Michael, King of Romania

Here are the seize quartiers for the former King of Romania:

1.  Mihael I, King of Romania 1921-

2.  Carol II, King of Romania 1893-1953

3.  Helene of Greece and Denmark 1896-1982

4.  Ferdinand I, King of Romania 1865-1927

5.  Marie of Great-Britain 1875-1938

6.  Konstantinos I, King of Greece 1868-1923

7.  Sophie of Prussia 1870-1932

8.  Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen 1835-1905

9.  Antonia of Portugal 1845-1913

10.  Alfred of Great Britain, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha 1844-1900

11.  Maria Aleksandrovna of Russia 1853-1920

12.  Georgios I, King of Greece 1845-1913

13.  Olga of Russia 1851-1926

14.  Friedrich III, Emperor of Germany 1831-88

15.  Victoria of Great Britain 1840-1901

16.  Karl Anton of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen 1811-85

17.  Josephine of Baden 1813-1900

18.  Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Kohary 1816-85

19.  Maria II da Gloria, Queen of Portugal 1819-53

20.  Albrecht of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha 1819-61

21.  Victoria, Queen of Great Britain 1819-1901

22.  Aleksandr II, Tsar of Russia 1818-81

23.  Marie of Hesse 1824-80

24.  Christian IX, King of Denmark 1818-1906

25.  Louise of Hesse-Cassel 1817-98

26.   Konstantin Nikolaievich of Russia 1827-92

27.  Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg 1830-1911

28.  Wilhelm I, Emperor of Germany 1797-1888

29.  Augusta of Saxe-Weimar 1811-90

30.  Albrecht of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha 1819-1961

31.  Victoria, Queen of Great Britain 1819-1901

20/21 and 30/31 are the same.  18 is the first cousin of 20/21/30/31.  Of the fifth generation, 10 are German, 1 is Portuguese, 2 are Russian, 2 are British, and 2 are Danish.  Mihail has no Romanian blood without going back to the thirteenth century.  The average age is 69.

Mihail I is the last inter-belline head of state alive, and, together with Simeon II of Bulgaria, is the last head of state from World War II.  After the descendants of Edward VII, he is next in line for the British throne, and is one of the oldest remaining descendants of Queen Victoria.  

Constantine II, King of Greece

Now we have looked at all the current monarchs of Europe, we will take a look at the former monarchs, in each case taking the last person to reign de facto.  Some of these are still living - Constantine of Greece, Michael of Roumania, and Boris of Bulgaria.  Others died many years ago, and their claims continue among their descendants.  Increasingly, as we see in extant monarchies, marriages between royal houses become rarer, and royals tend to marry those from their own nations (of course, usually from the upper echelons of society).  I suspect that, in 100 years, the seize quartiers of most monarchs will only have one royal person in the top generation.

The seize quartiers for the former king of Greece are as follows:

1.  Konstantinos II, King of Greece 1940-

2.  Pavlos, King of Greece 1901-64

3.  Friederike of Hanover 1917-

4.  Konstantinos I, King of Greece 1868-1923

5.  Sophie of Prussia 1870-1932

6.  Ernst August III, Duke of Brunswick 1887-1953

7.  Viktoria Luise of Prussia 1892-1980

8.  Georgios I, King of Greece 1845-1913

9.  Olga of Russia 1851-1926

10.  Friedrich III, Emperor of Germany 1831-88

11.  Victoria of Great Britain 1840-1901

12.  Ernst August of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland 1845-1923

13.  Thyra of Denmark 1853-1933

14.  Wilhelm II, Emperor of Germany 1859-1941

15.  Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein 1858-1921

16.  Christian IX, King of Denmark 1818-1906

17.  Louise of Hesse-Cassel 1817-98

18.  Konstantin Nikolaievich of Russia 1827-92

19.  Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg 1830-1911

20.  Wilhelm I, Emperor of Germany 1797-1888

21.  Augusta of Saxe-Weimar 1811-90

22.  Albrecht of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha 1819-1961

23.  Victoria, Queen of Great Britain 1819-1901

24.  Georg V, King of Hanover 1819-78

25.  Marie of Saxe-Altenburg 1818-1907

26.  Christian IX, King of Denmark 1818-1906

27.  Louise of Hesse-Cassel 1817-98

28.  Friedrich III, Emperor of Germany 1831-88

29.  Victoria of Great Britain 1840-1901

30.  Friedrich VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg 1829-80

31.  Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg 1835-1900

16/17 and 26/27 are the same.  28 is the son of 20/21.  29 is the daughter of 22/23.  24 is the first cousin of 23.  31 is the niece of 23.  19 lived to see her great-great-grandchild.  Of the fifth generation, 2 are Danish, 10 are German, 3 are British, and 1 is Russian.  The average age is 73, rather a high average.  The former King of Greece, sometimes regarded as the former monarch most likely to return to his country as king, lives in London and is immensely rich.  He is very closely related to most other monarchs, being descended twice from Queen Victoria, and twice from Christian IX of Denmark.  His sister is the Queen of Spain, and he married the sister of the Queen of Denmark.  Prince Philip, the King of Roumania,and the last Queen of Yugoslavia are all his first cousins (once removed for Prince Philip).  He does not have any Greek blood unless one goes back to the fourteenth century.

