The Iturbide mystery

In mid 2024 Josef N Kunz, the co-researcher of the previous article on the Iturbide family of Mexico that was published on this blog, was contacted by Mexican researcher Alberto Alejandre who had digitalised the Iturbide-Kearney Family Collection at the Catholic University of America. The collection had been donated by Mary Louise de Iturbide (nee Kearney) (1872-1967) the widow of Prince Agustín de Iturbide y Green (1863-1925), the grandson of Emperor Agustín (1783-1824) and adopted son of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico (1832-1867).

Mary Louise de Iturbide

Mr Alejandre pointed out that according to a genealogical note on the descendants of the Iturbide family within the papers of Prince Agustin and his wife Mary Louise it was written Prince Agustin’s cousin Prince Salvador de Iturbide y Marzan (1849-1895)“married an Italian lady had one daughter who died in infancy”.[i]

This is of course at odds with the widely published information on the descendants of Prince Salvador which were published in the 1994 booklet The Imperial House of Mexico: the House of Iturbide by the British genealogist David Williamson (1927-2003), with other writers contributing other sections of the booklet. This genealogy suggested that Prince Salvador had three daughters Maria Josepha Sophia (1872-1949), Maria Gizella Anna (1874-1875) and Maria Terezia (1876-1915).

Prior to the 1994 booklet the only full published genealogy I’m aware of that dealt with the Iturbide family was Burke’s Peerage of the World Volume I Europe and Latin America, published in 1977, which recorded Prince Salvador as having decessit sine prole (died without issue).[ii] The genealogist for the Burke’s book was, like the 1994 genealogy, David Williamson.

Post 1994, genealogies have been published online at the now defunct websites casaimperial.org which had been launched in 2004[iii] and its successor casaimperialdemexico.com which launched in 2024,[iv] both of which were based on the 1994 Williamson genealogy but with some updates and differences. The royalark.net website also has the Iturbide genealogy in its Mexico article and also cites the Williamson 1994 genealogy amongst its sources.[v] The Genealogishes Handbuch des Adels also included some of these details in its Götzen article which included the Götzen-Iturbide family due to their paternal membership of this family.[vi]

All of these genealogies included the errors published in the 1994 booklet which Josef and I highlighted in our previous article on the Iturbide family, such as the year of birth of Maximilian von Gotzen-Iturbide, his wife’s name, where and when they married and where their son Ferdinand was born.  

It’s an indisputable fact that Prince Salvador was married to the Hungarian baroness Gisela Mikos de Tarrodháza. Their marriage appears in church records, news articles and genealogical publications like Gothaisches Genealogisches Taschenbuch der Freiherrlichen Häuser.[vii] Prince Salvador and Gisela also lived in Italy which may be why the genealogical notes in Prince Agustin and Mary Louise's papers was erroneously of the impression his cousin’s wife was Italian.

When looking into primary sources a church record exists for the baptism of Maria Josepha Sophia, born 29 February 1872 as the daughter of Prince Salvador and Gisela, and baptised 2 March with her godparents being her mother’s brother and sister, Baron Johann Mikos de Tarrodháza and Baroness Olga Mikos de Tarrodháza, and Princess Josefa de Iturbide, her father’s aunt.

However, what caused some surprise given the widely published and repeated 1994 genealogy was what was written under the section (Observations), “mortua est anno 1875 14 Februa” (She died on February 14, 1875). This date of death is usually given to Maria Gizella Anna de Iturbide, the supposed second daughter of Prince Salvador and Gisela who according to the 1994 genealogy was born on 10 June 1874. The third daughter, Maria Terezia de Iturbide, was recorded in the 1994 booklet as being born on 26 February 1876.

Baptism and death note of Maria Josepha Sophia de Iturbide

I have not been able to locate baptism records for either a Maria Gizella Anna or a Maria Terezia and obituaries published at the time of Prince Salvador’s death make no mention of any children. Indeed his obituary in the Hungarian newspaper Fővárosi Lapok went so far as to state he was a childless prince.[viii] On 14 May 1900 at the Church of St Mary of the Angels in London, Prince Salvador’s widow Gisela was married to Count Emil von Jenison-Walworth, the witnesses were a Louise Jenison (presumably the sister of Count Emil) and a Jules Wierre.

Yet according to the 1994 genealogy Maria Josepha Sophia de Iturbide survived into adulthood dying in 1949 having firstly married Baron Johann Tunkl von Aschbrunn in 1908 and having two daughters by him, Maria Anna Wilhelmina Adolphina (born 1909) and Maria Gizela Josepha Izabela (born 1912). Unfortunately the Tunkl’s do not seem to appear in any genealogical directories like the Gothaisches Genealogisches Taschenbuch der Freiherrlichen Häuser.

There is conflicting information between the booklet and website genealogies on whether the younger daughter Maria Gizela was married twice or three times. Both daughters Maria Anna and Maria Gizela are cited in the acknowledgements section of the 1994 booklet. According to the website genealogies Maria Anna died in 1997 and Maria Gizela in 1999.

According to the website genealogies Maria Gizela was married firstly in 1937 to a Croat, Ivo Mihailic who was killed in 1941 during the Second World War, then married secondly in 1943 to Count Gustav von Götzen who died in 1956, and thirdly to Ottavio Stefano della Porta in 1959.

The 1994 booklet genealogy makes no mention of the Mihailic marriage noting just two marriages, first to Count Gustav von Götzen in 1940 (which overlaps with the possible first marriage to Ivo Mihailic who apparently died in 1941) and secondly the marriage to Ottavio Stefano della Porta in 1959.

