emperor Pedro II, Empress Teresa Cristina and Prince Gaston at the Catedral de São Pedro de Alcântara. Photo (c) Seth B. Leonard.

One hundred years ago, on 14 November 1921, Princess Imperial Isabel of Brazil, Countess d'Eu, died at the Chateau d'Eu in France at the age of seventy-five years-old. The princess was initially buried at Dreux. In 1953, the earthly remains of the princess and her husband Prince Gaston were repatriated to Brazil, and in 1971 they were both buried at the Cathedral of Petrópolis. 

A portrait of Princess Isabel at the Imperial Museum of Brazil in Petrópolis. Photo (c) Seth B. Leonard.

Born on 29 July 1846 at the Palácio Imperial de São Cristóvão in Rio de Janeiro, Princess Isabel Cristina Leopoldina Augusta Micaela Gabriela Rafaela Gonzaga of Brazil was the second child and first daughter of Emperor Pedro II of Brazil (1825-1891) and Empress Teresa Cristina (1822-1889; born Princess of the Two Sicilies). Isabel had three siblings: Prince Afonso (1845-1847), Princess Leopoldina (1847-1871; married Prince August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha), and Prince Pedro (1848-1850). Following the premature deaths of both of her two brothers, Isabel became the heiress to her father the Emperor.

The home of Princess Isabel in Petrópolis. Photo (c) Seth B. Leonard.

The residence of Princess Isabel and her husband Prince Gaston. Above the door is the couple's intertwined initials. Photo (c) Seth B. Leonard.

On 1 October 1864, Princess Imperial Isabel of Brazil married Prince Gaston d'Orléans (1842-1922), Count d'Eu, at Rio de Janeiro. The couple had four children: Princess Luísa Vitória (born stillborn in 1874), Prince Pedro de Alcântara (1875-1940; married Countess Elisabeth Dobrzensky von Dobrzenicz), Prince Luíz (1878-1920; married Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies), and Prince Antônio (1881-1918).

A painting of the Princess Imperial taking the oath to become Regent of Brazil in 1870. Photo (c) Seth B. Leonard.

Due to Emperor Pedro's bouts of ill health, the Princess Imperial was called to act as Regent of the Brazilian Empire several times. It was during her last regency that Isabel signed the Golden Law in 1888, which completely abolished slavery in Brazil. Due to her act, Isabel became known as "The Redemptress" and she received the Golden Rose from Pope Leo XIII. Another side effect of the princess taking this step was to hasten the downfall of the Empire of Brazil, as conservative factions were not pleased by the abolition of slavery. In 1889, Isabel's father Pedro II was deposed in a coup by the military, which led to the establishment of the Republic of Brazil. As a result of this, the Emperor and Empress as well as Princess Isabel and Prince Gaston together with their children were compelled to leave the country for Europe. Empress Teresa Cristina died within months of leaving Brazil, and Emperor Pedro II died two months after leaving his beloved people.

The statue of Princess Isabel the Redemptress in Rio de Janeiro. Photo (c) Seth B. Leonard.

During exile, the Princess Imperial and the Count of Eu settled in France. In 1920, the Brazilian Republic repealed the law banishing the members of the imperial family from the country. Isabel was already too ill to even contemplate a return to Brazil. Fortunately, as written above, the remains of the princess now rest in the nation to which she devoted her life.

The Duke of Harar (1947-2021), Grandson of the Last Emperor of Ethiopia

The Duke of Harar in front of a picture of his late father.

The Duke of Harar died on 10 November 2021 in the United States. He is survived by his wife, the now Dowager Duchess of Harar (née Connie Jo Quave). The duke was a grandson of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia.

A communiqué was issued by the duke's brothers after his passing:

Statement of their Imperial Highnesses Prince Michael Makonnen, Prince Tafari Makonnen and Prince Beede Mariam Makonnen.

It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of our beloved brother, His Imperial Highness the Duke of Harrar, Prince Wossen Seged Makonnen Haile Selassie after a long illness.  

