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.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/liechtenstein/9366747/Prince-of-Liechtenstein-threatens-to-leave-after-vote-on-his-powers.html

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.

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

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

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!

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.

http://www.wort.lu/en/view/gender-equality-in-luxembourg-throne-succession-rights-4fe4891ae4b0c152a04deb4c

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

Return of the Kings...Eastern Europe

A specter is haunting Europe—and pace Marx, it is the specter of monarchy. Whenever a ceremony of any sort is performed for or by a deposed ruling family’s members—as has happened in the past few years in France, Germany, and Austria—there is sure to be whining in the media and among the political caste.

This is understandable, since the latter are the heirs of those who seized power and aim to keep it forever—regardless of what their subjects might want. Sundry triumphant pols passed laws forbidding the physical return of royal heirs to their nations—even as visitors. One by one, however, these measures were voided until the European Court tossed out the last of them and allowed the House of Savoy to return to Italy.

The entrenched political class feared that once back, the royals might regain some of their property. To avoid this, recourse was had in several countries (most notably Austria) to the kind of legal chicanery we Americans are used to with the Supreme Court. But the dominant classes’ apprehensions were fulfilled in all the Balkan countries—heretofore exposed to the reductio ad absurdum of “democracy” in the form of exquisitely brutal communist regimes.

 

“So steeped have we become in the politics of envy that the government robbing a rich man—better still, an ex-reigning sovereign—will bring joy to many.”

With the exception of Greece, which with Anglo-American help had avoided its sister countries’ red servitude, the populations of the formerly Marxist region welcomed back their former monarchs (or their heirs) with open arms—going so far as to reverse the theft of much of their former property. The Balkan royals began once again to play supporting roles in their homelands’ public life. Simeon II of Bulgaria was perhaps the most successful. Acting as the focus of a grassroots political movement, he was elected prime minister in 2001.

Continue reading... http://takimag.com/article/return_of_the_kings_charles_coulombe/print#ixzz1yDE3kWAg

King Simeon II of the Bulgarians, Crown Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia,

King Michael I of Romania and King Constantine II of the Hellenes.

Royal Wedding in House Parma

On Saturday 16 June the Marchioness of Sala, Princess Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Parma, married Albert Ludgerus Brenninkmeijer.

The wedding mass was celebrated at San Miniato al Monte at 12.30pm. It was followed by a  cocktail at the Albergo of Piazza del Carminem then dinner and dancing at the Villa I Collazzi.

 The Groom is scion to a leading Dutch family.

The Bride is one of the two daughters of the late Duke of Parma and his wife, Princess Irene of the Netherlands.

The Marchioness of Sala and her husband.

Princess Irene of the Netherlands and her son the Duke of Parma.

Albert Ludgerus Brenninkmeijer.

The Marchioness of Sala.

The Other Grand Dukes – Nears Shipping to Printing!

The last few weeks here at Eurohistory have been rather busy. Not only were ERHJ Issues 85-86 mailed to all our subscribers (mailing was completed last Tuesday), but I have been busily putting the finishing touches on our newest book THE OTHER GRAND DUKES – Sons and Grandsons of Russia's Grand Dukes.

This sequel to our very successful THE GRAND DUKES – Sons and Grandsons of Russia's Tsars contains the biographies of 18 Romanovs from Kirill Vladimirovich to Alexis Mikhailovich, all being children and grandchildren of Romanov Grand Dukes.

The book is divided into seven chapters in which contributors (Janet Aston, Arturo E. Beéche, Coryne Hall, Greg King, John van der Kiste, Marlene Koenig, Penny Wilson) have thoroughly examined the lives of the 18 Romanovs included in this volume. Noted royal legal specialist Charles Stewart contributed an erudite introduction, while HRH Prince Michael of Kent kindly authored the Foreword.

The book spreads through nearly 280 pages. It also includes five family trees and a 24 glossy page photo section filled with amazing images of these Grand Dukes.

THE OTHER GRAND DUKES – Sons and Grandsons of Russia's Grand Dukes is scheduled to head to printing in about two weeks (hopefully sooner) and we expect to begin selling copies by the end of July!

Also, ERHJ LXXXVII (June 2012) is under construction and will mail as scheduled at the beginning of July!

The Queen's Granddaughter An Olympian

Zara Philipps, The Queen's second grandchild, has qualified to compete in the upcoming London Olympic Games!

New Online Bookshop at Eurohistory.com!