However, when Count Gustav von Götzen was traveling to the USA in December 1946, his arrival documents listed his marital status as “single”. This is despite apparently having gotten married in either 1940 (booklet) or 1943 (websites) to Maria Gizela.

1946 US entry document for Count Gustav von Götzen

Based on mine and Josef’s previous research and article we already know that Count Gustav’s son, Maximilian Gustav Richard Graf von Götzen-Iturbide was born in 1954 not 1944 as is widely believed based on the 1994 booklet and websites based on a primary source, the 1998 marriage certificate for his marriage to Annette Radtke, this document also named Count Gustav as his father. So it’s not unreasonable to suspect that his parents were actually married after 1946, if indeed they married at all. It’s worth noting that the genealogies in the booklet and the websites list a ‘younger sister’ for Maximilian called Emanuela Huberta Johanna Maria Gizela von Götzen-Iturbide who was supposedly born in 1945.

Count Gustav died in Caracas in 1956 as can be confirmed from official Venezuelan death records, unfortunately the record only lists his parents not any spouse or children.

I acquired the will of the late David Williamson to see if I could trace what happened to his genealogical files. It turns out he left his files to the Society of Genealogists and although, the society do hold his bequeath, none of the files relate to the Iturbide family.

Through his art website maximiliangoetzen.com on 22 February 2026 I contacted this Maximilian Götzen who I believed to be Maximilian Gustav Richard Graf von Götzen-Iturbide to ask if he wouldn’t mind clarifying some of the apparent errors in the Iturbide family genealogy and referenced the website casaimperialdemexico.com and noted it claims Maximilian von Götzen-Iturbide had provided photos and documents for it.

Asking if he could assist with my research into the Iturbide genealogy I asked if he could clarify/confirm:

• His actual year of birth as being 1954 not 1944
• His father was Maria Gustav Adolf Egon Graf von Götzen (1904-1956) and his mother was Maria Gizela Iturbide (1912-1999)
• When his parents married. Noting the conflicting information in the genealogy between the 1994 booklet and websites, and noting his father’s 1946 US entry document (which I sent as an attachment) suggested he was unmarried in 1946
• Who were the parents of his mother noting Maria Josepha Sophia de Iturbide supposedly died as an infant in 1875 per the church record (which I sent as an attachment) and if he perhaps has a different line of descent from the Mexican emperor Agustin de Iturbide.

In an article titled 'Prince Iturbide (Reminiscences)' published in the Hungarian newspaper Fővárosi Lapok in 1895 the author Tamas Szana wrote of Prince Salvador “I could never get him to say a single word about Mexico, his grandfather's imperial crown, or his claims to the throne.”[ix] Which seemed to be a family trait given the extreme privacy of the Götzen-Iturbide family.

As such while I did not particularly expect a reply, Maximilian Götzen did actually respond to my enquiry:

Dear Mr Corston

I have been asked this question before but as I am not related to any of the people you mention, I am afraid I cannot help you.

Good luck with your research

Max Götzen

I did reply to the email to say as he seems to have been asked before that he probably knows I was attempting to contact Maximillian Gustav Richard Graf von Götzen-Iturbide, son of Maria Gustav Adolf Egon Graf von Götzen and whose mother I noted seems to have been a Maria Gisella Iturbide citing to him information on the website of the Hungarian company register for one of Maximilian von Götzen-Iturbide’s companies.[x] 

I also noted that from my genealogical research I know this Maximilian Graf von Götzen-Iturbide was married to an Annette Radtke in 1998 and are the parents of a Ferdinand Graf von Götzen-Iturbide and an Isabella Grafin von Götzen-Iturbide. And noted an Annette Götzen, Ferdinand Götzen and Joliene van Grieken the wife of Ferdinand Götzen followed the Instagram account of this Maximilian Gotzen linked on his website and the account vice versa theirs. As such would he be able to put me in contact with them to assist with my research into the history of the Iturbide part of their full surname.

I definitely did not expect a further reply so was not surprised when one didn’t come. I also noticed a day or so after my follow up email that the website casaimperialdemexico.com was taken down.

Given Götzen’s seeming denial of any connection to the Iturbide family (or even Count Gustav von Götzen) it begs the question, was Williamson et al tricked in 1994 and the connection to Agustin de Iturbide made up? Or is there some sort of connection to the Iturbide family and the Götzen-Iturbide's just jealously guard their privacy and don't welcome any interest in their connection to the Iturbide family and are happy for erroreous information to be in circulation?

But given the evidence suggests Prince Salvador de Iturbide y Marzan died childless, being predeceased by his only daughter, there are many questions. Will we ever find out where the Iturbide part of the name Götzen-Iturbide comes from and how this mythical connection to Agustin de Iturbide seemingly came to light and took hold in 1994?

---

[i] Text on Iturbide III Adoption by Maximilian I, 1939 https://findingaids.lib.catholic.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/93486

[ii] Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh (ed.) (1977). ‘The Imperial Houses of Mexico’ in Burke’s Royal Families of the World. Volume I Europe and Latin America. Burke’s Peerage Ltd. p. 397. ISBN: 0850110238

[iii] CasaImperial.org. The Genealogy of the House of Iturbide. Archived at: https://web.archive.org/web/20200225051215/http://www.casaimperial.org/genealogy.htm

[iv] Casaimperialdemexico.com. The Genealogy of the House of Iturbide. Archived at: https://web.archive.org/web/20240908133506/https://www.casaimperialdemexico.com/genealogia/

[v] Buyers, Christopher. Mexico. Available at https://royalark.net/Mexico/mexico.htm (Accessed at: 18 April 2026)

[vi] Franke, Christoph and Graf Strachwitz von Groß-Zauche und Camminetz, Moritz (ed.) (2000). ‘Götzen’ in Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels der Gräfliche Häuser. Volume 123. C. A. Starke Verlag. p. 150.

