Twenty Years Since the Death of the May Queen: Marie-José of Italy

Queen Marie-José of Italy.

A study of the May Queen by Theodore Strawinsky.

On 27 January 2001, Queen Marie-José of Italy passed away in Geneva. She was ninety-four years-old. 

Left to right: Prince Léopold, Princess Marie-José, and Prince Charles. Photograph (c) Getty Images/Hutton Archive.

King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians with their daughter Princess Marie-José.

Princess Marie-José Charlotte Sophie Amélie Henriette Gabrielle was born on 4 August 1906 at Ostende as the third child and only daughter of King Albert I of the Belgians (1875-1934) and his wife Queen Elisabeth (1876-1965; née Duchess in Bavaria). Marie-José had two older brothers: the eventual King Léopold III (1901-1983) and Prince Charles, Count of Flanders (1903-1983). 

Prince Umberto and Princess Marie-José, the Prince and Princess of Piedmont.

King Umberto II and Queen Marie-José of Italy with their four children, pictured from left to right: Princess Maria Beatrice, Prince Vittorio Emanuele, Princess Maria Gabriella, and Princess Maria Pia.

In 1930, Princess Marie-José of Belgium married Prince Umberto of Savoy, Prince of Piedmont and the heir to the Italian throne. Umberto was the only son of King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy (1869-1947) and Queen Elena (1873-1952; née Princess of Montenegro). Umberto and Marie-José had four children: Princess Maria Pia (b.1934), Prince Vittorio Emanuele (b.1937), Princess Maria Gabriella (b.1940), and Princess Maria Beatrice (b.1943). Umberto and Marie-José had rather different temperaments, and their marriage was not a union of love. In May 1946, Umberto succeeded his father as King of Italy, and thus Marie-José became queen. Their reign was short-lived; it lasted thirty-four days, from 9 May to 12 June 1946.

The 1955 wedding of Princess Maria Pia of Savoy and Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia. From left to right: Prince Paul and Princess Olga of Yugoslavia, Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia, Princess Maria Pia of Savoy, Queen Marie-José and King Umberto II of Italy.

The King and Queen of Italy arrive at the marriage of Princess Maria Isabella of Savoy-Genoa in 1971.

After the royal family left Italy following the referendum abolishing the monarchy, Umberto and Marie-José settled in Portugal with their children. This cohabitation was of brief duration: Queen Marie-José moved to Switzerland, and King Umberto remained at Cascais. Although informally separated, the last King and Queen of Italy often appeared together at Gotha events over the decades. 

Queen Marie-José of Italy at the funeral of her husband King Umberto II with her son Prince Vittorio Emanuele and her daughter-in-law Princess Marina. Photograph (c) Getty Images/Mondadori Portfolio.

Queen Marie-José of Italy with her niece by marriage Queen Fabiola of the Belgians at the funeral of King Léopold III of the Belgians.

The year of 1983 brought great loss to Queen Marie-José. In March, her husband of fifty-three years, King Umberto II, died in Geneva at the age of seventy-eight. In June, her brother Prince Charles, Count of Flanders, died at the age of seventy-nine. In September, her last surviving brother King Léopold III of the Belgians, who had abdicated in 1951, died at the age of eighty-one. Thus, in the space of one year, Marie-José lost her husband and both of her siblings.

Queen Marie-José of Italy and Prince Aimone of Savoy-Aosta arrive at the 1988 wedding of Princess Bianca of Savoy-Aosta and Count Gilberto Arrivabene Valenti Gonzaga. 

Prince Emanuele Filiberto and his grandmother Queen Marie-José on her 93rd birthday in 1999.

For some years, the queen lived in Mexico with her youngest daughter Princess Maria Beatrice. After the death of her husband, Marie-José returned to Italy for a visit. The May Queen died at a Geneva clinic of lung cancer. Marie-José was survived by her four children. 

The funeral of Queen Marie-José of Italy. Photograph (c) Getty Images.

The burial of Queen Marie-José of Italy took place on 2 February 2001 at Hautecombe, Savoy, France. The queen was buried next to King Umberto II. Besides her children and grandchildren, the attendees included King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium, Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg, King Juan Carlos of Spain and his sister Infanta Pilar, Empress Farah of Iran, the Duke and Duchess of Aosta as well as the duke's children Prince Aimone and Princess Bianca, the Duke and Duchess of Braganza, Princess Béatrice of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, the Duke and Duchess of Calabria, Archduke Carl Christian and Archduchess Marie-Astrid of Austria, Prince Alexander and Princess Barbara of Yugoslavia, and Prince Michael of Greece. A wreath of flowers was sent by Prince Rainier II of Monaco. 

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The Full 1969 Royal Family Documentary on YouTube!

This is not a drill. The embargoed 1969 documentary Royal Family is currently available on YouTube in all its glory. Enjoy the forbidden fruit while it is available! Here is the link: https://youtu.be/EX8eX6weSHc

Note: as of Thursday, 28 January, the video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The 1969 Royal Family documentary was uploaded onto YouTube last week.

