Moniek Bloks's Blog, page 137

Wilhelmine Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg – The duties of my class (Part two)

Read part one here.

With Charles still in Spain, Eleonore Magdalene was appointed as regent in his absence. She quickly vented her dislike at Joseph’s mistress and demanded that she return all the jewellery he had given her. She was also forbidden from appearing in her or Wilhelmine Amalie’s presence and she was eventually compelled to marry as an alternative to being expelled from court. Eleonore Magdalene’s daughters Maria Elisabeth and Maria Magdelene supported her during the regency. Charles arrived in Vienna in late 1711 and Eleonore Magdalene was able to present him with a detailed journal of her regency.

The three Empresses were quite supportive of each other in the decade to come. Wilhelmine Amalie risked her life to care for Elisabeth Christine when she too became ill with smallpox, while Elisabeth Christine would nurse Eleonore Magdalene throughout her last illness in 1720. The Empresses had not officially been informed of the pact that had been signed but suspected that it existed. When they finally managed to get the document from Charles, he had announced his wish to change it in favour of his own (future) daughters. Though he eventually did have a son with his wife, the boy lived for just 7 months. The marriage also produced two surviving daughters – the future heiress Maria Theresa and Maria Anna. Eleonore Magdelene supported Wilhelmine Amalie for her daughters’ claim to the throne but when presented with the new pact, Wilhelmina Amalie could do nothing but quietly object. She never publically contested the will of the head of the dynasty.

During her husband’s life, Wilhelmine Amalie had little political influence and the little influence she had, she used mainly for family matters – for example, she supported the appointment of her brother-in-law as governor of Milan. In her widowhood, she tried to secure good marriages for her two surviving daughters. Her eldest daughter Maria Josepha married the Elector of Saxony, later King Augustus III of Poland, in 1719. Her youngest daughter Maria Amalia married Charles Albert of Bavaria, later prince-elector of Bavaria, in 1722.

After her second daughter’s marriage, Wilhelmine Amalie retired to a convent that she had founded five years earlier. While there, she read the works of François de Sales and helped promote the canonisation of his protégée Jeanne Françoise Frémiot de Chantal, who also founded the Order of the Visitation. She also wrote several religious works of her own, called “Meditations” and “Reflexions.” She began “Reflexions” with this statement, “The love of God leads to the contemplation of the duties of my class and my worth which compels me to give an account to the Lord of those who are dependent on me and the manner in which I exercise my authority over all which the Lord has given me.”1

She did not retire from the earthly world altogether though, and also spent several days of the week helping in the convent, dealing with family matters and caring for the sick. She helped create a boarding school for young aristocratic girls next to the convent and also founded one of the first institutions for poor and orphaned girls in Vienna.

When her brother-in-law Charles died in 1740, Wilhelmine Amalie initially supported the claims of her son-in-law, Charles Albert, Elector of Bavaria, to the Imperial Crown, but she soon retired back to the convent. She lived just long enough to see him successfully invade Bohemia and her daughter Maria Amalia was crowned as Queen of Bohemia in December 1741. On 12 February 1742, Maria Amalia became Holy Roman Empress following her husband coronation as Holy Roman Emperor. Just a few days later, Austria occupied Bavaria. Wilhelmina Amalie died on 10 April 1742 of dropsy. According to her wishes, her heart was buried at her husband’s feet in the Imperial Crypt, while her body remained in the convent she had founded and was buried under the high altar.

Her son-in-law’s reign lasted just three years and ended with his death in 1745. Her daughter Maria Amalia urged her son to make peace with Maria Theresa and her husband Francis Stephen was elected Holy Roman Emperor on 13 September 1745. Wilhelmina Amalie’s granddaughter Maria Josepha was also briefly Holy Roman Empress as the wife of Maria Theresa’s son Joseph II.

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Royal Wedding Recollections – King George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

King George III of Great Britain was just 22 years old when he succeeded his grandfather as King – his father had predeceased King George II in 1751. He had been quite taken with noblewoman Lady Sarah Lennox, who was a great-granddaughter of King Charles II through his illegitimate son Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond, 1st Duke of Lennox, but this came to nothing. After he became King the search for a suitable bride intensified. The choice fell upon Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Colonel David Graeme was dispatched with an offer of marriage.