[vii] Gothaisches Genealogisches Taschenbuch der Freiherrlichen Häuser (1879). Justus Perthes. p. 549

[viii] ‘Iturbide herczeg meghalt’ (9 March 1895). Fővárosi Lapok.

[ix] Szana, Tamás. (14 March 1895). ‘Iturbide herczeg (Visszaemlékezések.)’. Fővárosi Lapok.

[x] Volkan Kft. "kt. a.". Nemzeti Cégtár. Available at https://www.nemzeticegtar.hu/volkan-kft-c0109675771.html (Accessed at: 18 April 2026)

The Cottrell family, counts in the duchies of Lucca and Parma

Henry, 1st Count Cottrell

When researching my family history one day I noticed in the 1911 UK census one of my great grandmother's was employed as a parlour maid for Agnes Isa Sophia Hill, the wife of Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Robert Hill, at her home in Heacham, Norfolk.

Looking into the background of Agnes Hill I discovered a rather unusual noble background for her.

Born in Florence, Italy in 1866, Agnes was the daughter of an Englishman called Henry Cottrell and his wife Sophia Augusta (née Tulk), the youngest child of the British politician Charles Augustus Tulk, member of parliament for Sudbury 1820 to 1826 and Poole from 1835 to 1837.

The Cottrell’s were part of the Landed Gentry in Great Britain with their family seat being located in Hadley, near Barnet, in Middlesex (now part of London). Agnes’s father Henry Cottrell was born 5 March 1811 at North Walton, Hampshire, the fourth son of the Revd Clement Cottrell (1773–1814), Rector of North Walton, and his wife Georgiana (née Adams) the daughter of John Adams, member of parliament for Carmarthen from 1774 to 1780. The eldest son Charles Herbert Cottrell (1806-1860) inherited the family’s Hadley estate upon the death of his uncle Charles in 1829.[i]

The Cottrell family had a long history of royal service, Henry’s direct ancestors Sir Charles Cotterell (1615-1701) and Sir Charles Lodowick Cotterell (1654-1710) served as Master of Ceremonies at the courts of the English and British monarchs Charles I, Charles II, James II, Mary II, William III and Anne. Sir Charles Lodowick’s eldest son Sir Clement Cottrell-Dormer (1686-1758) succeeded as Master of Ceremonies followed by his eldest son Sir Charles Cottrell-Dormer (1720-1779), his son Sir Clement Cottrell-Dormer (died 1808) served until 1796 when he was succeeded by a cousin Sir Stephen Cottrell (died 1818), who was the last Cottrell to hold the post of Master of Ceremonies.[ii]

As a younger son, Henry had to find his own path in life pursuing a naval career. Enrolling in 1824 at the Royal Naval College in Portsmouth, Henry went on to ultimately reach the rank of lieutenant before retiring in the 1830’s.[iii]

In 1838 Henry revived the Cottrell family's tradition of royal service, however it wasn't the British court that he served at. Instead, Henry was appointed a chamberlain to Carlo Ludovico di Borbone (1799–1883), the sovereign duke of Lucca in Italy. Amongst his duties as chamberlain, Henry was responsible for selling parts of the duke’s art collection.[iv] He himself became a collector of art and was responsible for saving large numbers of art his friend George Frederic Watts had left behind at his Careggi studio.[v]

Duke Carlo Ludovico awarded Henry the noble title of count on 9 July 1846.[vi] Just over a year later on 4 October 1847, Lucca became a part of the grand duchy of Tuscany at which point Henry left his post within the household of the former duke Carlo Ludovico.

However the former duke Carlo Ludovico was soon to inherit another Italian throne. Having long been promised the throne of Parma upon the death of the incumbent, the Duchess Marie Louise, following her death on 17 December 1847, Duke Carlo Ludovico succeeded adopting the regnal name Duke Carlo II of Parma, however he only reigned for a year and a half before abdicating in favour of his son, Carlo III, on 17 May 1849.

On 22 November 1853, Duke Carlo III, issued a new decree (#412) re-recognising the title of count for Henry and his legitimate descendants within the sovereign duchy of Parma.[vii] Following the death of Carlo III on 27 March 1854, his 5 year old son Roberto (1849-1909) succeeded under a regency headed by his mother, and reigned until 9 June 1859 when he was deposed during the wars of Italian unification and the duchy of Parma was annexed to the kingdom of Italy.

Countess Cottrell (nee Sophia Augusta Tulk)

Despite having left the service of Duke Carlo Ludovico (Carlo II) in 1847, Henry would spend the remainder of his life in Italy. It was during a visit to England that he had first met Sophia Tulk and the couple were married on 25 September 1847. The couple set up home in Florence, capital of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, in the Piazza Maria Antonia[viii] where they were friends with the English literary couple Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Sophia was a member of the New Church (Swdenborgism) which Henry also became involved with becoming a member of its Florence Society.[ix]

In late 1870 Henry moved with his family to Nervi, near Genoa for a milder climate due to his failing health. He died here on 16 March 1871 and was buried in the English Cemetery in Genoa.[x] Henry was survived by his wife Sophia who returned to England a couple of years after his death and by their children, Henry Edward Plantagenet, Violet Amy and Agnes Isa Sophia.

