The 90th Birthday of Princess Marie Louise of Bulgaria

 

Tsar Simeon and Princess Marie Louise.

Photo (c) Paraskeva Georgieva.

Last Friday, on 13 January, Princess Marie Louise of Bulgaria celebrated her ninetieth birthday in the capital of her homeland, Sofia. She arrived for the event together with her sons Prince Karl-Boris and Prince Hermann zu Leiningen, her daughter Princess Alexandra von Kohary with her husband Jorge Champalimaud Raposo de Magalhães and their children, as well as her son Pawel Chrobok, Prince von Kohary. On the occasion of Princess Marie Louise’s birthday, a thanksgiving prayer service was held in the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral., which she personally attended, accompanied by King Simeon II. In addition to her children, the Royal Family included Princess Kalina, her husband Kitin-Muñoz and Prince Simeon-Hasan. Unfortunately, Queen Margarita was unable to return from Madrid, where she is recovering from hip joint surgery.

Princess Marie Louise.

Photo (c) Paraskeva Georgieva.

During the duration of the service, Plovdiv Metropolitan Nikolai addressed the following remarks to the princess and those present in the church:

Your Royal Highness,

On the day of your birth, 21 cannon salutes were fired over the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia, and a thousand people gathered to express the joy of the entire nation that God has blessed the Royal Family, and thus our country, with a child. Two days later, you received Holy Baptism and were accepted into the fold of the Holy Orthodox Church. The blessed Metropolitan Stefan and later Bulgarian Exarch baptized you, and your Godfather is the chair of the National Assembly Alexander Malinov. Let me say one more time, in order to understand the significance of the state act – the head of the church baptized you and you were accepted from the holy font by the entire Bulgarian people in the person of the highest representative of the legislative body. From the moment of your birth and your baptism, you have been in the embrace of the Bulgarian Church and the Bulgarian people, and I assure you that this is still the case to this day.

I will not dwell on the difficulties you have gone through in your life. The fact that you lost your father so young, together with your brother, His Majesty Simeon II, is sad and should not happen to any child. The fact that soon after you and your family were expelled from your homeland is a consequence of the historical vicissitudes to which our entire people fell victim. We regret and suffer with you, but unfortunately, history is what it is. We cannot change it, but we must remember it.

I, for example, remember how you were welcomed in Sofia in 1991, when you, as the first member of the Royal Family, set foot on your Motherland again. In Plovdiv, they still have an unforgettable memory of your visit with your blessed mother, Her Majesty Queen Mother Giovanna. These thousands of rallies, these ovations and tears in the eyes especially of the older Bulgarians, your peers, may have redeemed even a little of the bitterness you suffered. Surely the people’s love for you and your family, which was shown then and was shown many times later, convinced you that Bulgaria considers you its daughter, flesh of the flesh and blood of the blood of the people.

You certainly have many merits and achievements in your life, first of all your children and family. From the point of view of the Bulgarian statehood, a huge merit of yours is that during all these years, in exile and in our country, you have steadfastly stood by your brother, His Majesty the King of the Bulgarians and modestly, quietly, sometimes imperceptibly to the general public, but you firmly and steadfastly support it. We know very well what His Majesty did for the Bulgarian state and for the Bulgarian people, about the extent to which his personal authority and efforts made it possible for Bulgaria to once again be an integral part of the family of European nations. We will never forget what His Majesty did for the Bulgarian Orthodox Church by helping to overcome the unfortunate schism. Every person, and especially the statesman, when he has to make difficult and responsible decisions, needs to ask his close people, his family and his brothers or sisters, from whom he can seek support and advice. His Majesty has mentioned more than once how close you are to his heart. We are sure that just as in decisive moments he relied on the advice of his wife, Her Majesty Queen Margarita and his family, so he also turned to you for advice. Moreover, you have always given him good advice and sincere support as a loving sister. I am sure he has thanked you for your devotion not once. We also thank you, because your love and your devotion to your royal brother is an expression of your love for the Bulgarians and for Bulgaria, of which your family, in two historical periods, was the personification, and for the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, because of the Divine character of royal power, for which will always be God’s mercy and blessing.

In conclusion, I want to share a small but very important detail of your personal history, which, when I learned it, moved me greatly. Your aunt Princess Eudoxia, sister of O’Bose, the late King Boris III, bequeathed you her personal prayer book, on the first page of which was written “To Marie-Louise, who speaks to God in Bulgarian.” You lived in a foreign language environment. You spoke to God in Bulgarian! This is not just beautiful, in these gestures lies the true dignity of people of royal blood. Those who, even in exile, far from the Motherland, if they feel the need to turn to God, turn to him only and only in their native language. Because God wanted their personal destiny to be woven into the destiny of their Motherland, which is actually the Divine meaning of history.

My request to you is – as, of course, I wish you many more years of health and life – that you also give your children and nephews, not as a bequest, but from now on, a Bulgarian prayer book and write on it the words of Your aunt: “… talk to God in Bulgarian”. Invite them to pray together every day with one humble prayer for the Bulgarian people and for Bulgaria, as we are sure that you say it. For that Bulgaria, which has loved you since the day you were born and which is in such great need of this prayer today.

