Sunday, August 16, 2020

EUROHISTORY's THE GRAND DUCAL HOUSE OF HESSE

When EUROHISTORY began printing books back in 2001, our founder envisioned a major work dedicated to each of Europe's ruling and non-ruling royal houses. This, needless to say, was an ambitious and grand plan that would require decades of research, investigations, interviews, and dedication.
In the meantime, EUROHISTORY also published myriad books about the Russian Imperial Family, which remains among the most popular historical dynasties for our readers. These books included three volumes of a quartet on the Romanovs (The Grand Duchesses, The Grand Dukes, and The Other Grand Dukes...and upcoming The Other Grand Duchesses, which is in writing stages at the moment); biographic works such as Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna Sr.; Russian Riddle: Grand Duke Serge Alexandrovich; Ella: Grand Duchess Elisabeth Feodorovna; Prince Oleg Konstantinovich; and A Poet Among the Romanovs: Prince Vladimir Paley. The study of the first stages of the reign of Tsar Nicholas II produced A Life for the Tsar, a detailed, comprehensive, and expertly researched analysis of all aspects of the Coronation of Nicholas II (1896).
Another magnificent book, Russia and Europe: Dynastic Ties, authored by noted Russian historians Galina Korneva and Tatiana Cheboksarova, studied the intricate dynastic relations established by the Romanovs with other European dynasties.
Mr. Beéche's ties to the descendants of historically important royal figures also allowed him to publish books on the Greek Royal Family: Royal Hellenic Dynasty (co-authored with Prince Michael of Greece), My Fifty Years (by Prince Nicholas of Greece), and Dear Ellen (the photographic collection of Grand Duchess Helen Vladimirovna).
For nearly twenty-five years, Mr. Beéche has been a close friend of Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. This friendship has allowed them to cooperate on exhibitions held in Coburg, as well as on various publications: The Coburgs of Europe, I did it my way (Prince Andreas' memoirs), and From Tyranny to Freedom (the memoirs of Countess Viktoria Luise zu Solms-Baruth, mother of Prince Andreas).
A unique cooperation with notable royal historian Bobby Golden led to the publication of ALBANY: The Descendants of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany.
Cooperation with noted royal biographer Coryne Hall produced several co-authored books: APAPA: The Descendants of King Christian IX of Denmark; Royal Collections I: Great Britain; Royal Collections II: The Romanovs; and Royal Collections III: The Royal House of Bavaria, Volume I.
Other EUROHISTORY books have included dynastic studies of The Nassaus of Luxembourg, as well as a rare and exquisitely researched biography of a little-known Portuguese queen consort: Queen Maria Pia of Portugal. With royal historian David McIntosh, Mr. Beéche coauthored Royal Exiles in Cannes: The Bourbon-Two Sicilies of the Villa Marie Thérèse. Another rare biography, King Michael I of Romania, was published in 2001 to coincide with His Late Majesty's 80th birthday.
Over the years, Mr. Beéche formed an important writing co-team with Professor Ilana D. Miller, a noted specialist on the Hesse and by Rhine family. This cooperation began with the publication of myriad articles inside the pages of EUROHISTORY (The European Royal History Journal), which Mr. Beéche has published since 1997. In due course, the company published Ms. Miller's excellent biography of Queen Victoria's hessian granddaughters, The Four Graces. Since then, Ms. Miller and Mr. Beéche have collaborated on a series of photo albums titled: Who is in the Photograph: Volume I and Volume II. The third installment on this unique concept is in writing stage.
This finally brings us to the latest Miller & Beéche collaboration, Royal Collections IV: The Grand Ducal House of Hesse. The book begins in 1567, when upon the death of Landgrave Philipp the Magnanimous of Hesse, his vast landholdings were divided by his sons, Hesse-Darmstadt being one of the new sovereign states that emanated from that territorial and political division.
The Landgraves of Hesse-Darmstadt settled in the Rhineland city of Darmstadt, from where they ruled their conglomerate of estates near and far. through several generations, members of this branch of the Hessian dynasty established important dynastic connections with most of Europe's principal ruling families. By the 19th-century, Hesse-Darmstadt had become a place where Romanovs found brides. Tsar Paul I's first wife was a princess from this house, for example. A second Hessian princess to marry into the Russian Imperial Family was Marie, daughter of Grand Duke Ludwig II. She was the long-suffering wife of Tsar Alexander II, and this mother of Alexander II and grandmother of Nicholas II. This sad alliance, was not to be the last one between Romanov and Hesse as both a son and a grandson of Alexander II and Marie found their wives in Darmstadt: Sergei Alexandrovich married Princess Elisabeth, while her sister Alix (Alexandra Feodorovna) married Tsar Nicholas II.
The narrative followed by the authors does not end there. In fact, they painstakingly continue the storyline through the other siblings of Elisabeth and Alix: Victoria, Irene, and Ernst Ludwig. Their stories and those of their descendants are gripping, tragic, sad, and jubilant, including a harrowing airplane accident, an assassination, and the end of a long line of Hessians.
Readers of The Grand Ducal House of Hesse will not be disappointed as this latest collaboration between Ms. Miller and Mr. Beéche. The publication promises to deliver expectations built around the book and its subject matter. We anticipate that this book will sell out, as did many of Mr. Beéche's previous books. Do not delay...you will not be disappointed!
You can easily order a copy of the book by clicking on the link below:
Or by contacting us at:

Eurohistory & Kensington House Books

6300 Kensington Avenue
East Richmond Heights, CA 94805
USA
Email: eurohistory@comcast.net or aebeeche@mac.com
Phone: 510.236.1730

Thursday, August 13, 2020

Anne at 70: Stunning New Portraits Released to Mark the Birthday of the Princess Royal

The Princess Royal. © John Swannell.
Three official photographs of the Princess Royal have been released to celebrate her seventieth birthday tomorrow (Saturday, 15 August). The portraits were taken at Gatcombe Park in late February 2020 by photographer John Swannell.
Princess Anne at Gatcombe Park. © John Swannell.
On 15 August 1950, HRH Princess Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise of Edinburgh was born at Clarence House in London. The princess is the only daughter of HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. In 1973, Princess Anne married Captain Mark Phillips (b.1948). The couple had two children: Peter Phillips (b.1977) and Zara Phillips (b.1981). The princess and Captain Phillips separated in 1989 and divorced in 1992. In 1992, the princess remarried Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence (b.1955). In 1987, Anne was created Princess Royal by her mother Queen Elizabeth II.
A divine picture of the Princess Royal. © John Swannell.
We wish the Princess Royal many happy returns of the day!

The Grand Ducal House of Hesse Selling on AMAZON and Through Eurohistory!

Today AMAZON informed us that our latest book, The Grand Ducal House of Hesse, is is now ready to start selling and shipping.

The book was authored by royal experts Arturo E. Beéche and Ilana D.Miller...their latest collaboration!

With some 400 beautiful photos and extensive and detailed family trees, enhancing a gripping drama, and a tragic story, this book will surely become a must-have! Grand Ducal House Hesse

The Grand Ducal House of Hesse is 336-pages long and is illustrated with well over 400 unique images that help bring the story of the grand ducal family alive!
If you order directly from Eurohistory, the book is priced at $48.95 plus shipping ($9.00 in the USA; $39.00 overseas). All our shipping is done through US Priority Mail and is insured!
To order the book directly, you can reach us at:

Eurohistory & Kensington House Books

6300 Kensington Avenue
East Richmond Heights, CA 94805
USA
Email: eurohistory@comcast.net or aebeeche@mac.com
Phone: 510.236.1730

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

The Passing of a Brazilian Royal: Prince Eudes of Orléans and Bragança (1939-2020)