Henry Edward Plantagenet, 2nd Count Cottrell

Succeeding as the 2nd Count Cottrell was Henry Edward Plantagenet Cottrell, the only surviving son of Henry and Sophia. Henry (or Hal as he was known) was born in Florence where he received his initial education before studying at Harrow.[xi] His third given name Plantagenet was a nod to the Cottrell family's descent from the Royal House of Plantagenet via Henry, 1st Count Cottrell's grandmother Elizabeth Chute who was descended from King Edward III of England via his son John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster.[xii]

The 2nd Count Cottrell trained as a civil engineer and worked on projects in many parts of the British Empire including British Hondurus (Belize), Ceylon (Sri Lanka), South Africa and Palestine, as well as in mainland China and Taiwan and on an early Panama Canal expedition.[xiii]

The 2nd Count served as the British representative at the Brussels International Exposition in 1897, the Milan International in 1906 and the Franco-British Exhibition of 1907 and was decorated with the rank of Officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy and the rank of Knight of the Order of Leopold of Belgium. During the First World War he served as an advisor at the Ministry of Munitions.[xiv]

The 2nd Count Cottrell was married to Susan Jane Regessa Westwood with whom he had one daughter, Margaret Sophia. The 2nd Count who died in 1938 was the last male member of the family, upon the death of his only daughter in 1971 the family of the counts Cottrell became extinct.

The Counts Cottrell, of Lucca and Parma

Henry (Enrico), 1^st Conte Cottrell (born 5 March 1811, North Walton; died 15 March 1871, Nervi). Second Class of the Order of Civil Merit under the title of Saint Lodovico (Lucca). Married 25 September 1847 at Totteridge, Sophia Augusta Tulk (born 1824; died 26 February 1909)

Contessa Alice Enrica Augusta (born July 1848, Florence, died 8 November 1849, Florence)

Conte Charles Louis (14 May 1850, Florence; died 18 Jun 1850, Florence)

Henry Edward Plantagenet (Enrico Edoardo Plantageneti), 2^nd Conte Cottrell (born 1 August 1851, Florence; died 10 March 1938, Hull). Officer of the Order of the Crown (Italy), Knight of the Order of Leopold (Belgium). Married 1878, Susan Jane Regessa Westwood (born 1859, Wolverhampton; died 12 April 1933, Hull)

Contessa Margaret Sophia (born 23 January 1884, Hammersmith; died 28 March 1971). Married 1920, George Kryn Spruit (born 24 September 1890, Hull; died 3 April 1975, Hornsea)

Conte Clement (born 16 Mar 1855, Florence; died 17 March 1855, Florence)  

Contessa Violet Amy (born 15 January 1859, Florence; died 1936, Milan) Married 13 August 1878 at Richmond, Arthur Edward Hight (born 1856; died 4 April 1928, Rome)

Contessa Agnes Isa Sophia (born 1864, Florence; died 31 December 1945; Heacham). Married 21 August 1894 at Kensington, Joseph Robert Hill (born 1863; died 28 February 1950)

References

[i] Burke, John B (1850). ‘Cottrell of Hadley’ in A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain & Ireland for 1850. Volume I. Henry Coburn. p. 269

[ii] Burke, John B (1850). ‘Dormer of Roulsham’ in A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain & Ireland for 1850. Volume I. Henry Coburn. p. 342-343

[iii] The Brownings’ Correspondence. Henry Cottrell. Available at:  https://www.browningscorrespondence.com/biographical-sketches/?nameId=2021

[iv] The Brownings’ Correspondence. Henry Cottrell. Available at:  https://www.browningscorrespondence.com/biographical-sketches/?nameId=2021

[v] Watts, M. S. (1912). George Frederic Watts. Volume I. The Annals of an Artist's Life. MacMillian and Co Ltd. p. 55

[vi] Raccolta Generale Delle Leggi per Gli Stati Parmensi Anno 1853. Tipografia Reale. pp. 420-421

[vii] Raccolta Generale Delle Leggi per Gli Stati Parmensi Anno 1853. Tipografia Reale. pp. 420-421

[viii] The Brownings’ Correspondence. Henry Cottrell. Available at:  https://www.browningscorrespondence.com/biographical-sketches/?nameId=2021

[ix] 'Death of Count Cottrell' (1871) The New Jerusalem Messenger. Volume XX. General Convention of the New Jerusalem in the United States. p. 211

[x] The Brownings’ Correspondence. Henry Cottrell. Available at:  https://www.browningscorrespondence.com/biographical-sketches/?nameId=2021

[xi] 'Hull man's work all over world' (11 March 1938). Hull Daily Mail. p. 12

[xii] Burke, John B (1850). ‘Cottrell of Hadley’ in A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain & Ireland for 1850. Volume I. Henry Coburn. p. 269

[xiii] 'Hull man's work all over world' (11 March 1938). Hull Daily Mail. p. 12

[xiv] 'Hull man's work all over world' (11 March 1938). Hull Daily Mail. p. 12

The Portuguese succession - Should a wife have succeeded her husband?

King Manuel II

In 1910 a republican revolution toppled the young King Manuel II of Portugal (1889-1932), sending him and the rest of the Royal Family into exile. 