Charlotte was later described as “small and ‘very lean’, not well made; her face, pale and homely, her nose somewhat flat, and mouth very large. Her hair, however, was of a fine brown, and her countenance pleasing. She had an unfailing good humour and animation, which supplied these defects.”1

On 8 July 1761, the privy councillors were summoned and the wedding of the King was announced. “Having nothing so much at heart as to procure the welfare and happiness of my people, and to render the same stable and permanent to posterity, I have, ever since my accession to the throne, turned my thoughts towards the choice of a princess for my consort; and I now, with great satisfaction, acquaint you, that after the fullest information and mature deliberation, I am come to a resolution to demand in marriage the Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, a princess distinguished by every eminent virtue and amiable endowment, whose illustrious line has constantly shown the firmest zeal for the Protestant religion, and a particular attachment to my family.”2

After a proxy ceremony, Charlotte set off for England on 17 August. The weather was stormy but as the day for the coronation was also approaching, Charlotte could not delay her departure. On 7 September, Charlotte set foot on English soil at Harwich, where she was received by the mayor. The party rushed towards London, as the wedding was due to take place the following day.

When Charlotte arrived at St. James’s Palace at 3.30 PM on the 8th, she was greeted by the Duke of York before being introduced to the King and the rest of the family. It was her first meeting with her future husband and they would be married just a few hours later. She was then led into the great wardrobe room where dressmakers anxiously awaited her to make alterations to the wedding dress if necessary. This was followed by a state dinner and then the wedding itself.

At 9 P.M that very same day, the wedding ceremony took place in the Chapel Royal. It was performed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and one of the bridesmaids was Lady Sarah Lennox, the King’s previous crush. Charlotte wore “an endless mantle” of rich violet and purple velvet, lined with ermine, over a white satin and silver dress. She also wore a tiara of diamonds, a necklet and a stomacher said to be worth £90,000. However skilled the dressmakers were, the elaborate dress remained too big for Charlotte and seemed to drag her down. She was led into the chapel by the Duke of York, who told her, “Courage, Princess, courage” as he felt her tremble.3 The service was entirely in English and the only words Charlotte spoke were “Ich will” (I do) when prompted.

After the ceremony, the new Queen and the rest of the party returned to the drawing-room where she surprised the guests on the harpsichord. The following banquet lasted until well into the night until the Duke of Cumberland hinted that he was quite tired. For Charlotte too, it must have seemed like a day that would never end. Luckily, she was spared the humiliation of a public bedding ceremony. Her new mother-in-law reportedly asked the Duke of Cumberland to sit with her for a while after she returned from the couple’s bedchamber but the grumpy Duke replied, “What should I stay for? If she cries out, I cannot help her.”4

Now that Charlotte and George were married, they could be crowned together and the coronation took place just two weeks later on 22 September.

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Wilhelmine Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg – The duties of my class (Part one)

Wilhelmine Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg was born on 21 April 1671 as the daughter of John Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Calenberg, and Princess Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate. She was one of four daughters, although her eldest sister did not survive to adulthood. Her father died when she was six years old, and as she did not have any brothers, her father’s title passed to her uncle Ernest Augustus (who would marry Sophia of Hanover, and they became the parents of King George I of Great Britain).

After her father’s death, Wilhelmine Amalie moved with her mother and sisters to the French court, where they lived as a guest of her mother’s cousin Elisabeth Charlotte, Duchess of Orléans. She was educated at the Maubuisson monastery, where she was raised as a Catholic. She returned to Hanover in 1693, and she soon found herself part of marriage negotiations. Her suitor was the future Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor, who was five years younger than she was. Normally, her age would have been an issue, but in this case, her future mother-in-law Eleonore Magdalena of Neuburg was convinced by a Capuchin monk that she would be able to temper her son’s moods and licentious ways. Her great piety was also a good asset. The six long years of negotiations were mainly due to the opposition from the Danish King Christian V, who wanted his daughter Sophia Hedwig to marry Joseph. However, she refused to convert, ending her candidacy. Wilhelmine Amalie also had her French upbringing against her as it might suggest a pro-French political attitude. Another blemish was the fact that Lucrezia Borgia was one of Wilhelmine Amalie’s ancestors. Nevertheless, after a humiliating medical inspection, Wilhelmina Amalie was cleared for duty.

On 24 February 1699, Wilhelmine Amalie and Joseph were married in the Augustinian Church in Vienna. The new Archduchess quickly fell pregnant and gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Maria Josepha, on 8 December 1699. A son named Leopold Joseph was born on 29 October 1700, but he died of hydrocephalus before his first birthday. A second daughter named Maria Amalia was born on 22 October 1701. Then Joseph’s licentious ways caught up with him, and he passed a venereal disease to his wife, which rendered her unable to have any more children.1 He had reportedly contracted the disease from the daughter of a court gardener, but Wilhelmine Amalie blamed herself for the infection.2 Joseph’s mother was supportive of her daughter-in-law and had her son’s procurers thrown into the fortress prison. There was little she could do to her son, especially after he succeeded his father in 1705.

