Princess Birgitta of Sweden's 85th Birthday!

Princess Birgitta in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, 1999.
Photo (c) Getty Images / Gianni Ferrari.

Today, Princess Birgitta of Sweden celebrates her eighty-fifth birthday.

Princess Sibylle of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden on their wedding day at Coburg, 1932.

Princess Birgitta at a little over one month old.

Prince Gustaf Adolf and Princess Sibylla with their eldest daughter Princess Margaretha and their infant daughter Princess Birgitta, Haga, April 1937.

Born on 19 January 1937 at Haga, Princess Birgitta Ingeborg Alice of Sweden was the second daughter and child of Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten (1906-1947), and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1908-1972), who married in 1932. Birgitta's paternal grandparents were King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden (1882-1973) and his first wife Princess Margaret of Connaught (1882-1920). Her maternal grandparents were Duke Carl Eduard of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1884-1954) and his wife Princess  Viktoria Adelheid of Schleswig-Holstein (1885-1970).

Princess Margaretha, Princess Birgitta, Princess Désirée, and Princess Christina of Sweden, 1945.
Photo (c) Getty Images / Hulton Deutsch.

Six month old Prince Carl Gustaf of Sweden, the future King, 1946.
Photo (c) Getty Images / Bettmann.

Prince Gustaf Adolf and Princess Sibylla of Sweden had five children, four daughters and one son: Princess Margaretha (b.1934), Princess Birgitta (b.1937), Princess Désirée (b.1938), Princess Christina (b.1943), and Prince Carl Gustaf (b.1946). In January 1947, Prince Gustaf Adolf was killed when the Royal Dutch Airlines DS-3 aircraft on which the prince was a passenger crashed in Copenhagen shortly after its take-off for Stockholm. The prince had been a hunting guest of Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands. American soprano Grace Moore was one of the other twenty-plus victims of the plane crash.

Princess Birgitta in 1960.
Photo (c) Getty Images / Rolls Press / Popperfoto.

In the late 1950s, Princess Birgitta was a student at the Kungliga Gymnastiska Centralinstitutet (Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences) in Stockholm. Through her studies at the school, the princess became a trained gymnast and also an instructor in the sport. In 1958, Birgitta taught gymnastics to students at the Broms School in Stockholm. 

Princess Birgitta and Prince Johann Georg when their engagement was announced, 1960.
Photo (c) Getty Images / Keystone.

On 15 December 1960, the Swedish royal court announced the engagement of Princess Birgitta of Sweden and Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern (1932-2016). The prince and princess met in 1959 at a cocktail party during a skiing holiday in Germany. Johann Georg was the son of Fürst Friedrich of Hohenzollern (1891-1965) and Princess Margrethe of Saxony (1900-1962). Birgitta and Johann Georg were fifth cousins; both were descendants of Duke Franz of Sachsen-Saalfeld-Coburg and his second wife Countess Auguste Reuss zu Lobenstein und Ebersdorf. 

The wedding day of Birgitta and Johann Georg, 1961.
Photo (c) Getty Images / Keystone-France.

On 25 May 1961, Princess Birgitta and Prince Johann Georg took part in their civil marriage at the Royal Palace in Stockholm; Mayor Yngve Kristensson joined the prince and princess in matrimony. The simple ceremony lasted for only two minutes, but it was attended by 750 guests and televised. On 30 May, the couple celebrated their religious wedding at Sigmaringen, which was presided over by Father Benedict Rith.  

Prince Johann Georg and Princess Birgitta with their three children: Prince Carl Christian, Princess Désirée, and baby Prince Hubertus, 1966.
Photo (c) Getty Images / Keystone-France.

Princess Birgitta and Prince Johann Georg had three children: Prince Carl Christian (b.1962; married Nicole Neschitsch), Princess Désirée (b.1963; married firstly to Hereditary Count Heinrich zu Ortenburg; married secondly to Eckbert von Bohlen und Halbach), and Prince Hubertus (b.1966; married Ute Maria König). Princess Birgitta has five grandchildren.

Princess Birgitta and Prince Johann Georg at the celebration of the prince's 50th birthday, 1982.
Photo (c) Getty Images / United Archives.