Although Catherine the Great succeeded her husband on the Russian throne by overthrowing him, in a highly unusual and I think unprecedented situation, I believe a strong case could be made that the de jure successor to Manuel II from both a genealogical and a constitutional point of view should perhaps have been his own wife. 

The criteria for succession to the Portuguese throne was set out in Part V Chapter IV of the Constitutional Charter of the Portuguese Monarchy, promulgated on 29 April 1826:

Article 86. The Lady Doña Maria II by the grace of God and by the formal abdication and cession of the Lord Dom Pedro I Emperor of Brazil shall reign always in Portugal 

Article 87. Her legitimate descendants shall succeed to the throne according to the regular order of primogeniture and representation always preferring the anterior line to the posterior in the same line the nearest degree to the most remote in the same degree the male to the female in the same sex the oldest to the youngest 

Article 88. The line of the legitimate descendants of the Lady Doña Maria II becoming extinct the Crown shall pass to the collateral branch

Article 89. No foreigner shall be able to succeed to the Crown of the kingdom of Portugal 

Article 90. The marriage of the hereditary Princess Presumptive to the Crown shall be made by approval of the King and never with a foreigner should the King not be in existence at the time of the settling of this marriage it shall not be effected without the approbation of the General Cortes Her husband shall have no share in the Government and shall only be styled King after he has got a son or daughter by the Queen

In 1910, the first person undisputedly meeting the eligibility criteria, namely legitimate descent from Queen Maria II and the ‘foreigner’ test, and so in the line of succession to the Portuguese throne was:

1. Infante Afonso, Duke of Porto (1865-1920) - the king’s uncle

The only other member of the Portuguese Royal Family alive at the time was Infanta Antonia, by marriage Princess of Hohenzollern (1845-1913), the king’s great aunt as a daughter of Queen Maria II. She however had renounced her rights to the throne on 9 September 1861 upon her marriage to Leopold, Prince of Hohenzollern. However, not long after this renunciation the succession became a cause of serious concern due to a typhus fever outbreak in late 1861 claiming the lives of three of Antonia's five brothers in quick succession. 

On 6 November the fourth brother and third in the line of succession, Infante Fernando died. Five days later the childless eldest brother King Pedro V also succumbed to typhus and was succeeded on the throne by the unmarried second brother Luiz, Duke of Porto. The third eldest brother João, Duke of Beja, who had become heir upon the succession of the new king Luiz died on 27 December, leaving the youngest brother Augusto, Duke of Coimbra, who was himself seriously ill with typhus, as the sole remaining heir to the throne who was descended from Queen Maria II. 

As a result of the anxiety over the succession a bill was passed by parliament on 30 December 1861 (published on 16 June 1862) which allowed for the possibility of succession rights to be restored to Infanta Antonia and her elder sister Infanta Maria Ana who, like Antonia, had renounced her own succession rights upon her 1859 marriage to Prince Georg of Saxony.

On 4 September 1913 the exiled King Manuel was married to his second cousin Princess Augusta Victoria of Hohenzollern (1890-1966), the granddaughter of Infanta Antonia.

Queen Augusta Victoria of Portugal

Article 18 of the Portuguese Civil Code, which became law on 1 July 1867 and was in force at the time of the 1913 wedding, set out six ways “in what manner the Quality or Capacity of Portuguese Citizenship is acquired”. Point six of the civil code stated citizenship was acquired by:

6. A foreign woman married to a Portuguese citizen

Therefore upon her marriage to King Manuel the new Queen Augusta Victoria of Portugal – a German citizen by birth – indisputably acquired Portuguese citizenship. This fact is confirmed, for example in the 1921 United Kingdom Census where King Manuel and Queen Augusta Victoria are both stated to be Portuguese citizens.

The 1921 Census

Thinking back to the criteria for succession to the Portuguese throne, from the point of her marriage to King Manuel arguably Queen Augusta Victoria could have become a potential heir to the Portuguese throne via her grandmother, by virtue of being the only one of her grandmother’s descendants to meet both Article 87 – legitimate descendant of Maria II - and Article 89 – the nationality test. The only complication being her grandmother's renunciation.   

As the marriage of King Manuel II and Queen Augusta Victoria would prove to be childless, when the king died in 1932 the person with a good claim to succeed him was his own wife Queen Augusta Victoria being his closet Portuguese relative descended from Queen Maria II, however of course this would depend on the restoration of succession rights to the line of Infanta Antonia which was possible on the extinction of the male line of Queen Maria II, which had occurred on the death of King Manuel. Although she remarried in 1939 to Count Robert Douglas, a Swedish nobleman, Queen Augusta Victoria remained childless. So any theoretical claim to the Portuguese throne died with her in 1966.

Potential heirs on the death of Manuel II

In monarchist circles no thought seems to have ever been given to Queen Augusta Victoria's seemingly strong claim to being acclaimed the de jure Queen regnant of Portugal upon the unexpected death of her husband, instead the Miguelist pretender to the Portuguese throne Duarte Nuno of Braganza (1907-1976) became the widely acknowledged heir to the Portuguese throne, filling the void for a monarchist movement which had been anxious about the succession due to the lack of a recognised heir for King Manuel. 

