Congratulations to the princely couple...and may they soon give Monaco some heirs!
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Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Princely Monaco – First year Anniversary
The princely palace has released an official photo on the occasion of the first wedding anniversary of Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene. The Prince commented, "We are truly happy and I still feel that it was yesterday. I am very impressed with what my wife has accomplished in the last year, creating her foundation dedicated to children and sport, while being involved in her new role in Monaco. She has accomplished brilliantly a difficult mission."
Congratulations to the princely couple...and may they soon give Monaco some heirs!
Congratulations to the princely couple...and may they soon give Monaco some heirs!
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall visit the Isles of Scilly
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall visit the Isles of Scilly
3rd July 2012
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall defied foul weather in Cornwall today to make their second visit to the Isles of Scilly in three years.
Once on the island the weather lifted with just a light drizzle and mist remaining around the harbour.
Their Royal Highness's visit comes on day two of their annual summer visit to Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
It gave The Duchess of Cornwall, a well-known animal lover, the chance to visit the only vet's surgery on the island of St. Mary's.
The practice looks after animals ranging from dolphins and seals to domestic dogs and cats and even stick insects.
The Duchess was shown around by Dr Heike Dorn who has worked on the islands for six years and met her rescue dog - a three-legged lurcher called Padme.
During the visit a woman brought in a 12-year-old Khaki Campbell duck called Jemima for a check-up, and the bird seemed a little overcome by all the attention.
Dr Dorn, who lives above the surgery, said: "It was a lovely, lovely visit.
"We talked about what kind of animals I look after, which is quite a wide variety, and she also met my dog, Padme, who she liked very much.
Continue reading...http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/newsandgallery/news/the_prince_of_wales_and_duchess_of_cornwall_visit_the_isles__1985102108.html
Sunday, July 1, 2012
+ Fürst Heinrich IV Reuß (1919-2012)
Fürst Heinrich IV Reuß (Köstritz), Head of House, passed away on 20 June 2012. The prince was in his 93th year of life and at the time of death was surrounded by his children.
Heinrich IV was the son of Prince Heinrich XXXIX (1891-1946) and of his wife the former Countess Antonia zu Castell-Castell (1896-1971). He was born at the family estate, Schloß Ernstbrunn on 26 October 1919. He was the eldest child of his parents and was joined by five other siblings: Heinrich VI (1922-1942), killed in the battle of Stalingrad; Amadea (b. 1923), who married Reinhold Sachs (1922-1989); Gertrud (1924-2011), who married Henri Grand d'Esnon (1918-2004); Heinrich VII (b. 1927-2002), with descendants; and Elisabeth (b. 1931), who married Peter Coleman (1928-2001).
Both of Heinrich IV's paternal grandparents were Reußs, as were the parents of his paternal grandfather. One of his aunts was Queen Eleonore of Bulgaria (1860-1917), second wife of King Ferdinand I of Bulgaria (1861-1948).
This branch of the Reuß princely family owned estates in Thuringia, an area of Germany that ended under Communist control after 1945. All those lands were confiscated and lost. The Reußs land holdings in Austria, centered around Schloß Ernstbrunn, their summer residence, remained under family control.
In 1954 Heinrich IV married Princess Marie Louis zu Salm-Horstmar (b. 1918), the youngest child of Fürst Otto II zu Salm-Horstmar and of his wife the former Countess Rosa Solms-Baruth, an aunt of Countess Viktoria Adelheid zu Solms-Baruth, the late mother of Prince andreas of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha. Heinrich IV and Marie Louise were the parents of four children: Heinrich XIV (b. 1955), who now succeeds his father as Head of House and Fürst Reuß, and is married to the former Baroness Johanna Raitz von Frentz (b. 1971); Johanetta (b. 1957), a Protestant Minister; Caroline (b. 1959), who is married to Baron Carl Philipp von Hohenbühel get Heufler zu Rasen (b. 1957), and Espérance (b. 1962), who is widowed from Count Johannes Kinsky von Wchinitz u. Tettau (1964-2008), a nephew of Fürstin Marie-Aglaë of Liechtenstein.
Fürst Geinrich IV was quite successful in reclaiming lands expropriated by the Communists. " Thus closes a circle," Heinrich XIV said. . "Thus closes a circle," said his son. The Reuß family never lost its connection to their ancestral lands and always hoped to regain their control. That finally came to be after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. "For my father it was a happy return, when he could come to Thuringia in 1990 and visit his home again," remember the late Heinrich IV's son. That same year the Princes of Reuß began a land and forestry operation in their old lands. These properties are located around the city of Gera and the area of Bad Löbenstein. In fact, Heinrich IV was very successful in fulfilling his restitution claims to expropriated property. As he was born in Austria, Heinrich IV was exempted from a law that made it difficult for German-born property-owners to reclaim expropriated real estate lost after the Second World War. Many of the claims have been completed successfully, more remain in dispute, but it is quite likely that the princely family will succeed in these as well.