Prince Wossen Seged, (“Paul”) was born in Addis Ababa, on the 21st of August, 1947, the eldest child of their Imperial Highnesses Prince Makonnen Haile Selassie and Princess Sara Gizaw, the late Duke and Duchess of Harrar. He was thus a beloved grandson of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I and Empress Menen Asfaw of Ethiopia. After the death of his father Prince Makonnen in May 1957, Prince Wossen Seged was formally installed as Duke of Harrar just a few months before his 10th birthday. Prince Wossen Seged received his education in the United Kingdom and Switzerland, before returning to Ethiopia. He was among the members of the Imperial family to be imprisoned by the Derg regime following the overthrow of the monarchy in 1974, and was held under harsh conditions until he was released in 1989 along with his brothers. His Imperial Highness then moved to the United States to the state of Nevada where he married and lived happily for many years. Prince Wossen Seged passed away on November 10, 2021, and is survived by his widow, his brothers, and larger extended family who loved him very much. 

We would like to express our deep gratitude to the many people from all over the world who have reached out to us to offer their sympathies at this difficult time. We are very moved by the affection shown towards our brother, and to our family. The funeral will be held in privacy in light of circumstances, and we ask for everyones understanding. May God rest the soul of our dear brother Prince Wossen Seged in paradise, and may his memory be eternal.

May the Prince Rest in Peace.

The Fate of the "Secret" Family of Prince Victor Napoléon and Marie Alice Biot

Prince Victor Napoléon and Alice Biot.

In 1905, reports in the Belgian press, which spread to international outlets, increasingly indicated that Prince Victor Napoléon, Head of the Imperial House of France, and Princess Clémentine of Belgium had fallen in love and desired to marry. However, there were several impediments to their plans to wed. King Léopold II of Belgium, the father of the princess, was not keen on such a union as he did not want to upset the French Republic. Further, there was much made about the liaison of the Prince Napoléon with a former French ballerina named Marie Alice Biot. It was written that the couple had married and had children. This pre-existing marriage would obviously get in the way of Victor and Clémentine's hopes to become husband and wife.

Prince Victor Napoléon.

Prince Victor Jérôme Frédéric Napoléon was born at the Palais Royal in Paris on 18 July 1862 as the first child and eldest son of Prince Napoléon Bonaparte (1822-1891) and Princess Clotilde of Savoy (1843-1911), who married in 1859. Victor's paternal grandparents were Prince Jérome Bonaparte, erstwhile King of Westphalia, and his second wife Princess Catherine of Württemberg. Victor's maternal grandparents were King Vittorio Emanuele II of Italy and his first wife Archduchess Adelheid of Austria. At the time of Prince Victor's birth, his first cousin once removed was Emperor Napoléon III of the French, who was deposed in 1870. 

A short profile of Alice Biot in Ces demoiselles de l'Opéra, 1887.

Sometime during the 1870s, Prince Victor Napoléon began a relationship with Alice (Marie) Biot, a ballerina at l'Opéra in Paris. At a very young age, Mademoiselle Biot made her début at the Paris Opéra in May 1870 at the premiere of the ballet Coppélia in the role of Cupid. In March 1880, Alice danced in the premiere of the ballet Aida. A brief 1887 profile of the ballerinas of l'Opéra noted that Biot was "an intelligent and amiable person. [She] works very much. [She] leads a simple and normal life." Alice Biot retired from the Opéra in 1896. 

Alice Biot.

The liaison between the prince and ballerina only became public knowledge nearly thirty years after it began. Victor's desire to marry Clémentine left the door open for the press, perhaps aided by persons [i.e. King Léopold II] not wishing their attachment to materialise into marriage, to report on his ties with Alice. It was widely noted that at some date Prince Victor Napoléon and Alice Biot had religiously, but not civilly, married in France. They had several children together. When Victor moved to Brussels, Alice and their children followed him to the Belgian capital. While the prince lived in home on the Avenue Louise, his apparent wife and their children lived in a separate residence, though not too far from his own.

Pierre Biot.

Eugéne Biot.

Suzanne Biot.

Within the past two decades, more information has come to light about Victor Napoléon and Alice Biot's relationship. It is not certain whether the couple were ever religiously married, as no church records have been found to confirm this. One of the most insightful resources on the couple is a biography of Victor entitled Le Prince Victor Napoléon, which was written by his great-granddaughter Laetitia de Witt and published by Fayard in 2007. This work confirms that Victor and Alice were together for quite some time. Laetitia de Witt writes that Alice Biot was granted the title of Contessa di Beauclair/Beauclerc (Comtesse de Beauclair/Beauclerc) by King Umberto I of Italy at the request of Prince Victor. De Witt also writes that Victor and Alice had two sons: Pierre and Eugéne. It is possible that the pair had a further child, a daughter named Suzanne, who is not mentioned in the biography of Prince Victor. Aside from Suzanne, whose descendants have published genealogical information online regarding her life, it is not known what became of Pierre and Eugéne. 

