A Princely Birth in the French Royal House!

Princess Theresa and Prince François d'Orléans, 2014.

According to Noblesse et Royautés, Prince François and Princess Theresa d'Orléans, Count and Countess of Dreux, welcomed the birth of their third child and second son in the autumn of last year. Prince Raphaël d'Orléans was born on 4 September 2021. Prince Raphaël joins older siblings Prince Philippe (b.2017) and Princess Marie-Amélie. The Count and Countess of Dreux live in Mallorca, Spain.

Our congratulations to the family!

Recollections from the Life of Princess Anna-Luise of Anhalt, Daughter of the Last Duke

Princess Anna Luise of Anhalt, 1973.

Born at Schloß Ballenstedt on 26 March 1933, Princess Anna-Luise Marie Friederike Elisabeth Alice of Anhalt was the second child and daughter of Duke Joachim Ernst of Anhalt (1901-1947) and his second wife Editha Marwitz (1905-1986), who married in 1929. 

Duke Joachim Ernst of Anhalt

Duchess Edda of Anhalt

 

The Ducal Children: Alexandra, Anna Luise, Friedrich, Edda, and Eduard of Anhalt

Anna-Luise had four siblings: Princess Marie Antoinette (1930-1993), Prince Friedrich (1938-1963), Princess Edda (b.1940), and Prince Eduard (b.1941). In 1950, the princess, her mother Duchess Edda, and her siblings moved to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. 

Princess Anna-Luise of Anhalt, 1957.

In the late 1950s, Anna-Luise relocated to the United States from Germany. She obtained a position at the Newton Wellesley Hospital in Massachusetts, where the princess received the skills necessary to become a nurse in the United States. Anna-Luise had apparently already received medical training in Germany. In January 1961, Anna-Luise was a guest at a soirée in New York City held in the Plaza Hotel. The event was also attended by Prince Louis Ferdinand and Princess Kira of Prussia, their daughter Princess Kira, and Princess Cecile of Prussia (Mrs. Clyde Harris). The proceeds from the event contributed to a fund that allowed American students to attend graduate courses in Germany. 

Thomas B. Birch.

On 5 August 1966 in Clark County, Nevada, Princess Anna-Luise of Anhalt married Thomas Beverly Birch (1927-2016). The couple had one child, a son: James Christian George Anhalt Birch (b.New York City, NY 12 April 1967). Princess Anna-Luise and Thomas Birch divorced in 1970.

In January 1973, on a visit to Mr. and Mrs. James H. Gunning, the princess granted an interview to the Hattiesburg American of Mississippi. At the time, Anna-Luise was nearing her fortieth birthday. She had lived in the United States for quite some time. 

"Some of my working colleagues in Germany disliked me because of my position. Here in America it's entirely different for it doesn't seem to matter to people that I have a title. I'm very proud of my family background, but don't particularly enjoy royalty that much for I don't care for their jet set. I prefer my friends to like me for myself, not for my name."

"My family has castles, forests, and eighteen ranches in East Prussia. On the land there was a brewery, lumber mill, and all our meats and food was raised on the farms. We also had three villas in Munich when I was growing up in Anhalt. There were 150 people who lived on our lands and helped in the care of them."

Schloss Ballenstedt.

"I recall a tree planted in the park at Dessau, the capital of Anhalt, that the Russian czar had given my daddy. According to an old German superstition if the tree is cut down or dies the castle will be destroyed. The tree fell a week before the English bombing of Dessau, and I recall my father saying, 'This is the end of Dessau and of the castle.' All this did come to pass."

The death record of Duke Joachim Ernst of Anhalt, issued in 1953.

"My father didn't feel we could leave Germany because of generations of people who had worked for our family. He often said, 'A commander can't leave his troops.'" In 1947, the family of Duke Joachim Ernst was informed by the International Red Cross that the duke had died at Buchenwald concentration camp (also known as NKVD special camp Nr. 2). Joachim Ernst had been arrested by the Soviets in 1945. A news report from October 1949 contained information given by an engineer who has escaped from Dessau into West Germany. The engineer, who only went by his first name Ernst, stated: "There were some releases, but 75 per cent of the original inmates died there. All of my friends - none of them Nazis - who were interned there, died. I have the names of twelve [inmates] at my fingertips. Among them was the duke of Anhalt, Joachim Ernst, 48, who had been sent to a concentration camp by the Nazis in 1944. He was again thrown into the prison camp by the Russians, because he was an aristocrat. His mother [Princess Luise of Saxe-Altenburg], 76, is still living in Dessau in a room by herself. She is poor and suffering from hunger. Her castle is now the residence of the Soviet commander."

