Saturday, April 13, 2019

On This Day In History: The Death of Francisco de Asís, King Consort of Spain

Queen Isabel II and King Consort Francisco de Asís of Spain
On 13 April 1902, His Majesty Francisco de Asís, King Consort of Spain, died at his residence, the château d'Épinay-sur-Seine in Paris. He was seventy-nine years-old. Francisco was the husband of the by-then-deposed Queen Isabel II of Spain (10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904). At his deathbed, the king consort was surrounded by his wife the Queen and their daughters the Infantas Isabel and Eulalia. Francisco's earthly remains were buried in the Panteón de los Reyes at El Escorial Monastery, outside Madrid.
Château d'Èpinay-sur-Seine (today functions as City Hall of the Parisian suburb of Èpinay-sur-Seine)
Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain and Princess Luisa Carlotta of the Two Sicilies
Infante Francisco de Asís María Fernando of Spain was born at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez on 13 May 1822. Francisco was the second son and third child of Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain (1794-1865) and his first wife and niece Princess Luisa Carlotta of the Two Sicilies (1804-1844); the couple had married in 1819. Francisco de Paula was the youngest son of King Carlos IV of Spain (1748-1819) and his wife and first cousin Queen Maria Luisa (1751-1819; née Bourbon-Parma); Luisa Carlotta was the daughter of King Francesco I of the Two Sicilies (1777-1830) and his second wife and first cousin Queen Maria Isabel (1789-1848; née Spain).
King Ferdinando VII and Queen Maria Cristina of Spain
Francisco de Asís was the third of eleven children born to his parents. Francisco de Asís had been preceded by two siblings: Infante Francisco de Asís (1820-1821) and Infanta Isabel (1821-1897). Francisco de Paula and Luisa Carlotta had eight more offspring after their second son's birth. These children were: Infante Enrique (1823-1870), Infanta Luisa (1824-1900), Infante Duarte Felipe (1826-1830), Infanta Josefina (1827-1910), Infanta Teresa (1828-1829), Infante Fernando (1832-1854), Infanta Maria Cristina (1833-1902), and Infanta Amalia (1834-1905). Like his older brother, who died as an infant, Francisco de Asís was named after St Francis of Assisi. 
A medal to commemorate the marriage of Queen Isabel II of Spain and Infante Francisco of Spain
On 10 October 1846 (the sixteenth birthday of the Queen), Infante Francisco de Asís of Spain was married at Madrid to Queen Isabel II of Spain, the first daughter of King Ferdinando VII and Queen Maria Cristina of Spain (née Two Sicilies). Francisco and Isabel were double first cousins: both were grandchildren of King Carlos IV and Queen Maria Luisa of Spain (née Bourbon-Parma) as well as grandchildren of King Francesco I and Queen Maria Isabella of the Two Sicilies (née Spain). It was well-known that the couple were ill-suited from the beginning: Isabel was a man-eater and Francisco de Asís was not manly. In Madrid, famous for cutting sobriquets, Francisco de Asís was known as "Paquita," a diminutive of "Francisca." Spanish historians have argued that the bride was more interested in marrying her groom's bother, Infante Enrique, a virile, swashbuckling young man who seemed better suited to the wedding bed than his older bother. Reluctantly, Queen Isabel II and Infante Francisco de Asís entered into holy matrimony in a joint wedding ceremony alongside the queen's sister Infanta Luisa Fernanda (1832-1897) and Prince Antoine d'Orléans, Duke of Montpensier (1824-1890), the son of King Louis Philippe and Queen Marie-Amélie of the French. There had been much international debate about which royal prince should be wed to which of the two sisters. Queen Isabel certainly drew the shorter straw when she wound up with her effete cousin Francisco, while Infanta Luisa was considered far more lucky in getting the Duke of Montpensier. The French monarch's hope centered on Francisco de Asís being unable to procreate any children, thus the crown passing to the offspring of Montpensier and Luisa Fernanda. Queen Isabel's prodigous sexual appetite, which she satisfied by welcoming countless men to her bed chamber, ensured her one would retain the Spanish throne.
