Monday, February 29, 2016

Oh Puhleeze!

The British tabloid press has got its knickers in a twist ..yet again,  but reminding us that William will be following his mother's footsteps (or bum print) when and his wife, Catherine, visit the Taj Mahal in India next month. 

One assumes they will be photographed sitting on a bench just like Mummy in 1992.    The late Diana, Princess of Wales was not the only person to have ever been photographed at one of the top attractions in India.  Plenty of people have sat on that bench since 1992.

Well, well, well, look who visited the Taj Mahal before Diana did ... perhaps William is following in Dad's footsteps ...

Granny and Grandpa visited the Taj Mahal in 1961.




Grannny and Grandpa visit the Taj Mahal in 1961

A new Habsburg

Congratulations to Archduchess Kathleen and Archduke Imre of Austria and Big Sister, Archduchess Maria Stella, on the birth of Archduchess Magdalena Maria Alexandra Zita Charlotte
The newest Habsburg was born at Kirchberg in Luxembourg on February 24.

A lovely name Magdalena ... Marlene comes from MARy magdaLENE    :)



Sunday, February 28, 2016

A lovely Romanov gift

to me ... from a dear friend, who went to the exhibition in France.





King Alfonso XIII dead at 54


















February 28, 1941

Former King Alfonso XIII of Spain's "amazing struggle for life ended peacefully at 11:50 o'clock this morning in his room" at Rome's Grand Hotel, according to the New York Times.  He was 54 years old.

He died in the presence of his wife, Queen Victoria Eugenia, his two surviving sons, Don Jaime and Don Juan, and his elder daughter, Infanta Beatriz.  His younger daughter, Infanta Maria Cristina, is expecting her first child and was unable to travel from her home in Turin.

Alfonso suffered from heart disease for some time.  Another "sharp attack" of angina pectoris occured at 10 a.m., which began seventeen days ago.  This final attack proved too much for his "weakened condition.

Although he had been in exile since 1931, when Spain was declared a republic,  Alfonso, in death, is "receiving the honors due to a monarch."  His Chamberlain has notified the Italian royal family, the Vatican, and Generalissimo Franco in Madrid.

The King "loved life, and loved it to the hilt."  A few days ago, he told a family member "I do not want to die."

His third son,  Infante Don Juan, the Count of Barcelona, will succeed him.  Several hours before his death,  the King told his Chamberlain, "I hope my coming death will not be too distressing to Don Juan, but he must learn now that Kings must be brave."

Alfonso believed that the monarchy would be restored in Spain, and his son would sit on the throne.

Don Juan has refused to be called "Your Majesty," and will continue to be styled as "Your Royal Highness.  He met with officials to plan his father's funeral.

In Madrid, the Franco government announced that they have given permission for the late king to be buried in the royal pantheon at the Escorial. Generalissimo Franco has ordered Spanish flags to half-staff for three days of mourning for the former king.

King Alfonso XIII was born a king on May 7, 1886, six months after the death of his father, King Alfonso XII.  His mother, Queen Maria Cristina, an Archduchess of Austria by birth, was named Regent until he reached his majority.   In May 1906, he married Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria.  They had seven children.

All images are from the Marlene A. Eilers-Koenig Collection
The late king is survived by his widow,  two sons, two daughters, and several grandchildren, including the Count of Barcelona's son, three-year-old Don Juan Carlos, who becomes the de jure Prince of Asturias.

Friday, February 26, 2016

The late Prince of Waldburg zu Zeil und Trauchburg





Galitzine-Pollitt engagement

Dimitri  Galitzine, the son of Prince Piotr Galitzine and Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria is engaged to Briton Alexandra Pollitt.   A rather romantic proposal by the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy on February 21, 2016.

Miss Pollitt is a native of Manchester, England, where she attended the Manchester High School for Girls.   She graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2011 with a degree in Business Management.    She also spent two years, honing her personnel and human resources skills, at the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development.  Since April 2013,  Miss Pollitt has worked as a HR Business Partner in Equities for Barclay's Investment Bank.

