Moniek Bloks's Blog, page 155

Al-Khayzuran – A forgotten force (Part one)

Al-Khayzuran bint Atta had been born in Jurash in modern-day Saudi Arabia before she was kidnapped from her home to be sold as a slave. She was presented to the caliph Al-Mansur, who was the 2nd Caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate from 754 to 775, and she would eventually become the favourite concubine of his son Al-Mahdi.

The dating of her early years in the harem and the births of her sons Musa al-Hadi and Harun al-Rashid is rather unclear. Mahdi not only had concubines, but he also had a legal wife of royal birth, Raitah, who also gave him two sons, Abuaidalllah and Ali. Despite their royal mother, they were never considered for the caliphate, and it does not appear that Raitah was an active rival for Khayzuran. The only one Khayzuran had feared was a woman named Maknuna, who was a renowned singer. Mahdi had paid so much for her that he kept the price a secret from his father, who would surely have disapproved of the extravagance. He became so captivated by her that Khayzuran later stated, “I never had such fear of another woman as I had of her.”1

Sometime after the births of her sons, Hadi and Harun, Khayzuran told Mahdi of her family in Jurash despite originally claiming she had been an only child. Mahdi ordered that they – her mother, two sisters and at least one brother – would be brought to him, and their newfound royal connections brought them much favour. Her elder sister Salsal became the concubine of Mahdi’s half-brother and became the mother of Zubaidah bint Ja’far who would one day become the wife of Harun. Her younger sister Asma was briefly a concubine of Mahdi as well but remained mostly out of the spotlight.

In addition to her two surviving sons, Khayzuran also gave birth to a third son named Isa, of whom little is known, and a daughter named Banuqah or Banujah, who died young. It is known that she had her own palace and that she sometimes went along on trips with her father. She was also known to have worn the disguise of a page on these trips to avoid wagging tongues. Mahdi was quite grieved by the death of his “Little Lady,” and he mourned her publically, something that was almost unheard of at the time, especially for the death of a girl.

Mahdi succeeded his father as the 3rd caliph in 775, and until then, Raitah had been his only legal wife. He could have up to four legal wives and began taking steps to make Khayzuran his second legal wife, which would also help to secure the succession of her sons, rather than Raitah’s sons. They probably married that year or the following year. He also married a noble Arab woman named Umm Abdallah and a woman named Uthmanid Ruquiyah. Little information about his third and fourth wives exists, but they were probably political alliances. Khayzuran remained his favourite wife and mistress of the harem. She remained in this position, despite the heavy competition, and was of great influence on Mahdi and, through him, on his empire.

References to what kind of influence she had remained somewhat general and often date from the reign of her son Hadi. One account stated, “Khayzuran in the first part of Hadi’s reign used to settle his affairs and to deal with him as she had dealt with his father before him in assuming absolute power to command and forbid.”2 One case of her known political influence involved the imprisonment of Yahya, the son of Khalid the Barmakid, who was imprisoned en fined for the misuse of power in the province of Fars. Khayzuran pleaded with Mahdi on his behalf on the basis of a foster-brotherhood3 that existed between Yahya and Harun, and Mahdi released him and had him reinstated.

Part two coming soon.

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Book Review: Anna Duchess of Cleves: The King’s Beloved Sister by Heather R. Darsie

Anna Duchess of Cleves: The King’s Beloved Sister is the first book from author Heather R. Darsie and has been well-received since it was published as a hardback in 2019. Amberley publishing has now released this new format paperback copy, packed with primary research and illustrations so that the book can reach a wider audience.

With the wives of Henry VIII an ever-popular subject, books on the six women can sometimes blend into the background and tend to say a lot of the same things. This work by Darsie, however, aims to show Anna of Cleves in a completely different light and offers background and context to her often brushed-over life story.

Whereas previous works on Anna of Cleves focus on her brief marriage to Henry VIII of England and her apparent bad looks, this book delves into her actual life as a Duchess in the Holy Roman Empire as part of a very important family. We see how Anna von der Mark (her actual name!) was raised, learn about her family history and see how her family weathered the storm of the Protestant Reformation as they were stuck between Lutheranism and Catholicism. Readers are given insight into day to day life in the era and the wider events and wars surrounding both Anna in the Holy Roman Empire and Henry VIII in England. There are some sections of the book where it veers off-topic and feels as though you are reading a biography on Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, but there are reasons for this, and if you persist through it you will have gained greater context on Anna’s life and background.