The so called Miguelist line of the House of Braganza descends from Miguel of Braganza (1802-1866) who usurped the throne of Portugal from his niece Queen Maria II (1819-1853) in 1828, proclaiming himself king instead. After losing the subsequent Portuguese civil war fought between Miguel and his supporters who wanted an absolute monarchy for Portugal, and those of Maria II ,who wanted a constitutional monarchy, Miguel and his descendants were banished from Portugal by a six article law passed on 19 December 1834 by Queen Maria II. The first two articles stated: 

Article 1.  The former Infante D. Miguel and his descendants are forever excluded from the right to succeed to the Crown of the Kingdoms of Portugal, the Algarve's and their Dominions. 

Article 2. The same former Infante D. Miguel, and his descendants are banished from Portuguese territory, so that they may never enter it, nor enjoy any civil or political rights: the conservation or acquisition of any property is forbidden to them, whatever the title, and the nature of the same: the assets and private property of the former Infante D. Miguel, of whatever kind, are subject to the general rules of indemnity.

Despite this, in their banishment the Miguelist line continued to claim the Portuguese throne and plotted to replace the descendants of Queen Maria II on the throne. After the death of King Miguel in 1866, he was succeeded in his claims by his only son and namesake Dom Miguel II of Braganza (1853-1927). 

Miguel II of Braganza

After the overthrow of King Manuel in 1910, reconciliatory talks between the adherents of King Manuel and those of the Miguelist pretender Dom Miguel II took place. In 1912 these negotiations yielded the so called Pact of Dover, whereby it was allegedly agreed that: 

1. Dom Miguel of Braganza and his family, recognised the rights of King Manuel to the throne of Portugal.
2. In the absence of a legitimate heir for, or succession to the throne of, either King Manuel or his uncle Infante Afonso, Duke of Porto, the succession to the throne of Portugal shall pass to Dom Duarte Nuno, the third son of Dom Miguel.
3. Dom Miguel and his family's Portuguese rights are restored.
4. The lost titles and honours of Dom Miguel, his Family and their supporters will be restored to them under the sole clause that this restitution would not entail any charges to the Public Treasury. 

By apparently designating the third son Duarte Nuno as an eventual heir to the throne, the pact apparently purposedly bypassed the eldest son Dom Miguel (1878-1923), styled by his father as Duke of Viseu since his 1909 marriage to the American heiress Anita Stewart, and their descendants (some of whom were then living), and the second son Dom Francisco José (1879-1919) and any potential legitimate descendants he may have. 

Due to a lack of documentary evidence regarding the so called Pact of Dover, its existence has been disputed and never proven. 

On 31 July 1920 the then 12 year old Duarte Nuno succeeded as the Miguelist pretender upon the renunciation of his father Dom Miguel. Because of his age, Duarte Nuno's aunt Dona Aldegundes of Braganza was appointed by Dom Miguel as regent with the title of Duchess of Guimarães in a separate decree. Duarte Nuno's elder half-brother Miguel, Duke of Viseu had renounced his own claim to the throne ten days prior to their father, on 21 July 1920, for both himself and his descendants. 

A second attempt at reconciling the Miguelist line with that of King Manuel took place in 1922 in Paris. The so called Pact of Paris was signed by a representative of King Manuel and a representative of Duarte Nuno. The pact stated:

The Pact of Paris

The undersigned, having carefully analysed the political situation in the country and convinced that they interpret the feelings of the vast majority of Portuguese monarchists, who are the majority of the country, sincerely and loyally wish to see an end to the dissensions between the monarchist family, which only benefit the parties of the Republic to the grave detriment of our cause and our country;

Having heard their August Mandates and been duly authorised by them, they declare:

The first signatory:

a. that his August Principal, in the absence of a direct heir, will accept the Successor appointed by the General Cortes of the Portuguese Nation.

b. He will also accept the resolutions of the same Cortes regarding the Political Constitution of the restored Monarchy.

c. That, in agreement with the Holy See, the religious question will be resolved by means of a decree to be submitted to the Cortes.

The second signatory stated: That, in view of the foregoing declarations, his August Principal asked and recommended all his supporters to accept Dom Manuel II as King of Portugal and to unite loyally under the same flag that shelters all monarchists, which is the flag of the Fatherland and the flag that will save Portugal.

Done at Paris, on 17th April 1922.

(a) Ayres d'Ornellas [representative of D. Manuel]

(a) Count of Almada and Avranches [representing D. Duarte Nuno]

The Pact of Paris clearly indicates King Manuel, as a constitutional monarch, would not (nor could he) alter the Constitutional Charter of the Portuguese Monarchy which set out the criteria for the succession to the Portuguese throne, or repeal the law of banishment of 19 December 1834 which excluded the descendants of King Miguel from the Portuguese throne. Instead the issue of a successor was left up to the parliament of a restored monarchy.

Duarte Nuno, Duke of Braganza

From a legal and monarchist point of view the 1920 renunciation of the Duke of Viseu seems slightly dubious, as not only did he purport to renounce his own succession rights, but also the rights of his then living children thereby infringing the rights of minors. Since their births the three children of the Duke of Viseu were accorded full royal status by the Almanach de Gotha. The Duke of Viseu’s grandson, Miguel de Braganza (born 1951), is the current senior descendant of the House of Braganza by right of primogeniture, but he does not dispute the validity of his grandfather's renunciation or purse any claim to the Portuguese throne.   

However, because of the 1834 law (which was only repealed in 1950) banishing the Miguelist line from Portugal and excluding them from the Portuguese throne, credible arguments have been put forward in favour of the Dukes of Loule having succeeded as the legitimate heirs to the Portuguese throne upon the death of King Manuel in 1932. 