Prince Dimitri is also a 2011 graduate of the University of Birmingham, where he received a BA in Economics.  He spent a part of his childhood in Moscow, where his father was working at the time, and attended the Deutsche Schule Moskau and the Moscow Economic School, graduating from the latter in 2008.

After internships with Morgan Stanley and Barclays Capital in Moscow,  Prince Dimitri now works as an Associate TMT EMEA for Barclays Investment Bank in London.


Alexandra is the daughter of Neil Pollitt.  She has an identical twin sister, Sophie.

In 2013, Alexandra and Sophie, then 23 years old, bought a £249,000 flat in Vermillion, a new development in Canning Town.  They had been saving for their first home since age 16, when they worked as waitresses at Old Trafford, where Manchester United plays soccer.  According to a Times article, the sisters struggled to secure a mortgage, and their parents lent them the "3 percent stamp duty" on the flat.

The twins were also featured in an Evening Standard article about young university graduates flocking to London, especially in the financial industry.  Canning Town, once a "rough working-class district" is sandwiched between Olympic Park in Stratford and Canary Wharf.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/identical-twins-identical-grades-1002954

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-pollitt-8074a634

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dimitri-galitzine-4968b516?authType=NAME_SEARCH&authToken=N1LD&locale=en_US&trk=tyah&trkInfo=clickedVertical%3Amynetwork%2CentityType%3AentityHistoryName%2CclickedEntityId%3Amynetwork_55975794%2Cidx%3A0

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Alfonso XIII in grave danger




February 25, 1941


The Associated Press is reporting that the condition for former King Alfonso XIII is said to grave.  His heart condition has weakened, and his "strength progressively diminishing."

His doctors feel that he is now in more danger than he was on Saturday when he suffered several seizures.  He received the sacrament of extreme unction that day.

With the exception of his younger daughter, Infanta Maria Cristina, who is expecting a child,  all of his family are at his bedside.


King George's funeral cost £25,000

February 25, 1936

King George V's funeral cost Great Britain £25,000, reports the New York Times.  The cost became known today with the "publication of a supplementary budget estimate of £219,690."

The figure may appear high, but it should be noted that the late king's funeral was the "most inexpensive funeral in recent times."  King Edward VII's funeral cost £40, 500 while Queen Victoria's was £35,000.

The "entertainment of foreign guests" as well as "funeral furnishings and mourning allowances" accounted for £7,000.  The "participation" of the armed forces cost £11,260.

The late king's lying in state at Westminster Hall, the service at St. George's Chapel, and the preparation of the funeral procession route cost £3,000, while "sundry expenses" totaled £3,740.

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Will Ena's marriage be called off

Embed from Getty Images 

 February 24, 1906


Although "popular enthusiasm continues in Spain" over the forthcoming marriage between King Alfonso XIII and Princess Ena of Battenberg,  the marriage in England is not attracting the same popular sentiment, reports the New York Times.

Several days ago, a cable dispatch "stated that a petition was being signed" by Anglicans and Nonconformists in England requesting that King Edward VII "withhold his consent to the marriage."

Never mind the fact that Princess Ena does not need her uncle's consent to marry.  She is the daughter of Princess Beatrice, the youngest of Queen Victoria's nine children, and Prince Henry of Battenberg, a naturalized British subject.  It is "not impossible" that the crown could one day devolve upon Beatrice or her descendants.  Thus, it will be absolutely necessary for Ena to "formally renounce all pretensions" to the British throne now that she has repudiated her "Anglican baptism" and has become a member of the Roman Catholic Church.

[Princess Victoria Eugenie was baptized according to the rites of the Church of Scotland.  Moreover, the moment she was received into the Roman Catholic Church, she ceased to have succession rights, according to the Royal Marriages Act.]

But what would happen if Edward refused to give his consent? Nothing, but the writer of this editorial believes that the "head of the Battenbergs, who reigns at Darmstadt" would bypass Uncle Edward and ask the Kaiser "who would doubtless be only to have the honor thrust upon him."