The late prince was also an avid hunter, as well as a keen musician.
Prince Heinrich XIL now becomes Head of House and his only son, Heinrich XXIX, becomes Hereditary Prince Reuß zu Köstritz.
http://www.tlz.de/startseite/detail/-/specific/Der-letzte-Fuerst-Reuss-ist-mit-fast-93-Jahren-verstorben-1993574247
Fürst Heinrich IV Reuß
(1919-2012)
Fürst Heinrich IV Reuß attending a royal wedding in Germany.
©Stig Nielsen for Eurohistory Magazine
Fürst Heinrich XIV Reuß zu Köstritz and his wife Johanna.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
A Constitutional Mess in Liechtenstein
From his ancient schloss, dramatically perched on a clifftop high above his tiny capital city Vaduz, the Crown Prince of Liechtenstein rules his subjects as one of Europe's last truly powerful monarchs.
On Sunday he will find out if that is to end, when the result of a hard-fought referendum is announced on whether to cut his power.
The prince himself has warned that he might withdraw from his official duties if the vote goes against him - a threat, made in parliament, which many understood to mean that he and his family would pack up and leave for exile, with their wealth of around £3 billion.
Since the campaign took off, Prince Alois has rarely been seen in Vaduz, which lies directly below his castle with its fabulous views across the Rhine to snow-covered Alpine peaks.
Liechtensteiners often used to bump into him in its streets, with his wife Princess Sophie and their four children, shopping or drinking coffee in one of the little cafes sandwiched between big shiny banks and souvenir shops full of cuckoo clocks, where he is on first name terms with many of them. The familiarity does not go the other way - "Your Serene Highness" is what they call him.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
German Princely Alliance – Sublime Wedding in the Late Summer 2012
Prince Dominik zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg (b. 1983), youngest son of Füst Aloys-Konstantin and of his wife, the former Princess Anastasia of Prussia, will marry Countess Olga zu Castell-Rüdenhausen, daughter of Fürst Johann-Friedrich and of his wife, the former Countess maria von Schönborn-Wiessentheid.
Both Bride and Groom are closely related to the Head of House Prussia, Prince Georg Friedrich, whose wedding they attended together last August 2011.
Prince Dominik's mother, Anastasia, is the daughter of the late Prince Hubertus of Prussia and his second wife, the late Princess Magdalena Reuß. Prince Hubertus was the third son of Crown Prince Wilhelm of Prussia and of his wife Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, who were the parents of Prince Louis Ferdinand (1907-1994), grandfather of Prince Georg Friedrich (b. 1976), Head of House Prussia.
Countess Olga's father is the son of the late Fürst Siegfried (1916-2007) and of his late wife, the former Countess Irene zu Solms-Laubach (1925-2006), whose brother Count Otto (1926-1973) was the husband of Princess Madeleine zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, herself the sister of Fürst Richard (married to Princess Benedikte of Denmark) and of Princess Tatiana, the former wife of Landgraf Moritz of Hesse. Fürst Johann-Friedrich is the brother of Duchess Donata of Oldenburg, the mother of Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia, her only son from her marriage to Prince Louis Ferdinand Jr. of Prussia. Donata's first husband died tragically and many years later she remarried Duke Friedrich August of Oldenburg, who was divorced from Princess Marie cecile of Prussia, Louis Ferdinand Jr.'s sister.
Prince Dominik's paternal aunts also made fantastic marriages. Fürst Aloys-Konstantin has six sisters, four of them married titled husbands. Princess Maria married Archduke Joseph Arpad of Austria, while her sister Christianne married Archduke Michael, Joseph Arpad's younger brother. Princess Josephine married Prince Alexander of Liechtenstein, who died earlier this year after more than five decades of marriage. Princess Lioba is married, since 1969, to Fürst Moritz zu Oettingen-Oettingen und Oettingen-Wallerstein. Princesses Monika and Elisabeth-Alexandra married Spanish aristocrats. However, Monika is the mother of the former Maria del Pilar Méndez de Vigo, wife of Duke Paul-Friedrich of Oldenburg, the son of Duke Friedrich August and Marie Cecile of Oldenburg. Let's not forget that María del Pilar's older brother, Carlos Manuel, is married to Princess Katharina of Hohenberg, whose sister Margarete is the wife of Archduke Joseph Carl of Austria, eldest son of Joseph Arpad and Maria of Austria.
