EUROHISTORY: Cover of Issue CVII – October 2015

Since we started working on the October Issue of Eurohistory, I am pleased to share with you what the cover will look like!

Inside, readers will find several articles, among them:

1. The Memoirs of Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, by Arturo Beéche.

2. Princess Catherine Radziwill, by Greg King and Janet Ashton.

3. Royal Nurses, by Coryne Hall.

4. The Wedding of the Duke of Gloucester, by Marlene Eilers Koenig.

5. Obituary: The Duke of Calabria, by Ricardo Mateos Saínz de Medrano.

6. Obituary: Prince Armin zur Lippe.

7. A Visit to St Petersburg. By Katrina Warne.

Plus a few others...

If you wish to subscribe, you can do so here:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YFZCRLQ

Also .... On November 7-8, 2015, Royalty Watchers gather in The Hague for the Third Royal Gatherings Conference sponsored by Hoogstraten English Bookstiore and Eurohistory.

Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha will join us for the official presentation of his memoirs!

Our newest book is now selling on AMAZON...check it out!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1944207015

We hope to see you there!

+ HRH Infante don Carlos of Borbón-Dos Sicilias, Duke of Calabria (1938-2015)

Quite sad to have learned the news yesterday of the passing of the Infante don Carlos, who was a truly delightful man and the personification of politeness.

My condolences to his widow and their descendants...

http://www.elmundo.es/loc/2015/10/05/5612b46dca474107318b459b.html

http://kioskoymas.abc.es/noticias/espana/20151006/sevp-muere-infante-carlos-primo-20151006.html

http://us.hola.com/realeza/casa_espanola/2015100681364/fallece-carlos-de-borbon-dos-sicilias/

HM King Juan Carlos and Infante don Carlos.

Eurohistory's book on the Bourbon-Two Sicilies family is now selling:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1944207015

+ Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia (1939-2015)

The Secretariat of HIH Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia announced the death of his uncle Prince Friedrich Wilhelm on September 29, 2015.

Born in 1939, Prince Friedrich Wilhelm was the firstborn child of Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia and of his wife Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna of Russia. The baby was born in Berlin on February 10. War having started later tat year, Louis Ferdinand became concerned over his family's safety. He later relocated to Eastern Prussia, where at Schloß Cadinen the family found peace and quiet. In fact, Kira Kirillovna gave birth to two of her children while there.

When the Red Army broke through German defenses, Louis Ferdinand and Kira migrated westward and reached Bad Kissingen, where they lived for a short while. Eventually, they moved to the vicinity of Bremen, where they lived permanently.

Friedrich Wilhelm's parents hoped that their son would make a remarkable dynastic marriage, thus fulfilling his duty as the future Head of the Royal House of Prussia. Unfortunately, he was to disappoint his parents.

In August 1967, much to the distress of his parents, Friedrich Wilhelm married Waltraud Freydag (1940-2010). The marriage, for obvious reasons, was considered morganatic. The following Spring, Friedrich Wilhelm and Waltraud welcomed their only son, Philipp (who is now a Protestant minister). Sadly, a little over two weeks after her eldest child's unconventional marriage, Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna suffered a massive heart attack while visiting her brother Grand Duke Wladimir Kirillovich at his home in St. Briac. There were those who blame Kira's untimely death on her wayward son. Whichever the reason, her death was a terrible loss to Prince Louis Ferdinand, who was devoted to Kira. He never remarried and survived his wife until his death in 1994.

Much like most of his brothers, Prince Friedrich Wilhelm worked in several industries without truly achieving much. It was as if the legacy he rejected pursued him the rest of his life.

Marriage to Waltraud eventually collapsed and the couple divorced in 1971. Five years later, Friedrich Wilhelm remarried, his second wife being Ehrengard von Reden. This was also considered a morganatic union. They had three children (Friedrich Wilhelm, Viktoria Luise and Joachim). Unfortunately, this marriage also ended in divorce early in 2004. By then, Friedrich Wilhelm was already involved with Sibylle Kretschmer, whom he married promptly and as soon as his divorce was official. Sibylle survives he husband.