The writing of this book was clearly a labour of love; it has been thoroughly researched and uses many primary resources to back up different sections. The author has a background in law and is fluent in a number of languages which has given her the ability to research archives that others may have missed. Towards the end of the book, it does feel like Anna has been a little lost as chapters on the decline of the Cleves family and politics take over, but this other information is not exactly irrelevant. It would have been nice to hear more of Anna’s later life, though I believe this issue is a lack of evidence rather than a fault of the author. It is, however, touching to read of the relationship between Anna and her family and friends in later years and sad to read how her brother was reluctant to help her return to the United Duchies, leaving her stranded in England. Finally, it was interesting to learn more of Anna’s closeness with her stepdaughters; the later queens Mary I and Elizabeth I and how she often advised and influenced them and how she left her finest jewels to them in her will.

Anna Duchess of Cleves: The King’s Beloved Sister is a wonderful book, well-researched and very well written. Any fan of Tudor history will enjoy reading this, but it also offers a deep-dive into the history of the Holy Roman Empire and the Protestant Reformation which may give people wider knowledge on the period and open up new areas of interest to readers. So many of the books on Henry VIII and his wives are very one-dimensional and repetitive, and this one certainly isn’t. I will advise that you keep referring back to the family trees provided when reading through the chapters and that some sections of the book do become quite confusing if not overwhelming. The confusion comes from the history of many wars, nations, and families discussed, however, and not poor writing.

Anna Duchess of Cleves: The King’s Beloved Sister by Heather R. Darsie is available now in the US and the UK.

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The Year of the Duchess of Windsor – Wallis’ status as a Princess

When Wallis Simpson (or rather Mrs Wallis Warfield as she was known at the time) married His Royal Highness The Duke of Windsor on 3 June 1937, she should have become Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Windsor. But, she was denied the style of HRH with her husband bitterly commenting that it was a “nice wedding present.”

This decision was against the royal practice, and British common law as a wife automatically takes her status from her husband unless her own rank is higher. When Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon married the Duke of York (future King George VI), this statement was released: “In accordance with the settled general rule that a wife takes the status of her husband Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon on her marriage has become Her Royal Highness the Duchess of York with the status of a Princess.”1 The Duke of Windsor had been assured by his brother that Wallis would become part of the family upon marriage and as it had been agreed to treat the Duke of Windsor as a junior Royal Duke, his wife would have ranked in precedence just behind her two sisters-in-law, the Duchesses of Kent and Gloucester.

In a letter from King George VI to his brother, he explained that he had consulted the heads of the Dominion and Empire countries and that they had advised that they considered that he had lost all royal rank when he abdicated the throne and was no longer entitled to use the title of Prince or the style of HRH. On 26 May 1937, the discussion and ratification of the Letters Patent that created the former King a Royal Prince and allowing him to withhold the style of HRH from Wallis were included in Stanley Baldwin’s last Cabinet meeting as Prime Minister. Two days later, the official announcement appeared in the London Gazette.2 The former King had, according to them, lost all royal rank upon abdication, and the new King was perfectly entitled to restore this rank and to restrict the style of HRH to him alone. (Read more about denying the style of Royal Highness to Wallis here)

However, the former King never lost his royal rank. On 5 February 1864, Queen Victoria had issued Letters Patent saying, “that besides the Children of Sovereigns of these Realms, the Children of the Sons of any Sovereign of Great Britain and Ireland shall have and at all times hold and enjoy the title, style and attribute of “Royal Highness,” with their titular dignity of Prince or Princess prefixed to their representative Christian names.”3 Queen Victoria’s Letters Patent were later confirmed by King George V in 1917.4 Upon his abdication, he immediately became a Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland with the qualification of Royal Highness pursuant to the 1917 Letters Patent, confirmed by his own father. King George VI had even – inadvertently – recognised his brother’s royal rank immediately after his abdication by instructing Sir John Reith to introduce him as His Royal Highness Prince Edward before his speech to the nation.

