Relatives Remember Markgräfin Helene Pallavicini (née Württemberg)

Duchess Helene with three of her Brazilian cousins, 1950s. Photograph (c) Casa Imperial do Brasil.

Today, 18 May, Markgräfin Helene Pallavicini will be buried at Altshausen, where she passed away on 22 April at the age of ninety-one. Helene, known as "Mausi" in her family, was born a Duchess of Württemberg and was the older sister of Duke Carl of Württemberg, Head of the Royal House. 

Helene of Württemberg getting ready to take a picture of her Brazilian cousins, the children of Prince Pedro Henrique of Brazil and Princess Maria of Bavaria. Photograph (c) Casa Imperial do Brasil.

In the 1950s, Helene lived with her cousins Prince Pedro Henrique of Brazil and his wife Princess Maria at their home in Fazenda Santa Maria, in Jacarezinho, in the north of the State of Paraná. Duchess Helene of Württemberg helped her cousins with their children, and she was chosen as godmother for their son Prince Francisco of Orleans-Bragança (b.1955).

The Brazilian imperial family sent a letter to Duke Carl of Württemberg expressing their condolences on the death of his sister Markgräfin Helene Pallavicini. It reads as follows:

Dear Carl,

We will join in the prayers on the occasion of the Requiem for the soul of your sister Hélène, the late Mausi - of whom we always retain fond memories of the years she spent with us at the farm in Paraná -, to be celebrated tomorrow.

Affectionately,

Luiz

Bertrand, Antonio and Christine

An Adorable Photo of Princess Geraldine of Albania with Her Grandmother

Photograph (c) HRH The Crown Princess of Albania.

Last week, Crown Princess Elia of Albania shared a lovely image of her daughter and her mother on Instagram. 

Yllka Mujo, a well-known actress, is pictured with her granddaughter (and only grandchild) Princess Geraldine of Albania - who is growing up very quickly! Princess Geraldine, who was born on 22 October 2020 at Tirana, is the only child of Crown Prince Leka of Albania and Crown Princess Elia (née Zaharia). Gjergj Zaharia and Yllka Mujo, the parents of the Crown Princess, are the only living grandparents of Princess Geraldine. Geraldine's paternal grandfather King Leka of the Albanians died in 2011, and her paternal grandmother Queen Susan died in 2004. 

Fabergé Wedding Rings for the Russian Imperial Marriage in October!

Yesterday, it was officially announced that Fabergé will be creating the wedding bands for the union of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia and his fiancée Victoria Romanovna Bettarini. The couple will marry on 1 October 2021 in Saint Petersburg. 

Sarah Fabergé, Fabergé’s Director of Special Projects and a great-granddaughter of Carl Peter Fabergé, sent her best wishes to George and Victoria: "On behalf of Fabergé, we send HIH Grand Duke George Mikhailovich Romanov and Victoria Romanovna Bettarini our warmest congratulations on their engagement. We are delighted that, in true Romanov tradition, the happy couple have appointed Fabergé to create their wedding bands. I am honoured to be overseeing this commission, working closely with an acclaimed Russian jeweller and work master, to bring the symbols of this marriage to life. History has truly come full circle."

Photo (c) Lodovico Colli di Felizzano.

THE RINGS, THE ROMANOVS, WEDDINGS, AND FABERGÉ

Fabergé played a large part in the weddings of Russian Grand Dukes and Grand Duchesses. Both sisters of Nicholas II, Grand Duchess Xenia and Grand Duchess Olga received gifts of large silver table services created by Fabergé as part of their dowry when they married.

Fabergé scholar Valentin Skurlov notes that on the 27th July 1901, the records of the Imperial Cabinet state that the jeweller Fabergé was paid 60 rubles for “a pair of wedding rings in pure gold” for the upcoming marriage of the Emperor’s sister, Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna.

By commissioning their wedding bands from Fabergé, the Grand Duke George and his fiancée Victoria Romanovna Bettarini are reviving an old family tradition by reestablishing a relationship between Fabergé and the House of Romanov.

On This Day in 2011: The Passing of the Princess Mother of Brazil

A decade ago, on 13 May 2011, Princess Maria of Bavaria, Princess Mother of Brazil, died at her home in Rio de Janeiro. She was ninety-six years-old. The princess passed away on the 123rd anniversary of the 1888 signing of the Lei Áurea (Golden Law) by Princess Imperial Isabel of Brazil, the grandmother of Princess Maria's husband Prince Pedro Henrique.

Princess Maria of Bavaria. Photograph (c) Casa Imperial do Brasil.

Princess Maria Elisabeth Franziska Theresia Josepha of Bavaria was born on 9 September 1914 at Schloß Nymphenburg in Munich. Maria was the second of the six children of Prince Franz of Bavaria and his wife Princess Isabelle von Croÿ. Maria's paternal grandfather was King Ludwig III of Bavaria, the last Wittelsbach monarch, during whose reign she was born.