Prince Friedrich Wilhelm is notable for the various books he authored about his family. He is also, perhaps less notable, for the long, and failed, legal action he started against his nephew Georg Friedrich. Friedrich Wilhelm and his late brother Michael wanted to regain control of the family's fortune, which they had forsaken upon marrying morganatically during their father's tenure of headship of house. Of course, neither prince dared start such an action during their father's lifetime. They would not have dared do so. But the moment their nephew succeeded, they lost little time in heading to the courts. Luckily for the current Head of House Prussia, the German courts sided with him and in detriment of his uncles.

Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia is survived by his third wife, four children and seven grandchildren.

May he rest in Peace ...

New book for sale – ROYAL EXILES IN CANNES: The Bourbons of the Two Sicilies of the Villa Marie Therese!

Finally here and available for immediate delivery!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1944207015

ERHJ Issue CVI Nearly Ready!

Dear ERHJ Subscribers and ERHJ Blog visitors,

As we prepare to meet here for our 18th Royal Gatherings in San Francisco Royal Conference, I am delighted to share with you news about EUROHISTORY!

Issue CV (June 2015) was finally delivered this afternoon!

We begin mailing the magazine on Monday!

Also, we are nearly finished with Issue CVI (August 2015), which we will mail to the printer on Tuesday!

Inside EUROHISTORY CVI, Volume 18.4 (August 2015), we have included the following articles:

1. The Longest-reigning British Monarch  – HM The Queen, by Katrina Warne.

2. The Best King Bavaria Never Had – Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria (Part II), by Coryne Hall.

3. Who Is In the Photograph – The Kents, by Ilana D. Miller.

4. Beatriz, Jaime and Juan – Spanish Royal Marriages in 1935, by Marlene Eilers Koenig.

5. Perfect Liar – The Extraordinary Life of Princess Catherine Radziwill, by Greg King and Janet Ashton.

6. Obituary – HRH the Prince of Tirnovo, by Arturo E. Beéche.

7. Book Reviews, by Coryne Hall.

8. Royal News.

If you wish to subscribe, you can do so at AMAZON:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YFZCRLQ

EUROHISTORY is also available at Hoogstraten English Bookstore in The Hague:

http://www.hoogstraten.nl/theshop/index.php

And at Librairie Galignani in Paris:

http://www.galignani.fr/histoire-de-la-librairie-galignani.php

+ Alexandra, Duchess of Croÿ (1960-2015)

It is with the deepest sadness that I personally communicate to all our readers the untimely death of a dear friend, Alexandra, Duchess of Croÿ.

She was born at Schloß Sünching on July 7, 1960, the daughter of Serafim Miloradovich and of his wife Baroness Agnes von Hoenning O'Carroll. Alexandra's maternal grandfather was Baron Zdenko Hoenning O'Carroll, whose second wife was Princess Adelgunde of Bavaria (1917-2004). Due to this connection, Alexandra and her sisters were raised in close contact with members of the Royal Family of Bavaria. Hence, it came as no surprise that she eventually caught the eye of Hereditary Prince Rudolf of Croÿ, eldest son of Duke Carl and of his wife, Princess Gabriele of Bavaria, one of the many daughters of Crown prince Rupprecht and of his second wife, the former Princess Antonia of Luxembourg. Alexandra's mother-in-law and step-grandmother were first cousins!

Rudolf and Alexandra were married at Schloß Sünching in October 1987. Two years later she gave birth to their first child, Carl-Philipp. Eventually, five other children came along: Xenia, Marc, Heinrich, Alexander and Anastasia. The family lived at Merfeld, near Düllmen. There they built a happy and loving environment in which their children thrived. Alexandra, who was very gregarious, loved having a house full of guests, and in so doing she proved to be an amazing hostess. From the wines she served to the food regaled on us her guests, not to mention the enjoyable repertoire before, during and after dinner, visiting the couple will remain one of my most cherished memories.

I first met Alexandra many years ago at her mother-in-law's home, just a stone's throw from the main house at Merfeld. Princess Gabriele had sent me an invitation to join her and Duke Carl for dinner during an upcoming trip to Europe. We were four at lunch on the day I visited: the Dukes of Croÿ, Hereditary Princess Alexandra and me. During lunch, Alexandra was very interested in my work. Once we finished lunch, she invited me to her home, where we spent hours talking away. From then on, we remained frequent correspondents and I eventually became a guest a her home. One time she even sent to me a paper that one of her sons had written for school. "Please, Arturo, can you double check it, I want to make sure that it is all correct," she said. The paper was excellent and I believe we even published it in the magazine!