Thus, even if you consider the denying of the style of HRH to the Duchess of Windsor to be valid, she still married a royal Prince and held the status of a Princess.

For almost 50 years, the United Kingdom had a royal Duchess with the status of a Princess whom they stubbornly (if at all) addressed as “Her Grace.”

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A first look at Jodie Turner-Smith as Queen Anne Boleyn

We’ve been given a first look of actress Jodie Turner-Smith as Queen Anne Boleyn for a three-part psychological thriller with the name “Anne Boleyn” for Channel 5/ViacomCBS.

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Production was wrapped in Yorkshire last December and the thriller is set to air later this year.

“Anne Boleyn” will explore the final months of Anne Boleyn’s life from her perspective, as she struggles to secure a future for her daughter and as she challenges the powerful patriarchy closing in around her. It will depict the key moments that caused her downfall. The cast also includes Paapa Essiedu as Anne’s brother George Boleyn. Mark Stanley is King Henry VIII, and Lola Petticrew is Anne’s love rival Jane Seymour.

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Benedita of Portugal – A Princess in the shadows (Part two)

Read part one here.

Benedita and Joseph would indeed not have any children, and Benedita is known to have taken water cures, hoping to fall pregnant. She reportedly suffered miscarriages in 1781 and 1786, and there was some talk of annulment in 1787. In any case, the marriage of Maria’s second son John now became more vital, and he was duly married off to the ten-year-old Carlota Joaquina of Spain in 1785. Benedita’s hope of ever becoming Queen of Portugal – if she even had any – was squashed with the death of Joseph.

Joseph had never had smallpox before, and he had not been inoculated as his mother had refused the procedure on account of the risks and her religious principles. On 1 September 1788, the 27-year-old Prince began to feel unwell. He began to have a fever and spots developed on his skin. He seemed to be doing well at first, so life went about as usual. By 8 September, the blisters joined up, and his mouth and throat were affected as well. Soon, his breathing became laboured. In the morning of 11 September, Joseph was given last rights, and he died 12 hours later. Benedita and Maria had been by his bedside when he died and Benedita, kept repeating, “The Prince is dead.”1 Benedita retired to her bed “very much indisposed by this irreparable loss.”2 She only began to weep the following morning.

Benedita now had to give precedence to her 13-year-old tiny sister-in-law. The first time the family attended chapel after Joseph’s death, Carlota Jaoquina insisted on giving Benedita precedence  “in an affecting scene […] accompanied by tears and expressions of grief.”3 However, Queen Maria insisted on the etiquette being followed but made sure her sister was well-cared for by settling 100,000 cruzados a year on her.

Just two months later, Benedita’s niece and Maria’s only daughter4 also died at the age of 19 of smallpox, shortly after giving birth to a second son – who would die seven days after his mother. Her grieving widower died 17 days later, also of smallpox. Maria worried about the succession as Benedita’s marriage had remained childless, and Carlota Joaquina and John had not consummated their marriage yet. And so her daughter’s only surviving child Infante Pedro was sent to Portugal and created an Infante of Portugal. In 1790, Carlota Joaquina had her first period, and Maria and Benedita prepared her for the consummation. She gave birth to her first child – a daughter named Maria Teresa on 29 April 1793. Seven more children would follow over the years.

By 1792, Queen Maria was thought to be insane, but John did not claim a formal regency until 1799. Perhaps some would have preferred to see Benedita act as regent. She was uncontroversial while John’s wife Carlota Joaquina was unpopular, and Benedita had been the wife of the heir to the throne. We don’t know if she ever aspired to such a position, and in any case, it did not happen. During the following years, Benedita devoted herself to charitable works and founded the Asylum for the Military Disabled of Runa.

When the royal family was eventually forced into exile following the Napoleonic Wars, Benedita joined the rest of the family in Brazil. Once installed there, life continued as normal as possible as “she wished for nothing more, she continued to live as she had lived in Lisbon, without the ambition to influence.”5 She shared a house with her sister Mariana in Botafogo. While in exile both of Benedita’s surviving sisters died. In 1813, Mariana, who had been similarly afflicted by mental illness, died at the age of 76. In 1816, Queen Maria died at the age of 81. Benedita also saw the creation of the Kingdom of Brazil in 1815.