Princess Birgitta and Prince Johann Georg eventually quietly separated, though never legally, and they never divorced. Princess Birgitta preferred the warmer climate of Palma de Mallorca, Spain, where she could pursue her interest in golf; while Prince Johann Georg, an art historian, continued to reside in Germany. 

 

Princess Birgitta departing the funeral of her husband, 2016.
Photo (c) Getty Images / Picture Alliance.

 

Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern died on 2 March 2016, aged eighty-three. Johann Georg and Birgitta had been married for fifty-four years. The princess remains close to her family in Sweden. Princess Birgitta attended the 2010 wedding of her niece Crown Princess Victoria to Daniel Westling, the 2013 wedding of her niece Princess Madeleine to Christopher O'Neill, and the 2015 wedding of her nephew Prince Carl Philip to Sofia Hellqvist.

 

Our congratulations to Princess Birgitta on her birthday!

The 70th Birthday of King Fuad II of Egypt

His Majesty King Fuad.
Photo (c) Fouad II, Official Site.

Today, HM King Fuad II of Egypt celebrates his seventieth birthday!

The infant prince in the Cairo's Abdeen Palace.

King Farouk and Queen Narriman of Egypt with their son Prince Fuad.

Born on 16 January 1952 at Cairo, Prince Ahmad Fuad of Egypt was the first and only child of King Farouk of Egypt (1920-1965) and his second wife Queen Narriman (1933-2005; née Sadiq), who had married in 1951. From his father's first marriage to Queen Farida (1921-1988; née Safinaz Zulficar), the little prince had three older sisters: Princess Ferial (1938-2009), Princess Fawzia (1940-2005), and Princess Fadia (1943-2002). The three sisters and their younger brother remained very close to one another.

Queen Narriman and King Farouk of Egypt with their son King Fuad II while in exile at Capri, 1953.

Following the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, King Farouk abdicated on 26 July in favour of his six month old son, who became King Fuad II of Egypt. Fuad was never crowned, and he left with his parents and sisters for exile in Europe. A regency was established and headed by Prince Muhammad Abdel Moneim. Owing to the political situation in the country, the infant king's reign was to be very brief. On 18 June 1953, King Fuad II was deposed, the monarchy was abolished, and Egypt became a republic. The marriage of Fuad's parents had deteriorated rather quickly; King Farouk and Queen Narriman divorced in 1954. One of the conditions of the divorce, which was sought by the queen, was that she would have to give up custody of her son. This proved a great source of pain to Narriman, who returned to Egypt. In 1954, Queen Narriman married Dr. Adham al-Nakib, who had been King Farouk's personal doctor. The couple had one son, Akram, and divorced in 1961. King Farouk died in 1965 at the age of forty-five, having never remarried. 

The religious wedding of King Fuad II of Egypt, 1977.

King Fuad with his son Prince Muhammed Ali, 1979.

On 16 April 1976 at Paris, King Fuad II of Egypt civilly married Dominique-France Loeb-Picard (b.1948; upon her conversion to Islam she adopted the name Fadila), the daughter of David-Robert Loeb and Paule-Madeleine Picard. The couple were religiously married at Monte Carlo on 5 October 1977 in the presence of Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco. King Fuad and Queen Fadila had three children: Prince Muhammad Ali (b.1979; married Princess Noal Zaher of Afghanistan), Princess Fawzia-Latifa (b.1982; married Sylvain Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Renaudeau), and Prince Fakhruddin (b.1987). Fuad and Fadila's marriage had faltered by the mid-1990s; the couple separated in 2002. King Fuad filed for divorce in 2006 and Fadila appealed his petition. The couple were finally granted a divorce in 2008.

King Fuad with his daughter-in-law Princess Noal Zaher and his son Prince Muhammed Ali on the occasion of their wedding, 2013.
Photo (c) Fouad II, Official Site.

King Fuad with his two eldest children, their spouses, and his grandchildren, 2021.
Photo (c) Fouad II, Official Site.

