The Passing of Archduchess Sárolta of Austria (1940-2020), Daughter of the Last Duke of Teschen

Sárolta Wutholen in 2015.

On 2 November 2020, Sárolta von Habsburg-Lothringen Wutholen died at the age of eighty in Switzerland.

Archduke Albrecht of Austria and Katalin Bocskay de Felsö-Bánya on their wedding day.

Born at Budapest on 3 March 1940, Sárolta (Charlotte) Isabella Mária Krisztine Eszter Katalin Pia von Habsburg, was the first child of Archduke Albrecht of Austria (1897-1955), Duke of Teschen, and his second wife Katalin Bocskay de Felsö-Bánya (1909-2000). Albrecht and Katalin married in 1938 and had two daughters: Sárolta and Ildikó (b.1942). The Second World War and its subsequent consequences were devastating for the family. Since Hungary was behind the iron Curtain, Albrecht lost most of his property, estates that at one point had made his father one of the richest Habsburgs. His marriage, by then was finished in all but name. Hence, the family had to seek new places where to rebuild their devastated lives. As a displaced person, Katalin moved to the United States with her daughters in 1949. Archduke Albrecht was granted a Mexican divorce from his wife in 1951. 

Katalin with her daughters Sárolta and Kathy, 1949.

After their move to the United States, Katalin gave several interviews to the press in the summer of 1949. "'Tis is a wonderful feeling, the freedom of America. No furtive looks for ever-present harassing officials. We even can go from one city to another without registering and rigamarole. Fear has almost left our hearts." About the fate of her husband Albrecht, who had ostensibly been captured by the Soviets, Katalin mused: "It seems almost hopeless. He vanished on a business trip between Hungary and Austria, in both of which he had properties, now confiscated." By 1955, Katalin and her daughters had settled in San Francisco. Shortly after learning of the death of her former husband following a heart attack in Buenos Aires, Katalin again spoke to the press: "I am not divorced from him. We are just legally separated. I never filed a divorce; I never received notice of one. In fact, I have heard nothing from my husband in all these years." She continued, elaborating on her concern for her daughters Sárolta and Kathy: "You must promise, please, to not mention my age. This is not just because of the vanity, you understand, but it might make a difference in my future. I am no longer teenaged, and I must think of my girls' future. I am their sole support and have only what I earn. This expression, 'middle-aged,' I would not object to that." Katalin and her younger daughter eventually became US citizens. Katalin von Habsburg first worked in a department store before becoming an office employee at the University of California. 

Katalin with her daughter Kathy, who holds a picture of her father Archduke Albrecht, 1958.

Sárolta von Habsburg in 1958.

Countess Sárolta von Habsburg, Princess of Hungary, attended San Diego College for Women. While she was a freshman at university in 1958, she and her mother and sister learned that a Vienna court ruled that Katalin was the legal widow of Archduke Albrecht, which entitled the family to substantial compensation. Sárolta commented on the development in the amelioration of her family's financial situation: "Well, I'm going to continue attending classes here. This won't change my plans. And, when I graduate, I still want to enter the foreign service."

In 1967, Sárolta von Habsburg married Ferdinand Joseph Wutholen (1927-2018). The couple had four children: Isabella (b.1968), Alessandra (b.1970), Marina (b.1973), and Misha (b.1981). While entitled to use the title of Archduchess of Austria, Princess of Hungary (due to titulature changes proclaimed by the Head of the House), Sárolta chose not use them. She and her family always sought to be private people and never sought public exposure. Sárolta is survived by her children, their partners, and her four grandchildren, as well as by her sister Ildikó Kathy Fortier. 

As Archduke Otto and Archduke Karl, the late and current Heads of the Austrian Imperial Family, retroactively recognised marriages of archdukes who had married Christian brides (who were considered unequal at the time of their unions) as dynastic, Sárolta was entitled to the title and style Her Imperial and Royal Highness Archduchess Sárolta of Austria, Princess of Hungary. However, her family confirmed that she never claimed nor used any titles at all.

May Sárolta Rest In Peace.

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Serbian Royals Remember the 50th Anniversary of the Passing of King Peter II

Prince Philip and Princess Danica of Serbia at Oplenac. Photograph courtesy of HRH Prince Philip.