In 1821, Benedita was finally able to return home to Portugal but “at the age of 75, the Princess had lost much of her strength, but she still had the strength of spirit.”6 Benedita settled at the Palace of Queluz, and she remained largely out of the public eye. In 1827, she wrote her will, making the asylum she founded her universal heir while also leaving legacies for family and servants. Her will made no mention of her being ill, but her health had certainly begun to deteriorate around this time.

Benedita died in the early hours of 18 August 1829 at the Ajuda Palace at the grand age of 83 after an illness of around a week. She had spent most of her life in the shadows – missing out on her chance to become a Queen and stepping out of those shadows.

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Benedita of Portugal – A Princess in the shadows (Part one)

Infanta Benedita of Portugal was born on 25 July 1746 as the eighth child but fourth surviving one of Mariana Victoria of Spain and King Joseph I of Portugal. Benedita’s three elder sisters were Maria (the future Queen Maria I of Portugal), Mariana and Doroteia. Her mother had suffered several stillbirths and without a son, her eldest sister Maria would become Portugal’s first Queen regnant. Her baptism took place on 10 August 1746, and she was named for Pope Benedict XIV who was also her godfather. Around this time, Benedita’s mother lost her father and sister, and the news was initially kept from her.

The four sisters grew up together and spent most of their time in Lisbon. However, Benedita was the youngest by seven years, so they were all in different stages of their life. Their education focussed heavily on religion, and they attended mass every morning and said prayers every evening. They also studied music and painting. Benedita and her sisters were born during the reign of their grandfather King John V of Portugal, and their father eventually became King in 1750. Benedita and her sisters were present when their father took the oath as King – the ceremony was an acclamation rather than a coronation. By then, their mother had not been pregnant for four years, and Maria was recognised as the heir to the throne. Nevertheless, her mother continued to believe well into her 40s that she might be pregnant.

In 1758, Benedita was being considered as a bride for King Ferdinand VI of Spain who had recently been widowed – he had been married to Benedita’s aunt Barbara and was 33 years older than Benedita. Nothing came of this as Ferdinand died the following year. The second option was a little closer in age – Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor, who was just five years older, and he had been widowed in 1763. However, he ended up remarrying to Maria Josepha of Bavaria, but the plan to marry Benedita was briefly revived in 1767 when Maria Josepha died of smallpox.

The then 21-year-old Benedita was being showered by suitors, and it seems rather unclear why none of these matches ever took place. She was, after all, “extremely beautiful and agreeable.”1 Perhaps her father was reluctant to let her go. Even the marriage of Benedita’s elder sister Maria did not take place until 1760 when she was already 25 years old. Maria ended up marrying her uncle Peter, who was 42 at the time of their marriage. Benedita, her sisters and mother had prepared Maria for the marriage bed by undressing her, perfuming her and laying her between the sheets. The two middle sisters Mariana and Doroteia never married. Doroteia was ill for the last seven years of her life, and the condition was described as “hysteric, accompanied by an almost total lack of appetite which has reduced her to a state of extreme weakness.”2 She was prescribed constant bleedings, which only weakened her further and she died at the age of 31 in 1771.

Benedita’s future husband was born on 20 August 1761, and he was the eldest son of her sister Maria and their uncle Peter, and he was named Joseph for his grandfather. Maria conceived eight times over the next 15 years, but only three children would survive infancy. At the time of his birth, the match with his aunt probably wasn’t even a consideration, but the papal dispensation for it had been requested around October 1775. On 20 February 1777, as Benedita’s father lay dying he expressed the “great desire” that the wedding between his daughter and grandson should take place without delay.

The following day, Benedita married her 15-year-old nephew Joseph in the chapel of Sintra Palace with only the immediate family present. After the ceremony, they made their way to the dying King’s bedside to kiss his hand. It was now Maria’s turn to help undress her sister and prepare her for the marriage bed. On 24 February, the King died, and Maria became Queen. Joseph now became Prince of Brazil and Duke of Braganza as the heir to the throne. Author Alberto Pimentel wrote, “D. Maria Benedicta was still beautiful, and quite intelligent, and understand the energetic and noble soul of her nephew who, for his part, had shown himself since childhood very affectionate towards this sister of his mother. They loved each other because they understood each other.”3 The groom’s father was said to have been against the match, but we do not know Maria’s opinion of it, nor Benedita’s. Several foreigners at court criticised not only the close relationship between the two newlyweds but also the disparity in age. An Englishman even prophesied, “One should not be surprised that there will be no descendants of any kind of such a union.”4

Part two coming soon.