The last King of Egypt lives in Switzerland. King Fuad has four grandchildren. In 2013, the king's eldest son Prince Muhammed Ali, Prince of the Sa'id, married Princess Noal Zaher Shah of Afghanistan, the daughter of Prince Muhammed Daoud Khan and Princess Fatima Begum. Prince Muhammed Ali and Princess Noal Zaher have two children, twins: Prince Fouad Zaher Hassan and Princess Farah-Noor of Egypt (b.2017). In 2019, the king's daughter Princess Fawzia-Latifa married Sylvain Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Renaudeau; the couple have two children, a son Naël Renaudeau (b.2019), and a daughter, Dounia Renaudeau (b.2021). King Fuad is a close family friend to the Albanian Royal House and the Russian Imperial House, among others.

The king with his son, daughter-in-law, and their children, 2019.
Photo (c) Fouad II, Official Site.

Our congratulations to His Majesty on his birthday!

The Serbian Twins Turn 40: the Birthday of Prince Philip and Prince Alexander!

Prince Alexander and Prince Philip.
Photograph courtesy of the Royal Family of Serbia.

 

Today, Prince Philip and Prince Alexander of Serbia celebrate their fortieth birthdays!

The birth of the twin princes is noted in the Chicago Tribune of 25 January 1982.

Princess Maria da Gloria holding Prince Alexander and Prince Philip while Prince Peter looks on, 1982.

Born on 15 January 1982 at Fairfax, Virginia, the fraternal twin princes Philip and Alexander were the second and third children of Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia (b.1945) and his wife Princess Maria da Gloria of Orléans-Braganza (b.1946). The paternal grandparents of the princes are King Peter II of Yugoslavia (1923-1970) and Queen Alexandra (1921-1993; née Princess of Greece). Their maternal grandparents are Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza (1913-2007) and Princess Esperanza of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1914-2005).

Princess Maria da Gloria and Crown Prince Alexander on their wedding day, 1972.

Crown Prince Alexander and Princess Maria da Gloria married on 1 July 1972 at Villamanrique de la Condesa. The couple were fourth cousins, both being descendants of Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and his wife Princess Mária Antónia von Koháry. Alexander and Maria da Gloria met in Portugal while both where on holiday with family. The prince and princess found that they could best converse in French. Even after the princess became fluent in English, Alexander and Maria da Gloria continued to speak in French between one another. 

Prince Alexander and Princess Maria da Gloria with their eldest son Prince Peter, 1982.
The couple were on vacation in Fort Meyers, Florida.
Photo (c) News-Press / Acey Harper.

The couple welcomed the arrival of their first child, Hereditary Prince Peter, on 5 February 1980 in Chicago, Illinois. Shortly thereafter, Prince Alexander and Princess Maria da Gloria moved to Virginia, where they purchased a home. It was in Virginia that they welcomed the arrival of their twins. 

Princess Alicia, Duchess of Calabria, and King Constantine II of the Hellenes with Prince Philip and Prince Alexander during their baptism. King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía of Spain as well as Queen Anne-Marie of Greece watch the ceremony.

Prince Philip and Prince Alexander of Serbia were baptised at Villamanrique, Spain, in July 1982; their parents had been married at the same place a decade earlier. When their mother was asked who she and her husband had chosen to be the princes' godparents, Princess Maria da Gloria responded: "They are the same for the two children. Because we had only thought of one child and we asked our cousin King Constantine [of Greece] and my cousin Anita of Bourbon-Sicilies [Duchess of Calabria] to be the godfather and godmother. When the twins arrived, we did not want to ask those we had chosen to share these responsibilities, but they [the King of Greece and the Duchess of Calabria] are so wonderful that they insisted on remaining godfather and godmother of the two children. This is why Philip and Alexander have the same godfather and the same godmother."

Prince Philip and Princess Danica surrounded by family and friends on their wedding day, 2017.
Photo (c) Getty Images / Milica Radicevic.

 

Prince Philip and Princess Danica with their son Prince Stefan, 2018.
Photo (c) Getty Images / Srdjan Stevanovic.

Prince Philip of Serbia graduated from University College London (UCL) with a Bachelor of Arts Honours in Humanities and following that he worked for Landsbanki in the City of London. On 7 October 2017 at Belgrade, Prince Philip married Danica Marinkovic (b.1986). Prince Philip and Princess Danica had their first child, Prince Stefan of Serbia, in 2018. The family live in Belgrade.

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Prince Alexander of Serbia at the wedding of Prince Philip, 2017.
Photo (c) Getty Images / Milica Radicevic.

