Seventieth Anniversary of the Death of the 3rd Duke of Aosta

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the death (3 March 1942), among his soldiers, of the Viceroy of Ethiopia: HRR Prince Amedeo of Savoy, third Duke of Aosta, Hero of Amba Alagi. The Italian Monarchist Union flag bows to the memory of his exemplary figure and will remember him with a series of initiatives that will document his civilian and military virtues. HRH Prince Amedeo, present Duke of Aosta, traveled to Kenya, where his uncle is buried, to attended a solemn religious ceremony in the Third Duke of Aosta's memory. Honour and glory to one of the most beautiful characters in the history of Italy.

The Council of Senators of the Kingdom bowed to the memory of HRH Prince Amedeo of Savoy, on the 70th of his death (Nairobi, March 3, 1942), and pointed to his shining example. Amedeo was born in Turin on 21 October 1898 as the oldest son of Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, 2nd Duke of Aosta, and his wife, the former Princess Hélène d'Orléans, herself the daughter of the Count of Paris, claimant to the French throne. Amedeo had one brother, Prince Aimone, Duke of Spoleto, 4th Duke of Aosta, King of Croatia, who was the father of the current Duke of Aosta, Amedeo, thus named after his late uncle.

The 3rd Duke of Aosta was a national hero. He earned three Military Valour decorations during the Great War, led memorable travels throughout Africa, and performed high responsibilities at the top of the Armed Forces during the reign of his cousin Vittorio Emanuele III. Aosta personified an outstanding model of fidelity to the Monarchy and Italy.

Amedeo was Viceroy of Ethiopia. At the beginning of the war (1940) Amedeo held the general command of the Italian Armed Forces in East Africa. From the outbreak of the conflict, Amedeo believed Italy lacked the resources to sustain a conflict of this size. After putting a valiant defense against overwhelming enemy forces, Amedeo was forced to capitulate in May 1941. Once relieved of his powers, Amedeo was placed under arrest by the English. He died the following year while still in captivity.
 

Historians argue about what role he played before and during the war, a role that would have likely prevented Italy from facing and "unconditional surrender" in 1943. 

Prince Amedeo married in Naples (5 November 1927) Princess Anne d'Orléans (1906-1986), third daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Guise. Anne and Amedeo were first cousins through their maternal lines as their mothers were sisters, both daughters of the Count and Countess of Paris. Amedeo and Anne were the parents of two daughters: Margherita (b. 1930), who in 1953 married Archduke Robert of Austria-Este, the second son of Emperor Karl and Empress Zita of Austria; and Maria Cristina (b. 1933), who in 1967 married Prince Casimiro of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. 

Among Amedeo and Anne's grandchildren are: Archduke Lorenz, who is married to Princess Astrid of Belgium, daughter of King Albert II and Queen Paola of the Belgians; Maria Beatrice, who is married to Count Riprand von Arco-Zinneberg; and Martin, who married Princess Katharina of Isenburg, herself the sister of Fürstin Isabelle of Wied and Princess Sophie of Prussia. 

The Duchess of Aosta, Anne, survived her husband by forty-four years. She passed away in Sorrento, Italy, in 1986.

The Wales Visit to Norway

King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway hosted a gala dinner for their visiting English cousins, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall.

Prince Charles, along with his wife Camilla, are on a multi-day trip through Scandinavia.

Also present at the gala dinner in Oslo were Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Mette Marit, Princess Martha Louise and Princess Astrid of Norway.

Swedish Royal Baptism

The Royal Palace in Stockholm announced that the baptism of HRH Princess Estelle of Sweden will be celebrated at the royal chapel in Stockholm on 22 May 2012.

No word yet on how many godparents the future Queen of Sweden will have.

Kensington Palace to Open After £12 million Restoration

As discreet work continues on Apartment 1A, the new four-storey home for Prince William, Kate and cocker spaniel Lupo, there’s a more obvious bustle in the public half of Kensington Palace.

A £12 million, two-year refurbishment is due to be finished this week.
Upstairs, curators and textile conservators are taking delivery of fragile dresses and objects to display in the newly refitted rooms, while downstairs staff try on their red Jaeger-designed uniforms, shrubs are being planted, paths laid, and the shop and café kitted out ready for opening.
Opening up is what this project is all about.