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Royals and Dukedoms

The British monarchy and nobility are littered with various titles, often leading to confusing situations if you’re not familiar with them. Here I’ll be explaining the difference between a royal duke and a regular duke and how a dukedom held by a royal can stop being royal.

The basis of both titles is the same, and they are part of the peerage. Other titles in the peerage include the lower-ranking Marquess, Earl, Viscount or Baron and often Dukes have one or several of these titles as so-called subsidiary titles. The eldest son of a Duke can use his father’s subsidiary title as a courtesy – this means that they do not hold the title themselves. For example, the Duke of Norfolk’s eldest son is known as the Earl of Arundel. Younger sons of Dukes are styled as Lord “name” and daughters are styled as Lady “Name.”

A royal duke is a member of the British royal family who is entitled to the title of Prince and the style of Royal Highness and who also holds a dukedom. There are currently six royal dukes:

The Duke of EdinburghThe Duke of CambridgeThe Duke of SussexThe Duke of YorkThe Duke of GloucesterThe Duke of Kent

In addition, there is also one royal Earl – The Earl of Wessex.

These dukedoms have the standard inheritance of “heirs male of the body lawfully begotten”, which means the eldest son will inherit the title.

So when do we no longer consider a dukedom royal? When the person who holds the title no longer falls under the 1917 Letters Patent and is no longer entitled the title of Prince and the style of Royal Highness. These Letters Patent restrict the title of Prince to the children of the sovereign, the children of the sovereign’s sons, and the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales. This was amended in 2013 to include all the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales (i.e. the children of The Duke of Cambridge)1

Both the Duke of Kent and the Duke of Gloucester are male-line grandsons of King George V. Their sons (the Earl of St Andrews and the Earl of Ulster) fall outside the 1917 Letters Patent. So while they will eventually succeed to the title of Duke, they will be addressed as “His Grace”, like a “regular” Duke as they are not considered to be royal.

Women who marry royal dukes automatically take on their husband’s rank and status. This was confirmed by Buckingham Palace when Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon married the Duke of York (future King George VI). They released this statement: “In accordance with the settled general rule that a wife takes the status of her husband Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon on her marriage has become Her Royal Highness the Duchess of York with the status of a Princess.”2

The assumption that these women (i.e. The Duchesses of Cambridge, Sussex, Cornwall) are only Duchesses and not Princesses is thus wrong. They will not be styled as Princess “name”, but they have the status of a Princess nonetheless. Only the late Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester (born Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott) was styled as Princess “name” after she became a widow because she requested it and the Queen allowed her to adopt this title to avoid confusion with her daughter-in-law.3

 

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Marie-Christine of Belgium – The outcast Princess

Princess Marie-Christine of Belgium was born on 6 February 1951 as the daughter of King Leopold III of Belgium and his second wife . Her father’s second marriage during his time as a prisoner of war was badly received in Belgium, and he officially abdicated the throne on 16 July 1951 in favour of his eldest son and Marie-Christine’s half-brother, who became King Baudouin. From Leopold’s first marriage to Queen Astrid, Marie-Christine has one half-sister (the late Joséphine Charlotte of Belgium, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg) and two half-brothers (the above mentioned Baudoin – now deceased – and Albert).

Marie-Christine also has two full siblings, Alexandre (now deceased) and Esmeralda. The children of this second marriage received the titles of Prince(ss) of Belgium with the style of Royal Highness, but they did not receive succession rights. Through her half-brother Albert, she is the aunt of the current King Philippe of the Belgians.

