Saturday, April 11, 2020

The Eighty-Fifth Birthday of Princess Cecilie of Bourbon-Parma, Aunt of the Duke of Parma

Princess Cécile of Bourbon-Parma


On 12 April 1935, Princess Cécile Marie Antoinette Madeleine Jeanne Agnès Françoise of Bourbon-Parma was born at Paris. The princess was the fourth child and third daughter of Prince Xavier of Bourbon-Parma and Madeleine de Bourbon-Busset. Cécile joined two older sisters and an older brother: Françoise (b.1928), Carlos Hugo (1930-2010), and Marie-Thérèse (1933-2020). The princess was followed by two younger siblings: Marie-des-Neiges (b.1937) and Sixte-Henri (b.1940). Cécile studied in Paris and Munich. She eventually obtained her pilot's license.

1955: Princess Cécile at her first ball at the Ritz in Paris.
Photograph (c) Getty Images / Francois Pages
 

Between 1968-1970, Princess Cécile participated in humanitarian efforts to bring supplies to the inhabitants of Biafra. The Republic of Biafra was a short-lived nation in West Africa, a "break-away" region in Nigeria, that existed from May 1967 to January 1970. In 1969, most of Cécile's family was expelled from Spain due their Carlist ties: only the princess (owing to her charity work in Biafra) and her sister-in-law Princess Irene of the Netherlands were excluded from the order. In early 1970, Cécile was in Washington, DC, to lobby on behalf to the people of Biafra. She stated: "The need is so great. So many people are dying in terrible conditions. In two weeks it will be too late." In 1971, the princess was finally ordered to leave Spain due to her connections with the Carlist movement. From Madrid, Cécile was put on a flight to Paris, where she arrived aboard an Iberian Airlines plane, to which she had been escorted by plainclothes Spanish policemen.

 
(left to right): Princess Marie-des-Neiges, Princess Marie-Thérèse, and Princess Cécile of Bourbon-Parma.
Photographed at the christening of their grand-nephew Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Parma in 2016.
Photograph (c) PPE / Albert Nieboer
 
Thereafter, the princess made her home in the French capital. Recently, for some years, she had been living with her sisters Marie-Thérèse and Marie-des-Neiges. In 2014, Cécile was named as a godmother of her grand-niece Princess Cecilia of Bourbon-Parma (b.2013), the daughter of Duke Carlos and Duchess Annemarie of Parma. In 2016, the princess and her two closest sisters attended the christening of their grand-nephew Carlos, the eventual heir to the Ducal House of Parma.
 
Princess Cécile of Bourbon-Parma with Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark
 
Last month, Cécile lost her sister Marie-Thérèse to complications from the coronavirus. Maria Teresa, as she was known in Carlist circles, had come down with COVID-19 from interactions with the nurse who was looking after Marie-Thérèse, Cécile, and Marie-des-Neiges. Along with her sisters Françoise and Marie-des-Neiges, Cécile is among the last surviving children of Duke Xavier of Parma.
 
Princess Cécile at a Carlist event.
 
We wish Princess Cécile many happy returns and the best of health!
 
Duke Xavier and Duchess Madeleine of Parma with their sons and three youngest daughters.

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

EUROHISTORY: The Grand Ducal House of Hesse (Summer 2020)

For several years, Arturo E. Beéche and Ilana D. Miller have collaborated on yet another royal history project. Their previous collaborations include several books, among them: The Four Graces (by Ilana D. Miller), and Royal Gatherings I and Royal Gatherings II (by Arturo E. Beéche and Ilana D. Miller). She remains a regular contributor to EUROHISTORY, the royalty journal published by Mr. Beéche since 1997!

This time, these two well-known authors bring us to the Grand Ducal House of Hesse, the descendants of the Hesse and by Rhine (Hesse-Darmstadt) branch of the Hessian dynasty!
 
As the book's text is completed, revised, and edited, layout work has started. The book's cover is presented to you here... 
 
 
 
 
Inside, readers will not only find an incredible array of rare photographic jewels, but also an engaging narrative that brings alive one of the most beloved dynasties of the European Gotha.
 
With research conducted across Europe, including royalty who knew the last members of the dynasty before its extinction, this latest EUROHISTORY book promises to be a "must-have" for all royalty enthusiasts!
 