Prince Alexander of Serbia attended the University of San Francisco and graduated with a Communication Studies Degree with Emphasis on Public Relations and Journalism. The prince lives in the United States.

Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia and his three sons (left to right): Hereditary Prince Peter, Prince Philip, and Prince Alexander.

Our best wishes to Prince Philip and Prince Alexander on their birthday!

A New Princess Bagration-Mukhransky of Georgia

Through the official Facebook page of the Bagration-Mukhransky family as well as reports in the Georgian media, it has been ascertained that Prince David Bagration (b.1976) has a daughter. Princess Anamaria Bagration-Mukhransky was born on 11 January 2011; she recently turned eleven years-old. Her mother is Davit's current wife, Princess Irina (née Begashvili), who the prince married in 2020. According to press reports, Davit and Irina met before the prince married Princess Anna Bagration-Gruzinsky in 2009. They ended their relationship for a time, but it was clearly rekindled at some point. As is already known, Prince Davit and Princess Anna had one son, Prince Giorgi (b.2011), before divorcing in 2013. 

Sources:

https://www.facebook.com/TheRoyalHouseOfGeorgiaOfficialPage/posts/4832357720174073

https://kvirispalitra.ge/article/85319-qchemi-favoriti-qalishvili-anamariaq-rogor-gamoiyureba-davith-bagrationisa-da-irina-begashvilis-shvili-romelic-samefo-ojakhis-tsevria/

A New Princess Bagration-Mukhransky of Georgia

Through the official Facebook page of the Bagration-Mukhransky family as well as reports in the Georgian media, it has been ascertained that Prince David Bagration (b.1976) has a daughter. Princess Anamaria Bagration-Mukhransky was born on 11 January 2011; she recently turned eleven years-old. Her mother is Davit's current wife, Princess Irina (née Begashvili), who the prince married in 2020. According to press reports, Davit and Irina met before the prince married Princess Anna Bagration-Gruzinsky in 2009. They ended their relationship for a time, but it was clearly rekindled at some point. As is already known, Prince Davit and Princess Anna had one son, Prince Giorgi (b.2011), before divorcing in 2013. 

Sources:

https://www.facebook.com/TheRoyalHouseOfGeorgiaOfficialPage/posts/4832357720174073

https://kvirispalitra.ge/article/85319-qchemi-favoriti-qalishvili-anamariaq-rogor-gamoiyureba-davith-bagrationisa-da-irina-begashvilis-shvili-romelic-samefo-ojakhis-tsevria/

Princess Ghislaine of Monaco on Life at the Princely Court

Prince Louis II of Monaco, King Gustav V of Sweden, and Princess Ghislaine of Monaco in 1947.
Photo (c) Getty Images / Keystone-France.

In 1946, Ghislaine Marie Françoise Dommanget (1900-1991) married Prince Louis II of Monaco (1870-1949). Before her marriage, Ghislaine was an actress. She had been married once before her union to the grandfather of Prince Rainier. The Dowager Princess of Monaco weighed in on what it was like being the consort of the Monegasque sovereign in an interview she gave in 1962. In 1964, Princess Ghislaine published her memoirs; a move that did not go over well with the princely family. The Dowager Princess of Monaco resided in Paris after the death of Prince Louis. She died there in 1991.

Following are some of the recollections of Princess Ghislaine on her experience of being the Princess Consort of Monaco:

"I can understand why Princess Grace wants to return to motion-picture work. It's no fun to be the reigning princess of Monaco. Life as I lived it and as Princess Grace must be living it now in the Grimaldi Palace is often stuffy and frequently painful. Most of the time I dreamed of the day when I would leave there. I recall a morning soon after my marriage to Prince Louis when I woke with a high fever. I told my husband that I wouldn't be able to attend a state lunch that had been planned." Louis II's reply was straight to the point: "'Madame, one doesn't become ill here until after lunch.' I can understand what she's going through. A few weeks of movie work would be such a relief from her terrible bondage of rank and position. What a heartbreak to have a contract in your hands and then have to give it up or put it off." 

Archduchess Margherita of Austria-Este, Princess of Savoy-Aosta (1930-2022)

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Archduchess Margherita of Austria-Este,

née Princess of Savoy-Aosta

(7 April 1930-10 January 2022)

 

Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta on the eve of her marriage.

