The Diamond Wedding Anniversary of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía of Spain

Juan Carlos and Sofía.

Today marks sixty years since the marriage of Prince Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark. The couple were twice on 14 May 1962: firstly in a Roman Catholic ceremony held at 10am in the Cathedral Basilica of St. Dionysius the Areopagite, and secondly in a Greek Orthodox ceremony held at noon in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens. The Gotha turned out in full force with the Greek and Spanish royal families to witness the union of the man and woman who would in 1975 become the King and Queen of Spain.

Princess Sophia arrives in the Cathedral Basilica of St. Dionysius on the arm of her father, King Pavlos of Greece, and followed by her eight bridesmaids.

The Count and Countess of Barcelona witness the marriage of their son and daughter-in-law.

The couple at the altar.

Sophia puts the wedding band on Juan Carlos's hand.

Juan Carlos places the wedding ring on Sophia's hand.

The Prince and Princess depart the Cathedral Basilica of St. Dionysius.

The Prince and Princess greet the crowds lining the streets of Athens on their way to the Metropolitan Cathedral.

Prince Juan Carlos and Princess Sophia in the Metropolitan Cathedral. Behind them are Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark and Crown Prince Constantine of Greece, who married in Athens two years later.

The couple during the crowning ceremony. Behind them one sees the Duke of Calabria, King Paul of Greece, and Prince Christian of Hannover.

Juan Carlos and Sophia depart the Metropolitan Cathedral.

Queen Juliana of the Netherlands (obscured), Queen Frederica of Greece on the arm of the Count of Barcelona, behind them is Queen Mother Helen of Romania, Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain, Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, Queen Ingrid of Denmark (obscured), and King Olav of Norway.

A Century Since the Birth of Prince Dedo of Saxony

Today marks one hundred years since the birth of Prince Dedo of Saxony.

Prince Dedo in the arms of his mother Princess Sophie with his father Prince Ernst Heinrich behind them. Also pictured are Dowager Grand Duchess Maria Anna of Luxembourg, Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg with Prince Jean, Princess Elisabeth of Luxembourg, Princess Hilda of Luxembourg, and Crown Princess Antonia of Bavaria, 1922.

Born on 9 May 1922 at Munich, Prince Albrecht Friedrich August Johannes Gregor Dedo of Saxony was the first child and eldest son of Prince Ernst Heinrich of Saxony and Princess Sophie of Luxembourg. 

Princess Sophie of Luxembourg and Prince Ernst Heinrich of Saxony on their wedding day, 1921.

Prince Ernst Heinrich, the third son of King Friedrich August III of Saxony and Archduchess Luisa of Austria-Tuscany, and Princess Sophie, the sixth and youngest daughter of Grand Duke Guillaume IV of Luxembourg and Infanta Maria Anna of Portugal, had married on 12 April 1921 at Schloß Hohenburg.

Princess Sophie with her three sons, 1932.

Prince Dedo of Saxony was joined by two younger brothers: Prince Timo (1923-1982) and Prince Gero (1925-2003). The three brothers lost their mother in 1941, when Princess Sophie died at the age of thirty-nine. Once the Nazis took power in Germany, the Saxon royal family was put under house arrest. With the advance of the Soviet Army on Berlin in early 1945, Ernst Heinrich and his sons came up with a plan to hide some of the royal family's treasures, so that these would not be pilfered by the Soviets. Prince Dedo and his youngest brother Gero spent five nights digging two pits in a forest near Moritzburg Castle; the princes then hid forty crates of the family treasure in these pits. In 1999, Prince Gero recalled the harrowing situation: "After the crates had been unloaded from the vehicle, Dedo had to return to the castle. I dragged the crates to the trench and realised that we had made it too small, which is why I had to put one of the crates upside down. I didn't like doing this but had no other choice due to shortage of time. After I'd carefully covered the trench with earth and trodden it down with my rubber boots, I then raked over the area and covered it with pine needles and leaves." Aside from the Saxon princes, only the forester who worked at Moritzburg Castle was aware of the location of the buried treasure. The Soviets arrived and forced the man to reveal the main hiding pit - a massive amount of the patrimony of the Royal Family of Saxony was taken to Russia. However, in 1996, a couple with a metal detector came across the pit with the remaining crates. The Saxon government negotiated with Prince Dedo and Prince Gero and eventually agreed to return the objets d'art to the princes. "It can only be described as divine providence that this family treasure has returned to our family after so many years," the brothers said in a statement. 