The launch of our new online bookstore took place this afternoon!

You can visit the online bookstore at:

http://eurohistory.com/theshop/

We hope that the new site will make it easier for cyber clients to navigate our catalogue, as well as having an easier time during the checkout process.

A new incentive is our ability to now offer Paypal as a payment method upon checkout!

No more cumbersome Gloogecheckout!

Come visit us and enjoy!

Princely Wedding in House Liechtenstein

Count Clemens Hoyos and princess Sophie von und zu Liechtenstein will marry this Saturday near Klagenfurt.

Princess Sophie is the youngest child of Prince Eugen and Princess Maria Theresia (née Countess von Goeß).

The groom, Count Clemens, is the youngest son of Count Martin Hoyos (b. 1947) and of his wife Countess Isabel von Seefried auf Buttenheim (b. 1949).

Princess Sophie's future mother-in-law is the daughter of Count Franz Joseph von Seefried auf Buttenheim (1905-1969), himself the son of Princess Elisabeth of Bavaria (1874-1957) and of Count Otto von Seefried auf Buttenheim (1870-1951. Princess Elisabeth was the first granddaughter of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria and of his wife Elisabeth (née Duchess in Bavaria).

Prince William, Born to be King, Review by Coryne Hall

http://royalreadingcorner.blogspot.com/2012/06/prince-william-born-to-be-king-review.html

M – 40 a pa tronen, book review by Coryne Hall

http://royalreadingcorner.blogspot.com/2012/06/m-40-pa-tronen-m.html

A Cousinly Visit to Romania

Crown Princess Margarita and Prince Radu of Romania hosted at Bucharest's Elisabetta Palace three of their Tuscan cousins.

The guests were Archduchess Maria Magdalena of Austria-Tuscany and her husband Baron Hans von Holzhausen, and Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria-Tuscany. Both Maria Magdalena and Elisabeth are daughters of the late Princess Ileana of Romania, herself the youngest daughter of King Ferdinand I and Queen Marie.

The Tuscan cousins also happen to be among the owners of beautiful Castle Bran, a domain returned to the m by the Romanian authorities. Bran was the private property of Princess Ileana, but was expropriated as " Crown Property" by the Communists in 1948. After a long, and successful legal battle, Ileana's descendants succeeding in having their mother's real estate restored to them. Bran is now administered by Archduke Dominik, a brother of Maria Magdalena and Elisabeth.

The Tuscan archduchesses are first cousins of King Michael I of Romania, as was King Peter II of Yugoslavia...all being grandchildren of King Ferdinand and Queen Marie. King Michael's maternal first cousins include: the late Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia (wife of King Peter II), Queen Sophie of Spain, King Constantine II of the Hellenes, and the Duke of Savoy, among others.

Our deep thanks to Prince Radu for sharing these wonderful images on his blog!

http://www.princeradublog.ro/jurnal/fiicele-principesei-ileana-la-palatul-elisabeta/

 Archduchess Elisabeth, Crown Princess Margarita and Archduchess Maria Magdalena.

Archduchess Maria Magdalena and Archduchess Elisabeth.

Baron Hans von Holzhausen, Crown Princess Margarita, Archduchess Elisabeth,
Archduchess Maria Magdalena and Prince Radu.

Prince Radu greeting Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria-Tuscany.

Planting a tree in the garden of the Elisabetta Palace.

The Duke of Edinburgh at 91!

What would the English press be without the shower of gaffes The Duke of Edinburgh provides them with?

Here is a little hilarity:

1 After being told that Madonna was singing the Die Another Day theme in 2002: “Are we going to need ear plugs?”

2 To a car park attendant who didn’t recognise him in 1997, he snapped: “You bloody silly fool!”

3 To Simon Kelner, republican editor of The Independent, at Windsor Castle reception: “What are you doing here?” “I was invited, sir.” Philip: “Well, you didn’t have to come.”

4 To female sea cadet last year: “Do you work in a strip club?”

5 To expats in Abu Dhabi last year: “Are you running away from something?”

6 After accepting a conservation award in Thailand in 1991: “Your country is one of the most notorious centres of trading in endangered species.”

7 At a project to protect turtle doves in Anguilla in 1965, he said: “Cats kill far more birds than men. Why don’t you have a slogan: ‘Kill a cat and save a bird?’”