The chapters include:
 
1. The Ancient House of Hesse – From Medieval to Reformation Hesse: 1264-1567
 
2. The Landgraves of Hesse-Darmstadt: 1567-1790
 
3. A New Grand Duchy: 1806-1848
 
4. Grand Duke Ludwig IV and his Siblings: 1848-1877
 
5. Darmstadt and Windsor: Ludwig IV and the English Connection
 
6. The Battenbergs – Prince Alexander and his lady
 
7. The Greek-Battenberg Alliance – The Royal House of Greece: Alice and Andreas
 
8. Russian Turmoil and Pre-Sarajevo Days – The Great War and the Mountbattens
 
9. The Next Generation Settles Down (1920-1940): The Greek Princesses, Don & Lu, the Mountbattens – Joys and Tragedies
 
10. The Mountbatten-Windsor Connection: A Greek Prince in England and the Milfor Havens
 
11. The End of a Long Line: Lu and Peg After Steene
 
12. The Women of Darmstadt
 
13. Epilogue
 
 
We expect to have the book ready for sale in Summer 2020...further announcement regarding this amazing collaboration will come in June 2020.
 
 

EUROHISTORY: Issue CXXV, Spring 2020, Volume 23.1 Announcement

Hello dear subscribers and readers,


Since I finished all 2019 pending issues last week (they await business resuming in California so we can have them printed), I decided to continue working on the magazine.

The end result is that I have Issue CXXV, Spring 2020 ready to print. This issue will be mailed to subscribers once we receive renewals for this current year, our 23rd year in publication!


We are deeply thankful to our loyal readers. Subscribers' numbers remain steady and we are in NO danger of not publishing into 2021 and beyond. EUROHISTORY remains vibrant, receiving great article submissions, and still read by subscribers in five continents and over 60 countries!

Of course, we are always welcoming new subscribers, as well as previous subscribers who wish to return. The more the merrier!

Now that shelter-in-place orders have kept me home-bound for the last month, I was able to dedicate the time needed to finish the pending issues of 2019 and position EUROHISTORY for a productive year in 2020!

News on our next book will follow soon in a separate post!

Inside Issue CXXV, readers will find the following articles:

1. Who Is in the Photo: Coburgs, Hesse and by Rhine, and Romanians at Tsar Nicholas II's Coronation in 1896, by Ilana D. Miller.

2. The Emirs of Bokhara, by Alex Borg.

3. Castles and Palaces of the House of Württemberg, by Susan Symons.

4. The Marriage of the Heiress to the Russian Throne, by Seth B. Leonard.

5. Obituary: Infanta Pilar of Spain (1936-2020), by Arturo E. Beéche.

6. Book Reviews, by Coryne Hall.

7. Royal News




We hope you stay along for a new year...and if considering subscribing to our magazine, we welcome you with enthusiastic arms to a great royalty community!
 
 
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION:
 
Subscription rates for 2020 remain the same as they were for 2019 even though the cost of printing and shipping has increased. Getting the magazine to your hands remains our biggest expense since postal rates have nearly doubled since we started publishing in 1997!
 
USA  .....  $50.00
Canada  .....  $55.00
Europe  .....  $75.00
UK  .....  £50.00
Latin America  .....  $75.00
Australasia  .....  $75.00
Rest of the World  .....  $75.00
 
 
For renewals and new subscribers, we offer several payment options, including:
 
Payment can be mailed by check or postal money order in US$ to:
 
EUROHISTORY
Kensington House Books
6300 Kensington Avenue
East Richmond Heights, CA 94805-1618
USA
 
 
To pay by credit card, please call 510.236.1730. You may also mail your credit card information to our address above or use our secure system by sending us an email to: eurohistory@comcast.net or aebeeche@mac.com
 
We also accept Paypal at our account:
 
eurohistory@comcast.net
 
We accept all major credit cards!
 
Venmo payments can be sent to: aebeeche@mac.com
 
For European subscribers, we have an IBAN...simply contact us directly for the information and number!
 
 
 
 



















Tuesday, April 7, 2020

A New Bourbon Is Born



Note: Many thanks to our dear friend Hein Bruins, of Hein's Royal Genealogy Page, who kindly informed us of the birth of this newest descendant of Duke Roberto I of Parma and Piacenza!

Tristan de Bourbon Parme and his wife Shira Szabo have welcomed the birth of their first son, who has been named Imri. Imri de Bourbon Parme was born at London yesterday. The name Imri is Hebrew in origin; Imri is the name of two men in the Torah and Bible. The first Imri was a son of Bani, of the tribe of Judah (1 Chronicles 9:4). The second Imri was the father of Zaccur, who assisted Nehemiah in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 3:2).