For many decades, Prince Dedo lived in Canada, as did his younger brother Prince Gero, who passed away in Ontario in 2003. Their other brother, Prince Timo, had died in 1982. Prince Dedo died on 6 December 2006 at Radebeul, Germany. He was eighty-seven years-old. Dedo outlived both of his younger brothers. Prince Dedo of Saxony was buried at Sigmaringen, where his father Ernst Heinrich and his brother Gero were also buried. 

Archaeologist and Author: Prince Erkinger von Schwarzenberg (1933-2022)

Prince Erkinger von Schwarzenberg died on 29 April at San Casciano, near Florence. The prince had turned eighty-nine years-old earlier that month.

The prince's father Johann and mother Kathleen.

Born on 8 April 1933 at Vienna, Prince Karl Erkinger Thaddäus von Schwarzenberg was the first child and only son of Prince Johann von Schwarzenberg (1903-1978) and Vicomtesse Kathleen de Spoelberch (1905-1978), who wed in 1931. Erkinger was joined by a younger sister, Princess Colienne (b.1937; married Count Maximilian Joseph von Meran). Erkinger's parents, Prince Johann and Princess Kathleen, were both killed in a motor vehicle accident on 26 May 1978 at Cittá della Pieve.

In 1946, Prince Johann and Princess Kathleen purchased a fifteenth-century villa in the countryside of San Casciano. Their son Erkinger was entranced by the villa and returned to live there permanently in 1978.

Erkinger Schwarzenberg attended Oxford and Princeton. His father was the Austrian ambassador to the United Kingdom. In 1957, while a student at Oxford, Erkinger became unofficially engaged to Alice Jolliffee, the daughter of the 4th Baron Hylton - the romance did not end in marriage. On 26 July 1962 at Athens, Prince Erkinger von Schwarzenberg married Elisabeth Constantinides (b.1943). Erkinger and Elisabeth had three children: Prince Johannes (b.1963), Princess Anna Gabriella (b.1964; married 1st Baron Philipp von Waechter; married 2nd Adam Dixon), and Prince Alexander Konstantin (b.1971; married 1st Annabel Dimitriadi; married 2nd Donna Elena Bonanno dei Principi di Linguaglossa). Erkinger and Elisabeth divorced in 1975. On 13 July 1977 at San Casciano, Prince Erkinger von Schwarzenberg married Countess Claudia zu Brandis (b.1949). Erkinger and Claudia had two daughters: Princess Gaia (b.1978; married Loïc van Cutsem), and Princess Ida (b.1980; married Baudouin de Troostembergh). 

Fluent in six languages, the prince was keenly interested in archeology and the history of art. He was also a passionate farmer. In 1966, Erkinger's book Die Grazien was published. In 1969, the prince contributed an article entitled "From the Alessandro Morente to the Alexandre Richelieu. The Portraiture of Alexander the Great in Seventeenth-Century Italy and France." which was published in the Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes.

Erkinger Schwarzenberg is survived by his wife, his five children, and his twenty grandchildren.

May the Prince Rest in Peace.

Source: San Casciano, addio a Karl Erkinger Schwarzenberg: a 89 anni muore il “principe contadino”

 

Donata Coleman (1932-2022; née Princess Reuß)

Princess Donata Reuss and Bishop Peter Coleman after their engagement. Photo (c) ANL/Shutterstock. 

On 24 April 2022, Donata Coleman died at the age of eighty-nine years-old. She was survived by her four children and six grandchildren.

Donata's parents: Prince Heinrich XXXIX and Countess Antonia.

Photo (c) Sueddeutsche Zeitung Photo/Alamy.

Born on 8 June 1932 at Vienna, Princess Elisabeth Donata Regina Emma Clementine Reuss was the third daughter and sixth and youngest child of Prince Heinrich XXXIX Reuss (1891-1946) and Countess Antonia zu Castell-Castell (1896-1971), who wed in 1918. Donata had five older siblings: Fürst Heinrich XIV (1919-2012; married Princess Marie Luise zu Salm-Horstmar), Prince Heinrich VI (1922-1942), Princess Amadea (1923-2015; married Reinhold Sachs), Princess Gertrud (1924-2011; married Henri Grand d'Esnon), and Prince Heinrich VII (1927-2002; married Baroness Brigitte van Tuyll van Serooskerken).