Prince Philip lays a wreath at the tomb of his grandfather. Photograph courtesy of HRH Prince Philip.

Princess Danica puts flowers on the tomb of King Peter. Photograph courtesy of HRH Prince Philip.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the passing of HM King Peter II, a memorial service for the late King was officiated by His Grace Bishop Jovan of Sumadija at the Royal Family Mausoleum of St. George in Oplenac. The service was attended by Their Royal Highnesses Prince Philip and Princess Danica. On behalf of HRH Crown Prince Alexander, wreath was laid on the tomb of the late King by Mr Dragomir Acovic, chairman of the Advisory Bodies of the Crown. Present were also Mr Ljubodrag Grujic member of the Privy Council and Mr Predrag Markovic, member of the Crown Council. Kingdom of Serbia Association also laid a wreath on the tomb of HM King Peter II.

Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia at the Serbian Orthodox Church of Saint Sava in New York. Photograph courtesy of HRH The Crown Prince.

The Crown Princely Couple remember the late King Peter II. Photograph courtesy of HRH The Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Serbia with clergy. Photograph courtesy of HRH The Crown Prince.

On the same day, at 11:00 am (EST) in New York, His Grace Bishop Irinej of Eastern America officiated a memorial service for His Majesty King Peter II in the presence of Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine who lit candles in memory of the Crown Prince’s father, HM King Peter II, at the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Sava. His Majesty King Peter II was very close to the Cathedral during his time in the United States.

King Peter II of Yugoslavia was born in Belgrade 6 September 1923 as the first born son of King Alexander I and Queen Maria of Yugoslavia. His Godparents were King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (later Queen Mother of Great Britain). His education commenced at The Royal Palace Belgrade he then went to Sandroyd School in England, he left after his father’s assassination in 1934. Since King Peter II was 11 years old and underage at the time of his father’s assassination, a regency was formed consisting of three regents including his great uncle Prince Paul Karadjordjevic. King Peter II was nearly killed when the Palace was bombed during the night by the Nazis.The Second World War forced King Peter II to leave the country along with the Yugoslav Government – initially to Greece, Palestine and then to Egypt. King Peter II then joined other monarchs and leaders of German occupied Europe in London in June 1941. There King Peter was regarded by the people of Yugoslavia as the symbol of resistance against Nazism. King Peter II completed his education at Cambridge University and joined the Royal Air Force. King Peter II never abdicated. After the Second World War King Peter II lived in exile, initially in London, with his wife Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia (previously Princess of Greece and Denmark) and their son Crown Prince Alexander who was born in 1945. He spent the last years of his life in America. After a long and grave illness, King Peter II died 3 November 1970 in Denver Hospital Colorado, and he was buried at the St. Sava Monastery Church in Libertyville Illinois. He was the only king buried in the United States. The King’s remains were transferred to the Royal Family Mausoleum of St. George in Oplenac 26 May 2013 when a State Funeral took place.

To learn more about the Royal Family of Serbia, please visit their website.

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The Fiftieth Anniversary of the Untimely Death of King Peter II of Yugoslavia

Today, fifty years have passed since the death of King Peter II of Yugoslavia on 3 November 1970. The office of Crown Prince Alexander II of Serbia, the king's only child, issued the following communiqué on 2 November 2020:

A memorial service for His Majesty King Peter II (son of the great unifier His Majesty King Alexander I) is going to be officiated tomorrow Tuesday, 3 November 2020 by His Grace Bishop Jovan of Sumadija at the Church of Saint George in Oplenac. According to protocol the first wreath will be laid by Mr. Dragomir Acovic, chairman of the Advisory bodies of the Crown on the behalf His Royal Highness Crown Prince Alexander head of the Serbian Royal Family (son of Hs Majesty King Peter II) on the tomb of the late King. In New York His Grace Bishop Irinej of Eastern America will officiate a memorial service for His Majesty King Peter II in the presence of Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine who will light candles in memory of the Crown Prince’s father, HM King Peter II, at the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Sava. His Majesty King Peter II was very close to the cathedral during his time in the United States.

King Peter II of Yugoslavia in London, 1968.