Today, HI&RH Archduchess Margherita of Austria-Este, Princess of Savoy-Aosta, died at the age of ninety-one years-old. The archduchess died in Basel, Switzerland; this being the town where she and her husband had lived in their later years. 

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Princess Anne of France, Princess of Savoy, Duchess of Apulia, expects her first child.
Snippet (c) Chicago Tribune of 9 March 1930.

On 7 April 1930, Princess Margherita Isabella Maria Vittoria Emanuella Elena Gennara of Savoy was born at Capodimonte. The princess was the first child of Prince Amedeo of Savoy (1898-1942), at the time Duke of Apulia and later Duke of Aosta, and Princess Anne d'Orléans (1906-1986), who married in 1927. Present at Margherita's birth were her maternal grandmother Princess Isabelle d'Orléans, Duchess of Guise, and her great-aunt Queen Amélie of Portugal. The infant Margherita was baptised at the Royal Palace of Capodimonte (Reggia di Capodimonte) on 28 May 1930; King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy was her godfather, her paternal grandmother Princess Hélène, Duchess of Aosta, served as Margherita's godmother. Several years later, Margherita was joined by sister Princess Maria Cristina in 1933.

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In March 1942, Margherita's father Amedeo died from tuberculosis at the age of forty-three. As a commander in the Italian army, the Duke of Aosta had become a prisoner-of-war when he was captured by the British armed forces on the African front. Anne d'Orléans was thus left a widow, who had to care for her two young daughters during the slow but imminent fall of the Kingdom of Italy. 

 

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The engagement between Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta and Archduke Robert of Austria-Este (1915-1996) was announced in October 1953. The couple met in November 1952 at the wedding of Robert's brother, Archduke Felix, to Princess and Duchess Anna-Eugénie of Arenberg. Marchese Falcone Lucifero, the Head of the Royal Household of King Umberto II, issued the following communiqué to the press: "King Umberto was happy to give his consent, and expressed his fervent good wishes for the engaged couple." Robert was one of the children of Emperor Karl of Austria and Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma. Robert and Margherita contracted a civil marriage on 28 December 1953 at Bourg-en-Bresse, France. 

 

Archduke Robert and Princess Margherita during their religious wedding.

 

On the following day, 29 December, Robert and Margherita's religious union took place at Brou, France. Standing six feet tall and wearing a diamond tiara, Margherita proved to be an imposing presence. The bridegroom was himself six feet three inches tall: they formed an impressive couple. Monsignor Marella, the Papal Nuncio to Paris, presided over the imperial and royal wedding. King Umberto II of Italy and Prince Filiberto of Savoy-Genoa, Duke of Pistoia, were the witnesses for Princess Margherita; Archduke Rudolph of Austria and Prince Xavier of Bourbon-Parma were the witnesses for Archduke Robert. Following their marriage, Archduke Robert and Archduchess Margherita departed Paris for a honeymoon in New York and Palm Beach.

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Archduke Robert and Archduchess Margherita settled in Paris. Robert worked in the banking industry. The couple had five children: Archduchess Maria Beatrix (b.1954), Archduke Lorenz (b.1955), Archduke Gerhard (b.1957), Archduke Martin (b.1959), and Archduchess Isabella (b.1963).

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Archduchess Margherita and Archduke Robert of Austria-Este in the 1990s.
Photograph (c) Presse-Foto-Seeger.

Archduchess Margherita of Austria-Este with her daughter Archduchess Isabella in November 1997.
Photograph (c) Presse-Foto-Seeger.

Four of Margherita and Robert's sons and daughters married into royal and aristocratic circles. In 1980, Archduchess Maria Beatrix wed Count Riprand von Arco-Zinneberg. In 1984, Archduke Lorenz married Princess Astrid of Belgium. In 1997, Archduchess Isabelle wed Count Andrea Czarnocki-Lucheschi. In 2004, Archduke Martin married Princess Katharina zu Isenburg. Only one son, Archduke Gerhard, contracted an "unequal" union; this took place in 2015 when Gerhard wed Iris Jandrasits. Archduke Robert and Archduchess Margherita of Austria had nineteen grandchildren.