The acte de mariage of Suzanne Biot and Walter Unger, 1898.

On 21 December 1898 at Paris, one Alice Marianne Suzanne Andrée Biot (born at Paris on 13 March 1882), the daughter of a Marie Biot and an unnamed father, married Walter Unger (born at Vienna in January 1869), a cavalry officer in the Italian army and the son of Charles Unger. Among the witnesses to the marriage were Count Edouard d'Harcourt, a M. Biot de Beauclerc (possibly the mother of the bride), and an Austrian count. If Suzanne Biot was indeed the daughter of Prince Victor Napoléon, then the prince has many descendants alive today who are not a part of the Imperial House of Bonaparte.

Romanov Weddings: Princess Marina Romanov and William Beadleston in 1967

On 8 January 1967, Princess Marina Vassilievna Romanov married William Lawrence Beadleston at the Nativity of the Holy Virgin Russian Orthodox Church in Menlo Park, California. Mrs Igor Sazevitch was the matron of honour. Katherine Sazevitch was the flower girl; Prince George Golitzin, aged 9 and the bride's first cousin, and Robert Hadow, aged 7 and another relative of the bride, also assisted in the marriage rite. Alfred N Beadleston, the groom's brother, was the best man. The ushers were Prince Andrew Romanov, Igor Sazevitch, Christopher Schroll, Michael Palmquist, Sydney Waud, Yale Kneeland, Richard Hurd, William Acquavella, Lewis Lehrman, James Meeker, Charles Mellon III, and Joseph Hexon. The religious service was sung by Reverend George Benigsen and Prince Alexander Golitzin. The marriage was blessed by Archbishop John Shahovskoy. After the wedding, a reception was hosted by Mr and Mrs Hannes Schroll at their Woodside home. The engagement of William L Beadleston and Princess Marina Romanov had been announced in November 1966. 

Grand Duchess Xenia with her granddaughter Princess Marina.

Born on 22 May 1940 at San Francisco, Princess Marina Romanov was the only child of Prince Vassili Alexandrovich of Russia (1907-1989) and Princess Natalia Alexandrovna Galitzine (1907-1989), who married in 1931. Vassili was the youngest child of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia and Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia. Natalia was the daughter of Prince Alexander Vladimirovich Galitzine and Lubov Vladimirovna Glebov. Princess Marina Romanov attended Crystal Springs School and Sarah Lawrence College. She received her teaching credentials from Bank Street College of Education in New York. 

Born on 31 July 1938 at Long Branch, New Jersey, William "Bill" Lawrence Beadleston was the son of Alfred Nash Beadleston (1912-2000), the President of the New Jersey Senate and Mayor of Shrewsbury, and Sylvia Lawrence White (b.1915), who married in 1935. William Beadleston attended the University of Paris and graduated from Yale in 1960. He was an art dealer at Acquavella Galleries in New York. 

After their marriage, Bill and Marina planned to live in New York City.

Marina Romanov

Serbian Royals Inaugurate Monument to Queen Marie of Yugoslavia

Prince Philip and Princess Danica unveil a statue of Queen Marie. Photo (c) Prince Philip of Serbia.

Prince Philip and Princess Danica of Serbia recently attended the unveiling of a bust of Queen Marie of Yugoslavia in Inđija. Queen Marie, born a Princess of Romania and married to King Alexander I of Yugoslavia, was the great-grandmother of Prince Philip. This monument to the queen is located in a park which already bears her name. Philip and Danica were joined by Vladimir Gak, the mayor of Inđija. Prince Philip of Serbia is the son of Crown Prince Alexander II of Serbia and a grandson of King Peter II of Yugoslavia, who was himself the eldest son of King Alexander I and Queen Marie of Yugoslavia.

Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia's Jewels at Auction in Geneva

 

 

The jewels with an imperial provenance.
Photo (c) Sotheby's.

On 10 November, a brooch and a pair of ear clips that belonged to Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia will be sold at auction by Sotheby's in Geneva. Born Duchess Marie of Mecklenberg-Schwerin, Marie married Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia, a son of Emperor Alexander II of Russia. The jewels are estimated to sell for anywhere between $300,000 and $520,000. Given their history, it would not be surprising if they fetch much more.