My last visit was last year and I never expected that it would be the last time I saw her.

Earlier this year, Alexandra and I talked and she asked when I was going to come visit them next. I promised to come stay right after the Third Royal Gatherings in The Hague (http://erhj.blogspot.com/2015/09/eurohistory-royal-gatherings-in-hague.html).

 I was shocked when I read that she had died yesterday. I am still in quite a bit of a shock, besides terribly saddened at the loss of such an amazingly joyful friend. Her zest for life was unmatched!

Earlier today, I heard from two of her sons. The funeral will be on October 3 at St. Jakobus Church near Düllmen.

Although I will likely be unable to join them, I want to render testimony to the life of a wonderful woman ... I will miss her very, very much. I hope God provides her dear husband and lovely children with the solace and comfort they need as they experience this terrible loss.

My heart and soul are with them...May She Rest in Peace!

EUROHISTORY: New Book: I did it my way ... Memoirs of Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

The long-awaited reminiscences of the Head of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha went to the printer yesterday!

I did it my way ... Memoirs of Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha promises to become one of those books that one "must" have in one's royalty collection. Candid, insightful and filled with family detail, the book is simply fantastic!

The book is 248 pages and has more than 300 photos, countless of them from the private collections of Prince Andreas!

We expect to present the book at our yearly conference in The Netherlands, Royal Gatherings in The Hague, hosted by EUROHISTORY and Hoogstraten English Bookstore. The conference is on November 7-8, 2015 and we expect to count with Prince Andreas' participation!


http://erhj.blogspot.com/2015/09/eurohistory-royal-gatherings-in-hague.html

EUROHISTORY: Royal Gatherings in The Hague

Join us at the 3rd Royal Gatherings in The Hague Conference!

We will gather at the Park Hotel, in The Hague, November 7-8, where nine lectures and a book presentation will take place.

Joining us will be HH Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Arturo Beéche (who helped His Highness in the writing of his memoirs).

I did it my way .... The Memoirs of HH Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha will be presented at the gathering and Prince Andreas and Mr. Beéche will be present to autograph copies!

Join us ... space is limited ... don't delay!

EUROHISTORY NEWS!

NEWS ON OUR PUBLICATIONS!

We sent the magazine's PDF file to the printer in early July. They were expected to send the magazines to us by early August!

Apparently, they had some major press malfunction and they got ridiculously backed up. Not just with Issue 3-2015, but also with the next book, ROYAL EXILES IN CANNES. It has been quite frustrating, but it is what it is!

Issue CV (3-2015) finally shipped to us yesterday. We expect it here by Friday and will begin mailing it immediately!

ROYAL EXILES IN CANNES is expected to ship on September 29 and arrive here some time the week of October 5, a full two months late!

We are busy with the next book, "I did it my way ... " – THE MEMOIRS OF PRINCE ANDREAS OF SAXE-COBURG AND GOTHA, which we released to the printer yesterday and also with Issue CVI (August 2015), which is releasing to the printer in a week!

Never a lazy moment here!

UK: World Photography Day

In honor of World Photography Day, Buckingham Palace has released a Marcus Adams photo of The Queen with the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal. The image dates from the early 1950s.

Enjoy!

https://www.yahoo.com/celebrity/news/queen-elizabeth-prince-charles-princess-060444234.html

©Mario Testino

New Book: The Memoirs of HH Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha!

Today, after several months of diligent research, countless interviews and telephone and face time calls, I have finally finished writing the I did it my way – TheMemoirs of HH Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha.

For the sake of clarity, Prince Andreas is one of my dearest and closest friends. Using years of interviews and countless hours of talks, plus hundreds of pages of notes and private archives, we pieced together a compelling story of a young boy who was taken out of Europe and raised un the United States. Later, when duty beckoned, the young boy now turned into a young man returned home to Germany to take over the legacy that destiny had placed on his strong shoulders.