Princess Anna-Luise's memories from her 1970s interview continue below:

"I was twelve years-old at the time and not fully aware of the danger involved with our escape. It was something of a lark for me. Of course, the Russians took everything we owned and we left Anhalt with the clothes on our backs."

The princess (right) as a student nurse at Newton Wellesley Hospital, 1957.

"I worked in Berlin for awhile and decided to come to the United States. My first job was at Newton Wellesley Hospital in Newton, Mass. [Note: the princess was a nurses' aide at the hospital.] I attended English classes but couldn't understand a word that was said by the teacher. I'll be forever grateful to the hospital staff and patients who helped me master, not quite, the English language."

Princess Faika of Egypt.

"In 1963, I spent a year in Cairo, Egypt, as governess for Princess Faika's four children. She is the sister of ex-King Farouk. I adored the children and they called me their 'half-sister.'"

Anna-Luise's entry into the USA in 1960.
At that time, she was living at the YWCA in New York City.

"For awhile after I came to this country I couldn't take a deep breathe without being reported in the paper. I recall being interviewed by a young reporter in New York. At that time I was living at the YWCA. The headline on her story was Princess' castle is at the Y, and I got such a laugh out of this story. Another time, Charlie [Cholly] Knickerbocker, wrote in his column, 'The usually senate Princess Anna Luise von Anhalt stopped traffic last night at the Seagram Building, while wading in the poor, dressed in a sarong and orchid lei.'"

At the time of her interview in 1973, the princess had not yet returned to her homeland. Anna-Luise found her calling, as noted, as a registered nurse in the field of obstetrics. Princess Anna-Luise of Anhalt died on 1 November 2003. She was buried at Ballenstedt, near the castle where she was born seventy years before.

The Soi-Disant Princely Bogdanoff Twins: Igor (1949-2022) and Grichka (1949-2021)

Grichka and Igor in the 1990s.

Within the space of less than a week, the well-known Bogdanoff twins, Grichka and Igor, died as the result of complications from Covid-19; the brothers were not vaccinated against the novel coronavirus. The Bogdanoffs had been admitted to the Hôpital Georges-Pompidou in Paris on 15 December. Grichka died on 28 December 2020; Igor followed his twin into eternity on 3 January 2021. The brothers Bogdanoff were seventy-two years-old.

Igor and Grichka on the set of their TV show Temps X, 1980.

Photo (c) Jean Paul Guilloteau / Getty Images.

Born on 29 August 1949 at Saint-Lary, France, the twins Igor Yurevich Bogdanoff and Grichka Yurevich Bogdanoff were the sons of Yuri Mikhailovich Ostasenko Bogdanoff (1928–2012) and Maria Dolores "Maya" Kolowrat-Krakowská (1926–1982). 

 

The twins' maternal grandfather, Roland Hayes.

The twins' maternal grandmother, Countess Berta von Kolowrat-Krakowsky.

Their paternal grandparents were Mikhail Borisovich Bogdanov and Anna Osten-Sacken. Their maternal grandparents were Roland Wiltse Hayes (1887-1977) and Countess Bertha von Kolowrat-Krakowský (1890-1982; formerly married to Count Hieronymus von Colloredo-Mannsfeld). Igor and Grichka were raised by their maternal grandmother.

 

Ludmilla d'Oultremont with her daughters Sacha and Anna, 2009.
Photo (c) Getty Images / Bertrand Rindoff Petroff.

In 1989, Igor Bogdanoff married Countess Ludmilla d’Oultremont (b.1965), the second daughter and child of Count Marc-Antoine d’Oultremont (1927-2005) and Countess Maria-Theresia von Galen (b.1938). Igor and Ludmilla had three children: Sacha Maria Bogdanoff (b.1989), Anna Claria Bogdanoff (b.1991), and Wenceslas Bogdanoff (b.1994). Igor and Ludmilla divorced in 1997.  

 

Igor and Amélie, 2015.
Photo (c) Getty Images / Bertrand Rindoff Petroff.

In 2009, Igor Bogdanoff married Amélie de Bourbon-Parme (b.1977), the daughter of Prince Michel of Bourbon-Parma (1926-2018) and Laure Le Bourgeois (b.1950). The wedding took place at the Chateau de Chambord and was attended by the bride's half-sister Princess Hélène of Yugoslavia. Igor and Amélie had two sons: Alexandre Bogdanoff (b.2011) and Constantin Bogdanoff (b.2014). Igor and Amélie separated in 2016 and divorced in 2018.