Prince Eudes of Orléans and Bragança passed away today, 13 August 2020, in Rio de Janeiro. He was eighty-one years-old. The prince had suffered from ill health for some time; the case of death was renal failure. The Secretariat of the Head of the Imperial House of Brazil has communicated the following message announcing the death of Prince Eudes of Orléans and Bragança:
On behalf of H.I.&R.H. Prince D. Luiz de Orleans e Bragança, the Secretariat of the Imperial House of Brazil fulfils the painful duty of reporting the death, today in the city of Rio de Janeiro at age 81, after long illness, of his brother Prince D. Eudes de Orleans e Bragança, one of the twelve children of D. Pedro Henrique and D. Maria de Orleans e Bragança and the father of Deputy D. Luiz Philippe de Orleans e Bragança. 
We all ask for prayers for the eternal rest of his soul. 
São Paulo, August 13, 2020
The wedding of Prince Pedro Henrique of Brazil and Princess Maria Elisabeth of Bavaria
Pedro Henrique and Maria Elisabeth with their three eldest children: Luiz (b.1938), Eudes (1939-2020), and Bertrand (b.1941).
Prince Eudes Maria Ranieri Pedro José Miguel Gabriel Raphael Gonzaga of Orléans and Bragança was born on 8 June 1939 at Mandelieu. Eudes was the second son of Prince Pedro Henrique of Brazil (1909-1981) and Princess Maria Elisabeth of Bavaria (1914-2011), who married in 1937. Born during the exile of the Imperial Family, Prince Eudes was registered at the Consulate General of Brazil in Paris as a Brazilian citizen, fulfilling the mandate of the Empire Constitution, thus guaranteeing his rights to the Throne and the Crown of Brazil. His baptism was celebrated in the Chapel of Mas-Saint-Louis, the home of his paternal grandmother, the Dowager Princess Imperial Maria Pia of Brazil (born Princess of the Two Sicilies; 1878-1973). The godfather of Prince Eudes was his great-uncle, Prince Ranieri (1883-1973), Duke of Castro and Head of the Royal House of the Two Sicilies.
Prince Eudes in his youth.
Fluent in Portuguese, French, German and English, Prince Eudes began his studies at the Colégio Santo Inácio, when his family was still living at Rio de Janeiro. After moving to the South, Eudes studied at the Cristo Rei College, run by German priests, and completed his secondary education in 1957. Following his father's advice, Prince Eudes entered the Naval School and the Submarine School, becoming one of the greatest Brazilian specialists in this type of vehicle. Eudes did postgraduate studies in Economics at the Fundação Getúlio Vargas, and took specialisation courses at Cambridge University, in the United Kingdom.
Prince Eudes with his wife Mercedes
In 1966, Prince Eudes renounced his dynastic rights in view of his engagement to a commoner. On 8 May 1967, the prince married Ana Maria de Cerqueira César e Moraes de Barros (b.1945) at São Paulo. Eudes and Ana Maria had two children: Prince Luíz Filipe (b.1969) and Princess Anna Luíza (b.1971). Eudes and Ana Maria divorced on 22 March 1976. Four days later, on 26 March 1976, Eudes married Mercedes Williamsens Neves da Rocha (b.1955) in a civil ceremony at Rio de Janeiro. The couple had four children: Eudes (b.1977), the twins Maria Antonia and Maria Francisca (b.1979), and Guy (b.1985).
Article about the plane crash during the honeymoon of Eudes and Mercedes. From The News and Observer of Raleigh, NC, 19 April 1976.
During their honeymoon to Jamaica in April 1976, Eudes and Mercedes survived a harrowing airplane accident. The plane on which the couple were passengers crashed, and they remained missing for four days, much to the despair of family members. Fortunately, Prince Eudes, his wife Mercedes, and the pilot Ronald Fletcher all survived. The news of the couple's rescue was met with great joy.
Prince Eudes.
May the Prince Rest in Peace.
Prince Eudes with his wife Mercedes (left) and his cousin Princess Diane of Orléans, Duchess of Württemberg (right).

The Death of Prince Waldemar of Schaumburg-Lippe (1940-2020)

Prince Waldemar
H.S.H. Prince Waldemar of Schaumburg-Lippe died on 11 August 2020 in the United States. The prince was seventy-nine years-old. Prince Waldemar was a second cousin of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.
The 1937 wedding of Princess Feodora of Denmark and Prince Christian of Schaumburg-Lippe
Prince Waldemar Stephan Ferdinand Wolrad Friedrich Karl of Schaumburg-Lippe was born at Glienicke on 19 December 1940. Waldemar was the second child of Prince Christian of Schaumburg-Lippe (1898-1974) and Princess Feodora of Denmark (1910-1975), who married in 1937. Waldemar had one older brother, Prince Wilhelm (b.1939), and two younger siblings: Princess Marie-Louise (b.1945) and Prince Harald (b.1948). 
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Prince Henrik, and Prince Waldemar of Schaumburg-Lippe.
On 10 September 1977, Waldemar of Schaumburg-Lippe married Anne-Lise Johansen (Copenhagen 8 August 1946-Dronningmole, Denmark 27 July 1994). Waldemar and Anne-Lise had one daughter, Princess Eleonore (b.1978). The couple divorced in 1991, and Anne-Lise died three years later. In 2001, Prince Waldemar married Karin Grundmann; the union was short-lived, ending in divorce in 2002. In 2002, Waldemar married Ruth Schneidewind; this marriage was dissolved in 2003. Lastly, in 2008, the prince married Gertraud Antonia Wagner-Schöppl.
Prince Friedrich of Schaumburg-Lippe
Princess Louise of Denmark
Prince Harald of Denmark
Princess Helena of Schleswig-Holstein
Prince Waldemar of Schaumburg-Lippe was the paternal grandson of Prince Friedrich of Schaumburg-Lippe (1868-1945) and Princess Louise of Denmark (1875-1906). Waldemar was the maternal grandson of Prince Harald of Denmark (1876-1949; brother of aforementioned Princess Louise) and Princess Helena of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (1888-1962).
Prince Albert II of Monaco with Prince Waldemar of Schaumburg-Lippe
May the Prince Rest in Peace.