Even before his father’s death, worries existed about the succession, and the family began to plan for the possibility of female succession. Joseph and his younger brother Charles battled it out, with Joseph insisting that his daughters should take precedence over any of Charles’s daughters. At this time, Charles was not even married yet. They eventually signed the Mutual Pact of Succession, which made Maria Josepha the heiress in case Charles did not have any sons. Joseph enjoyed his freedom as Emperor a little too much. He managed a steady stream of mistresses with his favourite drinking and hunting pal, Count Johann Philip von Lamberg. His main mistress was Marianne Palffy, whom he paraded around in public and showered with gifts, despite protests by Wilhelmine Amalie.

In 1706, Eleonore Magdalene accompanied Charles’s fiance, Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, on a pilgrimage to Mariazell, as she had to convert to Roman Catholicism. The official conversion took place on 1 May 1707, with the wedding following on 1 August 1707. The pressure of producing a son now lay with Elisabeth Christine, and it was brutal. She failed to become pregnant during the first three years of marriage. She was prescribed large doses of liquor, which gave her a rose-coloured face for the rest of her life. She was also prescribed a rich diet, which made her so large that she was eventually unable to walk unaided.

In the spring of 1711, a smallpox epidemic struck the court in Vienna. On 7 April, Joseph felt a little ill, but he went hunting anyway. On 9 April, he awoke with a fever and a slight rash and the following day, the dreaded marks began to spread over his body. He was still only 32 years so there was hope he would be able to survive. Nevertheless, a few days later, his fever rose sharply, and by the evening, he became delirious. At half-past ten on the morning of 17 April 1711, Joseph died.

Part two coming soon. 

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Sophia of Bavaria – The Hussite Queen

After the sudden death of his first wife, Joanna of Bavaria, Wenceslaus IV, King of Bohemia and Germany, needed to marry again.  The chosen bride, Sophia, came from the same dynasty as his first wife – the Wittelsbachs, and she was Joanna’s first cousin-once-removed.

Sophia of Bavaria was born around 1376 as the daughter of John II, Duke of Bavaria-Munich and Catherine of Gorizia.  She was her parent’s only daughter and had two brothers.  In 1388, Sophia visited Prague with her uncle, Frederick, Duke of Bavaria-Landshut.  He seems to have taken her there with the intention of finding a husband for her – particularly the widowed King Wenceslaus.  In 1385, Frederick also helped arrange the marriage of one of his other nieces, Isabeau, to King Charles VI of France.  Apparently, Sophia was impressed with Wenceslaus, which must have made her uncle happy.  Sophia and Wenceslaus were married on 2 May 1389 in Prague.

The Uncrowned Queen 

Soon after her marriage, Sophia should have been crowned as Queen of Bohemia, but at the time, Wenceslaus was in dispute with the Archbishop of Prague, the only person who could perform the ceremony.  Because of this, Sophia’s coronation did not happen until eleven years after her marriage.  By the time of the marriage, Wenceslaus was already known to be ill-tempered at times and somewhat of a drunkard.  He seems to have spent more time hunting than on matters of state, and he kept a pack of hunting hounds with him.  In fact, it is believed that his first wife, Joanna, was killed by one of his dogs.

The early years of Sophia and Wenceslaus’ marriage seemed to be happy, or at least peaceful.  Wenceslaus celebrated the marriage by making some illuminated manuscripts, such as the Wenceslaus Bible, in which an image of Sophia appears.  Together in 1392, Sophia and Wenceslaus held a feast to celebrate the laying of the foundation of the nave of St. Vitus Cathedral.

In March 1393, Wenceslaus had the priest John of Nepomuk tortured and drowned.  Later accounts say that John was Sophia’s confessor, and Wenceslaus sentenced him after he refused to reveal her confession.  In one of these accounts, Sophia is not mentioned by name, but Wenceslaus is.  In this account, Wenceslaus suspected that Sophia had a lover.  Thinking that John, being her confessor, would know the name of her lover, Wenceslaus ordered him to reveal his name, which he did not.  However, it is more likely that Wenceslaus had John of Nepomuk drowned because he was involved in some conflicts with him and the Archbishop of Prague.