 

Geneviève Grad, 1964.
Photo (c) Getty Images.

From a previous relationship, Igor Bogdanoff and French actress Geneviève Grad (b.1944) had a son, Dimitri Bogdanoff (b.1976).

 

The Bogdanoffs, 2004.
Photo (c) Getty Images / Stephane Cardinale.

May the Brothers Bogdanoff Rest in Peace.

 

Sources:

Ancestry of Igor and Grichka Bogdanov

Il y a dix ans, le mariage extraterrestre d'Igor Bogdanoff et Amélie de Bourbon-Parme

TV star Igor Bogdanoff dies from Covid days after brother Grichka

Roland Hayes and the Countess

Caroline Vatcher, Artist and Last Duchess of Leeds

Caroline Vatcher on the eve of her wedding to the Duke of Leeds. Photo (c) Keystone Press / Alamy.

Caroline Fleur Vatcher was born on 31 May 1931 on the Isle of Jersey of the Channel Islands. Her parents had made their home on Jersey at 1 Dummy Lane, St Helier. Caroline was only child of Henry Monckton Vatcher (1887-1954) and Beryl Methwold Walrond (1896-1973), who wed in 1920 at Sudbury, Suffolk. Caroline's father Henry served in the Royal Engineers in France during the First World War. 

The marriage record of James Vatcher and Rosamond Monckton, 1886.

The announcement of the Vatcher/Monckton wedding in The Morning Post of London, 10 July 1886.

A report of the Vatcher/Monkton nuptials in The Nottinghamshire Guardian of Nottingham, 16 July 1886.

Caroline Vatcher descended from several aristocratic and landed British families. Her paternal grandparents were the Reverend James Raynold Morley Vatcher (1861-1931), Rector of Whitcombe, and Rosamond Isobel Monckton (1860-1946), who married on 8 July 1886 at All Saints' Church in Knightsbridge, London. The Rev. James Vatcher was the son of Henry Vatcher (1809-1886) and Eliza Frances Tonkin Higgs (d.1912). Rosamond Monckton was the daughter of Colonel Edmund Gambier Monckton (1809-1872) and Arabella Martha Robinson (1824-1880). Caroline Vatcher's paternal great-grandfather was William George Monckton-Arundell, later Monckton, 5th Viscount Galway (1782-1834); Caroline's second cousin was George Rupert Monckton-Arundell, 12th Viscount Galway (1922-2017).

The notice of the impending Walrond/Methold union in The Morning Post of London, 25 March 1895.

The obituary of Colonel Henry Walrond, Marquis de Vallado, in The Times of London, 21 June 1917.

Caroline's maternal grandparents were Francis Arthur Walrond (1866-1942) and Muriel Gwendoline Methwold Methold (1872-1957), who married on 24 April 1885 at Christ Church, Lancaster Gate, London. Francis Walrond was the son of Colonel Henry Walrond, 9th Marquis de Vallado (1841-1917) and Caroline Maud Clark (1837-1915). Muriel Methold was the daughter of Frederick John Methold (1841-1908) and Edith Caroline Taylor (1841-1908). Caorline's maternal great-great grandfather was James St Clair-Erskine, 2nd Earl of Rosslyn (1762-1837). Caroline's aunt was the British novelist Norah Aileen Burke (1907-1976), the wife of Caroline's maternal uncle Henry Humphrey R. Methwold Walrond (1904-1987).

The Duke of Leeds and his fiancée Caroline Vatcher, 1955.

In early 1955, the twenty-three year-old Caroline Vatcher and the fifty-three year-old John "Jack" Francis Godolphin Osborne, 11th Duke of Leeds, became engaged. Caroline had become a talented painter; she studied with Philip Lame and Bernard Adams. The Duke of Leeds and his fiancée visited London for a week in order for the future duchess to choose her trousseau. Tall and slender with long golden brown hair, Caroline told the London Evening Standard: "We shall be married in Jersey on February 22. Then we are flying to Cyprus for about three weeks. It will be the first time for me to go abroad. I expect we shall spend most of our time in Jersey with occasional trips to London." 

The wedding of Jack Leeds and Audrey Young in the Evening Standard of London, 21 December 1948.

The birth of Lady Camilla Osborne as noted by the Evening Standard of London, 16 August 1950.

The Duke and Duchess of Leeds with their daughter Lady Camilla, 1950. Photo (c) ANL/Shutterstock.