He is responsible for the rehabilitation of the Coburgs, as well as for setting the dynasty's future on a sound financial course.

The memoirs are a sincere reminiscence of a life dedicated to fulfilling duty and expectations!

I have handed the book over to a few knowledgeable royal watchers and they have all loved it!

Tonight I will start laying text with photos so we can have the book in the hands of our printers by mid-September.

I did it my way – TheMemoirs of HH Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha will be officially presented at this year's ROYAL GATHERINGS in The Hague Conference, a collaboration between Eurohistory and Hoogstraten English Bookstore!

Stay tuned!

UK: Record about to be broken

Interesting reminder than on September 9, 2015, HM The Queen will have sat on the throne longer than her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria!


http://news.yahoo.com/british-queen-poised-record-rallying-troubled-monarchy-070524043.html

Romania: Stunning News, Prince Nicholas Disinherited

In a stunningly shocking decision, King Michael announced that his grandson Prince Nicholas would no longer be "prince" or bear the style of "Royal Highness." Logically, the popular young man has also been removed from the line of succession!

http://www.romaniajournal.ro/first-statements-of-prince-nicolae-after-removal-from-the-line-of-succession/

New Facebook Group: The Bourbons of Europe

To coincide with EUROHISTORY's publication of ROYAL EXILES IN CANNES: The Bourbons of the Two Sicilies of the Villa Marie-Thérèse, we have also created a new facebook group, to which everyone is invited, on the Capetian Dynasty.

This new group will be dedicated to all the various branches of the Bourbon family, from Orléans to Luxembourg and including: France, Spain, Brazil, Parma, Two Sicilies, Bourbon-Busset and Luxembourg.

Join us!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1610930145831679/

New Book: Royal Exiles in Cannes – The Bourbons of the Two Sicilies of the Villa Marie-Thérèse off to print!

This coming week we send to print our latest production, ROYAL EXILES IN CANNES – The Bourbons of the Two Sicilies of the Villa Marie-Thérèse, authored by David McIntosh and Arturo E. Beéche.

The book includes the following contents:

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

Chapter I – Ferdinando I – “Nasone”

Chapter II – Francesco I

Chapter III – Ferdinando II – “King Bomba”

Chapter IV – Francesco II – “A Last Stand at Gaeta”

Chapter V – The Count and Countess of Caserta: Alfonso & Antonietta

Chapter VI – Ferdinando – Duke of Calabria

Chapter VII – Carlos – Infante of Spain

Chapter VIII – Maria Immacolata – Princess Johann Georg of Saxony

Chapter IX – Maria Christina – Archduchess Peter Ferdinand of Austria-Tuscany

Chapter X – Maria Pia – Princess Luiz d’Orléans-Bragança

Chapter XI – Maria Giuseppina

Chapter XII – Gennaro – Count di Villa Colli

Chapter XIII – Ranieri – Duke of Castro

Chapter XIV – Filippo

Chapter XV – Gabriele

Chapter XVI – A Family Photo Album

Family Tree

Bibliography

Index

Handsomely illustrated, ROYAL EXILES IN CANNES has several hundred unique photos of this amazing dynasty, one-time rulers of one of Europe's Mediterranean powers!

This unique book will be presented at the yearly EUROHISTORY Conference, hosted this year in Emeryville, CA, on September 26-27.

EUROHISTORY Volume 18.3 Printing!

After a short delay caused by our newest book (ROYAL EXILES IN CANNES – The Bourbons of the Two Sicilies of the Villa Marie-Thérèse) requiring our full attention, we managed to dispatch Issue CV (Volume 18.3 – June 2015) to print!

We hope our printers will have it back in our hands in their usual five weeks turn-around period!

Inside, readers will find articles on:

Subscription to EUROHISTORY can be purchased on AMAZON at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YFZCRLQ

The Coburgs of Europe (Nearly sold out!)

Hurry...we are down to the last 30 copies of my book on the Coburgs of Europe!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0985460334

New Books (in preparation): Royal Exiles in Cannes & I did it my way ...