King Consort Francisco de Asís of Spain
During the course of the union of Queen Isabel II and King Consort Francisco de Asís, she gave birth countless times. Very few of her children shared the same father. However, of Queen Isabel II's many offspring, only five children reached adulthood. The first to arrive was Infanta Isabel (1851-1931), who married her mother's and father's first cousin Prince Gaetan of the Two Sicilies, Count of Girgenti. Infanta Isabel, quite possibly a lesbian, became a widow at a young age due to her husband's suicide. She never remarried, but her Madrid palace witnessed a long line of lady companions. Next to appear was the only surviving son, the future King Alfonso XII of Spain (1857-1885), who went on to marry twice. His first wife was Infanta María de las Mercedes, one of the many children of Montpensier and Luisa Fernanda. However, the beloved queen died of tuberculosis just months after their wedding. Alfonso XII's second wife was Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria (1858-1929), who served as regent during the childhood of the king's posthumous son, Alfonso XIII. The third child and second daughter, Infanta María del Pilar (1861-1879), came next; she was considered as a bride for the Prince Imperial, son of Emperor Napoléon III and Empress Eugénie of the French. The fourth child and third daughter, Infanta María de la Paz (1862–1946), then made her appearance; Paz married her first cousin Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria (1859-1949), son of Infanta Amalia (a sister of Francisco de Asís) and Prince Adalbert, youngest son of King Ludwig I and Queen Theresa of Bavaria. Finally, and lastly, Infanta Eulalia (1864-1958) arrived and completed the family unit; Eulalia wed her cousin Infante Antonio, Duke of Galliera (1866-1930). Theirs was a disastrous marriage that caused the royal family much angst. Their two sons, Alfonso and Luis Fernando, suffered greatly by the marital turmoil of their parents. Alfonso, known as "Ali" within the family circle, made a splendid marriage to Princess Beatrice of Edinburgh, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. As for Luis Fernando, he was a walking mess...well-known for his homosexual escapades, and alcohol and drug-induced debauchery, he eventually went through his fortune. Left with few options, he married Princess Marie de Broglie (née Say), a wealthy widow whose fortune Luis Fernando dealt a death blow to.
Infanta Isabel of Spain and Prince Gaetan of the Two Sicilies
King Alfonso XII and Queen Maria Cristina of Spain (née Austria)
Infanta Pilar of Spain
Infanta Paz of Spain and Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria
Infanta Eulalia of Spain, Duchess of Galliera
In 1833, Isabel II became Queen of Spain at the age of three following the death of her father. In 1868, after thirty-five years on the throne, Isabel II abdicated following the Glorious Revolution. The queen, the king consort, and the royal children left for exile in France. In 1870, Isabel and Francisco separated on amicable terms. The only surviving son, Alfonso XII, reigned as King of Spain from 1874 until his untimely death in 1885. 
Queen Isabel and King Consort Francisco de Asís survived King Alfonso XII by more than fifteen years. Queen Isabel II died on 9 April 1904 at Paris, aged seventy-three. She was also laid to rest at the Panteón de los Reyes in El Escorial. 
The majority of the estate left by King Consort Francisco de Asís went to his favorite grandson Infante Fernando of Bavaria, who married his first cousin Infanta María Teresa, youngest of two daughters of King Alfonso XII and Queen Maria Christina. Infante Fernando and his grandfather shared an interest in beautiful objets d'art and jewelry. Noted Spanish historian, Ricardo Mateos, has alleged that Infante Fernando also shared his grandfather's taste for homosexual liaisons.
Queen Isabel II of Spain in exile
King Felipe VI (b.1968), the great-great-great grandson of Queen Isabel II and King Consort Francisco de Asís, is the current Spanish monarch. 
King Felipe VI of Spain

