Baron Jörg von Saalfeld (1937-2022), Scion of the Saxe-Meiningens

 

Earlier this week, Baron Jörg von Saalfeld (don Jörg Freiherr von Saalfeld Viererbe) died at San José, Costa Rica. He was eighty-five years-old. A funeral mass will be held on 28 June at the Iglesia San Rafael Arcángel in Escazú.

Born on 17 January 1937 at Munich, Baron Jörg von Saalfeld and his twin brother Baron Jens von Saalfeld were the eldest children of Baron Heinrich "Enzio" von Saalfeld (1908-killed in action 1941) and  Rut Martha Viererbe (1910-1974), who wed in 1936. Jörg and Jens (1937-2001; married Kathryn Kostka) were followed by two younger siblings: Baroness Jay (b.1938) and Baron Jan (b.1941; married Clara Bansbach). After the death of her husband, Baroness Rut von Saalfeld married Karlheinz Schnell in 1943. From his mother's second marriage, Jörg von Saalfeld had two half-sisters: Wiebke Schnell (b.1945; married Carlos Roberto Aubert Zeledon) and Frauke Schnell (b.~1948; married David Muñoz)

Prince Ernst of Saxe-Meiningen and Katharina von Saalfeld.

Baron Jörg von Saalfeld was a paternal grandson of Prince Ernst of Saxe-Meiningen (1859-1941) and Katharina Jensen (1874-1945; created Freifrau von Saalfeld), who married in 1892. The couple had six children; their youngest child was Enzio, Jörg's father. Prince Ernst was the Head of the Ducal House of Saxe-Meiningen from 1928 until his passing in 1941. Jörg's paternal great-grandparents were Duke Georg II of Saxe-Meiningen and his second wife Princess Feodore zu Hohenlohe-Langenburg, a niece of Queen Victoria.

On 13 August 1966 at San José, Costa Rica, Baron Jörg von Saalfeld married Heidi Schmidt-Steinvorth (b.1944). Earlier in 1966, Jörg's sister Baroness Jay had married Heidi's older brother Hans Hermann Schmidt-Steinworth (b.1942). Jörg and Heidi divorced in 1973; they did not have any children. 

In April 1976 at San José, Baron Jörg von Saalfeld married Hilda Steinvorth y Steffen (b.1953). He is survived by his wife, his brother, and his three sisters as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

May Jörg Rest in Peace.

Remarriage for Archduke Karl of Austria

Christian and Karl attend the wedding of Fürst Alexander of Schaumburg-Lippe, 2021.

In the spring of 2022 in Portugal, Archduke Karl of Austria, Head of the Imperial House of Habsburg, married Christian Nicolau de Almeida Reid, a woman of British and Portuguese descent. When he first publicly spoke of Christian three years ago, the archduke said, "Christian is a cultured and sensitive woman with elegant decency. She is a loving counselor, sometimes a valuable critic and always available to me, a partner in the best sense of the word. In short, she is an incredible asset to my life and I am happy to have her by my side." Christian Reid is the daughter of the late Robin Reid, OBE, and his wife Elsa Andresen Nicolau de Almeida. Upon announcing his recent marriage, Archduke Karl stated: "I've always tried to keep my private life private, which is why we only married in the closest circle. She is a wonderful woman. Now she is my wonderful wife.”

Our best wishes to Karl and Christian!

Source: https://www.krone.at/2735763

Princess Elmira of Saxony (1930-2022)

The late Princess Elmira and Prince Albert of Saxony.

On 14 June, Princess Elmira of Saxony died in Munich. She was ninety-one years-old.

Born on 25 December 1930 at Lodz, Poland, Elmira Carlen Henke was the daughter of textile merchant Emil Henke (1886-1957) and Lydia Müller. 

On 12 April 1980 at the Theatinerkirche in Munich, Elmira wed Prince Albert of Saxony (1934-2012), the second son of Prince Friedrich Christian of Saxony, Margrave of Meißen, and his wife Princess Elisabeth Therese of Thurn and Taxis. Their marriage was morganatic; Albert and Elmira did not have any children. Elmira was a stalwart supporter of her husband Prince Albert, an accomplish historian who wrote several books on the history of the Kingdom of Saxony and its royal house. Elmira will be buried beside her husband at the Alten Katholischen Friedhof in Dresden. 