Your Royal Highness!

It was God’s will that you welcome and celebrate your blessed 90th anniversary in the Motherland! Allow me, on behalf of His Holiness the Bulgarian Patriarch Neophyte and my Most Eminent fellow synodal metropolitans, the most consecrated bishops and clergy, to wish you many more years blessed with health, strength and spiritual joys!

May God help you, may God protect you, Your Royal Highness, and grant you, your children and loved ones many and happy years.

King Boris with his two children, Princess Maria Luisa and Crown Prince Simeon.
Photo (c) Bulgarian Royal House.

Born on 13 January 1933 at Sofia, Princess Maria Luisa of Bulgaria was the first child of King Boris III of Bulgaria (1894-1943) and his wife Queen Ioanna (1907-2000; née Princess Giovanna of Savoy), who had married in 1930. The princess was joined by a brother, Crown Prince (and later King) Simeon, in 1937.

Prince Karl zu Leiningen and Princess Marie Louise of Bulgaria, 1957.

Princess Marie Louise of Bulgaria married Prince Karl Vladimir Ernst Heinrich zu Leiningen in a civil ceremony on 14 February 1957 in Amorbach; this was followed by a religious ceremony on 20 February 1957 at the Russian Orthodox Church in Nice. Prince Karl zu Leiningen (1928-1990) was the son of Fürst Karl zu Leiningen and Grand Duchess Maria Kirillovna of Russia, the daughter of Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich and Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna. Karl and Marie Louise had two sons: Prince Boris (b.1960) and Prince Herman (b.1963). The couple divorced on 4 December 1968.

Princess Marie Louise of Bulgaria and Bronislaw Chrobok, 1969.

On 16 November 1969 at Toronto, Canada, Princess Maria Luisa married Bronislaw Chrobok (b.1933). The son of a Polish officer, at the outset of the Second World War, his family settled in London, where Bronislaw graduated from college. The marriage ceremony was conducted by the prominent professor of Theology, Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann. The couple’s best man at the marriage was Stefan Grouef, the son of the Royal Chancellory Office head Pavel Grouev. Marie Louise and Bronislaw had two children, Alexandra (b.1970) and Pawel-Alistair (b.1972).

Our belated best wishes to the Princess on her birthday!

Princess Rohays Galitzine (1952-2023), Great-Granddaughter of Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia

The death notice of Rohays Galitzine.
From The Times of 17 January.

 

Aged seventy, Princess Rohays Galitzine died on 7 January 2023. Rohays is survived by her husband Prince Alexander Galitzine and their two daughters, Princess Sasha and Princess Nadezhda. 

The wedding of Sir David Butter and Myra Wernher.

Born on 9 April 1952 at London, Rohays Georgina Butter was the third daughter and child of Major David Henry Butter (1920-2010) and Myra Alice Wernher (1925-2022), who wed in 1946. Rohays joined two older sisters, Sandra Butter (b.1948; married William Morrison) and Marilyn Butter (b.1950; married James Ramsay, 17th Earl of Dalhousie). She was followed by a younger sister and brother, Georgina Butter (b.1956; married Count Peter Pejačević de Veröcze), and Charles Butter (b.1960; married Agnieszka Szeluk). 

Rohays's great-grandparents: Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich and Countess Sophie de Torby. 

Rohays Butter's paternal grandparents were Colonel Charles Adrian James Butter (1876-1949) and Agnes Marguerite "Madge" Clark (1885-1972). Her maternal grandparents were Sir Harold Wernher, Baronet (1893-1973) and Countess Anastasia "Zia" de Torby (1892-1977), the daughter of Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia (1861-1929) and Countess Sophie Nikolaievna of Merenberg (1868-1927).

On 18 March 1988, the engagement between Rohays Butter and Prince Alexander Galitzine was announced in The Daily Telegraph. On 7 May 1988, Rohays Georgina Butter married Prince Alexander Peter Galitzine at Dunkeld Cathedral. The Reverend T. Dick officiated. Rohays was walked down the aisle by her father. Her attendants were the Honourable Alice Ramsay, Alexandra Munemann, Molly Seymour, Georgia Jacob, Lady Edwina Grosvenor, Charles Morrison, Edward Phillips, Victor Burnett, Aidan Crawley, and Lord Eskdaill. Count Paul Raben was Prince Alexander's best man. The wedding reception was held at the home of the bride, and the couple honeymooned abroad. Prince Alexander and Princess Rohays had two daughters: Princess Sasha Alice Natalia Galitzine (b.1989) and Princess Nadezhda "Nadia" Georgina Galitzine (b.1990). 

Princess Anne Marie with her daughter Princess Caroline and her son Prince Alexander, ~1947.
Photo (c) National Portrait Gallery, London / Francis Goodman.