8 To multi-ethnic Britain’s Got Talent 2009 winners Diversity: “Are you all one family?”

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/prince-philip-quotes-relive-90-133848

©Reuters

Royal Baptism in House Savoy

A Press Release from the Italian Monarchist Union – Translated by Arturo Beéche.

On Friday, June 8, 2012 was baptized in the Basilica of San Marco in Milan, SAR Prince Amedeo of Savoy, the second son of TRH Prince Aimone of Savoy, Duke of Aosta and Apulia, and Princess Olga of Greece.

The Little Prince has received from his father, who claims Headship of House Savoy, the title of Duke of the Abruzzi, a title that was last born in 1933 by the famous explorer Prince Luigi Amedeo of Savoy-Aosta.

Prince Amedeo was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine (Paris) on May 24, 2011.

The Basilica of San Marco houses the celebrated organ Antegnati, also played by Mozart, and in 1874 was the site of the first performance of Verdi's Messa da Requiem in memory of Alessandro Manzoni.

Present at this happy event were: HRH Prince Amedeo, Duke of Savoy, with his wife HRH Princess Silvia of Savoy, HRH Prince Aimone of Savoy, Duke of Aosta and Duke of Apulia, with his wife HRH Princess Olga of Greece, HRH Princess Claudia d'Orléans (the baby's paternal grandmother), HRH Prince Umberto of Savoy, Prince of Piedmont, SAR Princess Mafalda of Savoy with her children, HIRH Archduchess Margherita of Austria-Este, daughter of the Third Duke of Aosta, and the maternal grandparents of the little prince, HRH Prince Michael of Greece and his wife Princess Marina of Greece. Joining in the baptism festivities were also some other members and descendants of noble families, and some of the European Royal Houses closely intertwined with the baptized.

The baptism was celebrated by the pastor of the Basilica of San Marco, Don Luigi Testore. The godparents are: Princess Mafalda of Savoy and Princess Marina of Greece, as well as George Antaki, a family friend.

HRH the Duke of Abruzzi was baptized with the names Amadeus, in honor of his grandfather, and Michel, in honor of his maternal grandfather.

At this important moment in the life of the Italian royal family were also present several personalities including the Italian Monarchist Union (UMI) national secretary Sergio Boschiero, the UMI Coordinator for Monza Fabio Fazzari, Professor Marco Grandi and Professor Salvatore Bordolani di Pirato.

The editor of the Yearbook of Italian Nobility, the heraldist Andrea Borella, has given to Prince Aimone the coat of arms for the little Duke of Abruzzi. The newly christened Prince of Savoy is the fourth in line of succession to the throne of Italy after his grandfather, Prince Amedeo of Savoy, Head of the Italian Royal Family and Duke of Savoy, the father Prince Aimone of Savoy, Duke of Aosta and Duke of Apulia, and the elder brother Prince Umberto, Prince of Piedmont.

The Italian monarchists rejoice together with the Royal Family, now that the three generations of the glorious House of Savoy are more than ever an option for the future of our country.

http://www.monarchia.it/attivitasvolte_battesimo.html

Princess Marina of Greece and Princess Mafalda of Savoy-Aosta 

The Duke of Aosta and Apulia and his son Prince Umberto with Mr. Sergio Boschero. 

The Duke of Aosta and Apulkia and his son Prince Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi. 

Princess Claude d'Orléans. 

The Duke of the Abruzzi. 

The Prince of Piedmont. 

 Princess Claude d'Orléans, The Duke of Savoy, The Duchess of Savoy, Archduchess Margherita of Austria-Este.

 Princess Marina of Greece with her grandson Umberto, Princess Mafalda of Savoy-Aosta, The Duke and Duchess of Aosta and Apulia holding their son.

 Princess Claude d'Orléans, The Duke of Savoy, The Duchess of Savoy, Archduchess Margherita of Austria-Este. Ithe gentleman next to Princess Claude is her longtime companion)

Princess Mafalda of Savoy-Aosta, The Duke and Duchess of Aosta and Apulia holding their son. 

 Princess Marina of Greece with her grandson Umberto, Princess Mafalda of Savoy-Aosta, The Duke and Duchess of Aosta and Apulia while the priest baptizes Prince Amedeo. 

Princess Mafalda of Savoy-Aosta, The Duke of Aosta and Apulia. 

The Queen – A Photographic Retrospective

For all our readers on this happy day, enjoy looking through these images of Her Majesty's long prosperous life!

Regards, Arturo Beéche