The Hussite Queen

On 15 March 1400, nearly eleven years into her marriage, Sophia was finally crowned as Queen of Bohemia.  She was crowned by Olbram of Skvorec, the new Archbishop of Prague.  However, in August of that same year, Wenceslaus was deposed as King of Germany and replaced by Rupert of the Palatinate.  Rupert was a cousin of Sophia and also from the Wittelsbach dynasty.

In 1401, a rebellion broke out against Wenceslaus.  His younger half-brother, Sigismund, King of Hungary, captured and imprisoned Wenceslaus in 1402 in Vienna.  During this time, Sigismund also ruled Bohemia himself.  While her husband was imprisoned, Sophia lived in the town of Hradec Kralove.  Around this time, Sophia became a follower of the theologian Jan Hus.

Jan Hus was calling for the reformation of the church, and his actions inspired the Hussite movement.  Hussitism is considered a predecessor of Protestantism.  Sophia is thought to have regularly attended his sermons.  She also gave him her protection and defended his teachings.

Wenceslaus was released and returned to Bohemia in 1403.  The couple were still childless, but probably by this time, Sophia had lost all hope of having any children.  The blame for their childlessness was on Wenceslaus instead of Sophia.  Due to Wenceslaus’ alcoholism, he was believed to be infertile or impotent.

Sophia continued to support Jan Hus.  In 1410, she wrote letters to the papacy defending him.  That same year, Hus was excommunicated.  Sophia continued writing to the Pope, asking for the ex-communication to be lifted.  However, she was forced to withdraw her support.  Despite this, Sophia appeared to continue believing in Hus’s teachings, and for the rest of his life, Hus talked about Sophia with great love and respect.  In 1415, Jan Hus was put on trial before a papal court, and he was condemned to death.  Jan Hus was burnt at the stake on 6 July 1415.  Sophia is said to have predicted the death of Hus leading to a riot.  Soon afterwards, riots broke out in Prague, with several priests being thrown into the river and the Archbishop of Prague being besieged in his palace.

Sophia continued to promote Hus’s teachings.  This caused her to be disliked by many of her subjects and even her own family.  In 1418, Sophia’s brother, Ernest, visited her in Prague.  During the visit, the two siblings got into an argument about the Hussite movement, and Ernest ended up slapping Sophia.

Queen Widow

On 30 July 1419, more riots would break out, which were considered the start of the Hussite Wars.  By this time, Wenceslaus was already ill, and these events may have hastened his death on 16 August 1419.  His brother, Sigismund, became the new King of Bohemia.  Since Sigismund was busy in Hungary at the time, Sophia acted as regent of Bohemia.  Sigismund arrived in Bohemia at the end of 1419, and Sophia gave up the regency and supported his accession to the throne.

Throughout the year 1420, Sophia travelled through Bohemia with Sigismund and his wife, Barbara of Cilli.  During this time, there were rumours that Sophia and Sigismund were having an affair, which were probably false.  In 1421, Sophia left Bohemia and settled in Hungary.  Soon afterwards, Sigismund considered marrying Sophia to King Wladyslaw II Jagiello of Poland.  Wladyslaw II was three times a widower and had one surviving daughter.  His first two wives had stronger claims to the crown of Poland than him.  His surviving daughter, from his second wife, was already being seen as his successor.  Sophia was past her childbearing years by now, so maybe this proposed marriage was seen as an alliance between the two kings rather than to provide Wladyslaw with an heir.  However, these plans came to nothing, and in February 1422, Wladyslaw married another Sophia, the much-younger Sophia of Halshany.

Sophia of Bavaria spent her final years in Pressburg, Hungary, which is now Bratislava, Slovakia.  Near the end of her life, she joined the order of the Poor Clares.  Sophia died on 4 November 1428 in Pressburg and was buried in the cathedral there, although she wished to be buried in her native Munich. 1

 

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Book Review: Revealing Britain’s Systemic Racism by Kimberley Ducey and Joe R. Feagin

*review copy*

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I have to admit that I was immediately intrigued by the title of this book – ‘The Case of Meghan Markle and the Royal Family.’ A lot has been said in the last few years about whether or not Meghan faced racism and although as a white woman, I am sure I have a lot to learn, I am convinced that she certainly did face racism.

