I received my copy of Royalty Digest Quarterly no. 2, 2021 back in July, but I left on vacation just after and then I was occupied with work and therefore have not had the time to write a few lines before now. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who died on 9 april this year, turns up in several articles in the present issue. In Ted Rosvall's Editor's Corner Philip's death is mentioned, before the editor moves on to the topic of royal centenarians. As you well know Prince Philip died just two months before he would have reached the grand age of 100, but Rosvall gives examples of other royals who did. Born royals, that is.
Then Marlene A. Eilers Koenig follows up with the article Four Sisters, Four Weddings, and yes, it is Prince Philip's sisters Margarita (1905–1981), Theodora (1906–1969), Princess Cecilé (1911–1937) and Sophie (1914–2001) she is focusing on. And of course, towards the end of the magazine, Prince Philip's death is listed in the column The World Wide Web of Royalty. Births, marriages, deaths and other events in the Royal Families of Europe. The column also covers the birth of Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor as well as news from Greece, Italy, Sweden and Württemberg.
The cover photo is from the silver wedding of Prince Heinrich XXVII Reuss j.L. (Reuss-Schleiz) (1858–1928) and his wife Elise (1864–1929) at Schloss Osterstein in Gera in 1909. This means that The House Reuss zu Schleiz (Younger Line) is the chosen topic for this issue's Family Album. This time, however, is the introduction not written by Charlotte Zeepvat as usual, but by the editor himself, Ted Rosvall, with contributions from Bearn Bilker. The album contains 50 illustrations this time (of various members as well as of palaces besides a map, the coat of arms and various coins) and one page with genealogical tables.
Those who are interested in articles about royal graves will be delighted to know that Lucas Szkopinski has made the contribution The Bourbon Crypt at the Kostanjevica Monastery (Nova Gorica), while Ove Mogensen has returned with part IV of Tombs, Graves and Monuments in Thuringia, which deals with Saxe-Coburg and Gotha this time.
It is not very often that the magazine contains articles about non-European topics, but I appreciate it when it does. This time Stephen Bunford treats us with the article Our Hawaiian Friends. Royal connections between Britain and Hawaii. As the title suggests, it is a combination article, where Queen Victoria (1819–1901) is the main figure on the British side.
The historian and author Trond Norén Isaksen has written an insightful article titled Henri from Navarre. Prince Henrik of Denmark and the Kings Consort of Navarre. He has touched upon the subject of kings consort also earlier, and wrote a debate article on the subject in Aftenposten 10 August 2021.
If this was not enough, there are three more articles in the magazine! Charlotte Zeepvat was not behind the family album this time, but she has made great contribution with her article 'Tante Mossy'. Quen of Finland, which is about Landgravine Margarethe of Hesse-Kassel (1872–1954), née Princess of Prussia and a sister of Emperor Wilhelm II. The article title is formally correct, as Margarethe's husband, then Prince Friedrich Karl (1868–1940) was elected King of Finland by a rump parliament in 1918, but still somewhat misleading, as Friedrich Karl never accepted the offer, as he could predict the outcome of the war and that his relationship to Emperor Wilhelm would be a problem for the great powers. Friedrich Karl never set foot in Finland, but his son Wolfgang (1896-1989) did during WW2.
Not mentioned in the index, but there is a book review this time, written by Ted Rosvall. He comments on the sixth volume of Susan Symons' series of German castles and palaces, titled Schloss in Thuringia. I only own the three first volumes, so obviously I have get hold of the newer ones.
Little-known Royals? Coryne Hall this time presents Prince Nicholas of Romania (1903–1978), the fourth child of King Ferdinand of Romania (1865–1927) and his wife Queen Marie (1875–1938), née Princess of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (and Princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 1893). Yes, I agree, Prince Nicholas certainly belongs to the group of little-known royals.
Information about Royalty Digest Quarterly can be found at its editor's website Royalbooks.se. See earlier presentations of RDQ here. See also its Facebook page.