New Books: Royal Exiles in Cannes & I did it my way ... (In preparation)

We are extremely busy here at EUROHISTORY. At present we are putting the finishing touches on the 105th Issue of our magazine (Volume 18.3 – With articles by Greg King and Janet Ashton, Marlene Eilers Koenig, Coryne Hall, Ilana D. Miller, etc).

We are also working on three books at the same time, two of them in the layout stage at present: Royal Exiles in Cannes – The Bourbon-Two Sicilies of the Villa Marie Thérèse (by David McIntosh and Arturo E. Beéche) and The Coronation of Tsar Nicholas II (by Greg King and Janet Ashton).

The third book is titled, I did it my way ... The Memoirs of Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha.

Eurohistory plans to publish a book per month this fall, beginning in September!

An ambitious schedule no doubt, but one that we are quite confident that we can meet!

Teasers ahead...

Royal Exiles in Cannes

I did it my way ...

Monaco: Princely Wedding

This weekend Pierre Casiraghi, youngest son of Princess Caroline of Monaco, and thus nephew of Prince Albert II, will wed his longtime girlfriend Beatrice Borromeo, a descendant of one of Italy's most ancient lineages.

Stay tuned for more...

http://www.vanityfair.com/style/2015/07/pierre-casiraghi-beatrice-borromeo-wedding

Summer reading...from Eurohistory!

Looking for some amazing royalty titles to read this summer...look no further than Eurohistory's ever-expanding catalogue, now including more than 20 unique titles!

Don;t delay in placing your order...we ship worldwide and use super fast shipping service!!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aag/main/ref=olp_merch_name_1?ie=UTF8&asin=0985460326&isAmazonFulfilled=0&seller=A3SHUOZBCCEYBL

Serbia: Gala Dinner for Crown Prince Alexander's 70th Birthday!

PRESS RELEASE

Gala dinner for the 70th birthday of HRH Crown Prince Alexander

Belgrade, July 18, 2015 - To celebrate the 70th birthday of His Royal Crown Prince Alexander a Gala Dinner took place this evening at the Royal Palace hosted by Crown Princess Katherine and their children Hereditary Prince Peter, Prince Philip, Prince Alexander, David and Alison; and grandchildren Amanda and Michael for dignitaries from around the world, representatives of political, public and cultural life of our country, members of the Advisory Bodies of the Crown, friends and admirers of the Royal Family.

The birthday celebration was graced by the presence of: Their Majesties King Carl XVI Gustav and Queen Silvia of Sweden (His Majesty is the head of state of Sweden), His Serene Highness Prince Albert of Monaco (head of state of Monaco) in his first visit to Serbia, Her Majesty Queen Mother Sofia of Spain, Their Majesties Czar Simeon II and Czarina Margarita of the Bulgarians, Their Royal Highnesses Crown Princess Margarita and Prince Radu of Romania, His Royal Highness Prince Nikola Petrovic Njegos of Montenegro, Their Royal Highnesses Prince Raad Bin Zaed and Princess Majda Bin Zaed of Jordan, His Royal Highness Prince Ludwig and Princess Marianna of Baden, His Highness Prince Aga Khan Amin, His Royal Highness Prince Nikola (the son of HRH Prince Tomislav), Her Highness Princess Ira of Fürstenberg, His Royal Highness Prince Serge (the son of HRH Prince Alexander), Their Highnesses Prince Pierre and Princess Sylvia d’Arenberg,  Ms. Victoria De Silva (the granddaughter of HRH Prince Tomislav), Sir Desmond de Silva Q.C, P.C.

Their Royal Highnesses welcomed the guests in the Blue Salon of the Royal Palace, and then followed a cocktail on the lower terrace of the Royal Palace and the premiere screening of a short documentary film about the Crown Prince. The birthday celebration was enhanced by Sanja Ilic and “Balkanika” with their program “Balkan concept”, which was followed by a gala dinner on the upper terrace of the Royal Palace.

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Alexander addressed the guests and numerous media representatives.

We are forwarding the Crown Prince’s speech as a whole.

After the speech the Crown Prince cut his birthday cake.