Monday, February 22, 2016

Bavarians and Austrians - Cousins and Siblings

Archduchess Auguste of Austria (1875-1964) was born a Princess of Bavaria.  She married Archduke Josef August of Austria.  In this 1912 postcard, the Archduchess poses with her eldest child, Archduke Josef Franz (1895-1957), who married Princess Anna of Saxony.

Archduke Georg of Austria, Prince of Tuscany (1905-1953) married Countess Marie Valerie of Waldburg-Zeil-Hohenems in 1936.  He was the third child of Archduke Peter Ferdinand of Austria and Princess Maria Cristina of Bourbon-Two-Sicilies,

Archduke Gottfried (1902-1984) married Princess Dorothea of Bavaria in 1938.  Their grandson, Archduke Sigismund (elder son of Archduke Leopold Franz) is de jure Grand Duke of Tuscany.

The wedding of Archduke Gottfried and Princess Dorothea of Bavaria, August 3, 1938 at Sarvar, Hungary

Princess Elvira of Bavaria (1866-1943) married 1895 to Count Rudolf von Wrbna-Kaunitz (1864-1927). They had three children 
Princess Dorothea of Bavaria (1920-2015) was the fifth child of Prince Franz of Bavaria and Princess Isabella of Croy.  She married Archduke Gottfried of Austria 

Prince Ferdinand Maria of Bavaria (1884-1958) married Infanta Maria Teresa of Spain (1882-1912), sister of King Alfonso XIII of Spain.  They married in 1906. This postcard shows the couple with their first two children, Infante Luis Alfonso (1906-1983) and Infante José Eugenio (1909-1966). In 1911, Maria Teresa gave birth to a daughter, Mercedes (1911-1953).  Eleven months later, she gave birth of a second daughter, Pilar, who died in 1918, at the age of 5.  Maria Teresa died less than two weeks after giving birth to Pilar.

Princess Maria Elisabeth of Bavaria (1914-2011) was the second child of Prince Franz of Bavaria and Princess Isabella of Croy.   In 1937, she married Prince Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Bragana.  The couple had 12 children.  
Count Johann Kaspar of Preysing-Lichtenegg-Moos (1919-1940) was the son of Count Johann Georg von Preysing-Lichtenegg-Moos and Gundelinde of Bavaria. Johann Kaspar was the elder of two children.  He had a younger sister, Maria Theresia (1922-2003) who was married twice. Her first husband, Count Maria Ludwig von und zu Arco-Zinneberg, who was killed in action in 1942,  just two years after their wedding.  They had one son, Count Rupprecht.  A year later, she married his brother, Count Ulrich.   They had two sons, the youngest, Count Riprand, is married to Archduchess Maria Beatrice of Austria.  Princess Gundeline's husband, Johann Georg was the son of Count Konrad and his wife, Countess Christiane von Arco-Zinneberg.
The little boy sitting in the chair died on February 14, 1940 at Zug, Switzerland, at the age of 20.
http://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2010/03/princess-gundelinde-of-bavaria.html

http://www.arcobraeu.de/en/familienchronik-1


These are new additions to my royal postcard collection

A Princess Party at a palace with a real Princess




all four photos: Kate Gabor, Kungahuset.se / Photo Kate Gabor, The Royal Court, Sweden


Earlier today,  a princess party (and a few princes, too) was held at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, in honor of My Big Day, a charity that helps seriously ill Swedish children .. so if you have a fairy tale party at a palace, you need a real life Princess ...

Wave your wand!   Enter HRH Princess Madeleine of Sweden, who just happens to be the patron of the My Big Day charity, and she came dressed as a fairy tale princess would be dressed for such an event.  Long elegant gown and a tiara.

Looks like Princess Madeleine's two year old daughter, HRH Princess Leonore, got into the dress up box, and found the perfect pink little princess dress to wear.


Disney - the ball is now in your Court.

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Charles and Camilla




The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall in Yorkshire. The photos were taken by Paul Ratcliffe.

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Dictatorship averted in Spain

February 18, 1931

King Alfonso XIII remains the "absolute monarch" of Spain, after the "old line tried and true supporters of the Crown," came together earlier today as a Monarchist coalition government formed earlier today the Chief Admiral Juan Bautista Aznar.

