On Saturday, 18 July 2020, H.S.H. Princess Nadia zu Leiningen married Ian Baker at Knox Presbyterian Church, Oakville, Ontario, Canada. The religious ceremony took place at 2:30pm in an outdoor area on the church's property.
Princess Nadia Christiane Ruth zu Leiningen was born at Toronto on 16 December 1991. She is the second of three daughters of Prince Hermann zu Leiningen (b.1963) and his wife Princess Deborah (b.1961; née Cully). Nadia has two sisters: Princess Tatiana (b.1989) and Princess Alexandra (b.1997).
The paternal grandparents of Princess Nadia are Prince Karl Vladimir zu Leiningen (1928-1990) and Princess Marie Louise of Bulgaria (b.1933). Her paternal great-grandparents are Fürst Karl zu Leiningen (1898-1946) and Grand Duchess Maria Kirillovna of Russia (1907-1951) as well as King Boris III of Bulgaria (1894-1943) and Princess Giovanna of Savoy (1907-2000).
Queen Victoria
Princess Feodora
A Coburg descendant numerous times over, Princess Nadia zu Leiningen descends from both Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (1819-1901) and the queen's older half-sister Princess Feodore zu Leiningen, Fürstin zu Hohenlohe-Langenberg (1807-1872).
Our congratulations to Nadia and Ian and their families on the occasion of their wedding!
Yesterday, 17 July 2020, Princess Beatrice of York married Edoardo "Edo" Mapelli Mozzi at a private ceremony in Windsor. The wedding took place Friday morning at The Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge. Princess Beatrice wore a vintage dress by Norman Hartnell that had previously been worn by the Queen as well as the Queen Mary diamond fringe tiara, both belonging to Her Majesty The Queen. The tiara was worn by the Queen on her wedding day in 1947.
The new date of the royal wedding was not announced in advance, and Buckingham Palace said the ceremony was "small." Fewer than twenty people attended the wedding, surely making this one of the most intimate British royal weddings ever. According to reports, the marriage was attended by the following: the Queen; the Duke of Edinburgh; the Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York (parents of the bride; Princess Eugenie (who served as her sister's maid of honour) and her husband Jack Brooksbank; Count Alex Mapelli Mozzi (the groom's father, who flew in from France for the event); Nicola Williams-Ellis and her husband David (the groom's mother and stepfather); Natalia Yeomans and her husband Tod (the groom's sister and brother-in-law) with their children Coco and Freddie; as well as four year-old Wolfie Mapelli Mozzi, Edo's son and Beatrice's stepson, who served as his father's best man. Canon Martin Poll, the Queen's domestic chaplain, officiated at the wedding.
The church was decorated with pink and white delphiniums, roses, waxflower and hydrangeas from Windsor Great Park. Beatrice carried a bouquet of trailing jasmine, pale pink and cream sweet peas, royal porcelain ivory spray roses, pink O'Hara garden roses, pink waxflower, baby pink astilbe and sprigs of myrtle. During the thirty-minute service, Sarah, Duchess of York, and Nicola Williams-Ellis read the bride and groom's favourite poems: I Carry You In My Heart by e.e. cummings and Shakespeare's Sonnet 116.
The Queen, aged 94, and the Duke of Edinburgh, aged 99, have been isolating at Windsor since March; the wedding is believed to be the first time that the couple have attended a family gathering since the UK lockdown began. Later on Friday, the Queen knighted Captain Sir Tom Moore, the 100-year-old who raised millions of pounds for NHS charities After the investiture, the Queen told the Sir Tom Moore: "My granddaughter got married this morning. Both Philip and I managed to get there - very nice."
Edo Mapelli Mozzi and Princess Beatrice began dating in Fall 2018. They became engaged during a weekend trip to Italy in September 2019. Their families have known one another for quite awhile. Beatrice and Edo are believed to have started a relationship after meeting again at Princess Eugenie's wedding to Jack Brooksbank in 2018. On the occasion of Edo and Bea's engagement, the following statement was released by Buckingham Palace on 26 September 2019:
The Duke and Duchess of York are delighted to announce the engagement of Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice of York to Mr. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.
Her Royal Highness and Mr. Mapelli Mozzi became engaged while away for the weekend in Italy earlier this month.
The wedding will take place in 2020. Further details will be announced in due course.