 

Sotheby's offers the following description of this fascinating lot:

From a European Princely Family, Formerly from a European Imperial Family

Historically Important sapphire and diamond brooch and a pair ear clips

circa 1900

Comprising : a brooch of plaque design, set at the centre with an oval sapphire weighing 26.80 carats, the border set with cushion-shaped and rose diamonds, maker's marks for Sophia Schwan, probably for Bolin, St Petersburg, 1899-1908 and Russian assay marks, the pair of ear clips en suite, set with step-cut sapphires weighing 6.69 and 9.36 carats respectively, within a border of rose-cut and cushion-shaped diamonds, to a later fitted case by Cartier stamped with the crown of the Royal House of Greece, King of the Hellenes.

The auction house also notes that this set of a brooch and ear clips was firstly owned by Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, who then left them to her only daughter Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna (Princess Nicholas of Greece). The catalogue entry for this lot gives further insight into how these jewels with a Russian imperial heritage were retrieved from Russia following the Revolution:

A ROMANOV INHERITANCE

From the Collection of HIH Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna

Two shabby Gladstone bags were chosen by Albert Stopford to secretly collect Maria Pavlovna's jewels from the closed but as yet unpillaged Vladimir Palace in St Petersburg. The jewels were stored in a safe in her Moorish style suite of rooms. Access was obtained with the cooperation of Maria Pavlovna's eldest son Boris [author's note: Kirill was Maria's eldest son] and trusted servant who let in Stopford, dressed in workman clothes, through a side door. He carefully dismantled the jewels, folding the pieces into old newspaper to protect them. In the safe was also money which Stopford changed into new Revolutionary notes andd the on 30th July set out for a train journey of three nights to Kislovodsk in Caucasus where Maria Pavlovna had a house. In his diary he records his arrival: “KISLOVODSK. The grand Duchess received me in her cabinet de travail and we counted the money which I had bought her in my boots form Petrograd. It was in revolutionary thousand rouble notes, which she had never seen before.” This was the last visit he made to see her before setting out for London with her jewels though he did receive a letter form her telling him “ that the night before - September 13-14 - the the Committee of Workmen and Soldiers came to the house at 2.30 am and stayed until 6, opening, searching and turning everything topsy-turvy”. The pressure was ever increasing. This dramatic story is graphically retold in William Clarke’s recent book “Hidden Treasures of the Romanovs, saving the Royal jewels”.

Albert Henry Stopford, who was at the time, aged fifty five and so not eligible for war service, was very much part of the social scene in St Petersburg (then called Petrograd). He was a witness from the Revolution from July 1915 to October 1917 and published his diary and letters anonymously in 1919. From these it is clear that he was on very familiar terms with Grand Duchess Vladimir, seeing her almost every day when both in Petrograd. He was also in constant touch with the British Ambassador and the embassy staff passing back information and acting as a semi official courier on his journeys between Petrograd and London.

Grand Duchess Vladimir must have trusted him implicitly to put her extraordinary collection of jewels into his care. He had an advantage because on his journeys to and from England as the English Foreign Office and the War Office as well as the French and the Russian Embassies, used him to carry confidential papers which they feared might be in intercepted in the mail. Trustworthy travelers were a rarity so they took advantage of his travel for direct communication. It these circumstances he was effectively carrying their Diplomatic bags as he said “as a matter of courtesy and not in an official capacity”. He made full use of this privileged position and in those years he made four visits to England which he recalls in his diary. For instance on 22nd October 1916 he had “No bother with customs”. On another occasion the border officials wanted to examine his bags but he insisted he was carrying official papers and eventually they climbed down, no search was made and he was allowed to proceed on his journey.

During the war the safest way from Petrograd to England or France was by train first north through Finland, which at that time was in Russian hands, and so into Sweden and then on to either Bergen or Arendal in Norway. As German U-boats patrolled the North Sea and the coastal water were mined, the voyage from southern Sweden to Newcastle or Scotland was chosen as the shortest and safest journey for the steamer. The reality of these dangers is recalled in Stopford’s diary of 14th January 1916 “Not too bad a crossing. As we neared Arendal, in Norway we nearly ran into a mine. The sudden veering of the steamer threw us all off our seats. All along the south coast of Norway, where there are many currents, loose mines are constantly being washed up.” Later the same year on the way back from Petrograd he recalls in his diary for Thursday August 10th 1916 in rather telegraphic style, “before leaving the fjords for the open sea, was sent for by the captain. He expected the steamer to be stopped by German submarines, and said the F.O. bags ought to be weighted. The ships carpenter put iron into the coulisses of the bags and deposited them on the deck handy to be thrown overboard. Ship stopped suddenly in the night. Rushed on deck and found only a sea-frog. Arrived at Newcastle-on-Typne.”