This new government is "considerably stronger" than the government Alfonso had under General Berenguer.   The King remains in the same position as before the "staccato succession of events" that led to a change in government.

Admiral Aznar said tonight in his first press interview that the new government would hold municipal, followed by provincial and general elections, "expecting a government formula which was deeply democratic and involves a fundamental change in regime."

These remarks did not sit well with other political factions.  Manuel de Burgos Mazo spoke to the press after a meeting of a constitutionalist group tonight:  "Alfonso is a mere robber.  We will continue our program with energy and expect to take revolutionary action."




Wednesday, February 17, 2016

The Duchess of York expects a visit from the stork

 

February 17, 1926


The Associated Press is reporting that the Duchess of York, is "expected to become a mother" in April.  The 25-year-old Duchess - the former Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon - married the Duke of York at Westminster Abbey on April 26, 1923.

This will be the first child for the Duke and Duchess of York and will be third in line to the British throne.

The couple has been looking for a London residence for some time, and have leased 40 Belgrave Square, which adjoins the home occupied by Prince and Princess Arthur of Connaught.

[Yes, the New York Times, which published the AP report, did have this headline "Stork to visit Duchess of York."]

the Kaiser meets the Duke of Cumberland





February 17, 1906

Kaiser Wilhelm II arrived in Copenhagen this afternoon on board the German battleship, Preussen, reports the New York Times.  He will attend the funeral service tomorrow at Roskilde for the late King Christian IX of Denmark.

The German Emperor dined tonight at the palace, and spent twenty minutes in conversation with King Haakon of Norway, and also talked with the Duke of Cumberland, whose wife, Thyra, is one of the late king's children.

This was the first meeting between Wilhelm II and the Duke of Cumberland in many years.  Three years ago, the Duke was in Copenhagen, when Wilhelm was scheduled to visit the city.  The Duke departed before the Kaiser's arrival, and this action was seen as a "deliberate slight to the Kaiser."

The Duke is the legal heir to the Duke of Brunswick & Lüneburg, but has been excluded from reigning has he refuses to renounce his claim to the Hanover throne. He is the only son of the late King Georg V of Hanover, who lost his throne in 1866, when he sided with Austria in its war against Prussia.  This action led to Prussia annexing the kingdom into Prussia, and the Hanoverian royal family was forced into exile.

It is unlikely that the brief conversation between Wilhelm II and the Duke of Cumberland focused on Brunswick.

Monday, February 15, 2016

It's a girl for Nicoleta and Nicholas????

Nicoleta Cirjan gave birth to a daughter, Iris Anna, on February 9,  after 36 hours of labor.  The infant was born in Bucharest.  She has not named the father, who is assumed to be Nicholas Medforth-Mills, the son of Princess Helen of Romania.  Until last summer, Nicholas was styled as HRH Prince Nicholas of Romania, and was carrying out official duties in Romania.

http://spiralacolorata.ro/2016/02/15/planul-de-nastere-de-acasa-nu-se-potriveste-cu-cel-de-la-maternitate/

She has stated several times on her personal blog, Spirala Colorata, that the father has refused to get involved and be a part of the child's life.   Miss Cirjan has stated that it was a difficult decision to be a single mother, without having to wait for the father or his family.

Unless Nicholas comes forth and acknowledges that he is the father, no one can state categorically that he is the father of the child.   It will be interesting to see Miss Cirjan names the father on Iris Anna's birth certificate.

At this time, Nicoleta has not named the father of her child, and one can only speculate about who is the father of Iris Anna.  It would be wrong to state that Nicholas is the father of this child unless he acknowledges paternity.  It is only an assumption.

Friday, February 12, 2016

BREAKING NEWS: Tatiana Galitzine marriage annulled!!

The marriage of Princess Tatiana Galitzine and Guillermo Sierra, which took place at Calistoga Ranch in Calistoga, California, on November 28, 2015, (and registered in Texas, where the license was issued) has been annulled.

UPDATED: February 13, 2016,  The couple may still be engaged.