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Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Count of Paris to meet President Macron in May

Prince Jean, Count of Paris, will meet President Emmanuel Macron on 2 May 2019. The Head of the Royal House of France will receive the President of the French Republic at the Château d'Amboise. Formerly the personal property of the Orléans family, the château has been owned by the Fondation St Louis since 1974, when the grandfather of the current Count of Paris placed a number of the family's properties into the foundation to secure them for future generations.
The Château d'Amboise was the site of an event that held particular importance for Prince Jean d'Orléans. In September 1987 at Amboise, his grandfather, the late Henri, Count of Paris, announced to a group of 2,000 French monarchists that he was granting his elder grandson Jean the title Duke of Vendôme and his younger grandson Eudes the title Duke of Angoulême. Henri also made it clear that he was designating Jean to be his immediate successor, thus disinheriting Jean's father Henri, who had greatly displeased his father after his 1984 divorce from Princess Marie-Thérèse, Duchess of Montpensier (née Württemberg). In making this decision, the Count of Paris also bypassed his eldest grandson, Prince François d'Orléans, who had been born with a several handicap.
As the French Royal Family was celebrating 1,000 years of the Capetian dynasty, the Count of Paris, the Duchess of Montpensier, and the Duke of Angoulême all watched from their place on the dais as the Duke of Vendôme read the following statement to those assembled: "If one day circumstances lead Frenchmen to confer national responsibilities on me, it will be because I have earned their confidence by my work, my efforts, and, I hope, my services rendered. The second millennium has begun in honour, peace and respect. With the help of God, long live France." [In 1991, after reconciling, the Count of Paris restored his son Prince Henri, Count of Clermont, to his place in the line of succession. The count also granted the title Princess of Joinville to Micaëla, the second wife of the Count of Clermont. Upon the death of Prince Henri, Count of Paris, in 1999, he was succeeded as Head of the Royal House by his eldest son Henri (1933-2019). Prince Jean became the Head of House France following the death of his father in January.]
The Count of Paris and President Macron will be coming together at Amboise in May to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci.

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Crown Princess Cecilie of Prussia's Fabergé Tiara Goes Up For Sale



This week Sotheby's confirmed that a diamond Fabergé tiara, formerly the property of Crown Princess Cecilie of Prussia (1886-1954; née Mecklenburg-Schwerin), will go to auction in Geneva on 14 May 2019. The tiara is described by the auction house as "[being] set with three circular-cut diamonds, framed with stylised laurels within an arched surround of lattice work design, joined with rose diamond quatrefoils, central circular motif detachable, six small rose diamonds deficient, unsigned." This magnificent piece was created in 1903 and was a gift to Cecilie upon her marriage in 1905 to Crown Prince Wilhelm, eldest son of Wilhelm II.






The Fabergé tiara did not solely adorn the head of the Crown Princess. In 1949, her youngest child Princess Cecilie (1917-1975) wore the tiara when she married American architect Clyde Harris (1918-1958). Princess Cecilie and Clyde Harris had one child, Kira (b.1954). Princess Cecilie was the only daughter of Crown Princess Cecilie to marry; she was also the only daughter of the Crown Princess to whom the tiara would have been bequeathed. Crown Princess Cecilie's only other daughter, Princess Alexandrine (1915-1980), was affected with Down Syndrome.

Crown Princess Cecilie with her daughters Princess Alexandrine (left) and Princess Cecilie (right)
It is conservatively estimated that the tiara will fetch between $200,000-$300,000; however, it will likely bring much more when it comes to the auction floor owing to its glorious past.

For more on this magnificent piece of royal jewellery, please visit Sotheby's: Diamond tiara, attributed to Fabergé, circa 1903
 

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Prince Sergei Poutiatine: The Fate of the Second Husband of Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna

Prince Sergei Mikhailovich Poutiatine was born in the Russian Empire on 7 December 1893 at St Petersburg. He was the eldest son of Prince Michael Mikhailovich Poutiatine (1861-1938) and his wife Princess Sofia Sergeevna (1866-1940; née Paltova). Sergei had one younger brother, Prince Alexander Mikhailovich Poutiatine (1897-1953). The Putyatins (Poutiatines) were a Rurikid family with princely and noble lines.

Prince Michael Mikhailovich Poutiatine (left) with Rasputin in the early 1900s


Sergei attended the Corps des Pages in St Petersburg. Sergei's father Michael was a palace commandant at Tsarkoe Selo. It was there, as youths, that Sergei became acquainted with the young lady who was to become his first wife, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia (1890-1958). During World War I, Sergei served for four years in the Imperial Fourth Rifle Regiment, where he reached the rank of captain. The prince received the Cross of St George from Emperor Nicholas II for his wartime service. Grand Duchess Maria noted in The Education of a Princess, her first book of memoirs, that "he was a splendid officer, twice wounded, and cited for heroism in action. He came fairly often to our house; I had known him since childhood; but during the war I saw him but seldom."