Born on 6 September 1945 at Marlow, Bucks, Prince Alexander Peter Galitzine was the first son and second child of Prince George Galitzine (1916-1992) and Baroness Anne Marie von Slatin (1916-2007), who wed in 1943 and divorced in 1954. Alexander joined an older sister, Princess Caroline Galitzine (b.1944; married [and divorced] Jonathan Hazell). Caroline and Alexander were followed by a younger brother, Prince George Galitzine (b.1946; married Emma de Bendern). After his father's remarriage in 1963 to Jean Dawnay, the three older Galitzine siblings were joined by a younger sister, Princess Catherine Galitzine (b.1964; married Nicholas Laing). Alexander's mother Anne-Marie married Arthur Ponsonby in 1956; the couple divorced in 1963 and Arthur went on to become the 11th Earl of Bessborough. 

Prince Alexander's great-grandparents: Duke Georg Alexander of Mecklenburg-Strelitzand Natalia Vanljarskaya, Countess von Carlow, with their four children. Alexander's grandmother Catherine is standing next to her father.

Prince Alexander Galitzine's paternal grandparents were Prince Vladimir Galitzine (1884-1954) and Countess Catherine von Carlow (1891-1940), the daughter of Duke Georg Alexander of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1859-1909) and Natalia Vanljarskaya (1858-1921). His maternal grandparents were Major-General Baron Rudolf Carl von Slatin (1857-1932) and Baroness Alice von Ramberg (1873-1921). 

Emperor Paul.

Through their mutual descent from Emperor Paul I of Russia, Rohays Butter and Alexander Galitzine were fifth cousins. 

May Rohays Rest In Peace.

The Eulogy of Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece for His Father The King

 

Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece.

During today's funeral service for King Constantine II of the Hellenes, his eldest son and heir Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece delivered a very moving eulogy to his father. The crown prince spoke first in Greek and then in English for the international guests in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens. The following is a transcript of his English-language remarks:

Dear Papa, Constantine, Your Majesty, Grandfather, Olympic Champion,

For your dear Queen, our Mother, for us the children, your grandchildren, and for all those come who together on this day to say farewell to you for the last time, and for all those who honor your memory, and for all those [for whom] it is not possible to be here today. 

My father, this is not the end. You shall always live in our minds and hearts, as it happens in every Greek family when they lose the dearest and most precious figure in their life. 

At a very young age, you lost your father, King Pavlos, my grandfather; however, you always remained loyal to the legacy that he conveyed to you. When at the age of eighteen, you became Crown Prince of Greece and received your commission as an officer in glorified Greek armed forces. His advice to you, and this was very dear to you, and I quote: 'Devote your life to the happiness of the Motherland for it is the most noble, remarkable mission. Always remember that it is better for the king to suffer and not for the people or the country. You are the guardian and protector of your Church.' This is the legacy my grandfather left to you. That [legacy] has now passed to myself, my brothers, your grandchildren, and we will protect it and honour it for the rest of our lives. 

As an Olympian, you honoured your country by winning the gold medal for the 1960 Olympic Games, you brought honour to the blue and white flag of Greece and to our homeland. Your victory was a feat of tactical and physical endurance on the sea that you navigated and your close dedicated crew towards an ultimate victory.

It was a truly challenging era when you ascended the throne, dear Father. Hard conflicts, opposite passions, and the results that no one wished for. From the very first moment, you tried to overthrow the coup, your efforts did not come to a successful result. Yet you did not wish that your presence in Greece would provoke a bloodshed. Always loyal to the legacy your father had given to you and respectfully accepted this decision of the Greek people. 

Your love for youth, education, and international sport has been constant. You formed the Hellenic College of London, the international school organisation of Round Square, as well as active participation in the International Olympic Committee and the World Sailing Federation. Your relationship with the International Olympic Committee led to our 2004 Olympics held here in Greece which was one of your greatest feats.

Family was a core value to you and our mother. It has always been your strong belief that it is the foundation of society. Together, you created a large family, inseparably united by love for each other and a sense of duty for the country. By the grace of God, you drew your last breath in our country, which you always loved above all else throughout your life. 

On this day, we, your children, your grandchildren, we are the future of your family here in our land and around the world, are ready, as you have always been, to offer to Greece whatever the country asks of us.

My strength is in the love of the people. This has always been the motto and guiding principle of our family. For us, and for all Greeks, the strength of the country lies in the love of the Greek people for their homeland. We, as you dear Papa, always love Hellas and its people.

Safe journey!

The Greek Royal Family as well as their family and friends then traveled to Tatoi, where the King was laid to rest, with a view of the sea, as he had wished. 

May God comfort the members of the Royal Family of Greece in their grief.

Princess Seble Desta (1931-2023), the Granddaughter of the Last Ethiopian Emperor

 

Princess Seble.

Princess Seble (Sybil) Desta died on 3 January 2023 in Virginia. She was ninety-one years-old.

Princess Tenagnework.

Princess Tenagnework and Princess Seble.

The princess was born in Addis Ababa on 1 September 1931 as the fourth child and third daughter of Princess Tenagnework Haile Selassie of Ethiopia (1912-2003) and her first husband Ras Desta Damtew (~1892-1937). 

Princess Aida Desta, Lij Amaha Desta, Princess Ruth Desta, Rear Admiral Iskinder Desta, Prince Sahle Selassie Haile Selassie and Princess Seble Desta.