Princess Beatrice and Mr. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi said, “We are extremely happy to be able to share the news of our recent engagement. We are both so excited to be embarking on this life adventure together and can’t wait to be married. We share so many similar interests and values and we know this will stand us in great stead for the years ahead, full of love and happiness.”
The Duke and Duchess of York said, “We are thrilled that Beatrice and Edoardo have got engaged, having watched their relationship develop with pride. We are the lucky parents of a wonderful daughter who has found her love and companion in a completely devoted friend and loyal young man. We send them every good wish for a wonderful family future.”
Mrs. Nikki Williams-Ellis and Mr. Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi said, “We are truly delighted about Edoardo and Beatrice’s engagement. Our family has known Beatrice for most of her life. Edo and Beatrice are made for each other, and their happiness and love for each other is there for all to see. They share an incredibly strong and united bond, their marriage will only strengthen what is already a wonderful relationship.”
Princess Beatrice "Bea" Elizabeth Mary of York (b.8 August 1988) is the eldest daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York (b.19 February 1960), and his former wife Sarah, Duchess of York (b.15 October 1959; née Ferguson). Princess Beatrice is ninth in theline of succession to the British throne. The princess works for Afiniti, an artificial intelligence software firm, where she is the vice president of partnerships and strategy. Edoardo "Edo" Alessandro Mapelli-Mozzi (b.19 November 1983) is the son of Count Alessandro "Alex" Mapelli-Mozzi (b.7 May 1951) and his former wife Nicola "Nikki" Diana Burrows (b.February 1956). Edo is a property developer. From a previous relationship with Dara Huang, Edo has a son, Christopher Woolf "Wolfie" Mapelli Mozzi (b.28 March 2016).
All of our best wishes to Princess Beatrice and Edoardo on the occasion of their marriage!
On the evening of Saturday, 17 July 1920, Prince Joachim of Prussia shot himself in the left breast while in his room at the Villa Liegnitz in Potsdam. The prince was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on Sunday, 18 July, at 1:00am as a result of his wounds. His brother Prince Friedrich Eitel of Prussia issued a formal statement that said Joachim's death was the result of "psychic disturbances caused by the pressure of events and personal difficulties." Joachim was twenty-nine years-old; the prince was the youngest son of the German Emperor and Empress and the first of their children to die.
The funeral for Prince Joachim of Prussia was held on Tuesday, 20 July 1920, at the Protestant Church of Peace (Friedenskirche) in Potsdam. The rites were attended by Prince Eitel Friedrich, Prince Adalbert, Prince August Wilhelm, Prince Oskar, Duke Albert of Schleswig-Holstein, and General Paul von Hindenberg, among others.
Prince Joachim Franz Hubert of Prussia was born at Berlin on 17 December 1890. The prince was the sixth son of Wilhelm II and his wife Auguste Viktoria. Joachim had followed five older brothers: Crown Prince Wilhelm (1882-1951), Prince Eitel Friedrich (1883-1942), Prince Adalbert (1884-1948), Prince August Wilhelm (1887-1949), and Prince Oskar (1888-1958). The final addition to the family was Princess Viktoria Luise (1892-1980).
Prince Joachim and Princess Marie Auguste
On 11 March 1916, Prince Joachim of Prussia married Princess Marie Auguste of Anhalt (1898-1983) at Schloß Bellevue. The princess was the daughter of Duke Eduard of Anhalt (1861-1918) and Princess Luise of Saxe-Altenburg (1873-1953). Nine months after their wedding, Joachim and Marie Auguste welcomed their only child: Prince Karl Franz Joseph of Prussia (Potsdam 15 December 1916-Arica, Chile 22 January 1975). In January 1920, it was reported that divorce proceedings were underway between Prince Joachim and Princess Marie Auguste.
Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine would like to share “My birthday wish that came true”, the 75th birthday film:
His Royal Highness’s special wish for his 75th birthday is that this COVID-19 virus go away forever and that everyone be safe and take good care during these very difficult times.
His Royal Highness hopes that all countries economies recover as soon as possible and that everyone has a better future.
We wish HRH The Crown Prince many happy returns of the day!
Marina Karella was born in Athens on 17 July 1940 to Theodor Karella and Elli Chalikiopoulos. Marina's father, Theodor, was a textile industrialist.
