Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha turns 71

Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

Happy 71st Birthday to His Highness Andreas, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Duke of Saxony! Prince Andreas is the current Head of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, which include the Royal Family Belgium, the former Royal House of Bulgaria, and the British Royal Family, before they changed their name to Windsor, dropped all their German titles, and severed their ties with their German relations following World War I.

The Prince was born Andreas Michael Friedrich Hans Armin Siegfried Hubertus on March 21, 1943, the son of  Friedrich Josias, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and the former Countess Viktoria-Luise of Solms-Baruth. Prince Friedrich was the son of and heir of Charles Edward, the last reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Duke of Albany in the British Peerage. Charles Edward was the only son (born posthumously) of Prince Leopold, youngest son of Queen Victoria. Thus, Andrea is a great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria.

In 1946, his parents divorced. In 1949, together with his mother and stepfather Richard Whitten, he moved to New Orleans. He returned to Germany in 1965 and rendered military service from 1966 until 1968 before working as a timber merchant from 1969 until 1971.

He married Carin Dabelstein (b. Hamburg, 16 July 1946), daughter of Adolf Wilhelm Martin Dabelstein, Fabrikant, Kaufmann, and wife Irma Maria Margarete Callsen in 1971. While the marriage was unequal, the groom's father granted permission to the permission, and so the couple's three children, Stephanie (born 1972), Hubertus, Hereditary Prince and Heir Apparent to the family headship (born 1975) and Alexander (born 1977) have been allowed to use the family's courtesy titles and styles.

Royal History: Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Abdicate?

Prince Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Image: Wikimedia Commons

London, June 19, 1899 - The Daily Mail's Berlin correspondent reported that Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha "would probably abdicate" this year. C.F von Strange, the Minister of State, allegedly made the confidential pronouncement at the conclusion of a "secret session" of the duchy's Diet.

Prince Alfred was born in 1844. He was the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and of Prince Albert, the younger son of the Duke of Saxe-coburg and Gotha. Albert's elder brother succeeded as the duchy's ruler, but he failed to have an heir of his own. The Prince of Wales declined the title, so it eventually passed on to Alfred upon the duke's death in 1893. The duke was married to Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna, only daughter of Czar Alexander II of Russia. The marriage was blessed with four daughters, Marie, Victoria Melita, Alexandra and Beatrice. Their only son was the Hereditary Prince Alfred, who was in line to his father's British and German titles.

The Royal Blogger

Christian George Acevedo is a librarian, mentor, and scholar of wide-ranging interests. He has authored hundreds of articles for various websites, and his expertise ranges from online marketing and finance to history, entertainment and many more. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Tumblr. Contact Christian at powerwordsonlinewriting@gmail.com.

Princess Margarita of Baden dies

Wheelchair-bound Princess Margarita of Baden (far right)
on one of the royal ceremonies she's attended.

Death came quietly to Princess Margarita of Baden, who passed away last January 15. She was approaching her 81st year. She was the widow of Prince Tomislav of Yugoslavia, younger brother of the country’s last king Peter II. Born on July 14, 1932 at Salem, Germany, she was baptized Margarete Alice Thyra Viktoria Marie Louise Scholastica. Her father was Prince Berthold, Landgrave and head of the House of Baden. Her mother was Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark, a sister of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.


In 1948, the Princess moved to London, where she worked as a nurse at St. Thomas’ Hospital. There, she was affectionately called Nurse von Baden. She met her husband, Prince Tomislav, who was living in exile in London and the two were married in a civil ceremony in Baden on June 5, 1957. The following day, their marriage was solemnized in the Orthodox and Lutheran ceremonies. Among the royalties present were King Simeon of Bulgaria, Prince Philip and his mother Princess Alice. The couple established their home in England, where they were blessed with two children: Prince Nikolas (born 1958) and Princess Katarina (born 1959). The couple divorced in 1981 and Prince Tomislav eventually remarried. He died in 2000.

Princess Margarita was a frequent guest on numerous royal occasions, including Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother’s 100th birthday celebration in 2000, the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and her uncle Prince Philip’s 90th birthday celebration in 2011. She was also a familiar figure in the annual Christmas lunches hosted by The Queen.

Princess Margarita’s interest lies in Russian affairs. It was with great enthusiasm that she filled up the presidency of the Convent of Martha and Mary in Moscow, an institution established by her great-great aunt, Princess Elizabeth of Hesse, Grand Duchess of Russia. She even persuaded (with great success) her cousin, Prince Charles, to allocate half the proceeds of a concert intended for St. George’s Chapel for the convent. Way into the old age and wheelchair bound, the Princess was ceaseless in her dedication as patron of numerous charitable causes.