"Thus it hath pleased Almighty God to take out of this transitory life unto His Divine Mercy the late Most High, Most Mighty, and Most Excellent Monarch, Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, and Sovereign of the Most Noble Order of the Garter."
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| HM The Queen. |
Since the death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September, her children and grandchildren have shared poignant memories of their grandmother, who also happened to be the Monarch. The homages given by Her Majesty's royal grandchildren (HRH The Prince of Wales, HRH The Duke of Sussex, HRH Princess Beatrice, and HRH Princess Beatrice) have been publicly released and are provided below.
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The Tribute of HRH The Prince of Wales
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| The now Prince of Wales with his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. Photo (c) Getty Images / Max Mumby / Indigo. |
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The Tribute of HRH The Duke of Sussex
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| Queen Elizabeth and her grandson the Duke of Sussex. Photo (c) Getty Images / WPA Pool. |
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The Tribute of TRH Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie
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| The Queen with her granddaughter Princess Beatrice. Photo (c) Getty Images / Chris Radburn / PA Images. |
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| The Queen with her granddaughter Princess Eugenie. |
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| A portrait of King Charles III as Prince of Wales by artist Susan Crawford. Copyright of the Royal Collection Trust. |
King Charles III of the United Kingdom is a cousin to all of the other nine European hereditary monarchs.
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| Philippe and Charles. Photo (c) Getty Images / John Thys. |
King Charles III of the United Kingdom (b.1948) and King Philippe of Belgium (b.1960) are third cousins once removed. Both are descendants of King Christian IX of Denmark (1818-1906) and Queen Louise (1817-1898; née Hesse-Kassel).
King Christian IX of Denmark -> King George I of Greece -> Prince Andrew of Greece -> Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark -> King Charles III of the United Kingdom
King Christian IX of Denmark -> King Frederik VIII of Denmark -> Princess Ingeborg of Denmark -> Princess Astrid of Sweden -> King Albert II of Belgium -> King Philippe of Belgium
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| Charles and Margrethe. |
King Charles III of the United Kingdom (b.1948) and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark (b.1940) are third cousins. Both are descendants of King Christian IX of Denmark (1818-1906) and Queen Louise (1817-1898; née Hesse-Kassel).
King Christian IX of Denmark -> King George I of Greece -> Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark -> Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark -> King Charles III of the United Kingdom
King Christian IX of Denmark -> King Frederik VIII of Denmark -> King Christian X of Denmark -> King Frederik IX of Denmark -> Queen Margrethe II of Denmark
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| Hans Adam, Marie Aglae, Diana, and Charles. |
King Charles III of the United Kingdom (b.1948) and Prince Hans Adam II of Liechtenstein (b.1945) are fifth cousins. Both are descendants of Hereditary Prince Karl Ludwig of Baden (1755-1801) and Hereditary Princess Amalie Friederike (1754-1832; née Hessen-Darmstadt).
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| Camilla, Charles, and Henri. Photo (c) AGE Fotostock. |
King Charles III of the United Kingdom (b.1948) and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg (b.1960) are third cousins once removed. Both are descendants of King Christian IX of Denmark (1818-1906) and Queen Louise (1817-1898; née Hesse-Kassel).
King Christian IX of Denmark -> King George I of Greece -> Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark -> Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark -> King Charles III of the United Kingdom
King Christian IX of Denmark -> King Frederik VIII of Denmark -> Princess Ingeborg of Denmark -> Princess Astrid of Sweden -> Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium -> Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg
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| Charles and Albert. |
King Charles III of the United Kingdom (b.1948) and Prince Albert II of Monaco (b.1958) are fifth cousins once removed. Both are descendants of Hereditary Prince Karl Ludwig of Baden (1755-1801) and Hereditary Princess Amalie Friederike (1754-1832; née Hessen-Darmstadt).
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| Charles and Willem-Alexander with Máxima. |
King Charles III of the United Kingdom (b.1948) and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands (b.1968) are fifth cousins. Both are descendants of Emperor Paul of Russia (1751-1804) and Empress Maria (1759-1828; née Württemberg).
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| Charles and Harald. |
King Charles III of the United Kingdom (b.1948) and King Harald V of Norway (b.1937) are second cousins once removed. Both are descendants of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom (1841-1910) and Queen Alexandra (1844-1925; née Denmark).