To explain what this book is all about, I’d like to quote from the introduction. “Revealing Britain’s Systemic Racism applies an existing scholarly paradigm (systemic racism and the white racial frame) to assess the implications of Markle’s entry and place in the British royal family, including an analysis that bears on visual and material culture. The white racial frame, as it manifests in the UK, represents an important lens through which to map and examine contemporary racism and related inequities. By questioning the long-held, but largely anecdotal, beliefs about racial progressiveness in the UK, the authors provide an original counter-narrative about how Markle’s experiences as a biracial member of the royal family can help illustrate contemporary forms of racism in Britain.”1

With articles with titles like “Post-Racial Duchess or Trophy Wife of Diversity?” and “Where Is This Racism You Keep Talking About? Sincere Fictions of the Virtuous White Self”, I was expecting to be challenged in my way of thinking, and I really was. This book forces you to look away from our safe white racial frame and see the other side for a change. I found this book very interesting, and I would recommend it for anyone willing to have their mind challenged.

Revealing Britain’s Systemic Racism by Kimberley Ducey and Joe R. Feagin is available now in the UK and the US.

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Special Tour: The Attic of House Doorn

Huis Doorn, or House Doorn, in the Netherlands is perhaps best known as the last residence and final resting place of the exiled German Emperor Wilhelm II. While most of the House is open to the public, its attic was not open.

Huis Doorn is now offering a special tour twice a week where you can visit the attic, which housed the rooms for the Emperor’s chamberlain and the lady-in-waiting for firstly Empress Auguste Viktoria and secondly Empress Hermine, and the physician. Unusually, the attic also housed Hermine’s youngest daughter Princess Henriette. She was the only one of her five children (by her first husband) who lived with them but as the house was rather small, her rooms were in the attic.

Click to view slideshow.

Although the tour was pretty interesting and included an audio tour, it’s rather expensive as the rest of the house is not included in the price. The Dutch museum card is not valid for this special tour so everyone has to pay the same price – €17,50.

Read more about the tour here.

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A look at Queen Rania of Jordan

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Born in Kuwait City, Kuwait, on 31 August 1970, Rania Al-Yassin is the daughter of Palestinians, Faisal Sedki al-Yassin, a pediatric doctor, and Ilham Yasmin. It was before the 1967 Arab-Israeli War that her parents moved from the West Bank to Kuwait. Rania has an older sister, Dina, and a younger brother, Magdi.

Rania, bilingual in Arabic and English, attended Jabriya, Kuwait’s private New English School, before beginning her university education in 1987 at American University in Cairo, Egypt; there, she studied business and computer science. She graduated with her degree in Business Administration in 1991. She had aspired to be a businesswoman before meeting and marrying the future King of Jordan.

Her family left Kuwait a year after the Gulf War began in 1991 as Iraqi forces invaded the country in 1990. Rania and her family settled in Jordan, and the future consort began working for Citibank and Apple Inc. in Amman.

By January 1993, Rania had met Prince Abdullah at a dinner party hosted by Abdullah’s sister, Princess Aisha. Although a bit wary of dating and marrying a royal, their engagement was announced two months later. They were married on 10 June 1993 in a traditional Muslim ceremony.

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Their first child, Prince Hussein, was born in Amman on 28 June 1994. He was not named heir apparent until 2004, replacing his uncle, Prince Hamza, after his father, King Abdullah, stripped Hamza of his title and heir apparent status. He became Crown Prince of Jordan in 2009.

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The couple’s second child, Princess Iman, was born on 27 September 1996, and another daughter, Princess Salma, joined the family on 26 September 2000. Finally, the family was complete with the birth of Prince Hashem on 30 January 2005.

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In January 1999, Abdullah was proclaimed heir apparent by his father, King Hussein, replacing Hussein’s younger brother, Hassan. On 7 February 1999, King Hussein passed away after a battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, making Abdullah King Abdullah II of Jordan. On 22 March, Abdullah issued a proclamation that made Rania the Queen of Jordan; otherwise, she would have only held the title of Princess Consort.

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Since becoming consort, Rania has made education, community empowerment, and the youths of the country her primary focus. Additionally, she works in areas regarding global education, microfinance, and cross-cultural dialogue. Queen Rania said in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, “As you educate a woman, you educate the family. If you educate the girls, you educate the future.”

Some of the organisations that have Queen Rania’s support include The Queen Rania Foundation for Education and Development, Jordanian River Foundation, The Queen Rania Award for Excellence in Education, The Jordan Education Initiative, and Al-Aman Fund for the Future of Orphans.