Tristan de Bourbon-Parme (b.1974) is the son of Prince Rémy of Bourbon-Parma and his first wife Laurence Dufresne. Tristan is a grandson of Prince Louis (Luigi) of Bourbon-Parma and Princess Maria of Savoy. Tristan's paternal great-grandparents are Duke Roberto I of Parma and Piacenza and his second wife Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal as well as King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy and Princess Elena of Montenegro.

 
Shira Szabo (b.1979) is the daughter of Mendi Szabo and his wife Betty Goldman. Tristan and Shira were married in August 2010. The couple's first child, a daughter named Talma, was in 2012. 

Thursday, April 2, 2020

Prince Luíz of Brazil Gives Update On Family: Six Members Contracted COVID-19; All On The Mend

On Wednesday, 1 April, Prince Luíz of Brazil issued a message to supporters of the Brazilian monarchist movement. Luíz is the Head of the Imperial House of Brazil. The prince, who is eighty-one, lives in São Paolo. In his address, Luíz gave an update on the condition of certain members of his family. Adding to previously known information, the prince made it known that four of his brothers and two of his sisters-in-law had been diagnosed with the coronavirus. Previously, news reports had only stated that three of his brothers and one of their spouses were affected. The Brazilian royals who contracted COVID-19 are as follows:
  • Prince Pedro de Alcântara of Orléans-Bragança (b.1945)
  • Princess Maria da Fátima of Orléans-Bragança (b.1952; wife of the above)
  • Prince Antônio of Brazil (b.1950)
  • Prince Francisco of Orléans-Bragança (b.1955)
  • Prince Alberto of Orléans-Bragança (b.1957)
  • Princess Maritza of Orléans-Bragança (b.1961; wife of the above)
It is believed that the family members affected by the virus were exposed at an engagement party held to celebrate the eventual marriage of Alberto and Maritza's son Pedro Alberto. 
In his statement, Prince Luíz emphasised that he wanted all Brazilian monarchist activities and gatherings to be postponed for the immediate future. He also noted that his family would not be carrying out representative duties until the current situation.
Luíz is the eldest son of Prince Pedro Henrique of Brazil (1909-1981) and Princess Maria Elisabeth of Bavaria (1914-2011). He is the grandson of Prince Luíz of Brazil (1878-1920) and Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1878-1973). Luíz is the great-grandson of Princess Imperial Isabel of Brazil, heiress of Emperor Pedro II, and her husband Prince Gaston d'Orléans.