Princess Seble joined three older siblings: Princess Aida Desta (1927-2013), Amha Desta (1928-1944), and Princess Hirut "Ruth" Desta (1930-2014). Princess Seble was followed by two younger siblings: Princess Sofia "Sophia" Desta (1934-2021) and Prince Iskander Desta (1934-1974). During the Italian occupation of Ethiopia from 1936 to 1941, Princess Seble lived in exile in the United Kingdom with the rest of the Imperial family. Princess Seble completed her education in Britain, initially at Clarendon School, Abergale, and attended Lady Margaret Hall College of Oxford University.

Empress Menen and Emperor Haile Selassie.

Princess Seble's maternal grandparents were Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia (1892-1975) and Empress Menen Asfaw (1882-1962). 

Princess Seble Desta and Kassa Wolde-Miriam on their wedding day.

On 31 January 1959 at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa, Princess Seble Desta married Kassa Wolde Mariam (1932-1979), an academic and the descendant of an Ethiopian noble family. Seble and her husband were wed in a joint ceremony with Seble's sister Sofia, who married Captain Dereje Haile Mariam. Kassa and Selbe had five children, one son and four daughters: Jote Kassa (b.1960), Yashimmabet "Yeshi" Kassa (b.1962), Debritu Laly Kassa (b.1963), Kokeb Kassa (b.1967), Amha Kassa (b.1973).

The Ethiopian Royals meet President Eisenhower.
Left to right: President Dwight Eisenhower, First Lady Mamie Eisenhower, Princess Seble Desta, Prince Sahle, and the Emperor, 1954.

Marlon Brando, Princess Selbe, and the Emperor during a visit to the United States.

Princess Seble Desta greets King Hussein of Jordan while her imperial grandfather looks on.

Emperor Haile Selassie and Princess Seble.

Princess Seble accompanied her grandfather Emperor Haile Selassie on many state visits, including to the United States, Canada, Greece, Mexico, the Soviet Union, and Yugoslavia. During these trips, the princess met with many heads of state, royalty, members of the public and celebrities. Like her mother Princess Tenagnework and grandmother Empress Menen, Princess Seble was the President of the Ethiopian Women's Welfare Association which, during her tenure, built a state of the art high-rise building in Addis Ababa to provide safe housing for young women and to generate income for the Association. In August 1966, Princess Seble was among the members of the Imperial Family to welcome General de Gaulle and his wife during their visit to Ethiopia; she rode in a carriage alongside Madame de Gaulle when the de Gaulles arrived in Addis Ababa. In February 1973, Princess Seble was part of the delegation that met Princess Anne at the beginning of her visit to Ethiopia. 

The Emperor of Ethiopia is escorted from the Jubilee Palace to a prison.

In September 1974, a military junta overthrew Emperor Haile Selassie and imprisoned the Imperial Family, including Princess Tenagnework and her three daughters. Princess Seble had recently given birth to her son and was allowed to remain temporarily free. Until her imprisonment, she unsuccessfully sought help for the Emperor and the imprisoned family members from various foreign embassies. Princess Seble spent fourteen years in jail, initially under house arrest in the former palace of her uncle the late Duke of Harrar, and then in fifteen-foot cell in Alem Bekagn (The End of the World) prison along with the other women of the Imperial family. The horrors that Princess Seble and her family experienced during their imprisonment were documented in a 1977 hearing before the Subcommittee on Africa of the Committee on International Relations in the US House of Representatives:

Several female relatives of former Emperior Haile Selassie and his government ministers were arrested in 1974, at first under house arrest. In September 1975, they were suddenly taken away to Akaki prison in Addis Ababa, where they have been since without trial or charge. On 1 March 1976, Dr. Meyer-Lie visited Akaki prison where the women prisoners were held. This was with the written permission of the Derg and after discussions with the Director of The Ethiopian Prisons Authority and his four branch heads, and the Minister of the Interior. His visit was sponsored by a Swedish humanitarian organization concerned about political prisoners in Ethiopia.

The women detainees were held in a former clinic, a white stone house with cement floor and bars on the windows, the total area being 5 X 10 metres. The building had two rooms, the larger 5 X 6 metres containing 30 to 35women, the other room, about 5 X 4 metres, with about 15 members of the former royal family. Neither room had beds, only mattresses spread out on the floor, and no other furniture or heating arrangements. Each room had a primitive toilet and shower. Dr. Meyer-Lie was only permitted to ask a few questions in the presence of a prison official, and could not carry out any medical examinations. One women told him that before he came people had cleaned and disinfected the room, which had taken away the terrible stench. She said the worst problem was that they were forbidden to communicate with their relatives outside the prison. (Criminal prisoners, it should be noted, are allowed a weekly visit from their relatives.) The women received food each day from their relatives outside, who were paid 120 Ethiopian dollars per month (US $60) supposedly in compensation for the confiscation of their property to provide them with food, brought once a day by a relative who was not allowed to see the prisoner. A few books, magazines, and materials for needlework and knitting were also permitted. Visits from priests were not allowed.

