Eurohistory. The European Royal History Journal, Vol. 18.6, December 2015

I received the last issue of volume 18 of Eurohistory. The European Royal History Journal during the first week of April, but haven't found the time to comment on it before now. The birth and naming ot the new Prince of Sweden were «more urgent news» and had to come first. I just don't have enough time for blogging, even if I would have loved to write more articles than I do at present. Anyway, returning to ERHJ, Vol. 18.6 is the last bimontly issue, as from Volume 19 it will be published quarterly, as explained in my previous ERHJ article.

The man on the front cover is most likely Grand Duke (of Grand Prince if you like) Konstantin Konstantinovich (1858–1915), who is the topic for one of Coryne Hall's contributions, A Most Accomplished Man. I say most likely, because the magazine doesn't mention it. But judging from other pictures it must be him.

The Konstantin Konstantinovic article starts on page 14. The first article of the present issue is written by Ilana D. Miller, who continues the «Who Is In the Photograph» series, this time with A Gathering in Coburg, showing a photo of Princess Sibylla of Sweden, née Princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the Earl of Athlone and his wife Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone. As usual we are not only told the story of the people in the first picture, but also get details about their immediate relations. There is not only one photograph in the article, but 8 more, including a portrait of Princess Sibylla's father, Duke Carl Eduard.

Janet Ashton has on several occasions written about royals and WW1. This thime she has chosen the later King Alexander of Yugoslavia as a topic for her article Losing some battles but starting to win a war. Crown Prince Alexander and Serbia's Defeat and Exile.

The historian Diana Mandache, known among others for her books Later Chapters of My Life: The Lost Memoir of Queen Marie of Romania (2004) and Dearest Missy (2011), then tries to explain why Nicholas Medforth-Mills was excluded from the succession to the Romanian throne (i.e. if you think it is up to King Michael personally to change the succession law) in the article HRH Prince Nicholas of Romania. The Lost Prince of Romania. I am afraid I am no wiser after reading it. It is rather sad that the former king has made such a mess of everything.

I have to smile every time I hear the name of Princess Augusta of Cambridge, later Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1822–1916), because I cannot help thinking of her famous remark «A Revolutionary Throne» about Queen Maud in connection with King Haakon VII of Norway's election in 1905 and coronation the year after. Marlene Eilers Koenig has written a nice and long portrait of the British-born Grand Duchess, with many details about the political debate concerning the personal annuity she was to receive after her father's death.

Issue 18.6 also includes two obituaries: Prince Friederich Wilhelm of Prussia (1939–2015) and Duchess Donata of Oldenburg (1950–2015), both written by the publisher and editor, Arturo E. Beéche.

I was also pleased to find several book reviews. The first one is actually called «A Reader's Review», where Martijn Arts has given his thoughs on the Eurohistory publication I did it my way... The Memoirs of Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, which was launched at the Royal Gatherings in the Hague in November 2015 (ISBN 9781944207007) with the author, Prince Andreas, present. Because the book is published by Beéche, who is also editor of the magazine, he has wisely chosen a person who is not in the publisher's «inner circle» to review the book. The other review is written by Coryne Hall and covers another Eurohistory publication, Royal Exiles in Cannes. The Bourbons of the Two-Sicilies of the Villa Marie-Thérèse by David McIntosh and Arturo E. Beéche (2015, ISBN 9781944207014).

Regarding the memoirs of Prince Andreas, it could be mentioned that they are now also published in German: I did it my way – Die Lebensrinnerungen von Prinz Andreas von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha, ISBN 9781944207069. The publisher is yet again Eurohistory.com,* cf. the Amazon.com entry, but at the Eurohistory Facebook page we were recently told that Prince Andreas and Arturo E. Béeche have established a new company, Prinz von Coburg Verlag, based in Coburg, Germany and owned 50–50 by the said gentlemen. According to the FB page, the company plans «to republish all of Eurohistory’s titles, or at least most of them, in German and market them in the countries where the language is predominant». It seems to be a wise move, as Eurohistory will expand into new markets and get more than one string to it's bow. The local newspaper of Coburg, Neue Presse, wrote, by the way, a large article about the book last Friday, 22 April 2016, Ein tiefer Blick ins Innerste, but it is behind a payment wall.

Finally we get the Royal News section, this time with news from the Imperial, Royal or Princely houses of Albania, Bavaria, Bourbon, Liechtenstein, Savoy (Italy), Auersperg-Trautson, Croy, Leiningen, Waldburg of Zeil and Trauchburg and Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg.

The publisher of The European Royal History Royal can be reached at erhj [at] eurohistory.com.

For earlier articles on the magazine, please go here.

* Postscript Sunday 1 May 2016 at 21:30: Arturo Beéche has explained in a message today that the German version of Prince Andreas' memoirs was published before he and Beéche formed the Verlag and therefore the edition came out under the Eurohistory logo. Every further cooperation will come out under both logos, Eurohistory and Prinz von Coburg Verlag.

Updated on Sunday 1 May 2016 at 21:30 (postscript added).