Peter and Donata.

Photo (c) Trinity Mirror / Mirrorpix / Alamy Stock Photo.

On 14 May 1960 at the Anglican Church in Vienna, Princess Donata Reuss married the Rev. Peter Everard Coleman (1928-2001). The bride, who wore "a heavy silk dress and robe of purest white with a white hat and veil," walked down the aisle on the arm of her eldest brother. Peter and Donata were wed by Dr. Eric S. Abbott, the Dean of Westminster. The couple's January engagement was a charming news item in many papers; Reverend Coleman was not aware of his wife's ancestry at the time he proposed. It was only days later that a friend informed him that Donata was a princess. Donata remarked: "I always said I'd marry for love and not for position. By marrying Peter I lose my title. But what do titles matter these days?" Peter Coleman was educated at the Haileybury and Imperial Service College and King's College London; he served as a chaplain at the latter until 1966. Coleman was the vicar of St Paul's Clifton; he then went on to become the Director of Ordinands in the Diocese of Bristol and finally Archdeacon of Worcester. In retirement, Coleman was the Assistant Bishop of the Diocese of Bath and Wells. The couple had two daughters and two sons: Antonia (b.1961; married 1st Warren Nash; married 2nd Matthew Tregenza), Basil (b.1963; married Stephanie Pleister), Benedict (b.1965; married Jane Fielding), and Elena (b.1969; married Nathan Chubb).

Donata's obituary in The Times.

May the Princess Rest in Peace.

The 60th Birthday of Prince Christoph of Bavaria

Princess Gudila and Prince Christoph of Bavaria.

Today Prince Christoph of Bavaria celebrates his sixtieth birthday!

Born on 5 May 1962 at Schloss Leutstetten, Prince Christoph Ludwig Maria of Bavaria is the fifth child and third son of Prince Rasso of Bavaria and Archduchess Theresa of Austria-Tuscany. Christoph has six siblings: Princess Maria-Theresia (b.1956; married Count Tamás Kornis de Göncz-Ruszka), Prince Franz-Josef (b.1957), Princess Elisabeth (b.1959; married Count Andreas von Kuefstein), Prince Wolfgang (b.1960; married 1st Countess Beatrice zu Lodron-Laterano und Castelromano; married 2nd Tatiana Eames), Princess Benedikta (b.1961; married Baron Rudolf von Freyberg-Eisenberg-Allmendingen), and, lastly, Princess Gisela (b.1964; married Prince Alexander of Saxony, Margrave of Meissen). 

The prince married Countess Gudila von Plettenberg-Lenhausen (b.1962) in a civil ceremony at Munich on 18 August 1994 and in a religious wedding at Lenhausen on 20 August. Prince Christoph and Princess Gudila have three sons and one daughter: Prince Corbinian (b.1996), Prince Stanislaus (b.1997), Prince Marcello (b.1998) and Princess Odilia (b.2002). 

 

Prince Christoph of Bavaria is a certified farmer and forest warden. The prince is the Grand Prior of the Bavarian Order of Saint George as well as a Knight of the Bavarian Order of Saint Hubert.

 

Our best wishes to the Prince on his birthday!

Further Developments in Royal Serbian Renunciation: A Possible Daughter and the Support of Prince Vladimir

Two days after Prince Peter of Serbia's renunciation of his rights of succession to the Royal House, which took place on 27 April, were publicly announced on 28 April, the Serbian tabloid Kurir ran a story on 29 April that alleged the prince has an out-of-wedlock daughter. The tabloid paper wrote:

 

Officially, Petar is not married and has no children, but as Kurir has discovered, he has a daughter, who lives in London. Petar lives between London and Seville, where his mother Princess Maria de Gloria resides, and where he signed this act on the transfer of inheritance rights to his brother Philip, who himself lives in Belgrade with his wife Danica and son Stefan. 7-8 years ago, Petar had a daughter from a relationship with a woman in London. He recognised the child, sees her, and fulfills all his legal obligations in terms of alimony, states Kurir's source. 