Carl XVI Gustav, King of Sweden

1. Carl XVI Gustav, King of Sweden 1946-

2. Gustav Adolf of Sweden 1906-47

3. Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha 1908-72

4. Gustav VI Adolf, King of Sweden 1882-1973

5. Margaret of Connaught 1882-1920

6. Karl Eduard, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha 1884-1954

7. Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg 1885-1970

8. Gustav V, King of Sweden 1858-1950

9. VIctoria of Baden 1862-1930

10. Arthur, Duke of Connaught 1850-1942

11. Louise Margaret of Prussia 1860-1917

12. Leopold, Duke of Albany 1853-84

13. Helena of Waldeck-Pyrmont 1861-1922

14. Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg 1855-1934

15. Karoline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg 1860-1932

16. Oscar II, King of Sweden 1829-1907

17. Sophia of Nassau 1836-1913

18. Friedrich I, Grand Duke of Baden 1826-1907

19. Louise of Prussia 1838-1923

20. Albrecht of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha 1819-61

21. Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom 1819-1901

22. Friedrich Karl of Prussia 1828-85

23. Maria Anna of Anhalt-Dessau 1837-1906

24. Albrecht of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha 1819-61

25. Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom 1819-1901

26. Georg Victor, Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont 1831-93

27. Helena of Nassau 1831-88

28. Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg 1814-85

29. Adelheid of Schaumburg-Lippe 1821-99

30. Friedrich VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenberg 1829-80

31. Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg 1835-1900

20/21 and 24/25 are the same. 31 is the daughter of the half-sister of Queen Victoria. 28 is the brother of Christian IX of Denmark.

Of the fifth generation, 1 is Swedish, 13 are German, and 2 are British. The average age is 67. Many of the Swedish royals have reached ninety (the king’s father died in a ‘plane crash) so the present king can be expected to live a good while longer. The king of Sweden is the only monarch in Europe descended twice from Queen Victoria. His wife, Queen Sylvia, is the longest serving Queen Consort of Sweden.

Margrethe II, Queen of Denmark

The seize quartiers of Margrethe II are as follows:

1. Margrethe II, Queen of Denmark 1940-   

2. Fredrik IX, King of Denmark 1899-1972

3. Ingrid of Sweden 1910-2000

4.  Christian X, King of Denmark 1870-1947

5. Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1879-1952

6. Gustav VI Adolf, King of Sweden 1882-1973

7. Margaret of Connaught 1882-1920

8. Fredrik VIII, King of Denmark 1843-1912

9. Louise of Sweden 1851-1926

10. Friedrich Franz III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1851-97

11. Anastasia of Russia 1860-1922

12. Gustav V, King of Sweden 1858-1950

13. Victoria of Baden 1862-1930

14. Arthur, Duke of Connaught, 1850-1942

15.Louise Margaret of Prussia 1860-1917

16. Christian IX, King of Denmark 1818-1906

17. Louise of Hesse-Cassel 1817-98

18. Carl XV, King of Sweden 1826-72

19. Louise of the Netherlands 1828-72

20. Friedrich Franz II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1823-83

21. Augusta of Reuss-Kostritz 1822-62

22. Mikhail of Russia 1832-1909

23. Cecilie of Baden 1839-91

24. Oscar II, King of Sweden 1829-1907

25. Sophie of Nassau 1836-1913

26. Friedrich I, Grand Duke of Baden 1836-1907

27. Luise of Prussia 1838-1923

28. Albrecht of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha 1819-61

29. Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom 1819-1901

30. Friedrich Karl of Prussia 1828-85

31. Maria Anna of Anhalt 1837-1906

The average age of the 2G-grandparents is 68.  Three of them are sovereign monarchs, and two are Grand Dukes.  11 are German, 2 are Swedish, 1 is Dutch, 1 is Russian, and 1 is British.  None are Danish!

18 and 24 are brothers.  23 and 26 are siblings.  The Dutch link is unusual – in the last hundred years or so, the Dutch royal house has been less well-connected to the other houses.  We shall look at the ancestry of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands next time.