John "Jack" Francis Godolphin Osborne, Marquess of Carmarthen, was born on 12 March 1901. Jack was the fifth child and only son of George Godolphin Osborne, 10th Duke of Leeds and Lady Katherine Frances Lambton. Upon his father's death in 1927, Jack succeeded to the dukedom of Leeds. In 1933, the 11th Duke of Leeds married Irma Amelia de Malkhozouny (1908-2000), an Italian-born ballerina of Serbian descent. Jack and Irma did not have children. Their marriage foundered: Jack and Irma separated in 1944 and were the subjects of two divorces (a Nevada divorce granted in November 1947 initiated by Irma, and a British divorce granted in October 1948 initiated by Jack) following the duchess's romance with American millionaire Frank Atherton Howard, whom she married the day after her American divorce was granted. In December 1948, the Duke of Leeds married for a second time to Audrey Young (b.1924; firstly married to Brigadier Arthur Evan Bedward Williams), the daughter of Brigadier Desmond Young. In 1950, Jack and Audrey, Duke and Duchess of Leeds, welcomed the birth of their only child, Lady Camilla Dorothy Godolphin Osborne. In 1951, the duke and duchess moved to Jersey for tax reasons. Several years later, in 1954, Jack and Audrey Leeds divorced after the duchess admitted to an affair with Sir David Roland Walter Lawrence, 3rd Bt., whom Audrey married in 1955.

Announcement of the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Leeds. This appeared on 23 February 1955 in The Guardian.

The Duke and Duchess of Leeds, 1955.

The Leeds/Vatcher marriage as reported in The Age of Melbourne, Australia, 24 February 1955.

The Duke and Duchess of Leeds were married on 22 February 1955 at the St. Helier Register Office on the Isle of Jersey. Much in love with her husband, the duchess was disappointed when she learned that she could not have children. 

The Leeds attend the opening of the Columbia Theatre in the West End, February 1959.

Caroline, Duchess of Leeds.

The Duke and Duchess of Leeds viewing Goya's painting of the Duke of Wellington, June 1961.

In May 1960, the Duchess of Leeds, who signed her works "Leeds," held an exhibition of her works at the Milton Gallery on Witcomb Street in London. Among the works was a full-length portrait of Caroline's nine year-old stepdaughter Lady Camilla, who also attended the cocktail party to launch the showing. This was the first time that the Duchess of Leeds publicly exhibited her works, which also included a painting of Gabrielle, the daughter of the Leeds' laundress at their villa near Cap Martin in the South of France. The Duke of Leeds suffered from poor health, and in the last years of his life the duke underwent double leg amputations. In June 1961, the Duke of Leeds sold Goya's painting of the Duke of Wellington (which was stolen in a sensational art theft shortly after it was sold) in addition to other works. The auction fetched nearly £300,000. The month after the art sale, Jack and Caroline moved into a flat in Eaton Square; this was their ninth move in the previous year. Jack dearly wanted to return to his home on Jersey, but he was not yet well enough. The duke repeatedly took short leases of apartments in London, optimistic that at the end of each lease he would in a good condition to return to Jersey, but this strategy became quite expensive. At the time, Caroline Leeds confessed, "We are still not sure when we shall return home. We hope it may be in September, when we leave this flat." 

The Duke of Leeds.

On 26 July 1963, the 11th Duke of Leeds died in his villa, La Falaise, at Roquebrune-Cap-Martin on the French Riviera. Owing to his poor health, the duke had rarely left his room since September 1962. He was sixty-two years-old. The duke was survived by his wife Caroline, a widow at thirty-two, and his twelve year-old daughter Camilla. The Duke of Leeds was buried on 29 July at Roquebrune Cemetery. After his death, the will of the Duke of Leeds revealed that he left 1/3 of his personal fortune to his only child, Camilla, and the remaining 2/3 to his widow, Caroline.

Caroline, Duchess of Leeds, at an art gallery in London, 1964. Photo (c) Getty Images / M. McKeown.

Sir Robert Hobart, 3rd Bt.

Caroline, Duchess of Leeds.

In 1968, the Duchess of Leeds married Peter Hendrik Peregrine Hoos (1937-2003), the son of Edward Jan Hoos married Sarah Marie Adelaide Cust. Caroline's second husband was the maternal grandson of Adelbert Salusbury Cockayne Cust, 5th Baron Brownlow. Caroline Leeds and Peter Hoos divorced in 1975. Later in 1975, Caroline married Lieutenant Commander Sir Robert Hampden Hobart, 3rd Baronet (1915-1988). Caroline later mused: "I've had two happy marriages, and one unhappy one. I wouldn't mind another happy one." The happy marriages were to the Duke of Leeds and Sir Robert Hobart...the unhappy marriage was to the second husband.