King Edward VII of the United Kingdom -> King George V -> King George VI -> Queen Elizabeth II -> King Charles III of the United Kingdom
King Edward VII of the United Kingdom -> Princess Maud -> King Olav V of Norway -> King Harald V of Norway
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| Charles and Felipe. |
King Charles III of the United Kingdom (b.1948) and King Felipe VI of Spain (b.1968) are second cousins once removed. Both are descendants of King George I of Greece (1845-1913) and Queen Olga (1851-1926; née Russia).
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| Carl Gustaf and Charles. |
King Charles III of the United Kingdom (b.1948) and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden (b.1946) are third cousins once removed, three times over. Both are descendants of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (1819-1901) and Prince Consort Albert (1819-1861; née Saxe-Coburg and Gotha). One of their lines of descent is as follows:
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| HI&RH Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia with HM The late Queen. |
In a letter of condolence to the British King Charles III, the head of the House of Hohenzollern, Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia, expressed his family's deep sadness at the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The thoughts and prayers of the members of the House of Hohenzollern are with King Charles, Queen Camilla and the entire British royal family, the prince said.
With her unique personality, her cordiality and her strong sense of duty, which always put the common good above individual interests, Her Majesty was a role model for him personally, according to Prince Georg Friedrich. His grandfather, Prince Louis Ferdinand (1907-1994), always related to him with the greatest respect his conversations with Queen Elizabeth, who, like few others, campaigned for Anglo-German reconciliation after World War II. He himself is deeply grateful to have been able to meet Her Majesty in person, as the head of the House of Hohenzollern. Prince Georg Friedrich and Princess Sophie last met with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip during their state visit to Germany in June 2015.
As a sign of respect from his family, Prince Georg Friedrich has ordered that on the day of Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral, the British flag be flown at half-mast from the flag tower of Hohenzollern Castle, the family's ancestral seat. It is the first time the family has honored a foreign head of state in this way.
Georg Friedrich Prince of Prussia (b.1976), as well as Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) and her husband, Prince Philip (1921-2021, is a direct descendant of Queen Victoria (1819-1901). The German Empress Victoria (1840-1901), mother of Kaiser Wilhelm II (1859-1941), was the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria.
The Belgian, Danish, Dutch, Luxembourgish, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish monarchs have all sent their messages of condolence to King Charles III on the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II. The Pope has also sent his condolences. Messages have also been sent from the royal houses of Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania, as well as from the imperial houses of Brazil, Iran, and Russia.
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| Princess Blanche with her mother Princess Marie-Thérèse, Duchess of Montpensier. Photo (c) Getty Images / Pool Van der Putten/Croy. |
Today, Princess Blanche d'Orléans celebrates her sixtieth birthday!
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| The Count and Countess of Clermont with their four eldest children, 1965. From left to right: Princess Marie, Princess Blanche, the Countess of Clermont holding Prince Jean, the Count of Clermont, and Prince François. |
Born on 10 September 1962 at Ravensburg, Princess Blanche Elisabeth Rose Marie d'Orléans was the third child and second daughter of the then-Count and Countess of Clermont. Blanche's parents, Prince Henri d'Orléans (1933-2019; later Count of Paris) and Duchess Marie-Thérèse of Württemberg (b.1934; later Duchess of Montpensier), had married in 1957. Princess Blanche joined two older siblings, Princess Marie (b.1959; married Prince Gundakar of Liechtenstein) and Prince François (1961-2017), and was followed by two younger siblings, Prince Jean (b.1965; married Philomena de Tornos) and Prince Eudes (b.1968; married Marie-Liesse de Rohan-Chabot).
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| The Countess of Clermont and her children with their maternal grandmother Duchess Rosa of Württemberg, Christmas 1981. |
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| The Duchess of Montpensier with her five children, 1984. |
Both Blanche and her older brother François were born with mental and physical handicaps which only became apparent as the children grew up. Their mother had unknowingly developed toxoplasmosis during these two pregnancies. In 1977, Marie-Thérèse told Point de Vue: "François, whom you saw with us, and Blanche form the center of our family, through their exquisite kindness, the purity of their souls and the deep joy they engender in our hearts." In 1981, the Countess of Clermont commented when asked about these two special children: "You ask me for news of François and Blanche. It touches me and I thank you for it. Although their health forever prohibits them from exercising responsibility - I am their legal guardian - they are nonetheless the radiant center of our family life. Their gentleness and peace have certainly helped to deepen all of our lives. This does not prevent many practical problems from having to be solved. Thanks be to God, we have always succeeded."
We wish the Princess a very happy birthday!