On Thursday, 5 November 1970, Lieutenant Colonel C. Stojilkovic, a member of the Royal Yugoslav Airforce and former staff member to Yugoslavia's last king, announced that His Majesty King Peter II of Yugoslavia had died on Tuesday, 3 November 1970, in Los Angeles, California, in hospital after suffering from cardio-respiratory failure caused by pneumonia. The king was forty-seven years-old and had been a resident of Playa del Rey, California. Peter had been residing there with Dr and Mrs Frank Lowe. The delay in announcing the king's death was attributed to the fact that his entourage had to wait to contact his next of kin. It was reported that since April 1970 King Peter had been in and out of hospital in Los Angeles, suffering from kidney problems and other ailments that were brought on when he was diagnosed with pneumonia in September 1970. King Peter II of Yugoslavia lay in state for several days at Christ the Savior Serbian Orthodox Church in Arcadia, California. His attorney Sam Silverstein noted that the king's will stipulated that the monarch be buried at the Serbian Orthodox Monastery in Libertyville, Illinois. 

King Peter II and Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia in Paris, 1967.

King Peter's widow, Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia (née Greece), his son Crown Prince Alexander, and his brother Prince Tomislav had filed a court motion at the Los Angeles Superior Court challenging the Libertyville burial. The royals stated that Peter had wanted to be buried in London. Queen Alexandra and Crown Prince Alexander also filed a motion in the Lake County, Illinois, Circuit Court asking that the funeral services for King Peter be performed by Bishop Firmilian Ocokoljich, who served as chaplain to the royal family in London during World War II. The family's attorney, Thomas J Karacic, stated that it would be "sacrilegious" to have services for the king be performed by the group controlling the Saint Sava Monastery near Libertyville. The North American diocese opposed the government of Yugoslavia, while the Serbian Orthodox Patriarch in Belgrade did not. Mr Karacic noted that if services went ahead under the Saint Sava leadership, then Queen Alexandra, Crown Prince Alexander, and Prince Tomislav would boycott the ceremony. Alas, Circuit Court Judge L Erie Carey ruled that the services would be conducted at the monastery by Bishop Iriney and Bishop Dionisije, in accordance with the king's wishes.

The funeral service of King Peter II of Yugoslavia at Saint Sava in Libertyville, Illinois.

On 15 November 1970, around fifteen thousand mourners filed past the bier in the Byzantine chapel of Saint Sava's Eastern Orthodox Church in Libertyville, IL, to render their last homage to their late king. The king's body lay in a brown, metallic coffin, the front half covered with glass. Clad in a Yugoslav Air Force uniform, he looked more like an eighty year-old than his age of 47, it was written. A World War II amputee who had served in the king's armed forces said, "He was an unhappy man. He helped thwart Hitler's movement into Russia and then his country was given the Russians." Bishop Iriney of Pennsylvania delivered a moving eulogy: "He was a unique and unusual man and he lived and reigned under even more unusual circumstances. One of his brothers wanted him to be buried in Westminster Abbey in London. King Peter could have been buried there with the rulers and all the dignitaries of the world in attendance. Instead, he rejected world glamour and brought himself to the level of his people. His choice to be with the Serbian people and lead them against the Axis war machine was of great historical importance. He delayed Hitler three months in attacking the Soviet Union. He could have stayed in the palace and enjoyed the everyday privileges of the royalty. He knew that any resistance would result in the sacrifice of many lives and wholesale destruction. But he also knew that any temporary security for himself and his people would result in the erosion of his people's essential liberties." Neither Queen Alexandra, who was estranged from her husband, nor Crown Prince Alexandra attended the funeral of King Peter in Illinois. The only member of the king's family to attend his burial was his youngest brother Prince Andrej.

The grave of King Peter II of Yugoslavia at Saint Sava's Eastern Orthodox Monastery in Libertyville.