The Baptism of Maria-Alexandra of Romania

Nicholas and Alina-Maria of Romania with their daughter Maria-Alexandra. Photograph (c) David Nivière.

The family depart the Royal Cathedral.

On Saturday, 23 January 2021, Maria-Alexandra of Romania was christened at the Royal Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș. Archbishop Calinic of Argeș and Muscel baptised the infant, who is the first child of Nicholas and Alina-Maria of Romania. Ninety-nine years ago, Maria-Alexandra's great-grandfather King Michael I of Romania was baptised on Sunday, 22 January 1922, at Cotroceni Palace.

The family’s Christmas card.

Today, the office of Nicholas of Romania issued an announcement about Maria-Alexandra's baptism:

  

Our congratulations to Nicholas, Alina-Maria, and Maria-Alexandra on this special event in the life of the little one!

Stunning Pictures from the Russian Imperial Betrothal Ceremony at Kostroma

Ipatievskii Monastery at Kostroma. Photograph courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellery.

Ipatievskii Monastery at Kostroma.
Photograph courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellery.

Ipatievskii Monastery at Kostroma.
Photograph courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellery.

Ipatievskii Monastery at Kostroma.
Photograph courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellery.

In the Russian Orthodox Church, the wedding ceremony is divided into two sections: the Betrothal (obrucheniye or Обручение) and the Crowning (venchaniye or Венчание). In the modern day, the ceremonies are most frequently combined, but in the past, they were two separate ceremonies. Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia and his fiancée Victoria Romanovna Bettarini chose to celebrate the ceremony of Betrothal at the Ipatievskii Monastery at Kostroma on Sunday, 24 January 2021.

During the Time of Troubles in Russia, the Ipatievskii Monastery was occupied by the supporters of False Dmitri II in Spring 1609. In September 1609, the monastery was captured by the Muscovite army. On 14 March 1613, the Zemsky Sobor announced that Mikhail Romanov, who was in the Ipatievskii Monastery at the time, would be Russian tsar. Most of the monastery buildings date from the 16th and 17th centuries. The Trinity Cathedral is famous for its elaborately painted interior. The Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God was rebuilt by the celebrated Konstantin Thon at the request of Tsar Nicholas I to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the House of Romanov. The Soviet authorities demolished it in 1932; however, it was rebuilt in 2013. The main entrance from the riverside was also designed by Konstantin Thon. A private house of Mikhail Romanov was restored on the orders of Tsar Alexander II.

The Russian imperial betrothal ceremony, 24 January 2021. Photograph courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellery.

The Russian imperial betrothal ceremony, 24 January 2021. Photograph courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellery.

The Russian imperial betrothal ceremony, 24 January 2021. Photograph courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellery.

The Russian imperial betrothal ceremony, 24 January 2021. Photograph courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellery.

At the Betrothal service, the chief ceremony is the blessing and exchange of rings. The rings are blessed by the priest in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The priest then exchanges the rings, taking the bride's ring and placing it on the groom's finger and vice-versa. Then he exchanges them again, symbolizing that each spouse will constantly be complementing and enriching the other by the future union.

The Russian imperial betrothal ceremony, 24 January 2021. Photograph courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellery.

The Russian imperial betrothal ceremony, 24 January 2021. Photograph courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellery.

The Russian imperial betrothal ceremony, 24 January 2021. Photograph courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellery.

The Russian imperial betrothal ceremony, 24 January 2021. Photograph courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellery.

This is also an outward symbol that the two are joined in marriage of their own free will and consent. It is celebrated in the vestibule or the pritvor (Притвор) of the church building before their procession into the nave of the church.

The Russian imperial betrothal ceremony, 24 January 2021. Photograph courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellery.

The Russian imperial betrothal ceremony, 24 January 2021. Photograph courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellery.

The Russian imperial betrothal ceremony, 24 January 2021. Photograph courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellery.

The Russian imperial betrothal ceremony, 24 January 2021. Photograph courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellery.

Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia and his fiancée Victoria Romanovna Bettarini chose to practice the ancient version of the custom in an ancient place very special to the House of Romanov.

The Russian imperial betrothal ceremony, 24 January 2021. Photograph courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellery.

The Russian imperial betrothal ceremony, 24 January 2021. Photograph courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellery.

The Russian imperial betrothal ceremony, 24 January 2021. Photograph courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellery.

The Russian imperial betrothal ceremony, 24 January 2021. Photograph courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellery.

The Russian imperial betrothal ceremony, 24 January 2021. Photograph courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellery.

The Betrothal Ceremony of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia and Victoria Romanovna Bettarini

The betrothal ceremony of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich and Victoria Romanovna Bettarini.
Photograph courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellory. 

The betrothal ceremony of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich and Victoria Romanovna Bettarini.
Photograph courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellory.

The betrothal ceremony of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich and Victoria Romanovna Bettarini.
Photograph courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellory.