Marie-Christine was born at the Palace of Laeken, near Brussels, where she would spend the first ten years of her life. She usually went by her middle name Daphne and was seven years when she learned it was not her first name. There was little contact with two of her elder half-siblings. King Baudouin did visit her on a regular basis as he lived with them in the early years of his reign, and in her memoirs, she remembered him as “one in a million.” Joséphine Charlotte married the future Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg in 1953 when Marie-Christine was only two. She also saw little of her full brother Alexandre, who was nine years older than her. Her younger sister Esmeralda was born in 1956, but they were never close.

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Marie-Christine was mostly raised by nannies in a wing of the palace, and these nannies were often fired if she became too attached to them. In her memoirs, Marie Christine described having had 24 nannies. At the age of nine, Marie-Christine was a bridesmaid at the wedding of her half-brother King Baudouin and Fabiola de Mora y Aragon. However, she fainted in church and spent much of the wedding behind the scenes. During the couple’s honeymoon, Marie-Christine’s parents were requested to move out of the Palace of Laeken and into the Castle of Argenteuil. While there, Marie-Christine and her family grew apart.

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Lilian had an obvious preference for Marie-Christine’s younger sister Esmeralda whom she believed to be more intelligent and handsome. Of her mother, Marie-Christine wrote, “I was afraid of my mother until the day of her death. The day I found out she was gone forever, I didn’t shed a tear. I didn’t laugh either, but I sighed with relief. Peace at last.”1 After being schooled by private tutors, Marie-Christine was sent away for school – three schools in fact. She left the third one – a religious boarding school – just before graduation and without a diploma.

At the age of 17, Marie-Christine was reportedly raped by a cousin of hers. In her memoirs, she wrote, “Of course, I was more afraid of my mother than I was of him. So I said nothing. I thought I was going to die.”2 Her mother called her a liar, even though a doctor later confirmed injuries consistent with rape. Her mother locked her in her room for two months. After this traumatic experience, Marie-Christine ended up in a vicious circle of men who were wrong for her and completely spiralled out of control.

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She could not find peace anywhere and finally ended up being sent to Canada where friends of her parents lived. She found a job there – first as a telephone operator but later as a production assistant with TV-Ontario. She soon found her way back to the nightlife and defied her parents’ orders to return by marrying a man named Paul Drake (Druckner). She later wrote, “I never loved Paul Drake. I was barely married when I realised I had been foolish. Paul Drake was a gay man who was still in the closet. And our marriage was not a generosity towards me…”3 Paul Drake sought out the publicity and Marie-Christine felt trapped. She eventually found the courage to leave – packed her bags and left a note. She moved to Montréal, where she took odds jobs to make money. While there, she began dating Jean-Paul Gourgues on and off. After five years, she and Paul were officially divorced after King Baudouin discretely paid the expenses.

After a fling with an Australian man, she found her way back to Jean-Paul – pregnant with the Australian man’s baby. Jean-Paul wanted her back but could barely support the two of them, let alone a baby, and so Marie-Christine had an abortion. She later wrote, “I had no mothering instincts, and I was constantly at odds with myself.”4 Jean-Paul became the love of her life. They lived in France for three years before settling in the United States.

In 1983, King Leopold died at the age of 81. Marie-Christine returned to Belgium briefly to say goodbye, but she did not attend his funeral. After several years, the inheritance was finally settled, and she was able to buy a house in Los Angeles. On 28 September 1989, she married Jean-Paul and began a restaurant with him. She tried to break through as an actress but never made it, though she was often seen at parties on account of her title.

Marie-Christine had to learn about Baudouin’s death via the media. None of the family had contacted her, and she did not attend his funeral. By then, she had not spoken to her family for many years anyway. A year after his death. Marie-Christine was interviewed by the Belgian media where she spoke openly about her relationship (or lack thereof) with the Belgian royals. She could use the money from the interview well after the inheritance had all but disappeared. She and Jean-Paul had moved to a rental property in Las Vegas where gambling debts haunted them. The media found her again several years later, and she openly admitted to having money problems. “My problem is that I was not born or raised to work. I have no diplomas. I know nothing. I have only my name.”5 After German media also showed an interest in her story, King Albert sent her a financial settlement.