The arguments in favour of the Dukes of Loule are based on their legitimate descent from a collateral member of the Portuguese Royal Family the Infanta Ana de Jesus Maria of Braganza (1806-1857), the sister of King Miguel and aunt of Queen Maria II, and the fact that upon King Manuel’s death in 1932 they were the only collateral branch who still held Portuguese citizenship. 

Pedro, Duke of Loule

While the current Duke of Loule, Pedro de Mendoça, has actively advanced a claim to the Portuguese throne in recent years, first Duarte Nuno and after his death his son Duarte Pio (born 1945), both managed to firmly establish themselves as the widely recognised legitimate heir to the throne of Portugal after the death of King Manuel.

If Queen Augusta Victoria was the legitimate successor to her husband King Manuel and held this status until her death in 1966, because the 1834 law that excluded the Miguelist line from the throne and banished them from Portugal had been legally repealed in 1950 and their Portuguese citizenship restored, then from 1950 they would have re-entered the line of succession and so as the next senior collateral branch with Portuguese nationality, then Duarte Nuno would have legitimately succeeded Queen Augusta Victoria in 1966. 

Ultimately as envisaged by King Manuel in the 1922 Pact of Paris, should the Portuguese monarchy ever be restored then the king will inevitably be chosen by the Portuguese parliament and their absolute indisputable legitimacy will derive therein from. 

Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza

Sources

• Marcelino de Almeida Bessa, José, Manual Parlamentar para uso dos Senhores Deputados da Nação Portuguesa coligido e anotado Chefe da Segunda Repartição da Secretaria da Camara dos Senhores Deputados, Imprensa Nacional, Lisbon, 1901, pp 18-19 [text of Part V Chapter IV of the Constitutional Charter of the Portuguese Monarchy of 29 April 1826; and text of the 30 December 1861 law regarding the conditions for the restoration of succession rights to Infanta Maria Ana and Infanta Antonia]
• Contrato matrimonial entre sua alteza e serenissima senhora infanta dona Antonia e sua alteza o serenissimo principe Leopoldo de Hohenzollern Sigmaringen assignado em Lisboa pelos respectivos plenipotenciarios aos 6 de junho de 1861, Imprensa Nacional, Lisbon, 1862 [text of the marriage contract and renunciation of Infanta Antonia]
• The Morning Post, London, 1 January 1862, p4 [discussion of the Portuguese succession following the deaths in quick succession of King Pedro V and a number of his brothers in 1861]
• Codigo civil portuguez approvado por carta de lei de 1 de julho de 1867, Em Casa de A. R. da Cruz Coutinho, Porto, 1877, pp 4-5 [text of the law regarding the acquisition of Portuguese nationality] 
• Resenha das familias titulares e grandes de Portugal, Empresa Editora de Francisco Arthur da Silva, Lisbon, 1883, pp xxi-xxii [noting Infanta Antonia’s succession rights could be restored in the absence of male descendants from the Queen Maria II]
• Ferreira Borges de Castro, José, Collecção dos tratados, convenções, contratos e actos publicos : celebrados entre a coroa de portugal e as mais potencias desde 1640 ate ao presente, Volume VI, Imprensa Nacional, Lisbon, 1857, pp 162-164 [text of the 19 December 1834 law of banishment of King Miguel and his descendants]
• "Successor expects throne", New York Times, New York, 6 July 1932, p 19 [example concerning the positioning and recognition of Dom Duarte Nuno as legitimate successor to King Manuel]
• Andrade, José Luís, Ditadura ou Revolução? A verdadeira história do dilema ibérico nos anos decisivos de 1926-1936, Casa das Letras, Alfragide, 2017, ISBN 9897416536 [regarding the alleged 1912 Pact of Dover]
• A Questão Dinástica Documentos Para a Historia Mandados coligir e publicar pela Junta Central do Integralismo Lusitano, Empresa Nacional de Industrias Gráficas, Limitada, Lisbon, 1921, pp 47-48 [text of the renunciation of Dom Miguel II of Braganza in favour of Dom Duarte Nuno; text of the decree of Dom Miguel II appointing Dona Aldegundes of Braganza as regent of Dom Duarte Nuno; text of the renunciation of Dom Miguel, Duke of Viseu] 
• Cabral, Antonio, El-Rei D. Duarte II: rei morto, rei posto, a sua vida, os seus direitos, paginas de historia, Livraria popular de Francisco Franco, Lisbon, 1934, pp 74-75 [text of the 1922 Pact of Paris]
• Almanach de Gotha, 160th ed. Justus Perthes, Gotha, 1923, p 31 [example concerning the recognition of the royal status of the children of Dom Miguel, Duke of Viseu even after their fathers renunciation]
• Saudaçõ, Página Oficial de la Casa Real de Portugal, [website of the Duke of Loule regarding his claim to the Portuguese succession]
• Law 2:040, Diário do Governo, 27 May 1950 [publication of law 2:040 which revoked the laws of banishment and proscription of 19 December 1834, concerning the Miguelist line, and of 15 October 1910, concerning King Manuel II and his family

Imperial Mexico

The arms of Emperor Agustin

Genealogical information on the present-day descendants of Agustín de Iturbide, the first Emperor of Mexico, is limited and seems to have been first published in the 1994 booklet The Imperial House of Mexico: The House of Iturbide which was compiled by Charles Mikos de Tarrodhaza, Teodoro Amcrlincky Zirion and David Williamson. This fact is recognised in the introduction which states:

 

“The ambition of the authors of this booklet is to set the genealogical table straight and to act as a source of record and reference for scholars who may wish to expand upon this neglected subject and dynasty.”