The link with the Schönborn-Wiessentheids is equally important. The Bride's mother is the duaghter of the late Count Karl and of his wife, the former Graziella Alvares Pereira de Melo, a Portuguese aristocrat descended from a leading family from that former kingdom. Furthermore, the former Countess Maria is the first cousin of the former Countess Gabriele, who is the wife of Fürst Alexander zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn. Gabriele's mother, the late Princess Helene of Thurn und Taxis, herself a first cousin of the late Fürst Johannes of Thurn und Taxis.
To say that genealogically-speaking this union is sublime, does not begin to illustrate its true meaning. Old Gotha matrons flipping through the pages of the Almanach de Gotha, could not have formed a better alliance!
The official newspaper of the Castell-Rüdenhausen region recently announced that the civil wedding will take place in late September at Rüdenhausen, while the religious ceremony will take place in Portugal on 6 October 2012.
Both Bride and Groom are closely related to the Head of House Prussia, Prince Georg Friedrich, whose wedding they attended together last August 2011.
Prince Dominik's mother, Anastasia, is the daughter of the late Prince Hubertus of Prussia and his second wife, the late Princess Magdalena Reuß. Prince Hubertus was the third son of Crown Prince Wilhelm of Prussia and of his wife Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, who were the parents of Prince Louis Ferdinand (1907-1994), grandfather of Prince Georg Friedrich (b. 1976), Head of House Prussia.
Countess Olga's father is the son of the late Fürst Siegfried (1916-2007) and of his late wife, the former Countess Irene zu Solms-Laubach (1925-2006), whose brother Count Otto (1926-1973) was the husband of Princess Madeleine zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, herself the sister of Fürst Richard (married to Princess Benedikte of Denmark) and of Princess Tatiana, the former wife of Landgraf Moritz of Hesse. Fürst Johann-Friedrich is the brother of Duchess Donata of Oldenburg, the mother of Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia, her only son from her marriage to Prince Louis Ferdinand Jr. of Prussia. Donata's first husband died tragically and many years later she remarried Duke Friedrich August of Oldenburg, who was divorced from Princess Marie cecile of Prussia, Louis Ferdinand Jr.'s sister.
Prince Dominik's paternal aunts also made fantastic marriages. Fürst Aloys-Konstantin has six sisters, four of them married titled husbands. Princess Maria married Archduke Joseph Arpad of Austria, while her sister Christianne married Archduke Michael, Joseph Arpad's younger brother. Princess Josephine married Prince Alexander of Liechtenstein, who died earlier this year after more than five decades of marriage. Princess Lioba is married, since 1969, to Fürst Moritz zu Oettingen-Oettingen und Oettingen-Wallerstein. Princesses Monika and Elisabeth-Alexandra married Spanish aristocrats. However, Monika is the mother of the former Maria del Pilar Méndez de Vigo, wife of Duke Paul-Friedrich of Oldenburg, the son of Duke Friedrich August and Marie Cecile of Oldenburg. Let's not forget that María del Pilar's older brother, Carlos Manuel, is married to Princess Katharina of Hohenberg, whose sister Margarete is the wife of Archduke Joseph Carl of Austria, eldest son of Joseph Arpad and Maria of Austria.
The link with the Schönborn-Wiessentheids is equally important. The Bride's mother is the duaghter of the late Count Karl and of his wife, the former Graziella Alvares Pereira de Melo, a Portuguese aristocrat descended from a leading family from that former kingdom. Furthermore, the former Countess Maria is the first cousin of the former Countess Gabriele, who is the wife of Fürst Alexander zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn. Gabriele's mother, the late Princess Helene of Thurn und Taxis, herself a first cousin of the late Fürst Johannes of Thurn und Taxis.
To say that genealogically-speaking this union is sublime, does not begin to illustrate its true meaning. Old Gotha matrons flipping through the pages of the Almanach de Gotha, could not have formed a better alliance!
The official newspaper of the Castell-Rüdenhausen region recently announced that the civil wedding will take place in late September at Rüdenhausen, while the religious ceremony will take place in Portugal on 6 October 2012.
Prince Dominik zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg and Countess Olga zu Castell-Rüdenhausen at the wedding of Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia and Princess Sophie zu Isenburg (Potsdam August 2012). Photo by Anuschka Becker.
Announcement at castellrudenhausen.de
Monday, June 25, 2012
Happy-Go-Lucky Aristocrat Gone Yonder!
It was reported over the weekend that colorful aristocrat, Robin Grinnell-Milne de La Lanne-Mirrlees, passed away at the age of 87 years old.
Robin, who had a penchant for changing his name as often as he traded in mistresses, was born Robin Ian Evelyn Grinnell-Milne, the son of Captain Duncan Grennell-Milne and French Countess Frances de La Lanne. With time and after countless legal name changes, Robin decided to begin calling himself a Count Grinnell-Milne de La Lanne-Mirrlees, not that he had the right to do so, mind you.