 
 
Grand Duchess Maria was the only daughter and eldest child of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich (1860-1919) and Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna (1870-1891; née Greece). In 1908, Grand Duchess Maria married Prince Wilhelm of Sweden, Duke of Södermanland (1884-1965). Maria and Wilhelm had one son, Prince Lennart of Sweden, Duke of Småland (1909-2004; later Count of Wisborg). The couple's union was dissolved by divorce in 1914.
 
 
Prince Sergei and Grand Duchess Maria had developed deep affections for one another in Spring 1917.

Again, Maria confided in the pages of The Education of a Princess:
The revolution which brought me to the comparative refuse of Tsarskoie-Selo brought him [Sergei] there also from the front, where - because of his father's situation at court - his position had become dangerous. And now that we were both refugees, in a manner of speaking, at Tsarskoie, he came often to see me at my father's house. Our relations adjusted themselves; our mutual shyness disappeared; we were definitely attracted to each other. 
Feelings that I had never before experienced stirred in the depths of my heart. In spite of the revolution, in spite of all the uncertainty, all the anxiety, our unused youth, our fresh mental forces, leaped to claim their due. Spring was upon us, carrying along living floods of new joy. Above all else, one wanted happiness, one wanted to take from life everything that was left for life to give. Our very realisation of the peril, of the indefiniteness of our situation, our constant personal danger, contributed to the awakening of these feelings and set them aglow. Thus, at the collapse of our old world, we dared upon its wreck to seize at a new chance of happiness, to live a new life. 
I gave myself entirely over to the strange new delight of being really in love.
On 19 September 1917, Prince Sergei Mikhailovich Poutiatine married Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna at Pavlovsk Palace. Maria's father, Grand Duke Paul, was a strong supporter of his daughter's union with Sergei, telling her: "You must find yourself a good man and marry him; then I would feel easy about you... Listen, if you like Poutiatin, I consider that you should marry him."

Shortly after their marriage, the couple resided first at Grand Duke Paul's palace, which was located on the English Embankment in St Petersburg. They moved in with Sergei's parents at the Poutiatine's apartment in the city. Sergei and Maria's only child, a son, was born on 8 July 1918 at Pavlovsk. The infant Prince Roman Sergeievich Poutiatine was baptised on 18 July 1918. On the day of her son's baptism, Grand Duchess Maria lost her half-brother Prince Vladimir Paley and her aunt Grand Duchess Elisabeth Feodorovna when they were assassinated by the Bolsheviks at Alapayevsk.
 
 
In the wake of the upheaval of the Russian Revolution, Prince Sergei and Grand Duchess Maria fled Russia with their child - they eventually arrived in Romania in December 1918. Prince Michael and Princess Sofia Poutiatine travelled to the Romanian capital to look after their grandson, Roman. In the meantime, Sergei and Maria went first to the United Kingdom and then France, where they were able to secure lodgings in Passy, a suburb of Paris. Tragically, Sergei and Maria's son Roman died on 29 July 1918 at Bucharest shortly after he turned one year-old.

Grand Duchess Maria recalled the loss of her son in her second book of memoirs, A Princess in Exile:

One Monday morning in summer we returned from a quiet week-end in the country and found the usual batch of mail. It included a letter from my mother-in-law. She wrote regularly once a week to give us news of the child, and up till the last letter it had invariably been excellent. The last report was not so good, but there had been nothing alarming about it. Although the letter was addressed to my husband, I opened it myself. From the very first sentence I guessed with a shock that something had happened. I was terror-stricken. Shipping over the first page of preparatory phrases I turned to the second and at the end of it I found the dreadful news. The baby had died. 
How ruthlessly death was persecuting us! Was it going to stamp us out altogether?  
The baby was exactly a year old. This was the fourth being dear to me whom I had lost within just a few months. The letter that had brought the news of his death contained very few details, and we only learned afterwards how it had occurred. He had been in perfect condition, gaining weight steadily and progressing satisfactorily, when as the hot weather came on he developed intestinal trouble. At first his illness inspired no anxieties, but suddenly from one day to the next he grew worse, had convulsions, and died. 
Nothing could describe the despair of his grandparents. Some strange psychological twist in my character made me painfully self-conscious of this new calamity. I concealed it out carefully from my friends in London; only Dmitri knew about it. I feared and wanted to avoid renewed expressions of sympathy; I hated to appear as the embodiment of tragedy.  
The weight on my own heart grew heavier, although I was so crushed already by my father's death that most of my sensibility had been blunted, nearly killed. For many years afterwards I was unable to react to joy. Something seemed to have burnt out within me.
 
Prince Sergei Poutiatine in 1914

In exile, the relationship between Prince Sergei and Grand Duchess Maria slowly deteriorated. The loss of their only child was a contributing factor, combined with the massive chaos brought upon by the Revolution and its effect on both families. For a time, Sergei worked at a bank in London. Maria took solace in the renewed company of her brother Grand Duke Dimitri. Maria recalled that her husband "assimilated things with surprising facility. In London he learned to speak fluent English in no time; in Paris he rapidly pickup French, which he had known but forgotten for want of practice, and he could write both languages extremely well." Maria began to discover a purpose and a sense of independence with the founding of her fashion house Kitmir.

Unsurprisingly, the effects of life in exile took a toll on the couple. Again, Maria remembers: "My second marriage, although a 'love match,' had been an unequal union. It had been contracted, moreover, under the stress of a great crisis. As soon as our lives had ceased to be in actual danger and we had to take up our places in organised society, the difference in our tastes and temperaments became apparent." Prince Sergei Poutiatine and Grand Duchess Maria of Russia were divorced in 1924. The grand duchess wrote: "I decided at last on a divorce. My affection for his family was unchanged, and they remained in my care for a number of years. Until Putiatin's remarriage to an American girl, we met occasionally in a friendly way. The divorce proceedings had to go through two phases, the Russian Orthodox Church and the French courts." In 1930, Sergei immigrated to the United States and settled in New York.

Princess Shirley Poutiatine on her wedding day (1906-1990; née Manning)
Photograph (c) of The New York Times

It was in the New World that Prince Sergei Poutiatine found his future. On 12 January 1931, Prince Sergei married Miss Shirley B Manning (b.6 December 1908) at the Russian Orthodox Church of St Augustine in New York City. Shirley was the second daughter and youngest child of John Alexander Manning (1870-1938) and his wife (1878-1964; née Edith Helen Baker). An industrialist, Mr Manning was the president of the John A Manning Paper Company of Albany, president of the Behr-Manning Corporation of Troy, and president of the Schuyler Meadows Club. For many years, he was also the president of Albany Hospital. His daughter, Shirley, was educated at the Fermata School for Girls in Aiken, South Carolina, and at Miss Porter's School in Farmington, Connecticut.

Prince Sergei and Princess Shirley Poutiatine after their 1931 wedding
Photograph (c) The Capital Times

Prince Sergei became a US citizen on 23 April 1940 at Albany, New York. The naturalisation ceremony was presided over by Justice Francis Bergan of the New York Supreme Court. At the time, Sergei and Shirley Poutiatine were residing in Loudonville, New York. After he became a citizen in the United States, Sergei heartily encouraged others to refer to him as "Mister" Poutiatine - he was not one to put on airs and graces.

In their early years, the couple lived between Loudonville and Paris. However, the hamlet of Loudonville was the town in which the Poutiatines primarily made their home and raised their family. Sergei and Shirley had three children: Prince Ivan Sergeievich Poutiatine (b.3 December 1931), Prince Michael Sergeievich Poutiatine (Albany, New York 8 May 1935-Vero Beach, Florida 17 December 2004), and Princess Mariana Sergeevna Poutiatine (b.6 October 1942). In June 1960, Ivan Poutiatine married Lochiel Cameron; the couple have three sons: Michael (b.1962), Andrew (b.1965), and Peter (b.1969). In May 1965, Michael Poutiatine married Marcia Meserve; they had two daughters, Allison (b.1967) and Jennifer (b.1970). In December 1972, Mariana Poutiatine married Charles Barton Cotten Sr; they have one daughter, Alexandra (b.1975).