SPEECH BY HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS CROWN PRINCE ALEXANDER
                        
                        JULY 18, 2015

Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, Your Serene Highnesses, Your Excellences, Your Holiness, Reverend fathers, imams and effendis, Your Lordships, Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming to my birthday. I am so happy to see you all here this evening in the home of my ancestors.  In the country that was created by my ancestors and the ancestors of my compatriots. In the city that became our capital six centuries ago.

Now, that I am seventy, it is a good moment to review the past decades.

For someone who, by a twist of fate and history, was born in exile, who was declared an enemy of the state as a two-year-old. The fact that I am celebrating my seventieth birthday finally rehabilitated in my homeland, in my home, with my family, people and my friends from around the world, is an emotional moment, is something I have wished for all my life. I am grateful to God for that, but I also owe a lot to those who are here tonight to grace this celebration. To those who unfortunately are no longer with us, but whose spirit will never leave us, as well as to those who are with us in their thoughts tonight, with their many good wishes and hopes that we have a future that we are worthy of.

We have fought together for justice, democracy, human rights, freedom, respect for everyone’s religion, ethnic origin, for a country of equal citizens, which is equal to and respected by other countries, for the community of peace, harmony and progress.

Tonight, surrounded by my immediate and wider family, I thank my wife and our children for their love and support. I thank my relatives and friends from many royal families that have given me the honour of their presence and for their good wishes. I warmly thank our prime minster Mr. Aleksandar Vucic and all the top Serbian state officials, the representatives of churches and religious communities, diplomatic corps and to all of you Who are making this evening unforgettable, and – above all – to our people who make me happy to belong to them.

From Karadjordje to me there is a continuity in serving the people and the country. As long as there is the house of Karadjordje, the honour of serving the people and the country is an undeniable a duty, obligation and responsibility, because we come from the people, and that fact fatefully obliges us.

I owe so much to my wife for all her love, effort and daily commitment, and for this special birthday.

I thank my staff and all those who worked so hard to make this great gathering and every other one, possible.

Thank you, God bless you and may love unite you all.

Crown Prince Alexander, Queen Silvia and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.

Crown Prince Alexander, Crown Prince Nicholas of Montenegro.

Third from left: Princess Irene of Greece, Hereditary Prince Peter of Serbia, Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia, Queen Sofía of Spain, Crown Prince Alexander, Prince Alexander and Prince Philip of Serbia.

Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine with his sons: Peter, Philip and Alexander.

Crown Prince Alexander surrounded by royal and other guests.

Crown Prince Alexander, with Victoria and Sir Desmond da Silva.

Crown Prince Alexander, Queen Margarita of Bulgaria, Crown Princess Katherine and

King Simeon of Bulgaria.

Prince Albert II of Monaco, Crown Princess Katherine and Crown Prince Alexander.

Greece: Queen Olga's 70th Birthday!

One of my favorite royal women is Queen Olga of Greece (1851-1926). Born Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia, she was the eldest daughter of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich (one of the sons of Tsar Nicholas I) and of the former Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg.

Olga married in 1867 King George I of the Hellenes, the second monarch of modern-era Greece, yet the first of his dynasty. Born Prince William of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, second of the future King Christian IX of Denmark, he was elected King of the Hellenes and began his reign in 1863.

King George and Queen Olga were the parents of eight children: Constantine I (1869-1923), who married Princess Sophie of Prussia; Peter (1869-1957), who married Princess Marie Bonaparte; Alexandra (1870-1891). married to Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia; Nicholas (1872-1938), who married Grand Duchess Helen Vladimirovna of Russia; Maria (1876-1940), who married firstly Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Zrussia, and secondly Admiral Pericles Ionnides; Olga (1880); Andreas (1882-1944), who married Princess Alice of Battenberg; and Christopher (1888-1940), who married firstly Mrs Nancy Leeds, and secondly Princess Françoise of France.

This particular photo was taken in 1921 to commemorate the 70th birthday of Queen Olga, who was adored by her grandchildren. Her eldest grandchild, Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna Jr. was born in 1890, while her youngest grandchild, Prince Michael of Greece was born in 1939. Of all of King George I and Queen olga's grandchildren, only two survive: HRH the Duke of Edinburgh (b. 1921) and Prince Michael of Greece.