When Dr. Meyer-Lie visited visited Ethiopia again in November 1976, he was not permitted to visit the prisoners. By then prison conditions had deteriorated and during 1976 no visits from relatives were allowed, though after Dr. Meyer-Lie's first visit, the women detainees were allowed to write a short note on a tiny slip of paper to their relatives once a week . From other sources Dr. Meyer-Lie learned that the rooms in which they were held were infested with rats, lice and cockroaches, and the overcrowding in the larger room had increased with a total of almost 100 women held there. Under those conditions sanitation and hygiene also sharply deteriorated, and their personal morale too. More girls had been detained and a shed of wood with a zinc roof had been constructed to hold 25 girls aged between 12 and 19, arrested when their menfolk were not found by the soldiers searching for them. None of the women has had a full medical examination during detention, though there is a prison doctor and medical orderly. It is reported that there are delays in obtaining a doctor's visit and in getting medication prescribed. The women request drugs from their relatives outside the prison, such as tranquilizers, painkillers and sleeping tablets, which they administer without medical supervision. Their general condition of health and morale deteriorated seriously in 1976, and many suffer from nervous tension, high blood pressure and other complaints from before the time when they were detained. Yeshashe-Worg Yilma, who is 83 and a diabetic, was taken to the hospital in 1976 reportedly suffering from nervous exhaustion, and Ijegayehu Asfe-Wessen, 42 year-old grand-daughter of former Emperor Haile Selassie, died in the police hospital on 31 January 1977. She was reportedly suffering from extreme dehydration and was in a poor condition for intestinal section surgery. She died a few days later, and it appears that her poor conditions of detention contributed to her illness and subsequent death. Seble Desta, and Aida Desta were both very thin when they were seen by their children in January 1977, Yeshashe-Worq looked very feeble and had to use a stick to walk, and Tenagne Worq had developed a shaking in her hands and body. Sophia Desta and Mimi Asrate (arrested at the age of 17) both suffer severely from psychological troubles, exacerbated by their conditions of detention. In this state of physical deprivation and very low morale, it is feared that many of the older and weaker women will eventually succumb to fatal illness. It is generally thought that the Derg will not release them, that they could be executed at any time (indeed there have been several rumours that the Derg was considering executing them, e.g.,. in September 1975, February and March 1977) but that the Derg may prefer to let them die by neglect. They are in a very poor state to survive their difficult conditions of detention.

Princess Tenagnework, including her four daughters, and her sister-in-law Princess Sara, 1988.

On 21 May 1988, Princess Seble Desta was finally released from prison. A statement from the government-owned Ethiopia News Agency announced: "The State Council of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia today granted amnesty to seven members of the former royal family of the defunct feudal regime." In addition to Princess Seble, her mother Princess Tenagnework and her three sisters (Princess Aida, Princess Hirut, and Princess Sofia) were freed in addition to Seble's aunt Princess Sara, Duchess of Harar. The release of the royal princesses was in part aided by lobbying on the part of British schools that Princess Seble and her sisters had attended in their younger years. 

Princess Seble eventually relocated to the United States, where she was able to be near to her children. Yeshi Kassa, her daughter, was recently involved in the production of a documentary entitled "Grandpa Was An Emperor," which investigates what happened to her father Kassa after the 1974 coup. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJlOuHUNaVs

Princess Seble.

The children of the princess released an addendum to a biographical communiqué that was published after her death:

The biography above tells you the facts of Princess Seble’s life. But it does not tell you who Mammy, as we knew her, or Emama Seble, as many knew her, was as a person.

Mammy was an exemplary and devoted granddaughter, daughter, and sister, remaining exceptionally close to her mother and sisters throughout her life and always putting the needs of others before her own.

When the murderous Derg regime imprisoned her husband and entire family but allowed her a few months of freedom with her newborn son, she spent that time, at tremendous risk to her own life, calling on embassies and human rights organizations, pleading for the release of her elderly grandfather and family.

Mammy was a mother to not only her biological children but to countless children whom she and Dejazmatch Kassa, or Kassilu as his children knew him, raised as their own. As Kassilu was posted to different parts of Ethiopa, they brought the entire large clan along with them, much to our collective delight.

While Princess Seble grew up in the formal atmosphere of the Imperial Palace and state visits, she had a very different side as a fun and loving mother, grandmother, and auntie who doted on children especially. The house that she and Kassilu built together is warmly remembered as a place where

children would gather to enjoy the trampoline, swimming lessons, and festive birthday parties. She and Kassilu would lead children’s camping trips where kids were actively encouraged to make themselves seen and heard. Often, she would advocate on behalf of younger family members with their parents and grandparents, gently arguing for strict rules to be tempered with leniency and high expectations to be balanced with freedom to learn and explore.

Over the years she kept up with a network of hundreds of relatives and friends, including Kassilu’s large family after his death, and had an extraordinary memory for the life stories, birthdays, and milestones of her loved ones. She could constantly be found on the phone, checking in on cousins, siblings, aunties, and uncles and all of those that she and Kassilu had turned into family, or at the kitchen table, writing letters and notes. Her home was always a gathering place, especially for holidays and life celebrations. Her thick address books—one for Ethiopia, one for the England, and one for America and the rest of the world—were a testament to her belief that no one should be left behind. She refused to let any member of her clan drift away, constantly reaching out and pulling them back into the family fold.