OTD: The Birth of Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Ancestress of the Brazilian Imperial Family

Acte de Naissance of Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
On this day in history, Maria delle Grazie Pia Chiara Anna Teresa Isabella Luitgarda Apollonia Agata Cecilia Filomena Antonia Lucia Cristina Caterina di Borbone was born on 12 August 1878. The princess, who became known as Maria Pia, was born at 10:00am in Grasse, Cannes. One of the witnesses on the Acte de Naissance of the princess was Pierre Antoine Cotte, an insurance agent and commercial clerk in Cannes.
Prince Alfonso, Count of Caserta.
Princess Maria Antonietta, Countess of Caserta. 
Maria Pia's father was Prince Alfonso of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Caserta; he was thirty-seven years-old when his daughter was born. Through her father, the princess was a granddaughter of King Ferdinando II of the Two Sicilies and Queen Theresa (née Archduchess of Austria). Maria Pia's mother was Princess Maria Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Countess of Caserta; she was twenty-seven years-old when her daughter arrived. Through her mother, the princess was a granddaughter of Prince Francesco di Paola, Count of Trapani, and Princess Isabella (née Archduchess of Austria-Tuscany). Maria Pia's parents were paternal first cousins.
Princess Maria Pia
Prince Imperial Luiz of Brazil
Acte de Mariage of Prince Luiz of Brazil and Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies 
The death notice for Prince Luiz of Brazil
On 3 November 1908 at Cannes, Princess Maria Pia of the Two Sicilies married her second cousin Prince Luiz of Orléans-Bragança, the son of Prince Gaston of Orléans, Count of Eu, and Princess Imperial Isabel of Brazil. Maria Pia and Luiz had three children: Prince Pedro Henrique (1909-1981), Prince Luiz Gastão (1911-1931), and Princess Pia Maria (1913-2000). Widowed in 1920, Princess Maria Pia died on 20 June 1973 at Mandelieu; she was ninety-four years-old.
The Prince Imperial and Princess Imperial of Brazil
Princess Imperial Isabel and Prince Gaston with their son Prince Luiz and his wife Princess Maria Pia together with their children Prince Pedro Henrique, Prince Luiz Gastão, and Princess Pia Maria.

Prince Achi of Greece Turns Twenty!

Prince Achileas-Andreas of Greece and Denmark
Today HRH Prince Achileas-Andreas of Greece and Denmark celebrates his twentieth birthday!
The prince was born on 12 August 2000 at NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital, New York City.. He is the third child and second son of Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece and Crown Princess Marie Chantal (née Miller). Achi, as he is known in the family, has two older siblings: Princess Maria-Olympia (b.1996) and Prince Constantine-Alexios (b.1998). Achileas-Andreas was followed by two younger brothers: Prince Odysseus-Kimon (b.2004) and Prince Aristidis-Stavros (b.2008).
The christening of Prince Achileas-Andreas took place on 7 June 2001 at the Greek Cathedral of Saint Sophia in London. The Archbishop of Thyateira and Great Britain, Gregorios, officiated over the ceremony. The prince's godparents are Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark; Infanta Elena of Spain, Duchess of Lugo; Prince Alexander von Furstenberg; Crown Prince Kardam of Bulgaria; Princess Rosario of Bulgaria; Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg; and Miss Veronica Toub.
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Achileas-Andreas was educated at Wellington College in Berkshire. With his parents and younger siblings, the prince moved back to New York City when his sister Olympia and brother Tino started university. In June 2019, Achileas-Andreas graduated from Dwight High School in New York. In September 2019, Achi of Greece began attending NYU (New York University).

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