Princess Maria, Princess Adelgunde, Princess Eleonore, and Princess Dorothea of Bavaria. Photograph (c) Casa Imperial do Brasil.

After the fall of the Bavarian monarchy in 1918 following World War II, Maria's family went into exile in Hungary. They resided there until the 1930s when they returned to Bavaria, where they remained popular with the Bavarian people. Princess Maria received a thorough education; in addition to German, she became fluent in English and French. She also was trained in the art of porcelain painting. 

Princess Maria and Prince Pedro Henrique on their wedding day. Photograph (c) Casa Imperial do Brasil.

On 19 August 1937, Princess Maria of Bavaria married Prince Pedro Henrique of Orleans and Bragança, Head of the Imperial House of Brazil. The wedding took place at in the chapel of Schloß Nymphenburg. Among the guests were King Alfonso XIII of Spain, Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, and the Count and Countess of Paris. 

Princess Maria and Prince Pedro Henrique with their children. Photograph (c) Casa Imperial do Brasil.

Princess Maria with her four daughters. Photograph (c) Casa Imperial do Brasil.

Between 1938 and 1959, Princess Maria and Prince Pedro Henrique had twelve children who survived into adulthood. Their thirteenth child, a daughter, died shortly after birth in 1946.

Prince Pedro Henrique and Princess Maria at Vassouras. Photograph (c) Casa Imperial do Brasil.

In 1957, Prince Pedro Henrique and Princess Maria and their family moved to the Fazenda Santa Maria in Jundiaí do Sul, Paraná. In 1965, the couple relocated to Vassouras, where they resided at the Sítio Santa Maria.  

Princess Maria and Prince Pedro Henrique. Photograph (c) Casa Imperial do Brasil.

Princess Maria became a widow when her husband Prince Pedro Henrique of Orleans and Bragança died on 5 July 1981. The prince was seventy-one years-old. He was succeeded as the Head of the Imperial House of Brazil by his eldest son Prince Luiz.

The Princess Mother of Brazil. Photograph (c) Casa Imperial do Brasil.

In her later years, Princess Maria lived between Vassouras and an apartment in Rio de Janeiro. 

A Right Royal Riddle: Who Am I?

A Gotha Quiz: Who Am I? By Darren Shelton for the European Royal History Journal.

I was the daughter of a king and the granddaughter of two kings. Many of my lines were of ancient blood, while others were of a newer variety. My paternal grandfather was a great patriarch, while my own father was a more sedate and lesser known man. My mother, often a figure of fun amongst my cousins, was essentially an only child, and a considerable heiress. She was quiet and religious in nature. Although two of my nieces were queens, my married life was more quiet. My husband, although still a distant cousin, was a minor prince from a minor family. We had several children, one of whom married into my house. My death, before middle age, was one of conjecture. Who am I?

The answer will be posted on Friday. 

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Prince Mihailo of Montenegro, Head of the Royal House, Visits Canada in Summer 1961

In 1961, Prince Mihailo (Michael) of Montenegro spent the summer in Windsor, Canada, with Mr and Mrs Peter Bulat. "Liberation will not without patience and loyalty, but it will come. It is inevitable. The vast majority of Yugoslav people are anxious to be once again a free nation," the prince told The Windsor Star. "Since boyhood, I have been a proponent of Yugoslav unity. And that I will remain as long as I live." Michael of Montenegro was the only surviving son of Prince Mirko of Montenegro and Natalija Konstantinović. Michael received his early education in Montenegro, London, and Paris. In the French capital, the prince studied under André Siegfried at the École Libre des Sciences Politiques (ELSP). 

During his Canadian visit, the prince stated: "I have seen true democracy at work here in the Western World. I am fascinated by it all. I like to regard myself as one of the many democrats of the West." 

Prince Mihailo of Montenegro, Head of the Royal House, Visits Canada in Summer 1961

In 1961, Prince Mihailo (Michael) of Montenegro spent the summer in Windsor, Canada, with Mr and Mrs Peter Bulat. "Liberation will not without patience and loyalty, but it will come. It is inevitable. The vast majority of Yugoslav people are anxious to be once again a free nation," the prince told The Windsor Star. "Since boyhood, I have been a proponent of Yugoslav unity. And that I will remain as long as I live." Michael of Montenegro was the only surviving son of Prince Mirko of Montenegro and Natalija Konstantinović. Michael received his early education in Montenegro, London, and Paris. In the French capital, the prince studied under André Siegfried at the École Libre des Sciences Politiques (ELSP). 

During his Canadian visit, the prince stated: "I have seen true democracy at work here in the Western World. I am fascinated by it all. I like to regard myself as one of the many democrats of the West."