Archduke Robert and Archduchess Margherita of Austria-Este

 

On 7 February 1996, Archduke Robert passed away at Basel, Switzerland, one day shy of his eighty-first birthday. He was buried at Kloster Muri in the Swiss countryside. His widow Margherita survived him by over twenty-five years.

 

May Margherita Rest In Peace.

The Engagement of Alexander Dru and Lady Tatiana Mountbatten, Daughter of the Marquess of Milford Haven

Alick Dru and Lady Tatiana Mountbatten at Royal Ascot, June 2021.
Photo (c) Getty Images / Kirsten Sinclair.

Through her social media, Lady Tatiana Mountbatten recently announced her engagement to Alexander Dru.

The engagement announcement in The Telegraph, 8 January.

The official announcement of the engagement was placed in The Telegraph by Tatiana's mother, Lady Spencer of Alresford.

Born at London on 16 April 1990, Lady Tatiana Helen Georgia Mountbatten is the only daughter and first child of George Mountbatten, 4th Marquess of Milford Haven (b.1961), and his first wife Sarah Georgina Walker (b.1961), who married in 1989. Lady Tatiana's paternal grandparents are David Mountbatten, 3d Marquess of Milford Haven (1919-1970) and his second wife Janet Bryce (b.1937). Her maternal grandparents are George Alfred Walker (1929-2011) and Jean Hatton (b.1936). Through her father, Lady Tatiana Mountbatten is a descendant of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Grand Duke Ludwig II of Hesse and by Rhine, among others.

Born at Somerset in 1991, Alexander "Alick" Bernard M. Dru is the son of Auberon A. B. Dru (b.1951) and Catherine M. Norden (b.1960), who married in 1989. Alexander's paternal grandparents are Major Alexander Bernard Cecil Dru (1904-1977) and Gabriel Mary Hermione Herbert (1911-1987). His maternal grandparents are Dr. Richard H. Norden (b.1933) and April Mary Binet (1936-2012). Through his paternal grandmother, Alexander Dru is a great-great grandson of the 4th Earl of Carnarvon and the 4th Viscount de Vesci of Abbey Leix. 

Our best wishes to the couple on their engagement!

A Princely Birth in the French Royal House!

Princess Theresa and Prince François d'Orléans, 2014.

According to Noblesse et Royautés, Prince François and Princess Theresa d'Orléans, Count and Countess of Dreux, welcomed the birth of their third child and second son in the autumn of last year. Prince Raphaël d'Orléans was born on 4 September 2021. Prince Raphaël joins older siblings Prince Philippe (b.2017) and Princess Marie-Amélie. The Count and Countess of Dreux live in Mallorca, Spain.

Our congratulations to the family!

Recollections from the Life of Princess Anna-Luise of Anhalt, Daughter of the Last Duke

Princess Anna Luise of Anhalt, 1973.

Born at Schloß Ballenstedt on 26 March 1933, Princess Anna-Luise Marie Friederike Elisabeth Alice of Anhalt was the second child and daughter of Duke Joachim Ernst of Anhalt (1901-1947) and his second wife Editha Marwitz (1905-1986), who married in 1929. 

Duke Joachim Ernst of Anhalt

Duchess Edda of Anhalt

 

The Ducal Children: Alexandra, Anna Luise, Friedrich, Edda, and Eduard of Anhalt

Anna-Luise had four siblings: Princess Marie Antoinette (1930-1993), Prince Friedrich (1938-1963), Princess Edda (b.1940), and Prince Eduard (b.1941). In 1950, the princess, her mother Duchess Edda, and her siblings moved to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. 

Princess Anna-Luise of Anhalt, 1957.

In the late 1950s, Anna-Luise relocated to the United States from Germany. She obtained a position at the Newton Wellesley Hospital in Massachusetts, where the princess received the skills necessary to become a nurse in the United States. Anna-Luise had apparently already received medical training in Germany. In January 1961, Anna-Luise was a guest at a soirée in New York City held in the Plaza Hotel. The event was also attended by Prince Louis Ferdinand and Princess Kira of Prussia, their daughter Princess Kira, and Princess Cecile of Prussia (Mrs. Clyde Harris). The proceeds from the event contributed to a fund that allowed American students to attend graduate courses in Germany. 

Thomas B. Birch.