 

Source: EKSKLUZIVNO! KURIR OTKRIVA: Princ Petar Karađorđević ima vanbračnu ćerku, EVO GDE ŽIVI sa majkom! MUK NA SRPSKOM DVORU

The birth of a Dolores Luna Karageorgevitch was registered in 2017 in West Sussex, United Kingdom. Dolores is the name of Prince Peter's maternal great-aunt, Princess Dolores of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, an older sister of his maternal grandmother Princess Esperanza of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. Luna is the name of Prince Peter's younger half-sister Doña Luna de Medina y Orleans-Braganza, 17th Countess of Ricla. Official confirmation from the Royal Family of Serbia has not yet been given to this story.

In his renunciation, Peter of Serbia gave up not only his dynastic rights, but also those of any children he may have in the future, whether in marriage or out of wedlock.

On 1 May, Prince Vladimir of Serbia, the eldest son of Prince Andrej of Yugoslavia and his second wife Princess Kira zu Leiningen, issued a statement supporting the decision of his first cousin-once-removed:

We, the members of the Kraljevic Andrej branch of the Karadjordjevic family, fully and wholeheartedly support the decision taken by the eldest son of Prince Alexander, HRH Prince Petar, to officially and legally revoke and renounce his collective God given rights of primogeniture and, in so doing, hand his rights of succession and ascendancy to any future throne to his brother, HRH Prince Filip.

As we thank His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije for his blessing of this solemn occasion, we also congratulate all members of the King Petar II branch and very much look forward to working together with Prince Filip for the betterment of the Serbian nation and her peoples under the banner of Karadjordjevic family.

Vladimir, 01.05.2022.

Source: Announcement on the decision of HRH Prince Peter to transfer the right of inheritance to HRH Prince Philip

Dynastic Legal Issues Regarding Recent Serbian Renunciation

On Saturday, 30 April, the press office of the Royal Palace in Belgrade released a statement from Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia regarding the renunciation of his eldest son, Prince Peter:

Concerning the withdrawal of my oldest son Prince Peter from the line of succession, I wish him all the best for the future, good health, and happiness. I appreciate his honesty regarding the tough decision he made. This issue was brought to me quickly, while I am abroad, due to previous obligations. Unfortunately, such a crucial and important procedure was not followed properly, in accordance with the tradition and rules of the Royal Family, and the Family Rulebook, which was written in the time of the Kingdom, and which all members of the Royal Family need to follow. This occurrence and procedure did not take place at the Royal Palace, in Serbia, with my presence and authority as the Head of the Royal Family, with the blessing of our Holy Church and with Crown Council participation in the process, but in a foreign country, without a good reason for performing such important matter away from our homeland. The Royal Family of Serbia will continue to serve the people with dedication, honesty, and loyalty, which is the obligation and duty for us.

As previously reported on Thursday, 28 April, Hereditary Prince Peter of Serbia renounced his rights of succession in a ceremony in Seville on 27 April. If enacted, this would make his brother Prince Philip the new heir to Crown Prince Alexander. On Saturday, Prince Philip and his wife Princess Danica visited Oplenac, the mausoleum of the Serbian royal family, where they paid tribute to the prince's ancestors. 

According to the Family Book of Rules of 5 April 1930, which govern the Royal House of Karađorđević and its members, there are several technical problems with Prince Peter's renunciation. Article 3 states: "The Ruling King is the head and protector of all the members of The Royal House. The King determines the rank of all the members of The Royal House." Furthermore, Article 5 reads: "Without the special approval and consent of the King no member of The Royal House is allowed to commit any act or deed of the public importance, nor to make any permanent commitments to anyone. The King takes care, by all means, that with no exception The Royal House is always governed by the rules and considerations of honour, order and exemplary behaviour, worthy of the Royal House." When reading this dynastic text, it is worth noting that when there is a reference to the King, then the current holder of that position is the Head of the Royal House, i.e. Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia, as he would be monarch if Serbia was currently a monarchy.

The statement of the Crown Prince does not directly address whether or not the renunciation of Prince Peter has been accepted in its current form. The first portion of the communiqué seems to hint that the renunciation has possibly been accepted by the Head of House, while the second portion goes on to point out the issues with the renunciation which could render it invalid, as noted above. With time, more clarity will likely be given on the situation.