May She Rest in Peace.

The 85th Birthday of King Simeon II of Bulgaria

The infant prince Simeon.

 

Today, King Simeon II of the Bulgarians celebrates his eighty-fifth birthday!

 

King Boris III and his son Crown Prince Simeon.

 

Born on 16 June 1937, Prince Simeon of Bulgaria (later King) was the second child and only son of King Boris III of Bulgaria and Queen Giovanna (born Princess of Savoy). Simeon joined an older sister, Princess Marie Louise (b.1933). In her memoirs, Queen Giovanna recalled: "The spring of 1937 was unusually mild. The birth of my son seemed to add something to the good weather. There was a lull in the unsettled and complex Bulgarian internal situation, like a kind of divine truce. All Bulgarians, even the enemies, were happy for a time, open to some unknown hope, to the anticipation of something new, lacking clear contours, but no less real. Simeon's birth came to break the chain of internal dramatic moments." Simeon's birth was announced to the population of Sofia by a 101 gun salute fired over the sky of the Bulgarian capital at 6:40am on the day of his birth. The park of the royal palace quickly filled with people. Queen Giovanna wrote: "In the meantime, the voice of the people had given my son a name. The streets were filled with shouts of 'Simeon! Simeon!' even before the palace had made an official announcement." The queen noted that she had initially planned to name her son Borislav, but that the acclamations of the Bulgarians celebrating his arrival settled his name.  

 

 

The mayor of Sofia, Ivan Ivanov, wrote to King Boris congratulating the royal family on this happy occasion: 

 

"Your Majesty,

 

Today's bright June day has brought the greatest joy to the Bulgarian people! Everywhere, in towns and villages, where a Bulgarian heart beats and Bulgarian speech is heard, joy and rapture fill us all. God has not forsaken Bulgaria after all, He loves her. The Bulgarian Kingdom today has its heir apparent! The Bulgarian state, besides its head of state, now also has its successor! The Bulgarian nation goes forward with new hopes and ideals, remembering the glorious times of Boris I and Simeon the Great. Long live Bulgaria! Long live King Boris III! Long live Queen Giovanna! Long live the Bulgarian successor to the throne Simeon, Crown Prince of Turnovo!"

 

The following official Act was drawn up by the government in accordance with the arrival of the heir to the King:

 

"This 16th Day of June in the year one thousand nine hundred and thirty seven, Wednesday, the undersigned Georgi Ivanov Kyoseivanov, Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Religious Denominations and the official on the civil status of the members of the Royal Family, with the assistance of Alexander Petrov Ognyanov, Minister of Justice and Keeper of the State Seal of the Kingdom, by virtue of Article 138 of the Persons Act, in the presence of the witnesses Konstatin Georgiev Panov, head of the office of His Majesty the King, and Doctor Vladimir Penev Matev, administrator of the Princess Clementine hospital, drew up the present act concerning the following: at the Sofia Palace this morning at five o'clock, Her Majesty Queen Giovanna was examined by the private medical advisor Prof. Dr. Walter Stöckel, Director of the University Clinic of Obstetrics in Berlin, Doctor Dimiter Stamatov, Regular Professor, Director of the University Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Sofia, and Prof. Dr. Günther Schulze, Chief Physician at the University Clinic in Berlin, who established that the time had come for Her Majesty the Queen to give birth. 

 

For the purpose of greater hygienic safety, the professors Stöckel and Stamatov insisted that the expectant mother be taken to the Princess Clementine hospital where, accompanied by His Majesty the King and the above-mentioned persons, she arrived at five hours and thirty minutes.

 

At five hours and forty-five minutes we were told of the impending delivery of Her Majesty the Queen, immediately after which we proceeded to the above-mentioned hospital which we reached at six o'clock. There we were accommodated in the antechamber of the operating room in which Her Majesty the Queen was and remained waiting for the moment of the birth.