From left: Princess Marina, Princess Margarita and Princess Katherine of Greece; Princess Xenia Georgievna of Russia; Princess Theodora, princess Olga and Princess Sophie of Greece; Queen Olga; Princess Helen of Greece; Princess Nina Georgievna of Russia; Princess Elisabeth, Princess Irene and Princess Cecile of Greece.

Queen Olga, who was caught in Russia when revolution toppled her cousin the Tsar, managed to make it to the West before the butchery of the Imperial Family began. She witnessed untold misery in her country of birth and returned to an Europe deeply changed.

In exile she settled at the Villa Anastasia in Rome, the home of her youngest son Prince Christopher. She died at Pau, Bearn, France, in 1926.

Queen Olga of Greece, remains one of my absolute favorite royals!

Serbia: Seventieth Birthday of Crown Prince Alexander

Surrounded by family, with Serbian and foreign guests, HRH Crown prince Alexander is celebrating his 70th birthday this weekend.

Here is a link to a report from HRH Crown prince Alexander's website...

http://www.royalfamily.org/crown-prince-alexanders-70th-birthday-celebration-begins-with-a-dinner-for-international-guests-at-the-white-palace/

HRH Crown Prince Alexander was kind enough to invite our founder to the weekend's events, but between scheduling conflicts and the cost of traveling from the West Coast to Serbia, it was not feasible for Eurohistory to be present, much to our chagrin.

Nonetheless, we join our voice to those of thousands who wish HRH Crown Prince Alexander a very happy birthday!

Third Royal Gatherings in The Hague: November 7-8, 2015

As we shift full gear toward our Fall 2015 meeting (november 7-8, 2015), we are delighted to share with you the list of speakers at the Third Royal Gatherings in The Hague Conference. They include:

Galina Korneva – The Vladimir Villa and the Court of Marie Pavlovna

Robert Golden– The Connaughts

Janet Ashton – The Coronation of Tsar Nicholas II

Susan Symons – Schloß 2

Sabrina Pollock – Queen Maria Pia of Portugal

Bjarne Steen Jensen – Royal Jewels

Ms. Spliethof – Het Loo Palace

Mr. Bilker – Princess Maria Louisa of Hesse-Kassel

Marian Bette – Margaret Tudor, mother of the Tudors

To reserve a seat please email us at: aebeeche@mac.com or Annet.bekker@hoogstraten.nl

Also, on Friday, November 6, we will lead a separate tour to Het Loo Palace. It is important, given the reduced number of seats we have available in the bus, that if you wish to join us, you do so ASAP. There is a separate charge for this optional tour.

As was the case last year, the Park Hotel has given us a set of rooms for those attending the conference. if you wish to take advantage of the reduced rate being offered, please contact Arturo Beéche at: aebeeche@mac.com without delay!

For further information including pricing for this year's conference, see the attached flyer!

See you in the Hague!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1390708491221057/

Book Review: Royal Gatherings, Volume II: 1914-1939

Royal author Marlene Eilers Koenig has written a nice review of ROYAL GATHERINGS, Volume II: 1914-1939.

Royal Gatherings (Who is in the Picture) has been a popular feature of European Royal History Journal for several years now.  The first volume covered the 1859-1914 time period


http://royalbooknews.blogspot.com/2013/01/royal-gatherings-by-ilana-miller-and.html


This second volume picks up where the first volume left off in 1914, ending in 1939, thus covering a heady time in European royal history.  This book is divided into 36 chapters, opening with the familiar group photo of the Russian Imperial Family's visit with the Romanian royal family at Constanza in mid-June 1914, only two weeks before Archduke Franz Ferdinand's assassination at Sarajevo.   The final group photo is from the wedding of the Duke of Spoleto and Princess Irene of Greece.

The purpose of Royal Gatherings is to provide biographical details, anecdotes and historical information about the people in the group photos.  The publisher includes more photos from his own collection (and the newly acquired collection of the late William Mead Lalor) to flesh out the stories of these weddings, funerals and family gatherings.

I think my most favorite group photo is of the Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and her three Spanish grandsons sitting on a bench outside the Dolder Hotel in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1916.  Princes Alvaro, Alonso and Ataulfo were the sons of the Duchess' youngest daughter, Beatrice, married to Infante Don Alfonso of Orleans-Borbon, a first cousin of King Alfonso XIII. (Bee was the first cousin of King Alfonso's wife, Queen Ena.)