Prince Ivan and Princess Lochiel Poutiatine in 2016
Photograph (c) Drew Altizer
Ivan Poutiatine studied architecture and moved to Mill Valley, California, in 1965. He has served on the Mill Valley City Council and Planning Commission, as well as being a participant in numerous other civic endeavours in his community. Ivan attributed his desire to be a part of public service to his parents' admonition that "one must always give back to his/her community."

 
Princess Marcia Poutiatine, widow of Prince Michael, in 2019
Photograph (c) Vero News
Michael Poutiatine graduated from Yale University. He worked for a period at the business that his maternal grandfather had founded, the John A Manning Paper Company. However, for the majority of his career, Michael worked in the travel sector.

Princess Mariana Poutiatine as a student at Miss Porter's School in 1960
 
Aged seventy-two, Prince Sergei Mikhailovich Poutiatine died on 26 February 1966 at Charleston, South Carolina. Sergei and Shirley had a home in the "Holy City." The prince was buried in the cemetery of Old Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church at Charleston. His wife, Princess Shirley Poutiatine, passed away on 7 September 1990 at Charleston, South Carolina. Princess Shirley was eighty-one years-old. Her mortal remains rest beside those of her husband.
 
Princess Shirley Poutiatine's grave in Charleston, SC
Photograph (c) FindAGrave

Prince Sergei Poutiatine survived his first wife, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, by nearly eight years. Maria died at Mainau on 13 December 1958, aged sixty-eight. 

Note: Thanks to Nick Nicholson for his input and revisions in this piece. 

For more on the family of Prince Sergei Poutiatine, please visit these links:
 
 

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Monday, April 8, 2019

The Fourteenth Wedding Anniversary of the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall

Today His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall celebrate their fourteenth wedding anniversary. The forthcoming nuptials of the Prince and Mrs Parker Bowles were announced on 10 February 2005. Under the Royal Marriages Act of 1772, the Queen granted her consent for the marriage to take place on 2 March 2005 in a meeting of the Privy Council. In advance of the union, it was announced that Mrs Parker Bowles would take the style of Her Royal Highness and bear the title Duchess of Cornwall (one of her husband's subsidiary title); however, as the wife of the Prince of Wales, she may be legally titled as Princess of Wales.
The Queen Gives Her Consent to the Marriage in Privy Council (© Parliament of the United Kingdom)
On Saturday, 9 April 2005, the Prince of Wales married Mrs Camilla Parker Bowles (née Shand) in a civil ceremony at the Windsor Guildhall. The witnesses for the couple were sons of the groom and bride, the-then Prince William of Wales and Mr Tom Parker Bowles. From the groom's side, many members of his family were present at the Guildhall. These included both of his sons, Princes William and Harry, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, Mr Peter Phillips, Miss Zara Phillips, the Duke of York, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie of York, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, and Princess Alexandra, Lady Ogilvy.
The civil marriage of the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall was followed by a Service of Prayer and Dedication at St George's Chapel at Windsor. The service at St George's Chapel was attended by 800 guests, including the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. Foreign royal guests included the King of Bahrain, King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes, Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway, Princess Margarita of Romania, and Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia.

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On This Day In History: The Birth of Grand Duke Friedrich Franz IV of Mecklenburg-Schwerin



Hereditary Grand Duke Friedrich Franz Michael of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was born at Palermo on 9 April 1882 as the only son of Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III and Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia. The young Friedrich Franz joined an elder sister, Duchess Alexandrine (1879-1952; future Queen of Denmark as the wife of King Christian X), and was followed by a younger sister, Duchess Cecile (1886-1954; future German Crown Princess as the wife of Crown Prince Wilhelm). Friedrich Franz III and Anastasia had been married since January 1879.
 