Her love of her country and all Ethiopians was endless. Although naturally very shy, she nurtured many connections and a strong network, which she used for extensive informal social work, helping others find jobs, advance their education, and connect to community, always helping those in need and promoting Ethiopia. From the cashier at her supermarket to her fellow volunteer librarians in Annandale to the bus driver in Nazret, she took time to get to know people, identifying their joys and troubles and getting involved.

She had a way of making anyone feel at ease. From the old to the young, from European royalty to farmers from the Ethiopian countryside, everyone responded to her kindness, respect for all regardless of station, and genuine interest in the lives of others. Even the hardened guards and fellow prisoners at Alem Bekagn spoke warmly of L’ilt Seble years later.

To her grandchildren, she was “Nana,” who took them swimming, taught them bike riding, and chauffeured them to their various ballet, gym and football games. She was an avid “tifozo” of football and spectator. But Nana also firmly reminded her grandkids about the importance of care for family, faith in God, and kindness. It is a testament to who Nana was that every one of her grandkids adored her and found her fascinating.

But Mammy’s unshakeable foundation, and how we will remember her most, was her deep Christian faith and profound trust in God. Her faith comforted her through unimaginable hardships, and Mammy credited God’s mercy for allowing her family and her to survive the darkest years in Alem Bekagn. During her 14 years in prison and the decades after, she faithfully thanked God for each day that she enjoyed with her loved ones. She found daily joy in God’s creation, and daily gratitude for every gift of sunshine, flowers and birds. Her life of quiet faith was a shining testament to the power of forgiveness and leaving all in God’s hands. We commend her eternal soul to her Creator, in faith that He will welcome home His faithful servant.

The coffin of the princess enters the cathedral.

The funeral and burial of Princess Seble Desta took place on Thursday, 12 January, at Addis Ababa’s Holy Trinity Cathedral. Services were presided over by His Holiness Patriarch Abune Mathias I, Patriarch of Ethiopia, Archbishop of Axum and Echege of the See of St. Tekle Haimanot. Also attending were His Eminence Archbishop Abune Abraham, Administrator General of Patriarchate and Archbishop of Bahr Dar, several other Archbishops of the Orthodox Church and Church officials, as well as members of the Imperial family and their friends. The Patriarch spoke of the contributions of Princess Seble to Ethiopian society and praised her for her tireless work. Princess Seble’s remains were interred in the crypt of the Cathedral.

May the Princess Rest In Peace. 

From the Archives: The Passing of Princess Margarita of Baden

 

[Note: This obituary was written upon the passing of Princess Margarita in 2013 by Arturo E. Beéche.]

HRH Princess Margarita of Baden died in Farnham in the evening of 15 January 2013. Her death brought to an end a long illness that had seriously undermined the princess' health.

Margarita was born at Schloß Salem on July 14, 1932. She was the firstborn child of Margrave Berthold of Baden and of his wife, the former Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark. Berthold, the well-respected Head of the Grand Ducal House of Baden, was the only son of Margrave Max of Baden (Imperial Germany's last chancellor) and of his wife Princess Marie Louise of Cumberland, eldest daughter of the Duke of Cumberland, Ernst August of Hannover, and of his Danish wife, Princess Thyra. Princess Theodora was the second daughter of Prince Andreas of Greece and Denmark and of his wife, the former Princess Alice of Battenberg, the parents of three other daughters and a son, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. She was the eldest granddaughter of both sets of grandparents.

The princess was raised at Schloß Salem, where her family sponsored a renowned educational center built along the progressive policies proposed by Kurt Hahn, a widely respected educator of Jewish extraction. Berthold and Hahn were the heart of the Salem School, both also standing as bulwarks against the National Socialist overtake of Germany. Eventually, Hahn was forced to leave Germany and seek refuge in England, where he founded Gordonstoun, the school attended by Prince Philipp and the Prince of Wales.

After their daughter Margarita's birth, Berthold and Theodora had two more children: Maximilian (Max), born in 1933, and Ludwig, born in 1937.

The Badens experienced increasing pressure to join the nascent Nazi Party, as some of their other cousins and friends had. Berthold, however, stood steadfast and declined all pressure to betray his conscience.

After the end of the war, the Badens reestablished contacts with their English family. Although they were not invited to the wedding of Prince Philip and Princess Elizabeth in 1947, they were part of the official coronation celebration for Queen Elizabeth in 1953.

Wanting to study nursing, Princess Margarita relocated to London in the 1950s. It was while there that she met Prince Tomislav of Yugoslavia (1928-2000), the second son of the late King Alexander I of Yugoslavia and of his wife, the former Princess Marie of Romania. Both Tomislav and Margarita were descendants of Queen Victoria. The wedding date was announced from Salem on April 8, 1957, and the wedding date set for June 6.

The wedding festivities provided the extended Gotha with another opportunity to gather and repair links damaged by the debacle of the Second World War. Present at Schloß Baden to witness the ceremony were, among many others: the Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Marie of Yugoslavia, Queen Frederica of Greece, King Umberto II of Italy, King Simeon of Bulgaria, King Peter II of Yugoslavia, The Earl and countess Mountbatten of Burma, and even the elderly Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna Jr., who by then lived at Schloß Mainau, her son Lennart's island paradise on Lake Konstanz.