Baby Bee is one of my favorites, as are her descendants, all of whom are lovely and helpful people.  

Some of the group photos are familiar to many readers, including the weddings of Princess Margarethe of Denmark and Prince Rene of Bourbon-Parma, King Alexander of Serbia and Princess Marie of Romania, 70th birthday of Prince Carl of Sweden, 70th birthday of Grand Duchess Maria Anna of Luxembourg, the wedding of Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and the wedding of the Duke of Kent and Princess Marina of Greece,

There are also some gems, too: the Habsburgs of Teschen,  the family of Infante Don Carlos of Spain, the funeral of Kaiserin Auguste, the wedding of Princess Barbara of Two-Sicilies and Count Franz Xavier of Stolberg-Wernigerode, the Heinrichs of Prussia. and the Hessian Tragedy, the funeral of the Grand Ducal Family.

This is the kind of book that you will dip into many times,  Don't rush through the photos or the text.  Sit back and enjoy the traveling back to a time, edging toward a world-changing war that affected the lives of both commoners and royals.   The 20s were a time of rebirth, new challenges, and then the madness of an collapsed economic system leading to the most deadly of dictatorships, hurling toward a second world war.

Royal Gatherings Volume II is published by Eurohistory.com ($48.95.)   The book is available though Amazon and Amazon.co.uk.

I reiterate the same complaint that I made about the first volume.  The authors have not included a bibliography nor do they cite the quotes they use in the text.  It would help other writers and researchers to do know the source material - and to see where the quotes come from.  The addition of a bibliography and citations would only enhance this book's worth.


http://royalbooknews.blogspot.com/2015/07/royal-gatherings-volume-ii-1919-1939-by.html


To purchase your copy...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0985460385

Maria Pia – Queen of Portugal Shipping!

It is with great delight that we announce to all our readers that Eurohistory's twenty-first book, MARIA PIA – Queen of Portugal, has just arrived at our office and began shipping this very afternoon!

We are very happy with the end product and hope that this erudite and well-researched study of a little-known consort will bring her life alive, for those who know her and those interested in getting to know more about the Portuguese Royal Family.

Copies of the book have started shipping to our distributors (Hoogstraten English Bookstore, MAJESTY, Librairie Galignani, AMAZON.co.uk, Rosvall Royal Books) and resellers and ought to be in their hands by the end of next week!

The book is available for immediate purchase at:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0985460377

UK: Obituary of His Grace the Duke of Fife

His Grace the Third Duke of Fife, James Alexander Bannerman Carnegie, passed away at the age of 85 years.

He inherited the title from his aunt Alexandra, widow of Prince Arthur of Connaught. She was the eldest daughter of Princess Louise, the Princess Royal, and wife of the First Duke of Fife.

As Princess Alexandra's only son, Alastair, died without issue, her heir was her sister Maud and then Maud's only son James. Princess Maud of Fife had Charles Carnegie, later 11th Earl of Southesk.

The Third Duke of Fife died on June 22, 2015.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/11693626/The-Duke-of-Fife-obituary.html#disqus_thread

Issue CIV – April 2015 Mailing!

We are delighted to let our subscribers know that Issue CIV, Volume 18.2 – April 2015 arrived at our office this afternoon and began mailing immediately!

We expect to complete mailing the magazine by Saturday, thus most subscribers in the USA will have the magazine in their hands by week's end!

Inside this issue, readers will find articles authored by Ilana D. Miller, Coryne Hall, Janet Ashton, Marlene Eilers Koenig and Roberto Cortez Gonzáles. Their contributions deal with: the Battenbergs in 1895, Apapa – King Christian IX of Denmark and his family, Italy's role in entering the Great War, Princess Frederica of Hanover and the Nassaus of Luxembourg. Other sections include book reviews and royal news!

If interested in subscribing, email us at books@eurohistory.com

Issue CV, Volume 18.3 – June 2015 is already in preparation and ought to reach us in about six weeks!

Sweden: Official Wedding Photos

Copyright is held by the Royal Court!