 

At six hours and forty minutes we were invited into the room where, besides Her Majesty the Queen, we also found His Majesty the King and the above-mentioned persons. As soon as we entered, Professor Stöckel showed us a living infant of the male sex, which he had just delivered and which was still tied with the umbilical cord (Funiculus umbillicalis) to the body of the royal mother. The cord was cut in our presence. The birth was normal, without any complications.

 

The newborn infant, which is the second child of His Majesty Boris III, King of Bulgarians, and of Her Majesty Giovanna, Queen of Bulgaria, Princess of Savoy, was given the name Simeon and the title Crown Prince of Turnovo.

 

At eight hours and thirty minutes Her Majesty the Queen and the newly born Prince were taken to the Sofia Palace, accompanied by His Majesty the King, and the professors Stöckel, Stamatov, and Schulze.

 

In confirmation of the above said, we sign the present act together with the above-mentioned witnesses and professors."

King Boris and Queen Giovanna with their children.

 

Crown Prince Simeon was christened into the Orthodox faith on 12 July in the Saints Peter and Paul palace chapel with water from the River Jordan. In addition to the King and Queen, the christening of the heir of the throne was attended by his sister Princess Marie Louise and by his uncle Prince Kyrill and his aunt Princess Eudoxie. To commemorate the Simeon's birth, an amnesty was granted to 4,000 prisoners, old taxes and fees and fines were cancelled, and the Minister of Education announced that the marks of students would be raised by one grade. Queen Giovanna remembered: "When my son started with his first school efforts, he smiled and said that he would never have this chance."

 

Our best wishes to His Majesty on his birthday!

The Count of Paris Sends Condolences upon the Death of His Uncle Carl

Duchess Diane and Duke Carl of Württemberg attend the wedding of Prince Jean and Princess Philomena d'Orléans, 2009.

Photo (c) dpa picture alliance archive / Alamy Stock Photo.

Last week, Prince Jean d'Orléans, Count of Paris and Head of the Royal House of France, issued a statement to express his sadness at the passing of his uncle, Duke Carl of Württemberg:

Tuesday, June 7, 2022 

 

It is with great sadness that I learn of the death, in Germany, of my uncle His Royal Highness the Duke of Württemberg. 

 

Madame the Countess of Paris and my children join me in conveying our condolences to my aunt, Her Royal Highness Princess Diane, to my cousins and their children, but also our loving thoughts at this difficult time. I pay tribute to the Prince for his many commitments to his family and his country during his long life. 

 

I assure, with my family, His Royal Highness Prince Wilhelm, who now succeeds his grandfather at the head of the House of Württemberg, of my support.

Jean, Count of Paris

 

Source: Disparition de Son Altesse Royale le Duc de Wurtemberg

Upcoming Baptism in Romania

Nicholas and Alina-Maria with Maria-Alexandra and Michael.

Michael of Romania, the only son of Nicholas and Alina-Maria of Romania, will be baptised at the Coronation Cathedral on 18 June at the Coronation Cathedral in Alba Iulia.

Announcement from Prince Nicholas of Romania.

Michael of Romania was born on 15 April 2022 at Bucharest. He is the only great-grandson of King Michael of Romania to have been born in the country over which his great-grandfather was the monarch. Michael was born 100 years after King Michael, who was born at Castle Peles on 25 October 1921. 

Nicholas and Alina-Maria with their children in front of a statue of King Michael.

Upcoming Baptism in Romania

Nicholas and Alina-Maria with Maria-Alexandra and Michael.

Michael of Romania, the only son of Nicholas and Alina-Maria of Romania, will be baptised at the Coronation Cathedral on 18 June at the Coronation Cathedral in Alba Iulia.

Announcement from Prince Nicholas of Romania.

 

Michael of Romania was born on 15 April 2022 at Bucharest. He is the only great-grandson of King Michael of Romania to have been born in the country over which his great-grandfather was the monarch. Michael was born 100 years after King Michael, who was born at Castle Peles on 25 October 1921. 

 

Nicholas and Alina-Maria with their children in front of a statue of King Michael.