Tomislav and Margarita settled in the UK, where he owned a fruit farm. It was there that their two children were born: Nicholas in 1958, and Katerina the following year. Margarita remained close to her English family and she was frequently a guest of The Queen and Prince Philip.

Unfortunately, the marriage that had began with such promise of mutual happiness experienced much turmoil. Tomislav's financial situation was terribly unstable and the fruit farm a source of much worry and concern. In the end the enterprise was closed. Margarita tried as much as she could to lend a hand, but eventually the writing was on the wall. In 1982 their marriage ended in divorce and most ungraciously, Tomislav remarried his lady friend later that same year. He went on to have two sons with Ms Linda Bonney, his second wife.

Princess Margarita remained living in London, where her two children were raised under the kind support of their royal cousins. She never remarried. Margarita's links to the English royal family were not affected by her divorce, which had not been the case with many others who had incurred in such course of action.

In 1987 Princess Katerina married a prominent lawyer of Sri Lanka extraction, Desmond de Silva, with whom he had one daughter. Five years later Prince Nicholas married a Yugoslav-born lady by the name of Ljiljana Licánin, by whom he had a daughter, Marija, in 1993. Nicholoas is estranged from his wife. Victoria de Silva and Marija of Yugoslavia are Princess Margarita's only grandchildren. She also has a great-grandson from her granddaughter Marija.

It was common to see Margarita attend various family gatherings in Germany, from weddings, to baptisms and even some funerals. She traveled frequently from her London residence and she was always seen sporting a nice smile and a twinkle in her eye. I met Princess Margarita a few times and she always seemed to have a good time, even when confined to a wheelchair. In fact, once at Schoß Langenburg I helped carry the princess, who was seated in her wheelchair. "Your poor man, to come from so far to help carry me," she said. "Madame," I replied, "to me, it is a pleasure to be able to help you and not a bother whatsoever."

I last saw Princess Margarita at Schloß Salem in 2007. It was far too busy for us to sit and chat. But she nodded and smiled when I asked if I could take some pictures. Her smile, I will never forget. It beamed and made any room shine with light. that twinkle, she never lost.

My condolences to her brothers and the entire family...May She Rest in Peace...

 Prince Tomislav, Princess Margarita and Prince Nicholas of Yugoslavia

 Wedding of Prince Tomislav of Yugoslavia and

Princess Margarita of Baden

The Duke of Edinburgh with Prince Tomislav and Princess Margarita

of Yugoslavia. Behind Prince Philip is Margravine Theodora of Baden. 

From left: Hereditary Prince Max, Prince Ludwig and Princess Margarita of Baden. 

Prince Tomislav and Princess Margarita

of Yugoslavia. 

Margrave Berthold and Margravine Theodora of Baden with their

 children: Margarita, Max and Ludwig.

The baptism of Princess Margarita of Baden, September 1932.

Princess Margarita of Baden with ehr sister-in-law Princess Marianne

of Baden, Langenburg 2004. 

Fürstin Eilika of Leiningen and Princess Margarita of Baden,

Schloß Salem 2007.  

Princess Margarita of Baden with her daughter Princess Katerina

of Yugoslavia, Mr Desmond de Siliva and Victoria de Silva, Schloß Salem, 2007. 

Princess Margarita of Baden with Prince Ernst August of Hannover,

Schloß Salem 2007.

Tino - The Godfather of Europe

 

The passing of King Constantine II of the Hellenes leaves a great void in his immediate family, as well as for his many relatives and friends. The late king was the godfather to many of Europe's royals, including the Prince of Wales, and the heirs to the Hanoverian, Serbian, and Russian dynasties. 

Prince Contanijn of the Netherlands 

The christening of Prince Contanijn of the Netherlands, 1967.

On 21 February 1970, Prince Constantijn "Tijn" Christof Frederik Aschwin of the Netherlands was christened at St Martin’s Cathedral in Utrecht. Born on 11 October 1969 at Utrecht University Hospital, Prince Constantijn was the third son of Crown Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands and Prince Claus (né van Amsberg). The prince received as his godparents King Constantine II of the Hellenes, Prince Aschwin of Lippe-Biesterfeld, Baron Axel von dem Bussche-Streithorst, Max Kohnstamm, and Corinne de Beaufort-Sickinghe.

King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia -> Princess Alexandrine of Prussia -> Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin -> Duke Heinrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin -> Queen Juliana of the Netherlands -> Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands -> Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands

King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia -> German Emperor Wilhelm I -> German Emperor Friedrich III -> German Emperor Wilhelm II -> Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia -> Princess Friederike of Hannover -> King Constantine II of the Hellenes

Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia

Archbishop Anthony of Los Angeles prepares to baptise Grand Duke George, who is held by his grandfather Grand Duke Vladimir.