The annulment was granted on February 10, 2016 in Harris County, Texas.  The county seat is Houston.   Sierra filed for the annulment on February 2.

THESE RECORDS ARE AVAILABLE FREELY TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

This will explain the process for a civil annulment in Texas.

http://www.divorcenet.com/resources/annulment/annulment-basics/texas.htm


Perhaps it was love at first  sight ... as  Princess Tatiana Galitzine, the daughter of Prince Piotr Galitzine and Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria, married Mexican-born Guillermo Sierra on November 28, 2015, only six weeks after they first met.  They announced their engagement on November 12.

The marriage took place on November 28, 2015 at the Calistoga Ranch, Calistoga,  Napa County, California . It appears that the wedding was religious (Protestant) as Rev. Timothy Boeve was the officiant.  Rev. Boeve is a Pastor with the Reformed Church.The license was returned and the marriage registered with Harris County on January 27, 2016. 

The couple - Tatiana Petrovna Galitzine and Guillermo Sierra applied for a marriage license on November 16, 2015 in Houston, Texas.  This information is freely and publicly available as Texas vital records are open to the public.
https://calistogaranch.aubergeresorts.com/accommodations/
.
Countess Anna Theresa of Arco-Zinneberg, Prince Ioann and Princess Tatiana Galitzine at Archduke Imre's wedding  (Photo by Marlene A. Eilers Koenig)

Tatiana's family is well connected, genealogically.   Her mother is the eldest child of the late Archduke Rudolf of Austria (1919-2010), 6th child of Emperor Karl and Empress Zita (nee Princess of Bourbon-Parma), while her father, Prince Peter, is a member of the Russian princely family that fled Russia after the Revolution. 

photo by Marlene A. Eilers Koenig
Tatiana, who was named for her father's older sister, was born at Santa Clara, California, the second of six children.  She is multi-lingual, and well-educated, having studied at the Technische Universität in Munich, where she studied architecture.  After several internships with architectural firms in Munich, Singapore and Chicago, she is now working as an Architectural Designer at Gensler, a architecture  firm headquartered in San Francisco.

Prince Peter is the  Chairman and CEO of TMK IPISCO, a Russian-owned gas and pipe-making company that moved its U.S., headquarters from the Chicago area to Houston in 2013.  During their sojourn in Chicago, Prince Peter and his family lived in the 4,000-square-foot apartment in the Drake Hotel.  They are now renting a home in the tony River Oaks area of Houston.

Since her return to Houston,  Princess Tatiana has been involved in numerous social events



Sierra, who works for Credit Suisse, was  previously married to Emily Lindsey Hilton, and they have one child, a son,  Sebastian, who was born in 2012.
Sierra married Emily Hilton, an Arizona native, on August 10, 2006.  They separated on July 18, 2014.   The divorce was granted on May 12, 2015.






A Mecklenberger visits Wisconsin

HH Duke Alexander is the second of three children of Duke Borwin of Mecklenburg (Strelitz) and his wife, Alice Wagner.  He was born in 1991, and has an older sister, Duchess Helene and a younger brother, Duke Michael.

Duke Borwin is the de jure head of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.


http://www.kenoshanews.com/news/snyder_art_show_opening_becomes_a_royal_affair_486532744.php

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Head of the Princely House of Schaumburg-Lippe

Two new postcards

This image is from 1902, I think (trying to read the postal date on the back) The photo was taken at the home of the Prince and Princess of Lippe in Rothenfels.  I think the Princess Amalie sitting on the left is Marie Amalie Sophie Wilhelmine Christine Caroline Eulalie (1821-1899) who married Prince Viktor of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst, Duke of Ratibor and Prince of Corvey.  She was the daughter of Karl Egon II Prince of Fürstenberg and Princess Amalie of Baden, who was a first cousin of Grand Duke Friedrich I of Baden (1826-1907)  He was married to Princess Luise of Prussia 1838-1923).  The woman on the right in front is the Princess of Lippe,  Princess Sophie of Baden (1834-1904), who married Woldemar, Prince of Lippe-Detmold.  Sophie was a first cousin of Grand Duke Friedrich