Marina Karella
Between 1960-1963, Marina attended the Athens School of Fine Arts, where she was a student of the painters Yannis Tsarouchis and Oskar Kokoschka. She continued her studies at the Ecole des beaux-arts in Paris (1963-1965) and at the Kokoschka School in Salzburg.
On Monday, 19 October 1964, Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark received permission from his cousin King Constantine II of the Hellenes to marry Marina Karella. Prince Michael, born at Rome on 7 January 1939, was the only child of Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark (1888-1940) and Princess Françoise d'Orléans (1900-1953), who had married in 1929. Marina and Michael set their wedding for February 1965.
Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark and Marina Karella were married at Athens on 7 February 1965. The wedding was attended by King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie, Queen Mother Frederica, Princess Irene, as well as by the Count and Countess of Paris. Henri and Isabelle had largely raised Michael after the early death of his mother. As a result of the morganatic union between Michael and Marina, the prince gave up his rights of succession to the Greek throne.
Prince Michael, Princess Marina, Princess Alexandra, and Princess Olga.
Princess Marina and Prince Michael of Greece.
Prince Michael and Princess Marina have two children, both daughters. Princess Alexandra Elli Francisca Maria of Greece was born at Athens on 15 October 1968. Three years later, she was joined by a younger sister, Princess Olga Isabella of Greece, who was born at Athens on 17 November 1971.
Marina divided her time between Athens and Paris. Her artistic career began in 1966 when she presented her first painting at the Two Worlds Festival in Italy. Marina's work was first exhibited at the Galleria Levi in Milan in 1971. In the 1970s, she exhibited at the Gallery Iolas her white paintings, which are now considered one of the most famous pieces of her work. She later worked on plaster, marble, and metal engravings. During her residence in New York in the 1980s, her paintings were characterised as "darker", while her most recent works are portraits or images inspired by nature.
Princess Marina of Greece has had exhibitions in various cities around the world, such as New York, Los Angeles, Madrid, Brussels, Rome, and London, and her works are exhibited in major museums and institutions. She has had more than thirty solo exhibitions in Greece and abroad. In 2005 a retrospective exhibition of her work was organized at the Benaki Museum.
Princess Marina and Prince Michael of Greece with their daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren.
In 1998, Marina's elder daughter Princess Alexandra of Greece married Nicolas Mirzayantz (b.1963). Alexandra and Nicolas have two children: Tigran (b.2000) and Darius (b.2002). In 2008, Marina's younger daughter Princess Olga of Greece married Prince Aimone of Savoy, Duke of Aosta (b.1967). Olga and Aimone have three children: Umberto (b.2009), Amedeo (b.2011), and Isabella (b.2012).
Yesterday, there was quite a turbulent occurrence at the hunting lodge in Grünau im Almtal (Upper Austria) owned by Prince Ernst August of Hannover.
According to the police record, Ernst August made an emergency call at around 1 a.m. on Wednesday night: he said that he was in the ditch and was being murdered. Upon arrival at the scene, the officers found two people - a man and a woman - but there was no trace of Ernst August.
The police finally found the prince in his hunting lodge at Grünau. There Ernst August is reported to have reacted irritably towards the man and woman, who had come with the police. The prince stormed out of the house and ordered the couple to get off his property.
After returning to his house, Ernst August told officials that the man had tried to kill him three times by not giving the prince his medication. According to the police record, Ernst August then became increasingly aggressive and grabbed one of the two officers by the head. The police officer reacted in a defensive manner. Then the prince threatened the police with a knife sharpener. The officers then knocked the instrument out of Ernst August’s hand and pinned him to the ground.
Somehow, shortly thereafter, the prince managed to hit one of the police officers in the face. Ernst August was restrained again. Prince Ernst August of Hannover was then admitted to the psychiatric facility in Vöcklabruck on the orders of a doctor who had since arrived on the scene.
Source: https://www.rnd.de/promis/prinz-ernst-august-nach-vorfall-in-osterreich-in-psychiatrie-eingewiesen-4P4LBLCPVBGXPNM3TRE2MMHSRU.html
Prince Ernst August of Hannover is sixty-six years-old. He is the Head of the Hanoverian Royal House. Since 1999, he has been married to Princess Caroline of Monaco; however, the couple have been separated for many years. Ernst August has a personal and familial history of substance use issues.
Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia and Victoria Romanovna Bettarini
Photograph (c) Russian Imperial House
Between 11-13 July 2020, Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia and Rebecca Bettarini visited St. Petersburg. On 12 July, the feast day of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, the couple attended the Divine Liturgy in the Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral. The Liturgy was served by His Eminence Metropolitan Varsonofii of St. Petersburg, along with other clergy.
Grand Duke George Mikhailovich and Victoria Romanovna
Photograph Courtesy of Victoria Romanovna
Photograph Courtesy of Victoria Romanovna
Photograph Courtesy of Victoria Romanovna
Photograph Courtesy of Victoria Romanovna
Photograph Courtesy of Victoria Romanovna
Photograph Courtesy of Victoria Romanovna
Photograph Courtesy of Victoria Romanovna
Victoria Romanovna with the Icon of the Holy Martyr Victoria of Rome, which was presented to Victoria Romanovna on her conversion.
Photograph Courtesy of Victoria Romanovna
Before the Liturgy began, Archpriest Alexander Tkachenko performed the rite of Chrismation for Rebecca Bettarini, the Director of the Russian Imperial Foundation, who in Holy Orthodoxy took the name Victoria Romanovna. Victoria has stated: "I was extremely moved during the ceremony. My sole regret was that neither the Grand Duchess nor my parents were able to fly to attend the ceremony due to the COVID-19 situation."
Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia takes Holy Communion
Photograph (c) Russian Imperial House
Victoria Romanovna Bettarini takes Holy Communion
Photograph (c) Russian Imperial House
Grand Duke George of Russia and Victoria Romanovna Bettarini then took Holy Communion. His Eminence Metropolitan Varsonofii afterward presented Victoria Romanovna an icon of her Heavenly patron, the Holy Martyr Victoria of Rome.
Grand Duke George Mikhailovich and Victoria Romanovna Bettarini visit the New Mausoleum
Photograph (c) Russian Imperial House
Grand Duke George Mikhailovich and Victoria Romanovna Bettarini visit the New Mausoleum
Photograph (c) Russian Imperial House
Thereafter, Grand Duke George Mikhailovich, Victoria Romanovna Bettarini, and those accompanying them went to the New Mausoleum at the Cathedral of Ss. Peter and Paul, where Archpriest Alexander Tkachenko and Protodeacon Andrei Levin served a Litiya, or commemorative service, for Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich and Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna, Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich and Grand Duchess Leonida Georgievna, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, and Grand Duke Alexander Vladimirovich (all of whom, except for the wife of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, are buried in the New Mausoleum).
Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia and Victoria Romanovna Bettarini at the Church of St. Martin the Confessor
In preparation for being received into Holy Orthodoxy, Rebecca Bettarini received religious instruction under the direction of His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco and Western America. This religious instruction took place in San Francisco, California. The day before their arrival in St. Petersburg, Grand Duke George and Rebecca Bettarini visited the Church of St. Martin the Confessor in Moscow, where her final session preparing her for Chrismation and Confession took place.
Victoria Romanovna Bettarini
Photograph Courtesy of Victoria
Victoria Romanovna (Rebecca Virginia) Bettarini is the daughter of His Excellency Roberto Bettarini (b.Taranto 5 May 1947) and Carla Virginia Cacciatore. Mr. Bettarini an Italian diplomat who has served as the Italian Ambassador to Zaire, Iraq, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Rebecca Bettarini attended the Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali Guido Carli in Rome, where she received a bachelor's degree in political science. She then went on to attain a master's degree in development economics and international development from the Società Italiana Organizzazione Internazionale in Rome. Rebecca Bettarini serves as the Director of the Russian Imperial Foundation.
The Romanovs and Bettarinis in Moscow, March 2020.
In March 2020, Grand Duke George of Russia and Rebecca Bettarini attended services in Moscow to celebrate George's thirty-ninth birthday. The pair were joined by their parents: Prince Franz Wilhelm (Michael Pavlovich) of Prussia with his second wife Princess Nadia and Mr. Roberto Bettarini and his wife Carla.
Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia and Victoria Romanovna Bettarini have been in a relationship for almost a decade. An engagement has not been announced.
Our congratulations to Nadia and Ian and their families on the occasion of their wedding!