Marie-Christine’s mother Lilian died on 7 June 2002 – they had not spoken for 24 years. She did not attend her mother’s funeral and remained out of touch with the royal family. In 2004, Marie-Christine published her memoirs called “De Breuk” (the fracture). With her mother’s inheritance, Marie-Christine’s managed to buy three homes and a campervan, but even that inheritance eventually disappeared with Jean-Paul’s gambling habit. The houses were sold, and the two settled in a wooden chalet in Sequim. They reportedly still live there and hardly ever venture out. No one in the family is in touch with her according to her sister Esmeralda, “That is her choice. It makes me sad, but I respect her decision.”6

“Even if my life as a Princess has served no purpose, I would wish that my life as a human has this meaning at least: to show those who suffer that there is always a way out of the tunnel, a harbour for a ship, a road to get away on, a reward after the sacrifice. Even if it hurts you, you will become stronger. A fracture may be painful and frustrating but the reward of that sacrifice is an additional trump card on the path of life.”78

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Starz to make series called “The Serpent Queen,” based on the life of Catherine de’ Medici

Starz is set to make a period drama called “The Serpent Queen”, which will be based on the life of Catherine de’ Medici, Queen of France.

The eight episodes will be based on the book “Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France” by Leonie Frieda.

“‘The Serpent Queen’ may be the most cunning account of one of the most influential women ever to wear a crown that Starz has told,” said Christina Davis, president of original programming for Starz. “We are thrilled to be working with such an incredibly talented team who will give this series a modern voice among a sensational historical backdrop.”

Starz previously (co-)produced The Pillars of the Earth, The White Queen, The White Princess and the Spanish Princess. It is also working on an as of yet untitled series about Eleanor of Aquitaine (Duchess of Aquitaine, Queen of France and England).

Read more about Catherine’s life here.

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The Year of the Duchess of Windsor – The trip to Austria

In February 1935, the Prince of Wales invited Wallis and Ernest Simpson to join him for a ski holiday in Kitzbühel in Austria. Wallis had eagerly accepted the invitation, but Ernest had no interest in skiing, and the two ended up quarrelling about the trip. Wallis remained determined to go, with or without Ernest. In the end, Wallis went without Ernest, but their marriage was never the same. Ernest remained angry that she had chosen the Prince of Wales over his feelings.

Wallis and the Prince took the Simplon Express from Paris to Kitzbühel, arriving there on 5 February in the middle of a storm. Wallis had never even been on skis before and stayed on the easier slopes. The entire party stayed at the Grand Hotel. Wallis later wrote, “We stayed at the Grand Hotel, situated at the edge of the ancient town of Kitzbühel with an excellent view of the Kitzbüheler Horn and of the Grosse Aache Valley below. I must say, however, that in spite of the glowing descriptions the men brought back each afternoon of the glories and challenges of the upper slopes, I was never tempted to try them. It solely to avoid being put to shame by young Olive that Primrose and I ventured out upon the gentlest of the nursery slopes, and only then in the charge of a young but most experienced Skilehrer named Count Kari Lamberg, who pledged his honour that no harm would to us.”1

At the end of their stay in Kitzbühel, the Prince decided he wanted to visit Vienna – to Waltz. All had to be quickly arranged, and the party left on the midnight express on 16 February and took over an entire floor of the Bristol Hotel in Vienna. They danced, visited coffeehouses, shopped, and the Prince even visited housing projects. Before long, they were off to Budapest. Wallis wrote, “The fascinations of Budapest have been extolled in song and story. But nothing that I had ever heard or read had quite prepared me for the strange, almost hypnotic quality of the gipsy violins.”2

The trip to Austria had not only changed her marriage; it had also changed Wallis. She had always been careful to protect her marriage and had kept her emotional distance, but she had become fascinated by the Prince and the life he led. Slowly Ernest’s presence began to fade to the background, and the Prince showered her with gifts. Wallis later wrote, “Ernest had undergone a change; the shadow that had fallen across our parting had taken a substance; it was almost palpable. This time he was not at all curious, even indifferent, about the details of the trips; and, if anything, he was more uncommunicative about his sojourn in New York. There can be nothing more baffling in a human relationship than silence, the dark loom of doubts and questions unexpressed. This was the situation in which Ernest and I now found ourselves – a situation from which we were never to emerge as long as we were together.”3

The post The Year of the Duchess of Windsor – The trip to Austria appeared first on History of Royal Women.