Caroline, Duchess of Leeds, with Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.

The last Duchess of Leeds died on 16 July 2005. She was seventy-four years-old. Caroline, Duchess of Leeds, requested that she be buried where she was born, on the Isle of Jersey.

Caroline, Duchess of Leeds. Photo (c) Mary Evans / AGE Fotostock.

A painting of Osborne House on the Isle of Wight by Caroline Leeds. This painting is owned by the author of this article.

Princess Maryam Begum of Afghanistan (1936-2021)

Princess Maryam with an Afghan nurse, 1960s.

Over the weekend, it was announced that Princess Maryam Begum of Afghanistan had passed away on 25 December. She was eighty-five years-old. Born on 2 November 1936, Princess Maryam was the fourth child and second daughter of King Mohammed Zahir Shah of Afghanistan (1914-2007) and Queen Humaira Begum (1918-2002), who wed in 1931. The princess was educated at the Malali School in Kabul. In 1960, Princess Maryam married Professor Muhammad Aziz Khan Naim (1935-1978). The couple had one son, Nadir Khan Naim (b.1965). The princess is survived by her son and her death is mourned by the Afghan royal family.

May Princess Maryam Rest in Peace. 

Sources:

https://www.khabaronline.ir/news/1586406/دختر-آخرین-پادشاه-افغانستان-درگذشت-عکس

https://www.royalark.net/Afghanistan/telai2.htm

The Duke of Kent to Release Memoirs in 2022

This is certain to be exciting news for royal watchers and historians!

In July 2022, the memoirs of the Duke of Kent will be published by Hodder & Stoughton, Ltd. Entitled A Royal Life, the tome was compiled based on conversations between the duke and royal historian Hugo Vickers. The book will be slightly over 300 pages. Following is an overview of the memoirs from its publisher:

The Duke of Kent has been at the center of Royal life since he was born. On his father's side he is a first cousin of The Queen, the grandson of King George V and Queen Mary, the nephew of King George VI - and on his mother's side he is a cousin of Prince Philip and descends from Greek, Danish and Russian Kings, Queens and Emperors. The Duke has been involved in all key royal events through his life - after the early death of his father he walked in the procession behind the King's coffin in 1952 and he paid homage to his cousin, the new Queen, at the Coronation in 1953. He was riding with her when the blanks were fired at the Trooping of the Colour in 1981 - and he was the only member of the Royal Family to stand alongside the Queen to celebrate her official birthday in June 2021. He is now 85 years old. A Royal Life, which includes never before seen photographs from the Duke's own collection, is based on a set of conversations between Prince Edward and Royal historian Hugo Vickers. The conversations focus on the most important moments and themes of The Queen's life and seventy-year reign. They offer a unique and unprecedented set of insights into life as a working royal and behind the scenes of the world's most celebrated family.

The Duke of Kent to Release Memoirs in 2022

This is certain to be exciting news for royal watchers and historians!

In July 2022, the memoirs of the Duke of Kent will be published by Hodder & Stoughton, Ltd. Entitled A Royal Life, the tome was compiled based on conversations between the duke and royal historian Hugo Vickers. The book will be slightly over 300 pages. Following is an overview of the memoirs from its publisher:

The Duke of Kent has been at the center of Royal life since he was born. On his father's side he is a first cousin of The Queen, the grandson of King George V and Queen Mary, the nephew of King George VI - and on his mother's side he is a cousin of Prince Philip and descends from Greek, Danish and Russian Kings, Queens and Emperors. The Duke has been involved in all key royal events through his life - after the early death of his father he walked in the procession behind the King's coffin in 1952 and he paid homage to his cousin, the new Queen, at the Coronation in 1953. He was riding with her when the blanks were fired at the Trooping of the Colour in 1981 - and he was the only member of the Royal Family to stand alongside the Queen to celebrate her official birthday in June 2021. He is now 85 years old. A Royal Life, which includes never before seen photographs from the Duke's own collection, is based on a set of conversations between Prince Edward and Royal historian Hugo Vickers. The conversations focus on the most important moments and themes of The Queen's life and seventy-year reign. They offer a unique and unprecedented set of insights into life as a working royal and behind the scenes of the world's most celebrated family.