The betrothal ceremony of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich and Victoria Romanovna Bettarini.
Photograph courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellory.

The betrothal ceremony of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich and Victoria Romanovna Bettarini.
Photograph courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellory.

 

 

On Sunday, the Russian Imperial Chancellery announced that Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia and Victoria Romanovna Bettarini had held their betrothal ceremony that day in Kostroma. 

Here is the press release:

The betrothal of Tsesarevich George of Russia and his bride-to-be, Miss Victoria Romanovna Bettarini, took place at the Ipatiev Monastery in the city of Kostroma

On January 24, 2021, at noon, the Heir of the Head of the Imperial House of Russia, His Imperial Highness The Grand Duke George of Russia, and his fiancée, the hereditary noblewoman Miss Victoria Romanovna Bettarini, were betrothed in the Holy Trinity Cathedral in the Ipatiev Monastery in the city of Kostroma. The betrothal service was officiated by His Eminence Metropolitan Ferapont of Kostroma and Nerkhta. Among those attending the service were government officials of the Kostroma Region.

In the morning, the Grand Duke and his fiancée attended Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Holy Epiphany-St. Anastasia in Kostroma, receiving Holy Communion and venerating the great and holy icon of the House of Romanoff—the Feodorovskaya miracle-working Icon of the Mother of God.

Then the couple proceeded to the Holy Trinity Ipatiev Monastery, where the betrothal service took place, officiated by His Eminence Metropolitan Ferapont and other clergy of the Kostroma diocese.

On behalf of the Governor of the Kostroma Region, S. K. Sitnikov, the Chief of Staff the administration of the Kostroma Region, M.B. Smirnov, formally greeted Tsesarevich George and his fiancée Victoria Romanovna.

Later that same day, Grand Duke George and Victoria Romanovna, accompanied by Archpriest Dimitri Sazonov, visited the construction site of the new church at the Second City Hospital of Kostroma, and the Children’s Maritime Center.

 

The betrothal ceremony of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich and Victoria Romanovna Bettarini.
Photograph courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellory.

The betrothal ceremony of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich and Victoria Romanovna Bettarini.
Photograph courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellory.

The betrothal ceremony of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich and Victoria Romanovna Bettarini.
Photograph courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellory.

The Passing of a Vietnamese Princess and Italian Duchess

Emperor Bảo Đại of Vietnam and his eldest daughter Princess Phương Mai at the Italian Formula 1 Grand Prix at Monza, 1955.

Photograph (c) Mario De Biasi/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images.  

Princess Phương Mai of Vietnam, Dowager Duchess di Addis Abeba, died on 16 January 2021 at Louveciennes. The princess was eighty-three years-old. A widow since 1992, Phương Mai had lived with her sister Princess Phương Dung in Louveciennes for quite some time.

Left to right: Empress Nam Phương, Crown Prince Bảo Long, Dowager Empress Рoan Huy holding her granddaughter Princess Phương Mai, and Emperor Bảo Đại.

Photograph circa 1937/1938.

Empress Nam Phương of Vietnam.

The last Empress of Vietnam with her five children.

 

Princess Phương Mai of Vietnam was born on 1 August 1937 at Da Lat. She was the second child and first daughter of Emperor Bảo Đại of Vietnam (1913-1997) and his first wife Empress Nam Phương (1914-1963). Princess Phương Mai had four full siblings: Crown Prince Bảo Long (1936-2007), Princess Phương Liên (b.1938; married Bernard Soulan), Princess Phương Dung (b.1942), and Prince Bảo Thắng (1943-2017). From her father's other wives and concubines, Princess Phương Mai had seven half-siblings. 

 

In 1947, Empress Nam Phương departed Vietnam with her children and lived at the Château Thorens, outside of Cannes. Princess Phương Mai received her education in France and returned to Vietnam, where she lived from 1949 until 1953. In 1955, Emperor Bảo Đại and Empress Nam Phương along with their children permanently relocated to France after Bảo Đại's overthrow. 

 

On 5 August 1971 at Paris, Princess Phương Mai of Vietnam married Don Pietro Badoglio (1939-1992), 2nd Duke di Addis Abeba and Marquis del Sabotino.

Don Pietro Badoglio was the eldest son of Don Mario Badoglio dei duchi di Addis Abeba (1905-1953) and his wife Donna Giuliana Rota dei conti di San Vito al Tagliamento (1913-). The ducal title was created for Pietro's grandfather Marshal Don Pietro Badoglio (1871-1956) in 1936 by King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy; Marshal Badaglio served as the Prime Minister of Italy from 1943-1944.

Pietro and Phương Mai had two children: Don Flavio (b.1973) and Donna Manuela (b.1959 or 1979).

Princess Phuong Mai of Vietnam, Dowager Duchess di Addis Abeba, was privately buried on 21 January 2021. She is survived by her two children, her two grandchildren, her two sisters, and her nieces and nephew.

May the Princess Rest in Peace.