It was not until Friday, 20 November 1970, that it emerged through Denver Post reporting that King Peter II of Yugoslavia had actually died at Denver General Hospital on 3 November. The king had been admitted to Denver General on 7 October and on 8 October underwent a liver transplant. Peter had been suffering from advanced cirrhosis of the liver for some years, and on 7 October the king had been flown from California via a private chartered jet to Denver, where he underwent the transplant surgery the next day. The liver intended to prolong the monarch's life had come from Barbara Virginia Peterson, aged fifteen, who died on 7 October after an automobile accident on 3 October in Garden Grove, California. The Denver Post reported that Peter had died in hospital while still recovering from the operation. On his death certificate, which was filed with the Colorado Health Department, the king's name was given as Peter Petrovich. Following his death, the king's body was immediately flown by private jet back to Los Angeles. A friend of the royal family gave the following statement: "He [King Peter] had been in and out of hospitals (John Wesley and Queen of Angels) most of the year, and the doctors were trying to keep him alive long enough to find a donor for a liver transplant. When an acceptable donor was located in Denver, he was flown there." When questioned as to why the truth behind the king's death was not given earlier, the source replied, "Because the queen [Alexandra] had kept up the pretext of his being here [in California], and she couldn't very well suddenly admit he'd been in Denver for almost a month. Besides, she didn't want to discourage potential liver transplant recipients and donors." At the time of King Peter's death, his wife Queen Alexandra was living in Venice, Italy. 

Crown Prince Alexander at the memorial service held in London for his father King Peter.

Crown Prince Alexander attended a memorial service for his late father King Peter at the Serbian Orthodox Church in Notting Hill, London, on 11 August 1971.

On 26 May 2020, King Peter II of Yugoslavia was reburied in the mausoleum of the Karadjordjević dynasty at the Church of Saint George in Oplenac. Along with the king, Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia (his wife), Queen Marie of Yugoslavia (his mother), and Prince Andrej of Yugoslavia (his younger brother) were also reburied in the family mausoleum. 

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Crown Prince Peter of Yugoslavia was born at Belgrade on 6 September 1923 as the eldest son of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia and his wife Queen Marie (born Princess of Romania). Peter was joined by two younger brothers: Prince Tomislav and Prince Andrej. The crown prince became King Peter II of Yugoslavia in 1934 after the assassination of his father Alexander. In 1945, Peter lost his throne due to the Communist takeover of Yugoslavia in the aftermath of World War II. 

In 1944, King Peter II of Yugoslavia married Princess Alexandra of Greece (1921-1993), the daughter of King Alexander I of the Hellenes and his wife Princess Aspasia of Greece (née Manos). King Peter and Queen Alexandra had one child, Crown Prince Alexander II of Serbia (b.1945). 

The Death of Duke Ferdinand Eugen of Württemberg (1925-2020)

 

Duke Ferdinand greeting his cousins: Duke Carl, Duchess Diane, the late Duke Friedrich, and Duchess Marie (2006). Photograph (c) Presse-Foto-Seeger

According to Lucas Szkopinski, Duke Ferdinand Eugen of Württemberg died today (3 November 2020), aged ninety-five. Ferdinand Eugen was a first cousin of Duke Carl of Württemberg, the Head of the Royal House, and Ferdinand was also the longest lived male member of the family.

The engagement of Albrecht Eugen of Württemberg and Nadejda of Bulgaria is announced in January 1924.

Newlyweds: Duke Albrecht Eugen of Württemberg and Princess Nadejda of Bulgaria

On 3 April 1925, HRH Duke Ferdinand Eugen Albrecht Maria Joseph Ivan Rilsky Philipp August Clemens Karl Robert Ludwig Boris Cyrill Franz de Paula of Württemberg was born at Karlsruhe.  Ferdinand was the first child of Duke Albrecht Eugen of Württemberg (1895-1954) and Princess Nadejda of Bulgaria (1899-1958), who married in 1924. Ferdinand was joined by four younger siblings: Duchess Margarethe (1928-2017; married to François Luce de Chevigny), Duke Eugen Eberhard (b.1930; married and divorced Archduchess Alexandra of Austria-Tuscany), Duke Alexander (b.1933), and Duchess Sophie (b.1937; married and divorced Antonio Manuel Rôxo de Ramos-Bandeira). The family became known as the "Black Württembergs" as the children of Albrecht Eugen and Nadejda all had dark hair, which put them in contrast with their first cousins, the children of Albrecht Eugen's brother Philipp.

Duke Albrecht of Württemberg and Archduchess Margarete Sophie of Austria Image (c) ALAMY

Ferdinand's paternal grandparents were Duke Albrecht of Württemberg (1865-1939) and Archduchess Margarete Sophie of Austria (1870-1902). The duke's maternal grandparents were King Ferdinand of Bulgaria (1861-1948) and Princess Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma (1870-1899). Ferdinand's maternal uncle was King Boris III of Bulgaria (1894-1943), who was one of his namesakes.