Overgrown trees and shrubs that obscured the building and many of the high-security fences have been removed. The palace is once again connected with the park that surrounds it.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-2114852/Kensington-Palace-After-12-million-refit-nation-invited-in.html#ixzz1pfhbQtGQ

+ Prince Alexander of Liechtenstein (1929-2012)

Rosegg mourns for one of the most deserving persons of the community. Prince Alexander of Liechtenstein Has passed away over the weekend at the age of 82. The solemn requiem will take place next Saturday, 24 March, held at 2pm in the church at Rosegg. Subsequently, the remains of the prince will be laid to rest in the local cemetery.

"Decades ago, Prince Alexander of Liechtenstein moved his timber operations from the Karawanken to Rosegg. In the aftermath, he and his family, who are among us not only highly respected but also very popular citizens, turned into an essential economic factor for the community, "recalled yesterday the Mayor Franz Richau.

The prince and his three sons revitalized the castle, which has been owned by the Liechtensteins since 1831, and made it accessible to the public through a wax museum and the labyrinth, both of which being very popular with visitors. Distinctively associated with the name of Liechtenstein is also Rosegg Castle, which annually attracts visitors 70,000-80,000. "Prince Alexander of Liechtenstein has laid the foundation for a thriving business in our community and created many jobs created," the mayor said.

"The big name now lives on in his sons. One of them is a doctor, another entered the diplomatic service. And  the youngest son, Prince Emanuel, is now in charge of the family business that will continue successfully in Rosegg," explained the mayor.

Prince Alexander's family:

Alexander of Liechtenstein married at Schloß Bronnbach Princess Josephine zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg (b. 1937). Her siblings made particularly impressive marriages, among them: Maria, who married Archduke Joseph Arpad of Austria; Christiana, who married Archduke Michael of Austria; Aloys-Konstantin, who succeeded their father as Fürst and married Princess Anastasia of Prussia; and Lioba, who married the Fürst zu Oettingen-Oettingen und Oettingen-Wallerstein.

Prince Alexander and Princess Josephine had three sons: 

1. Prince Christian (b. 1961), who in 1989 married Countess Marie-Christine von Waldburg-Zeil-Hohenems (b. 1962), by whom he has four children: Carolina (b. 1990), Augustinus (b. 1992), Johannes Maria (b. 1995, and Ludmilla (b. 2001).

2h) Prince Stefan (b. 1961), who in 1988 married Countess Florentine von Thun und Hohenstein (b. 1963, by whom he has four children: Lukas (b. 1990), Konrad (b.1992), Anna Maria (b. 1994) and Rita (b. 1999).

3. Prince Emanuel (b. 1964), who in 1995 married Countess Alexandra Kálnoky de Köröspatak (b. 1966), by whom he has three children: Polixena (b. 1996), Josef (b. 1998) and Ilona (b. 2001)

+ King Tupou V of Tonga (1948-2012)

Known to English speakers as George Tupou V, the king inherited a febrile atmosphere on the death in 2006 of his father, Taufa’ahau Tupou IV, who had steadfastly resisted constitutional reform for 41 years. With an elite appointed by royal decree securing large chunks of the country’s wealth, resentment had grown among many amongst Tonga’s disfranchised poor.

Within two months of Tupou IV’s death, mobs set parts of the capital Nuku’alofa ablaze and looted cars and shops. Eight people died in rioting which was widely blamed on the slow pace of democratic reform. Such was the impact of the violence that the new king delayed his coronation ceremony, calling instead for a rebuilding of “mutual responsibility”.

It was not until late July 2008 that the framework for the transfer of power to a democratically elected parliament had been established. Though the royal house still retained some ceremonial authority (such as the power to commute sentences) Tonga had in effect become a constitutional, rather than absolute, monarchy. Three days later, on August 1, Siaosi Tupou was finally crowned king at an elaborate five day ceremony attended by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. Earlier, in a traditional ceremony, his sovereignty over Tonga’s 170 islands was recognised by 200 nobles, who slaughtered pigs and offered kava, a hallucinogenic drink, in his honour.

He was born on May 4 1948, the eldest son of Taufa’ahau Tupou IV and Queen Halaevalu Mata’aho. Respect for the king his father was drummed into him from an early age. “We were always encouraged not to be beastly children and not to misbehave in public,” he said later.

Continue reading...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/royalty-obituaries/9151791/His-Majesty-King-George-Tupou-V-of-Tonga.html 

Habsburgs Head to Madeira to Commemorate the Emperor Karl

A sizable contingent of Habsburgs, accompanied by members of the League of Prayers for the Emperor Karl of Austria, are headed to Madeira.