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

EUROHISTORY Issues CXXI – CXXIV, Volume 22 – 2019

6300 Kensington Avenue
East Richmond Heights, CA 94805
Ph. 510.236.1730 – Email aebeeche@mac.com
Hello dear friends, Greetings from a quarantined home office! I hope you are all doing well and staying safe. I have been sheltered-in-place at home since March 13. What we thought was going to be a two-week home retreat and remote teaching, has now turned into a completely remote teaching through the end of the school year! This has been extremely disruptive for the lives of countless billions of people worldwide. Yet, from a long-term view, it is in our best interest. COVID-19 is extremely contagious. I already know people who have died of it, as well as seven who have it and are in isolation. Yet, as I always do when life does not go our way: I look at the silver lining.
Just a couple of weeks before the quarantine, I had sent to print Issues CXXI and CXXII. After several check-ins and last minute changes, I received the "go-ahead" to print the run. Then, I made the mistake of not heading straight to our printer to pick them up on March 13. The printer was compelled to shut down the next business day, as have most non-essential businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area. Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa... No one else to blame but me: c'est la vie.
However, the silver lining is the fact that I have been homebound since then. I teach remotely to my 100+ students every morning between 900am-1200pm. Then, after lunch with David, who has also been working remotely since March 13, I walk into my home office and start working on EUROHISTORY. I have a lot of catching up to do! All the issues for 2019 are now finished – two printed, which I cannot retrieve yet; two ready to print the moment our printer in Berkeley opens for business. Furthermore, I have been working on Issue CXXV, Volume 23.1 – Spring 2020...it is almost finished. It will go to print before renewals come in and be ready too mail as we begin processing 2020 renewals!
I got caught up with the magazine – and the respective issues look amazing. A lot has happened royalty-wise in 2019, and we have not only covered the major royal events of the year, but our excellent roster of contributing authors have done a fantastic job sending us articles for publication. To all our writers (Katrina Warne, Seth B. Leonard, Ilana D. Miller, Alex Borg, Marianne van Dam, Coryne Hall, Justin Vovk, and Marlene Eilers Koenig), our photographers (Marianne van Dam and Frédéric de Natal), our invaluable researchers (Ilana D. Miller, Katie Tice, Dr. Mary Houck, Edgar Klein), our royal friends who supply us with private photos and unique access, and my invaluable husband David who volunteers his time to help me make EUROHISTORY appealing...THANK YOU! You all make this possible, even and in spite of my lackadaisical and quirky character. I am trying to be better about deadlines and such...but culturally and inspirationally, sometimes it is a real challenge. I can only write when I get inspired! Your support of EUROHISTORY and its mission is something that I truly cherish and for which I am most grateful. We are going to upload PDF versions of the 2019 Eurohistory Issues for SUBSCRIBERS to download! If you email us, we can send you a link for you to download your copy. I am doing this not because you will not get a printed/physical copy (which you will), but to provide you with reading material while we are all sheltered and socially-distanced at home.
You will receive an email from WETRANSFER.COM along with a link. Clicking on the link will take you to their website and there the download of the issue will begin. From my end, I can see who has downloaded their copy of EUROHISTORY (as well as how many times the download is being done!). These links are only going to those who paid for their 2019 subscriptions...please respect copyright and do not share the PDFs. I trust that you will be mindful of the enormous amount of work that all of us at EUROHISTORY put into the magazine and the cost and work it incurs. If you do not know if we have your email, PLEASE contact me at aebeeche@mac.com and I will send you the link for your download! Once businesses open here, I will proceed with retrieving Issues CXXI and CXXII from our printer, and with sending Issues CXXIII and CXXIV to print. The download is NOT a replacement of the printed issue for which you paid. Personally, I prefer printed reading material. Yet, as several subscribers told me over the last few days, many of you use electronic reading devices - especially in our present circumstances. Hence, following the advice of these dedicated subscribers, I made the decision to release PDFs of the 2019 EUROHISTORY Issues. I stand here alone and let you know that it is no one's fault but mine that the magazine got behind. I could tell you myriad reasons why (and, trust me when I tell you our family life is challenging due to our sons' traumas and having to be fully invested in raising little Ezra, plus dealing with my health issues). Yet, in the end, I owe you the magazine coming out on time. So, hopefully, I will be able to not disappoint moving forward. I am so thankful for your support of all of the people behind EUROHISTORY that make this publication possible. It has been my joy, and the delight of the ERHJ's contributors, to continue to keep the European Royal History Journal going full steam ahead. I hope you like the issues, I really do! Stay well and stay safe. Best wishes, Arturo Beéche PS: AGAIN, if you are a paid subscriber of EUROHISTORY and you want to get the electronic issues for 2019, email me at aebeeche@mac.com

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

The Newest QVD: A Little Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Has Arrived!

Note: Many thanks to our dear friend Hein Bruins, of Hein's Royal Genealogy Page, who kindly informed us of the birth of this newest descendant of Queen Victoria! Daniel Prinz von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha and his wife Eileen Chen have welcomed a daughter, whom they have named Chloe. Chloe Prinzessin von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha was born within the past few days. The newborn's parents, Daniel and Eileen, married on 4 July 2017 at Bern, Switzerland. Chloe joins an older brother: Chadwick Prinz von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha (b.16 May 2018).
Daniel is a son of the late Prince Adrian of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1955-2011) and Adrian's first wife Lea Rinderknecht (b.1960). Adrian and Lea married in 1984 and had two sons: Simon (b.1985) and Daniel (b.1988). As the marriage was considered morganatic, neither Simon or Daniel (or Daniel's offspring) are considered to be Saxe-Coburg and Gotha dynasts. According to royal genealogist Daniel Willis, Chloe is 350th in the line of succession to the British throne. In addition to being a descendant of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, Chloe of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha is also a descendant of Victoria's half-sister Feodora. 
The newest Coburg was born prematurely on March 24. Given the present worldwide health crisis, the baby remains under care and isolated.
Baby Chloe's great-uncle is Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the Head of the Ducal House. 
We send our congratulations to the couple on this happy occasion!
+++++++
Chloe's Ancestry from Queen Victoria & her half-sister Princess Feodora
Princess Feodora zu Leiningen (1807-1872) - Princess Adelheid zu Hohenlohe-Langenburg - Princess Karoline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg - Princess Viktoria Adelheid of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg - Prince Friedrich Josias of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha - Prince Adrian of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha - Daniel Prinz von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha - Chloe Prinzessin von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha (b.2020) Queen Victoria (1819-1901) - Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany - Prince Charles Edward / Carl Eduard, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha - Prince Friedrich Josias of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha - Prince Adrian of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha - Daniel Prinz von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha - Chloe Prinzessin von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha (b.2020)

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