Due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East over the past couple of decades, Rania has expressed her support for the many refugees; many of these refugees have ended up in Jordan. Further, Her Majesty works to help stop the misconceptions about Islam worldwide and defeat the spread of extremist ideologies. During a 2015 interview with Nabila Ramdani from MailOnline, Queen Rania said, “We have to stand together united to defeat these groups, and to reduce our suspicion of the West as well, just as the West should not fall for stereotypes about Muslims, and Islamophobia, otherwise it is groups like IS who win.”

Her passionate advocating has led her to international roles such as Co-Founder and Global Co-Chair of 1GOAL, Honorary Member of the International Advisory Council for the International Center for Research on Women, and Honorary Chairperson for the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative, among others.

Queen Rania has written several books geared toward children and can be found on Amazon. Her first publication was in 2000, The King’s Gift, as a tribute to King Hussein. All proceeds from the book benefit underprivileged children across Jordan. Her latest book was The Sandwich Swap in 2010 with Kelly DiPucchio, based on her own childhood.

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The Queen is very active on social media with regular posts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. She also has her own website that champions the causes close to her heart.

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The Year of the Duchess of Windsor – Wallis’ fashion

While Wallis spent the majority of her royal life outside of the United Kingdom, that did not prevent her from wearing some of the most fashionable items during her time.

Wallis was always on top of the current trends and even ahead of her time in some instances. For example, Vogue reported how when most women were wearing Chanel’s “boyish Breton tops and trimmed boxy jackets,” Wallis donned “American couturier Main Rousseau Bocher’s corsetry.”

She was seen in fashionable hats, sequins, leaf prints, tartans and vibrant colours, and she always accessorised to the nines. Wallis could also always be seen at the fashion shows of Dior, Givenchy and others.

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The Duchess of Windsor’s style was so admired that she collaborated with Salvador Dali on outfits that included gowns with lobster designs, and more recently, Roland Mouret created a £2,100 dress inspired by her for his 2011/2012 winter collection.

He even said: “You can’t work in fashion and not be inspired by the life and wardrobe of Wallis Simpson. Love or hate her, the world is still obsessed by that woman.”

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When she wed the former King Edward VIII, she did so in a blue gown, and it became so famous that the colour was later specifically named after her as the “Wallis blue.”

Anne Sebba, a biographer of Wallis, has said that the Duchess used fashion as a weapon because she knew what she wore was going to get attention. She saw her sister-in-law, Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother), as a rival; she set out to wear the opposite of Elizabeth’s more formal and “frumpy” outfits. After the Duke of Windsor’s funeral, Wallis wrote, “I really must copy that outfit. It looked as if she had just opened some old trunk and pulled out a few rags, and draped them on herself. And that eternal bag hanging on her arm… She wore a black hat with the brim rolled up, just plopped on her head, and a white plastic arrow sticking up through it. I thought how David would have laughed.”1

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Wallis knew what she wanted to wear and from what fashion houses – something she had done the majority of her life. She was sophisticated and classy while also breaking the royal mould for what should be worn. Lobster and monkey designs on outfits? Wallis did not shy away from changing the status quo and did so as a way to show the world who she was.

Wallis knew she would never be Queen consort of the United Kingdom and its realms, but she did all she could to be a queen of fashion.

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Alexander Farnese and wife Maria of Portugal reinterred after poisoning theory investigation

Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma and his wife Maria of Portugal were reinterred yesterday after having been exhumed in 2020 to investigate a theory that the Duke had been poisoned. They were both exhumed, as they were buried together.

Their remains were returned to the crypt of the Santa Maria della Steccata around 4 P.M. yesterday in the presence of the Bourbon-Parma family. In the photo, you can see the current titular Duke of Parma, Carlos, his wife Annemarie and Prince Jaime, Count of Bardi.  They received military honours and a Holy Mass was celebrated by Monsignor Enrico Solmi. The investigation concluded that the Duke suffered from gout, had a fractured right forearm due to a musket shot and probably died of pneumonia, thus disproving the poisoning theory.

Alexander Farnese was the son of Margaret of Parma, an illegitimate daughter of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and Ottavio Farnese. His wife Maria was the daughter of Infante Duarte, Duke of Guimarães (a son of King Manuel I of Portugal and Maria of Aragon), and Isabel of Braganza, Duchess of Guimarães. She died in 1577 at the age of 38 while Alexander died in 1592 at the age of 47.

 

 

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[GALLERY] The funeral of Marie, Princess of Liechtenstein

Marie, Princess of Liechtenstein was laid to rest yesterday. See the images below:

Click to view slideshow.

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