Funeral of Prince Carlos Hugo of Bourbon Parma. Video courtesy of RoyalblogNL.

Prince Carlos Hugo of Bourbon Parma, a branch of the Spanish House of Bourbon, died August 18th in Barcelona. Carlos Hugo was a Carlist pretender to the Spanish throne.

Carlism is a legitimist political movement in Spain which seeks to place the descendants of Infante Carlos, Count of Molina (1788 – 1855) on the Spanish throne. They only recognize the semi-Salic succession law that gave Infante Carlos precedence over King Ferdinand VII’s daughter, Isabella II.

Infante Carlos had been the heir until his brother Ferdinand created his unborn child the next in line to the throne. The baby would be the new heir, regardless of sex, and when it was revealed to be a girl, Carlos and various cadet Bourbon family branches declared her father’s claim invalid and illegal. This dispute over the laws of succession, coupled with disappointment in the loss of Spanish colonies in the Caribbean, fueled the movement.

Prince Carlos Hugo’s father publicly laid claim to the Spanish throne as Javier I in 1952. He was ignored by Spain’s leader at the time, dictator Francisco Franco, who later chose Infante Juan Carlos to be his successor and restore the monarchy. King Juan Carlos rules today, and his son, Crown Prince Felipe, is the next in line to the throne.

Carlist – Wikipedia

Warning: Photo Heavy!

A royal wedding means gown commentary, and the recent Greek royal nuptials are no exception.

It was a formal wedding but with a relaxed, happy twist that was perfect for their Mediterranean surroundings. Below, the great and the good (along with a few questionable choices thereafter):

The bride, Tatiana – Her wedding dress was an ivory Angel Sanchez gown with lace overlay. It was paired with a matching lace bolero jacket and full-length veil, topped off with a stunning tiara borrowed from her new mother-in-law. This tiara was also worn by Tatiana’s sister-in-law, Princess Marie-Chantal.

Marie of Denmark – a sand-colored gown and a stylish fan finishing the look. Bravo!

Princess Victoria of Sweden – her brilliant warm tangerine gown with empire waist fits and flows elegantly. Perfect!

Princess Letizia – a warm blue gown that wraps in the style of a Greek goddess, with a matching Hellenic column bracelet.

Nikolaos’ cousin, Infanta Cristina, looked splendid but serious in a black and gray floral gown with matching wrap.

The “Oh No!” Brigade:

Princess Madeleine of Sweden – an aqua gown the color of the Mediterranean Sea; a top the style of…a lettuce leaf?

Princess Mary and Princess Maxima – the the light and airy colors flatter Maxima, but the skirt of the gown is too fussy. The color and pattern of Mary’s gown, though it’s an elegant cut, falls flat.

The groom’s brother and sister, Prince Philippos and Princess Theodora – the stylish Philippos looked handsome in his suit. Funny enough, the men’s suits seem too heavy in comparison with the women’s gowns in such sunny, warm weather.

J’adore Theodora’s gown, except for the top. It cuts much too tightly across her bosom, and the bejeweled strap seems out of place.

Nikolaos’ other Spanish cousin, Elena, (L) looked much better without her candy pink jacket. The dress is still too dated though, looking like something out of the 1980s. Princess Rosario of Bulgaria (R) kept things much more simple.

Prince Nikolaos and Tatiana Blatnik have tied the knot today, surrounded by family and friends. The wedding took place on the Greek island of Spetses, in the Cathedral of Ayios Nikolaos (Saint Nicholas) church.

Tatiana is now known as Her Royal Highness Princess Tatiana of Greece and Denmark.

A few people have asked me why the Greek royal family are known as princes/princesses of both Greece and Denmark. This is because King Constantine is a male-line descendant of Christian IX of Denmark, so he and his family retain this title. Constitutional changes, however, removed the Greek royals from the line of Danish succession since they are a lower cadet branch of Denmark’s House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. Read more…

Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark is set to marry his fiancee, Tatiana Blatnik, tomorrow afternoon. The wedding is to take place on the Greek island of Spetses.

Nikolaos is the second son of former King Constantine II of Greece and Queen Anne-Marie. He is a close relation to many royals across Europe and is the nephew of two Queens – Queen Margrethe II of Denmark (his mother’s sister) and Queen Sofia of Spain (his father’s sister).

Bride-to-be Tatiana holds a degree in sociology from Georgetown University in Washington. She studied public relations in Switzerland and currently works in the PR office of Diane von Furstenburg.

Her brusque manner with the press is legendary, as is her characteristic bun.

Anne, The Princess Royal, is still the same straight-talking princess she has always been, even at age 60.

The second child of the Queen and Prince Philip was born August 15th, 1950. Anne’s claim to fame is her simple, no-nonsense approach to life and her hard work. Like her father, she has a disdainful approach to the press and shuns the limelight as often as possible. Anne simply dives in to her job, whether it’s traveling to Africa for her children’s charity or supporting her Princess Royal Trust for Carers.

The Queen’s strong sense of duty and thrift are also a large part of Anne’s makeup. Like the Queen, Anne never fussed about gowns or jewels, except when she was required to attend a formal royal event. Her true place was out in the country riding horses, attending to her dogs, or working on her schedule of royal duties.

When she married Captain Mark Phillips, a fellow equestrian, their children were not given titles. Anne’s reasoning was simple: it would keep them out of the limelight. As a princess, it was inevitable that Anne had to deal with the spotlight growing up, but she made sure that her children Peter and Zara would not feel any public pressure.

Anne’s natural grace on a horse has been passed on to her daughter Zara, who is currently training to join Britain’s Olympic team. Her son Peter and his wife are expecting their first child – Anne’s first grandchild and the Queen’s first great-grandchild – in December.

The princess’ family is happy, strong, and as down-to-earth as ever. I wish Her Royal Highness all the best for her birthday.

Recommended:

BBC Sport – The Princess Royal at 60
Anne at 60 – More Regal Than Mum?
Princess Anne Not Slowing Down

On August 6th, the Danish royal court announced that Crown Princess Mary is pregnant with twins.

Princess Mary, the former Mary Donaldson of Australia, married Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederick in 2004. Their elder children are Prince Christian, 4, and Princess Isabella, 3.

This will be the first time a set of twins has been born into the Danish royal house, according to Dag Trygsland Hoelseth (see his blog). He explains that there are twins in the extended family (Countesses Camilla and Josephine of Rosenborg), but there have never been twins in the immediate Royal Family.

The twins are expected to be born in January of next year.