While on the Portuguese island the Habsburg family will commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Emperor Karl's death, as well as his 125th birthday anniversary.

In 1916 Karl became Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary on the death of his great-uncle, Emperor Franz Josef. He was forced off the dual throne as the empire collapse at the end of the Great War.

Born on 17 August 1887, Karl was the first sons of Archduke Otto of Austria (1865-1906) and of his wife, the former Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony(1867-1944), herself a granddaughter of Queen Maria II of Portugal.

Then Archduke Karl married Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma (1892-1989) on 21 October 1911. Their wedding took place at her family's vast residence, Schloß Frohsdorf (sold many years later and now a women's prison), and was attended by many important personalities, among them Emperor Franz Joseph, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, King Friedrich August III of Saxony and the Duke of Madrid, Carlist claimant to the Spanish throne.

Karl and Zita were to become the parents of eight children born between 1912 and 1922. Their last surviving child, Archduke Felix, only died last year.

After making unsuccessful attempts to regain the Hungarian throne, Karl, accompanied by his wife and their children, was sent to exile on the island of the Madeira, in the Azores. While there, the damp climate took a terrible toll on the exiled Emperor and his already weakened constitution was irreparably compromised. He died from complications on 1 April 1922.

The Empress Zita survived him until 14 March 1989. She rests inside the Capuchin Crypt in Vienna, while her husband's remains rest in Madeira.

Emperor Karl was a devout Catholic and a ruler with a deep sense of social justice, as well as a clear perspective of what it meant to lead a life dedicated to his Catholic faith and principles. For these and other aspects of his life, he was beatified in 2004 by the late Pope John Paul II.

Buckingham Palace to Close During Olympic games

Each year during the summer, Buckingham Palace hosts a major exhibition that draws the crowds and also allows the replenishing of "funds" to the royal building coffers. This year, the palace will be closed to the public during the Olympic Games in London since Queen Elizabeth wishes to receive her guests. For security reasons, it is not possible until the palace is open to the public at the same time.

Prince Harry Meets Brazilian Royals

During his official visit to Brazil, Prince Harry, third in the line of succession to the throne of England, attended several events and receptions, among them a party at the Morro da Urca in Rio de Janeiro, traditional and refined meeting point where members of the Imperial Family of Brazil were waiting, along with authorities, members of Rio society and other personalities.

While meeting the English prince, Princess Maria Beatriz de Orleans e Braganca, daughter of Prince Albert and Princess Don Dona Maritza de Orleans e Braganca, and niece, therefore, of Dom Luiz, Head of the Imperial House of Brazil, and in the company of her friend Maria Teresa Frering, gave a history lesson to Prince Harry about the Empire of Brazil. The Prince was delighted and said he plans to return to Brazil soon.

©Macia Peltier

http://imperiobrasileiro-rs.blogspot.com/ 

Princely Wedding: Paola Orléans-Bragança Sapieha and Tinko Czetwertynski

 From our friend Astrid Bodstein in Brazil, we received last January news of the engagement of Princess Paoloa d'Orléans-Bragança Sapieha and Prince Constantin Czetwertynski, both scions of prominent Polish princely families with vast European connections.

Now we receive news that the couple had a private civil wedding celebrated in Brussels and only attended by their closest family members and intimate circle of friends.

Paola, a model, and Constantin, also known as "Tinko", a photographer, plan to divide their time between Brazil, where Paola was raised, and Paris, where Tinko has lived for some time.  Prince Tinko was born and raised in Brussels.


Princess Paola and Prince Tinko plan to have a large party next year in Petropolis and Paraty, two Braziians locations with deep connections to Paola's family.

Paola is the daughter of Princess Maria Cristina d'Orléans-Bragança, and her former husband, Prince Jan Pawel Sapieha-Rozanski. Paola's maternal grandparents were both paragons of royal virtue, discretion and elegance: Prince dom Pedro Gastão d'Orléans-Bragança, the oldest brother of the late Countess of Paris and the late Duchess of Bragança, and Princess María de la Esperanza of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, whose siblings include, among others: the late Countess of Barcelona, Princess Dolores Czartoryski and the Infante don Alfonso of Spain, claimant to the royal throne of the Two Sicilies.

Prince Constantin is the younger son of Prince Michael Swiatolpolk-Czetwertynski and his first wife, Kristina Sigurdsson.

http://colunas.revistaepoca.globo.com/brunoastuto/2012/03/14/o-casamento-secreto-dos-principes/