Duke Ferdinand of Württemberg and Hereditary Princess Stephanie of Baden in 2009. Photograph (c) Presse-Foto-Seeger

Duke Ferdinand, his sister Duchess Sophie, and his brother Duke Alexander at the 70th birthday celebrations of their cousin Duke Carl of Württemberg in 2006. Photograph (c) Presse-Foto-Seeger

Ferdinand Eugen spent his childhood and youth in Carlsruhe and at Lindach Castle. He attended a grammar school in St Gallen and secondary schools in Ettal and Munich. For political reasons he was declared unworthy of military service in 1943. In 1944, he received a diploma and was obliged to work. Afterward, he attended further secondary school in Schwäbisch Gmünd and graduated from there in 1946. Ferdinand Eugen studied forestry at the University of Freiburg im Breisgau and graduated as a forester. He held a keen interest in botany and photography. Ferdinand of Württemberg had a long career as a forestry engineer. He never married and had no children. Ferdinand was sixth in line to the Headship of the Royal House of Württemberg at the time of his death. The duke lived at Friedrichshafen.

Fürst Friedrich Wilhelm of Hohenzollern with his cousin Duke Ferdinand of Württemberg in 2002. Photograph (c) Presse-Foto-Seeger

The funeral of the duke is expected to take place at Schloß Altshausen, the ancestral home of the Dukes of Württemberg. A date has will be announced in time.

May His Royal Highness Rest In Peace.

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EUROHISTORY: Issue CXXVIII, Volume 23.4 – Winter 2020

 

 

Nothing like being busy!

 

As our Fall Issue (CXXVII – Volume 23.4) is printing, we decided that it would be best to get busy with EUROHISTORY WINTER 2020 – Issue CXXVIII, Volume 23.4! 

 

Inside the last Issue of 2020 subscribers will find the following articles:

 

1. Victoria Milford Haven ... upon the Seventieth Anniversary of Death, by Ilana D. Miller

 

2. A Very Autocratic Grand Duchess: Marie Alexandrovna, by Coryne Hall

 

3. Obituary: Countess Maria Immaculata zu Toerring-Jettenbach (1925-2020), by Arturo E. Beéche

 

4. The Puppet King: Alexander of the Hellenes, by Coryne Hall

 

5. Who Is In the Photograph: Four Generations of the Swedish Royal Family, by Alexander Borg

 

6. Peggy Watson: Princess Marguerite d'Orléans...The Story of the Only American Woman To Marry into the French Royal Family, by Seth B. Leonard

 

7. The Wedding of Princess Hélène d'Orléans and Count Evrard de Limburg Stirum – January 17, 1957, Royal Chapel St Louis de Dreux, by Arturo E. Beéche

 

8. Book Reviews

 

9. Royal News

 

 

 

 

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Princess Hélène of France, Countess de Limburg Stirum

Princess Hélène of France and Count Evrard de Limburg Stirum.

 

Just as stunning as her mother, Princess Hélène of France married Count Evrard de Limburg Stirum at the Chapel Royal St Louis de Dreux, France, on January 17, 1957!

 

Hélène was born in Brussels in 1934, the third child of his parents. She was preceded by Isabelle and Henri. She was followed by: François, Anne, Diane, Jacques, Michel, Claude, Chantal, and Thibaut.

Count Evrard was the son of Count Thierry de Limburg Stirum and his wife the former Princess Marie-Immaculé of Croÿ. He was born at the Château d'Huldenberg, his family's ancient home, on October 31, 1927.

Thierry and Hélène had four children: Catherine (b. 1957), Thierry (b. 1959), Louis (b. 1962), and Bruno (b. 1966). They have given their parents a total of ten grandchildren!

Princess Hélène became a widow in 2001. She continues residing at Huldenberg surrounded by many of her descendants.

Count Evrard and Princess Hélène, with the Count de Clermont and the Prince of Asturias (later King Juan Carlos I of Spain).

 

 

Princess Hélène of France.

 

You can learn more about this very interesting royal personage by subscribing to Eurohistory and reading a detailed article in Issue CXXVIII – Winter 2020 about Princess Hélène and Count Evrard.

 

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