Friedrich Franz III of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1851-1897) and Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia (1860-1922)
In 1897, Friedrich Franz III died rather unexpectedly, and he was succeeded by his fifteen year-old son, Friedrich Franz IV, as Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Friedrich Franz IV was to be the last reigning grand duke of his country. In 1904, Grand Duke Friedrich Franz IV took as his bride Princess Alexandra of Hannover (1882-1963). The couple were to have five children during the course of their marriage: Hereditary Grand Duke Friedrich Franz (1910-2001), Duke Christian Ludwig (1912-1996), Duchess Olga (1916-1917), Duchess Thyra (1919-1981), and Duchess Anastasia (1923-1979; future wife of Prince Friedrich Ferdinand of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg). 
 
 
 
In addition to his own duties, Grand Duke Friedrich Franz IV of Mecklenburg-Schwerin became the regent of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in February 1918 after the suicide of his cousin Grand Duke Adolf Friedrich IV (1882-1918). On 14 November 1918, Friedrich Franz IV abdicated his throne in the wake of the Revolution sweeping the German states following World War I. 
 
Grand Duke Friedrich Franz IV of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

The grand duke died on 17 November 1945 at Flensburg while in custody of the Royal Air Force. He was sixty-three years-old. Friedrich Franz's grand ducal house became extinct in the male line upon the death of his eldest son in 2001.

Three of the children of Grand Duke Friedrich Franz IV and Grand Duchess Alexandra married. Of these, only their youngest son and youngest daughter left offspring. In 1954, Duke Christian Ludwig of Mecklenburg-Schwerin married Princess Barbara of Prussia (1920-1994), a daughter of Prince Sigismund of Prussia and Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Altenburg. Christian Ludwig and Barbara had two children: Duchess Donata (b.1956) and Duchess Edwina (b.1960). In 1943, Duchess Anastasia of Mecklenburg-Schwerin married Prince Friedrich Ferdinand of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (1913-1989). Anastasia and Friedrich Ferdinand were the parents of four daughters: Princess Elisabeth (b.1945), Princess Irene (b.1946), Princess Margaretha (b.1948), and Princess Sibylla (b.1955).

Duke Christian Ludwig of Mecklenburg (1912-1996)

Princess Anastasia of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (1923-1979; née Mecklenburg-Schwerin)
 
 
 

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Royal Fashion: Karl Lagerfeld and His Blue-Blooded Friends

For a great deal of his life, fashion powerhouse Karl Lagerfeld (1933-2019) counted numerous European royals and nobles amongst his friends and clientele. The recently deceased creative director of Chanel was especially close to the Princely Family of Monaco. Princess Caroline of Hannover was one of Lagerfeld's dearest supporters, having known Herr Lagerfeld since the 1970s. Caroline's daughter Charlotte Casiraghi was also a keen admirer of Lagerfeld and his work. Another Grimaldi princess who enjoyed the company of Lagerfeld was Princess Charlene of Monaco. Karl Lagerfeld was a guest at Charlene Wittstock's 2011 nuptials to Prince Albert II of Monaco, an event at which he was seated just behind Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeline of Sweden, and right next to Margrave Maximilian and Margravine Valerie of Baden. Karl Lagerfeld also mixed with various other royal women during his long career: Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece, Princess Mafalda of Hesse, Princess Clotilde of Savoy, Princess Lilly of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (first wife of Prince Alexander of Schaumburg-Lippe), Princess Ingeborg of Schleswig-Holstein, and Infanta Elena of Spain. Princess Caroline of Hannover paid a heartfelt tribute to the late designer, and recalled how the two met, in an interview with Point de Vue some months after Lagerfeld's death:
It has been more than forty-five years of friendship! It was a photo shoot for American Vogue organised by Mary Russell who my mother knew well, and it was done in Karl’s apartment, place Saint-Sulpice, in Paris. We ended up there with Chris von Wangenheim, a wonderful fashion photographer. I wore Chloé clothes that Karl drew. It was a really happy atmosphere, I was very shy at that age.
Forty-five years is more than we know a lot of our own family members. Only my nanny, who passed away last year, knew me as well. We all felt Karl’s death as a family loss. At the death of my father, he supported me, and today it is like I am losing a close family member again. My children also felt this very painfully. They have known Karl since their birth. He was home the day before the day I gave birth to Andrea, he took a picture of me on the stairs. He was there when they were born.

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