The 8th and 9th children of HSH George, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe and Princess Marie of Saxe-Altenburg.  Friedrich Christian (1906-1983) was married three times.  Elisabeth (1908-1933) was married twice, first to Benvento Hauptmann and then Baron Johann Herring von Frankensdorff. She died at the age of 33 on February 25, 1933, 20 days after the birth of her second child, Hans-Georg.
http://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2013/02/dead-at-25.html

Monday, February 8, 2016

Balmoral Castle may be sold




February 8, 1896


Several London newspapers are stating that after the death of Queen Victoria, it "will be found Her Majesty" has bequeathed Osborne House to Princess Beatrice, "including the right of gift of the living of Whippingham Church, reports the Chicago Daily Tribune.

It is understood that the reason for this inheritance is due to Princess Beatrice's wishes "that the remains of her husband be interred there."  The Prince of Wales is expected to inherit Balmoral Castle, as he is the "only member of the royal family capable of supporting it."  The castle also could be sold, and the "proceeds divided" between the Duke of Connaught,  Princess Christian, Princess Louise and the children of the late Duke of Albany.


It is a boy!

February 8, 1931

Countess Folke Bernadotte gave birth to a son early this morning at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. H. Edward Manville, in Pleasantville, NY, reports the Chicago Daily Tribune.

The boy will be named Folke, after his father.  This is the second son for the couple as the Countess gave birth to Gustaf Eduard in January 1930.

Countess Folke is the former Estelle Manville.   She married Count Folke Bernadotte  in 1928 in Pleasantville.  He is a nephew of King Gustav V.


The countess' father, H. Edward Manville, is one of the "wealthiest men in America, and serves as chairman of the board of directors of Johns Manville company.

Saturday, February 6, 2016

New to my collection

Prince Adalbert of Bavaria (1886-1970) married Countess Auguste von Seefried auf Buttenheim (1899-1978), the daughter of Count Otto Seefried auf Buttenheim and Princess Elisabeth of Bavaria.  They had two sons, Konstantin and Adalbert.   Prince Adalbert was the younger son of Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria who married Infanta Maria de la Paz of Spain

Princess Augusta of Bavaria (1875-1964) was the second of four children of Prince Leopold of Bavaria and Archduchess Gisela of Austria.  She married in 1893 to  Archduke Josef of Austria (1872-1962), who was the fourth child and eldest son of Archduke Josef Karl, Palatine of Hungary, and Princess Clotilde of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha,  This image is from 1915. and shows the Archduchess with her four children, Josef Franz (1895-1957) who married Princess Anna of Saxony; Sophie (1899-1978), Ladislaus (1901-1946) and Magdalena (1909-2000).  

The children of Grand Duke Friedrich August of Oldenburg (1852-1931). He was married twice, first to Princess Elisabeth of Prussia (1857-1895) and then to Duchess Elisabeth of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1869-1955)  He was had one surviving child, Duchess Sophie Charlotte (1879-1964), by his first marriage and three surviving children by his second marriage: Grand Duke Nikolaus (1897-1970) whose first wife, Princess Helene was the sister of  Duchess Altburg's husband;  Duchess Ingeborg Alix (1901-1996) and Duchess Alburg (1903-2001).   Ingeborg married Prince Stephan zu Schaumburg-Lippe and Altburg was the wife of Josias, Prince of Waldeck und Pyrmont.

This image is from 1912 and shows Archduke Karl Stephan of Austria (1860-1933) and his wife Archduchess Maria Theresia of Austria (1862-1933).  Karl Stephan was the fourth child of Archduke Karl Ferdinand and Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria.  Their primary estate was in Poland.  They had six children, but this photograph includes only five as the eldest daughter, Archduchess Renata was already married.   Back row; Archduke Wilhelm (1895-1948 as a Russian POW);  Archduke Karl Albrecht (1888-1951), Archduke Karl Stephan, Archduke Leo Karl (1893-1939) Archduchess Eleonora (1886-1974).  Sitting in the front; Archduchess Mechtilidis (1891-1966) and Archduchess Maria Theresia.