Stopford left Petrograd on 26th September 1917 carrying Maria Pavlovna’s fabulous collection of jewels including the sensational sapphire brooch and earrings in this sale to embark on what must have been a very anxious ten day journey. Behind him the Provisional Government of Alexander Kerensky tottering and ahead lay the prospect of the hazardous journey across the North Sea which by this stage in the war was heavily mined. As it turned out he was able to follow his usual route via Finland and Sweden without encountering any difficulties, finally arriving safely by boat at Aberdeen on 6th October and professed himself “delighted to see policemen again”.

Meanwhile in the Caucasus the situation became so bad that Maria Pavlovna put her affairs in order and made arrangements for the cigarette boxes and cufflinks in the Vladimir Palace to be taken to Swedish Legation in Petrograd (these quite remarkably have only recently been discovered, safe and sound, in the Swedish Foreign Office in Stockholm and are now to be sold at Sotheby’s in London on 30thNovember 2009). She also made her own plans to leave Russia. The only route open to her was to make her way from Caucasus to the White Russian stronghold at the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, a journey of 800 kilometers through a war-torn country. Despite the deteriorating situation and the fact that it was late autumn it is reported that she set off in style for the fifty mile journey to the nearest railway situation in an open carriage with her maid of honor at her side.

The next first hand report of Grand Duchess Vladimir’s escape from Russia is by her niece Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna who also left her departure to the last minute. She was already at the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk which at the time was the principle center of Denekin’s White Army and waiting for a passage when she heard at her Aunt Michen, the formidable Grand Duchess Vladimir, had arrived after a harrowing escape from Caucasus. She is quoted in her biography as recalling “I went to see her. I was duchess. There had never been much love between Aunt Michen and my own family, but I felt proud of her. Disregarding peril and hardship, the stubbornly had kept all the trimmings of bygone splendor and glory. And somehow carried it off. When even generals found themselves lucky to find a horse-cart and an old nag to bring them into safety, Aunt Michen made a long journey in her own train. It was battered all right – but it was hers. For the first time in my life I found it was a pleasure to kiss her”.

Even though the situation was very dangerous and time short it is said that the Grand Duchess, acting very much in character, is said to have refused passage on a ship which required a change ta Istanbul as she could have had to submit to the ignominy of being deloused. Instead, she obtained a later passage in February 1920 and within a month of her departure Novorossiysk fell to the Bolsheviks. Her passage was on an Italian vessel and it is recorded at once again “the good Stopford received us in Venice with money to pay for our passage”. From there she went to Switzerland and then to Paris.

On his return to England Albert Stopford put the jewels in a safety deposit box in a bank in London where they remained for rather more then two years by which time Maria Pavlovna had reached Europe. They then had discussions about who would provide the best professional advice. Cartier in Paris seemed to be the best choice as many of the jewels had come from them and they had offered to make no charge for the valuation. In mid-June 1920, Stopford received what was probably his last letter form “his Grand Duchess” where she said that “the offer is very tempting” but sadly in July her health had been severely affected by the ordeal of the previous four years and on 6th September she died. Her tomb is in the Russian Orthodox church Contrexeville in north eastern France which she had had build in memory of her husband in 1909.

The division of jewels therefore became the main matter for her will and the were placed in the hands of Cartier for valuation. Thereafter the division was by no means simple.

As is made clear by the provenance provided by Sotheby's, these particular items were inherited by Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia, who married Prince Nicholas of Greece. Nicholas and Elena had three daughters: Princess Olga (married Prince Paul of Yugoslavia), Princess Elisabeth (married Count Carl Theodor zu Toerring-Jettenbach), and Princess Marina (married Prince George, Duke of Kent). Therefore, it is possible that these jewels are being sold by one of Elena's descendants. No doubt, this gorgeous sapphire brooch and accompanying ear clips will make an historic addition to anyone's collection.

Source: Historically important sapphire and diamond brooch and a pair ear clips, circa 1900

100 Years Since the Birth of Princess Fawzia of Egypt, Eventual Queen of Iran

Queen Fawzia of Iran, Princess of Egypt.

Queen Fawzia of Iran in 1942, photographed by Cecil Beaton.

The Queen of Iran.

A century ago today, Princess Fawzia of Egypt was born. She was the daughter, sister, and aunt of successive kings of Egypt. Fawzia was also the first wife of the last Shah of Iran.