On 5 August 1966 in Clark County, Nevada, Princess Anna-Luise of Anhalt married Thomas Beverly Birch (1927-2016). The couple had one child, a son: James Christian George Anhalt Birch (b.New York City, NY 12 April 1967). Princess Anna-Luise and Thomas Birch divorced in 1970.

In January 1973, on a visit to Mr. and Mrs. James H. Gunning, the princess granted an interview to the Hattiesburg American of Mississippi. At the time, Anna-Luise was nearing her fortieth birthday. She had lived in the United States for quite some time. 

"Some of my working colleagues in Germany disliked me because of my position. Here in America it's entirely different for it doesn't seem to matter to people that I have a title. I'm very proud of my family background, but don't particularly enjoy royalty that much for I don't care for their jet set. I prefer my friends to like me for myself, not for my name."

"My family has castles, forests, and eighteen ranches in East Prussia. On the land there was a brewery, lumber mill, and all our meats and food was raised on the farms. We also had three villas in Munich when I was growing up in Anhalt. There were 150 people who lived on our lands and helped in the care of them."

Schloss Ballenstedt.

"I recall a tree planted in the park at Dessau, the capital of Anhalt, that the Russian czar had given my daddy. According to an old German superstition if the tree is cut down or dies the castle will be destroyed. The tree fell a week before the English bombing of Dessau, and I recall my father saying, 'This is the end of Dessau and of the castle.' All this did come to pass."

The death record of Duke Joachim Ernst of Anhalt, issued in 1953.

"My father didn't feel we could leave Germany because of generations of people who had worked for our family. He often said, 'A commander can't leave his troops.'" In 1947, the family of Duke Joachim Ernst was informed by the International Red Cross that the duke had died at Buchenwald concentration camp (also known as NKVD special camp Nr. 2). Joachim Ernst had been arrested by the Soviets in 1945. A news report from October 1949 contained information given by an engineer who has escaped from Dessau into West Germany. The engineer, who only went by his first name Ernst, stated: "There were some releases, but 75 per cent of the original inmates died there. All of my friends - none of them Nazis - who were interned there, died. I have the names of twelve [inmates] at my fingertips. Among them was the duke of Anhalt, Joachim Ernst, 48, who had been sent to a concentration camp by the Nazis in 1944. He was again thrown into the prison camp by the Russians, because he was an aristocrat. His mother [Princess Luise of Saxe-Altenburg], 76, is still living in Dessau in a room by herself. She is poor and suffering from hunger. Her castle is now the residence of the Soviet commander."

Princess Anna-Luise's memories from her 1970s interview continue below:

"I was twelve years-old at the time and not fully aware of the danger involved with our escape. It was something of a lark for me. Of course, the Russians took everything we owned and we left Anhalt with the clothes on our backs."

The princess (right) as a student nurse at Newton Wellesley Hospital, 1957.

"I worked in Berlin for awhile and decided to come to the United States. My first job was at Newton Wellesley Hospital in Newton, Mass. [Note: the princess was a nurses' aide at the hospital.] I attended English classes but couldn't understand a word that was said by the teacher. I'll be forever grateful to the hospital staff and patients who helped me master, not quite, the English language."

Princess Faika of Egypt.

"In 1963, I spent a year in Cairo, Egypt, as governess for Princess Faika's four children. She is the sister of ex-King Farouk. I adored the children and they called me their 'half-sister.'"

Anna-Luise's entry into the USA in 1960.
At that time, she was living at the YWCA in New York City.

"For awhile after I came to this country I couldn't take a deep breathe without being reported in the paper. I recall being interviewed by a young reporter in New York. At that time I was living at the YWCA. The headline on her story was Princess' castle is at the Y, and I got such a laugh out of this story. Another time, Charlie [Cholly] Knickerbocker, wrote in his column, 'The usually senate Princess Anna Luise von Anhalt stopped traffic last night at the Seagram Building, while wading in the poor, dressed in a sarong and orchid lei.'"

At the time of her interview in 1973, the princess had not yet returned to her homeland. Anna-Luise found her calling, as noted, as a registered nurse in the field of obstetrics. Princess Anna-Luise of Anhalt died on 1 November 2003. She was buried at Ballenstedt, near the castle where she was born seventy years before.