His dalliances were legendary and among his conquests were Fiona Campbell-Walker, who eventually married Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza, and became the mother of Archduchess Francesca, estranged wife of Archduke Karl of Austria, Head of House.
Another of Robin's loves was Duchess Margarethe of Württemberg, the eldest daughter of Duke Albrecht Eugen of Württemberg (1895-1954) and his wife Princess Nadedja of Bulgaria (1899-1958). As it turns out, Margarethe became pregnant by Robin and in the early 1960s traveled to San Francisco where she was delivered of a baby boy, Patrick Grinnell-Milne de La Lanne-Mirrlees, who was born in 1962. The child was given up to a foster mother and in time setled in Germany where he serves as Mayor of the Town of Delmenhorst, near Bremen. Patrick married Irene Auer in 1988 and has three children by her. Whether he is contact with his birth family is something to pertains to the private realm.
The attached obituary describes Robin as a "descendant of King Louis Philippe" but unless he is so through an illegitimate line, that connection escapes me. Margarethe certainly is an Orléans descendant as her Bulgarian grandfather, King Ferdinand I, was himself the youngest grandson of King Louis Philippe of the French and Queen Marie Amelie.
Further reading...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2164294/Dashing-Scottish-aristocrat-bed-hopping-ways-inspiration-James-Bond-dies-aged-87.html
http://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2008/10/german-mayor-has-royal-connections.html
Robin, who had a penchant for changing his name as often as he traded in mistresses, was born Robin Ian Evelyn Grinnell-Milne, the son of Captain Duncan Grennell-Milne and French Countess Frances de La Lanne. With time and after countless legal name changes, Robin decided to begin calling himself a Count Grinnell-Milne de La Lanne-Mirrlees, not that he had the right to do so, mind you.
His dalliances were legendary and among his conquests were Fiona Campbell-Walker, who eventually married Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza, and became the mother of Archduchess Francesca, estranged wife of Archduke Karl of Austria, Head of House.
Another of Robin's loves was Duchess Margarethe of Württemberg, the eldest daughter of Duke Albrecht Eugen of Württemberg (1895-1954) and his wife Princess Nadedja of Bulgaria (1899-1958). As it turns out, Margarethe became pregnant by Robin and in the early 1960s traveled to San Francisco where she was delivered of a baby boy, Patrick Grinnell-Milne de La Lanne-Mirrlees, who was born in 1962. The child was given up to a foster mother and in time setled in Germany where he serves as Mayor of the Town of Delmenhorst, near Bremen. Patrick married Irene Auer in 1988 and has three children by her. Whether he is contact with his birth family is something to pertains to the private realm.
The attached obituary describes Robin as a "descendant of King Louis Philippe" but unless he is so through an illegitimate line, that connection escapes me. Margarethe certainly is an Orléans descendant as her Bulgarian grandfather, King Ferdinand I, was himself the youngest grandson of King Louis Philippe of the French and Queen Marie Amelie.
Further reading...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2164294/Dashing-Scottish-aristocrat-bed-hopping-ways-inspiration-James-Bond-dies-aged-87.html
http://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2008/10/german-mayor-has-royal-connections.html
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Majority of Serbs Support Return of the Monarchy
Renowned Serbian news outlet, Blic, did a nationwide survey and asked Serbians their opinion on the future role of the monarchy.
About 64% of those polled support a return of the institution in the person of Crown Prince Alexander!
About 64% of those polled support a return of the institution in the person of Crown Prince Alexander!
Reform in Luxembourg's Succession Laws
In future, the first-born child of the Grand Ducal couple, whether boy or girl will be able to accede to the throne, the royal household announced on Friday.
The announcement comes just a year after the Grand Ducal household announced it was revising the “Pacte de famille” of the Luxembourg-Nassau house.
Grand Duke Henri, as head of the family, had started the procedure on June 23 last year, which came to a close in June 2012.
While the move signals a modernisation of the royal household, it also bears witness to the Grand Duchesses, who previously ruled the country. In 1912 Grand Duke William IV ruled that his daughter Marie-Adelaïde should take the throne. With six daughters, but no sons, he wanted to preempt a succession crisis by the move.
When Marie-Adelaïde abdicated in 1919, her sister Charlotte succeeded her, becoming a symbol of national unity during the Second World War, which saw her exiled from Luxembourg during the Nazi occupation.
The revision will not affect the current order of succession.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Treasures, Princely Taste
A video about Sotheby's next royal sale, PRINCELY TASTE, filled with amazing treasures!
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/2012/treasures-princely-taste-l12307/videos.html?cmp=L12307_0712_3_EXHexample2
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/2012/treasures-princely-taste-l12307/videos.html?cmp=L12307_0712_3_EXHexample2
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