Juan Carlos, King of Spain

The seize quartiers of Juan Carlos are as follows:
1. Juan Carlos King Spain b 1938

2. Juan Count Barcelona 1913-93
3. Maria Mercedes of Bourbon-Two-Sicilies 1910-2000

4. Alfonso XIII King Spain 1886-1941
5. Victoria Eugenia of Battenberg 1887-1969
6. Carlos of Bourbon-Two-Sicilies 1870-1949
7. Louise d’Orleans 1882-1958

8. Alfonso XII King Spain 1857-85
9. Maria Christina of Austria 1858-1929
10. Henry of Battenberg 1858-96
11. Beatrice of Great Britain 1857-1944
12. Alfonso of Bourbon-Two-Sicilies 1941-1934
13. Antonietta of Bourbon-Two-Sicilies 1851-1938
14. Philippe Count of Paris 1838-94
15. Marie Isabelle d’Orleans 1848-1919

16. Francisco Duke of Aviz, of Spain 1822-1904
17. Isabel II Queen Spain 1830-1904
18. Karl Ferdinand of Austria 1818-74
19. Elisabeth Franziska of Austria 1831-1903
20. Alexander of Hesse 1823-88
21. Julia von Hauke 1825-95
22. Albrecht of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha 1819-61
23. Victoria Queen of Great Britain 1819-1901
24. Ferdinand II King Bourbon-Two-Sicilies 1810-59
25. Maria Theresa of Austria 1816-87
26. Francesco of Bourbon-Two-Sicilies 1827-92
27. Maria Isabella of Austria 1834-1901
28. Ferdinand of Orleans, Crown-Prince of France 1810-42
29. Helene of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1814-58
30. Antoine d’Orleans 1824-1890
31. Luisa of Spain 1832-97

Some comments: the average age of the 2G-grandparents is 62. Three of them are sovereign monarchs. 3 are Spanish, 4 are Austrian, 4 German, 1 British, and 2 Italian. The Catholic dynasties mainly comprise of Austrian Habsburgs, and Bourbons of Spain, Siciliy, France, and Parma, who were all (as good Catholics, of course) very prolific. Occasionally Catholic dynasties in Germany, such as Saxony or Bavaria intervene, but the Germans here are all Protestant. Of interest here is 21 Julia von Hauke, another morganatic marriage which started the Battenberg/Mountbatten families off.

No 16 and 17 are first cousins, and both the products of uncle/neice marriages. 18 and 19 are first cousins. 22 and 23 are first cousins. 24 and 26 are brothers. 25 and 18 are brother and sister, and 17 and 31 are sisters. 25 is the neice of her husband No 24. 28 and 30 are brothers. Because of the shortage of Catholic royal blood, there is a great deal more intermarriage, with many cousin marriages, and quite a few uncle/neice marriages.

For my next entry, I shall look at Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, to see the mix of more Protestant royalty in the north of Europe.

Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom

The seize quartiers of Elizabeth II are as follows:

1. Elizabeth II Queen of United Kingdom b 1926

2. George VI King of United Kingdom 1895-1952
3. Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon 1900-2002

4. George V King of United Kingdom 1865-1936
5. Mary of Teck 1867-1953
6. Claude Bowes-Lyon 14th Earl of Strathmore 1855-1944
7. Cecila Cavendish-Bentinck 1862-1938

8. Edward VII King of United Kingdom 1841-1910
9. Alexandra of Denmark 1844-1925
10. Franz, Duke of Teck 1837-1900
11. Mary of Great Britain 1833-1897
12. Claude Bowes-Lyon 13th Earl of Strathmore 1824-1904
13. Frances Dora Smith 1832-1932
14. Rev Charles Cavendish-Bentinck 1817-1865
15. Caroline Burnaby 1832-1918

16. Albrecht of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha 1819-1861
17. Victoria Queen United Kingdom 1819-1901
18. Christian IX King Denmark 1818-1906
19. Louise of Hesse-Cassel 1817-1897
20. Alexander of Wurttemburg 1804-1885
21. Claudine Rhedey von kis-Rhede 1812-1841
22. Adolphus Duke of Cambridge 1774-1850
23. Augusta of Hesse-Cassel 1797-1889
24. Thomas Lyon-Bowes, Lord of Glamis 1801-1834
25. Charlotte Grimstead 1798-1881
26. Oswald Smith 1794-1863
27. Henrietta Hodgson 1796-1891
28. Charles Bentinck 1780-1826
29. Anne Wellesley 1795-1875
30. Edwyn Burnaby 1799-1867
31. Anne Salisbury 1806-1881


A few comments follow. Elizabeth II is currently 83 and in good health. By taking an average of her 16 2g-grandparents, the average age they lived to is 69, pretty good going for people born in that period. Two of them are sovereign monarchs. 5 are German, 1 is Hungarian, and the others are British – pretty unusual for a British monarch. Number 26 is fairly closely related to George Washington. No 31 is the neice of the Duke of Wellington. My favourite is No 21, a beautiful countess who made a morganatic marriage with No 20, founding the House of Teck. 16 and 17 are first cousins. 22 is the uncle of 2. 18 and 19 are second cousins. 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23 are all descended from George I of Great Britain, some several times over.
For my next seize quartiers, I shall take the King of Spain, where we will find a more Catholic ancestry.