Left to right: Princess Faiza, Princess Faika, Princess Fawzia, and Prince Farouk.

A young princess. 

On 5 November 1921, Princess Fawzia bint Fuad of Egypt was born at the Ras el-Tin Palace in Alexandria. The princess was the eldest daughter of Sultan Fuad I of Egypt and Sudan (later King Fuad I of Egypt) and his second wife Nazli Sabri. Princess Fawzia had four full siblings: King Farouk I of Egypt (1920-1965), Princess Faiza (1923-1994), Princess Faika (1926-1983), and Princess Fathia (1930-1976). From her father's first marriage to Princess Shivakiar Ibrahim, Princess Fawzia had two older half-siblings: Prince Ismail (1896-1897) and Princess Fawkia (1897-1974). Princess Fawzia and her younger sisters were raised in the sheltered environment of the Egyptian royal court. In mid-1938, the engagement of Princess Fawzia to Crown Prince Mohammad Reza Shah of Iran was finalised.

Princess Fawzia of Egypt and Crown Prince Mohamed Reza of Iran.

Abdin Palace, Cairo.

A commemorative medallion issued to celebrate the union of the Iranian heir and the Egyptian princess.

On 15 March 1939, Crown Prince Mohammad Reza Shah of Iran and Princess Fawzia of Egypt were married at the Abeen Palace in Cairo. The wedding was the first time that the pair had met one another. Their marriage was a politically-motivated match; love was not a factor. The union of the couple was the culmination of a wish to cement ties between a Sunni Muslim dynasty (Egypt) and a Shi'i Muslim dynasty (Iran) in the region. After their marriage in the Egyptian capital, the couple traveled to Iran, accompanied by the bride's mother Queen Nazli and her sisters. 

The newlyweds.

Left to right: Princess Shams of Iran, Princess Ashraf of Iran, the Duke of Aosta, Queen Nazli of Egypt with her daughter Princess Fawzia, the Countess of Athlone.

Front row, left to right: Princess Ashraf of Iran, Queen Tadj ol-Molouk of Iran, Princess Fawzia, and Princess Shams.

In Tehran, further celebrations surrounding the wedding of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess were held. A second marriage ceremony for Mohammed Reza and Fawzia took place at the Marble Palace. The festivities were attended by some foreign royalties, including the Earl and Countess of Athlone as well as the Duke of Aosta. Mohammed Reza spoke Persian and French while Fawzia spoke Turkish and French. Therefore, husband and wife conversed in French.

Crown Prince Mohammed Reza and Crown Princess Fawzia with their daughter Princess Shahnaz.

The Shah and Queen of Iran with their daughter in Tehran. Photographed by Cecil Beaton in the mid-1940s.

Queen Fawzia of Iran and her daughter Princess Shahnaz.

On 27 October 1940 at Tehran, Princess Shahnaz Pahlavi of Iran was born as the only child of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Iran. In 1941, Fawzia's father-in-law was deposed, and her husband became the Shah of Iran. With this, Fawzia became the Queen of Iran. However, as is the case with some arranged marriages, the union was not a happy one. Fawzia greatly missed her homeland and suffered from depression as a result of her isolation at the Iranian court. Queen Tadj ol-Molouk did not treat her daughter-in-law very kindly, and Fawzia was not welcomed by her sisters-in-law either. It came as no surprise that Queen Fawzia moved back to Cairo in 1945, where she obtained an Egyptian divorce from the Shah. The termination of the union became final when an Iranian divorce was granted to the Shah and Queen in 1948. After this, Fawzia reverted to her title as Princess of Egypt.

Ismail Chirine and Princess Fawzia, 1949.

Ismail Chirine and Princess Fawzia with their daughter Nadia and their son Hussein.

On 28 March 1949, Princess Fawzia of Egypt married Colonel Ismail Hussein Chirine (1919-1997). The couple had two children: Nadia Chirine (1950-2009; married firstly Yusuf Shabaan; married secondly Mustafa Rashid) and Hussein Chirine (1955-2016). Theirs was a happy coupling. Fawzia remained in Egypt after the overthrow of the monarchy in 1952.

Princess Shahnaz Pahlavi and her mother Princess Fawzia of Egypt in the 1970s.

Princess Fawzia with her only son, Hussein Chirine.

Aged ninety-one, Princess Fawzia of Egypt died at Alexandria, Egypt, on 2 July 2013. She was ninety-one years-old. The princess was buried in Cairo next to her second husband.