On 6 May 1981, Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia was baptised in Madrid. The baby Romanov was born on 13 March 1981 in the Spanish capital. George was the first and only child of Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia and Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia (né Prince Franz-Wilhelm of Prussia). Archbishop Antony Sinkevitch of Los Angeles, who officiated at the wedding of Grand Duchess Maria and Grand Duke Michael, presided over the baptism of their son. Grand Duke George Mikhailovich received as his godparents King Constantine II of Greece (as the king was unable to attend, the infant's grandfather Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich acted as proxy) and Helen Louise Kirby, Countess Dvinskaya. 

German Emperor Wilhelm II -> Prince Joachim of Prussia -> Prince Karl Franz Josef of Prussia -> Prince Franz Wilhelm of Prussia -> Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia

German Emperor Wilhelm II -> Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia -> Princess Friederike of Hannover -> King Constantine II of the Hellenes

Lady Gabriella Kingston

The christening of Lady Gabriella Windsor, 1981.

On 8 June 1981, Lady Gabriella "Ella" Marina Alexandra Ophelia Windsor was christened at the Chapel Royal, St James Palace. Lady Gabriella Windsor was born on 23 April 1981 at St Mary's Hospital, London, as the second child and only daughter of Prince Michael of Kent and his wife, the former Baroness Marie-Christine Miss Marina Ogilvy, the Marchioness of Douro (future Duchess of Westminster), Lady Elizabeth Shakerley (née Litchfield; formerly Litchfield), King Constantine of the Hellenes, and Prince Hugo zu Windisch-Grätz.

King George I of the Hellenes -> Prince Nicholas of Greece -> Princess Marina of Greece -> Prince Michael of Kent -> Lady Gabriella Windsor 

King George I of the Hellenes -> King Constantine I of the Hellenes -> King Pavlos I of the Hellenes -> King Constantine II of the Hellenes

Hereditary Prince Philip and Prince Alexander of Serbia 

Princess Anne, Duchess of Calabria, and King Constantine II of the Hellenes with Prince Philip and Prince Alexander during their baptism. King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía of Spain as well as Queen Anne-Marie of Greece watch the ceremony.

In July 1982, the twins Prince Philip and Prince Alexander of Serbia were baptised at Villamanrique, Spain; the boys were the second and third sons of Crown Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia and Princess Maria da Glória of Orleans-Braganza. Philip and Alexander received as their godparents King Constantine II of the Hellenes and Princess Anne, Duchess of Calabria. When their mother was asked who she and her husband had chosen to be the princes' godparents, Princess Maria da Gloria responded: "They are the same for the two children. Because we had only thought of one child and we asked our cousin King Constantine [of Greece] and my cousin Anita of Bourbon-Sicilies [Duchess of Calabria] to be the godfather and godmother. When the twins arrived, we did not want to ask those we had chosen to share these responsibilities, but they [the King of Greece and the Duchess of Calabria] are so wonderful that they insisted on remaining godfather and godmother of the two children. This is why Philip and Alexander have the same godfather and the same godmother."

King George I of the Hellenes -> King Constantine I of the Hellenes -> King Alexander I of the Hellenes -> Princess Alexandra of Greece -> Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia -> Hereditary Prince Philip and Prince Alexander of Serbia

King George I of the Hellenes -> King Constantine I of the Hellenes -> King Pavlos I of the Hellenes -> King Constantine II of the Hellenes

The Prince of Wales

The christening of Prince William, 1982.

On 4 August 1982, Prince William Arthur Philip Louis of Wales was christened at Buckingham Palace. Born on 21 June 1982 at Paddington, London, Prince William was the first child of the Prince and Princess of Wales. The prince received as his godparents King Constantine II of the Hellenes, Princess Alexandra of Kent, the Duchess of Westminster, the Lord Romsey (now Earl Mountbatten of Burma), Lady Susan Hussey, and Sir Laurens van der Post. 

King George I of the Hellenes -> Prince Andreas of Greece -> Prince Philippos of Greece -> King Charles III of the United Kingdom -> The Prince of Wales

King George I of the Hellenes -> King Constantine I of the Hellenes -> King Pavlos I of the Hellenes -> King Constantine II of the Hellenes

Hereditary Prince Ernst August of Hannover 

The christening of Prince Ernst August of Hannover, 1983.

On 15 October 1983 at Schloss Marienburg, Prince Ernst August Andreas Philipp Constantin Maximilian Rolf Stephan Ludwig Rudolph of Hannover was christened in Germany. Born on 19 July 1983 at Hildesheim, Prince Ernst August was the first child of Prince Ernst August of Hannover and Princess Chantal (née Hochuli). The prince received as his godparents King Constantine II of the Hellenes, Princess Alexandra of Hannover (née Princess zu Ysenburg und Büdingen in Wächtersbach), the Prince of Asturias (now King Felipe VI of Spain), Fürst Philipp Ernst zu Schaumburg-Lippe, Hereditary Prince (now Fürst) Andreas zu Leiningen, Margrave Maximilian of Baden, and Prince Ludwig Rudolph of Hannover.

Prince Ernst August of Hannover -> Prince Ernst August of Hannover -> Prince Ernst August of Hannover -> Prince Ernst August of Hannover 

Prince Ernst August of Hannover -> Princess Friederike of Hannover -> King Constantine II of the Hellenes