 

The genealogical information contained within the booklet has then been repeated countless times in various genealogical and news sources. Unfortunately, somehow various pieces of information in the 1994 booklet appear to be incorrect. Josef N Kunz and I have investigated the genealogy and attempt to present an accurate account of the Götzen-Iturbide family, the present-day heirs of Agustín de Iturbide.

 

The Imperial House of Mexico was founded by Don Agustín de Iturbide y Arámburu; born 27 September 1783, the leader and hero of Mexico's war of independence. He was proclaimed “by Divine Providence and by the Congress of the Nation, first Constitutional Emperor of Mexico" on 19 May 1822.

Emperor Agustin

On 22 June 1822 the Mexican Congress decreed that the crown was to be hereditary and specified the emperor’s eldest son Agustín Jerónimo de Iturbide y Huarte as heir apparent with the title Prince Imperial (Imperial Highness), the title Mexican Prince/Princess (Highness) was to be borne by the emperor’s other children, the title Prince of the Union (Highness) was bestowed on his father and Princess de Iturbide (Highness) on his sister. Emperor Agustín was crowned on 21 July 1822 at the Mexico City Cathedral before being forced to abdicate early the following year on 19 March 1823. After a period in exile in Europe he attempted to return to Mexico where he was captured and executed by firing squad on 19 July 1824. 

 

Forty years later with the French Army occupying Mexico, conservative and monarchist factions in the country sought to revive the monarchy under Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph of Austria who, having renounced for himself and any descendants all rights to the Austrian throne on 9 April 1864, formally accepted their offer of the throne of Mexico on 10 April 1864 as Maximiliano I, Emperor of Mexico.

 

On 16 September 1865 the Emperor Maximiliano signed a decree awarding the ad personam titles of Prince/Princess de Iturbide (Highness) to Don Agustín de Iturbide y Green and his cousin Don Salvador de Iturbide y Marzán, the two grandsons of Emperor Agustín, and to their aunt Dona Josefa de Iturbide y Huarte, the daughter of the late Emperor Agustín. The Emperor also assumed the guardianship of the two princes along with Princess Dona Josefa who was appointed co-guardian.

 

Emperor Maximiliano

Emperor Maximiliano was deposed by republican forces on 15 May 1867 and executed by firing squad on 19 June 1867. Upon his death the Mexican line of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine became extinct leaving the descendants of Emperor Agustín as the only possible heirs to the Mexican throne.

 

In 1867 the primogeniture Iturbide heir was the late Emperor’s ward, Prince Don Agustín de Iturbide y Green. Upon his death in 1925 the House of Iturbide became extinct in the male line, the next primogeniture heir was Maria Josepha Sophia de Iturbide, the eldest and only surviving daughter of Prince Don Salvador de Iturbide y Marzán. Via her first marriage to Baron Johann Tunkl von Aschbrunn und Hohenstadt she had two daughters both of whom carried the Iturbide surname, Maria Anna who never married, and Maria Gisella who had issue via her second marriage with Count Gustav von Götzen.

Prince Agustín de Iturbide y Green

Maria Gisella’s son Maximilian Gustav Richard Albrecht Augustin (known as Richard) is the current heir and carries the Iturbide name as part of his legal surname ‘Graf von Götzen-Iturbide’. In addition to the Iturbide heritage, he is also the senior member of Prussian line of von Gotzen’s who received the title of Count (German: Graf) in the Kingdom of Prussia on 3 May 1794 and later lived in Hungary. Richard studied economics at Oxford University and in 1975 first became involved in the stock markets going onto work for Drexel Burnham Lambert and Michael Laurie Securities. He moved to Hungary in 1989 where he established a property company and later served as chairman of Balanced Asset Management Ltd which was involved in the Hungarian and Central European stock markets. Richard has also written several books and articles on property and the stock markets.

 

Richard was married on 8 December 1998 at the West Surrey Register Office to Annette Rosemarie Radtke (born October 1966), a daughter of Joachim Kurt Richard Radtke. Annette worked as a language teacher and has also owned a health clinic in Budapest. The couple have two children Ferdinand Leopold Maximilian Gustav Salvator; born 26 August 1992 in Cologne, and Isabella Emanuela Helena Charlotte; born 9 September 1997 in Frimley.

  

Ferdinand studied history and political science at the University of Glasgow and European politics at the University of Maastricht and now works in internet marketing. Isabella studied at Leiden University and the Erasmus University Rotterdam.

 

The Götzen-Iturbide family live in Western Europe and do not use any titles, make any claims or participate in any events commemorating Mexico's imperial past. Nor have they ever spoken publicly about how they feel about their famous ancestor or his role in helping Mexico achieve independence. In terms of a national identity, Ferdinand von Götzen-Iturbide has  stated he identifies as being half British and half German, although he does acknowledge he comes from a very mixed background. In day-to-day life the family also tend to just use the surname ‘Götzen’.

Given the void this leaves, many modern-day Mexican monarchists look to Archduke Carlos Felipe of Austria, who was born and resides in Mexico, as the de facto representative and guardian of the imperial legacy of Mexico given he is active in raising awareness of the history of the Mexican Empire. Archduke Carlos Felipe is a descendant of Archduke Franz Karl of Austria, a brother of Emperor Maximiliano. 

 

Given their low profile several false photos purporting to be of Maximilian Gustav Richard Albrecht Augustin Graf von Götzen-Iturbide have appeared online and gained traction. One shows Matthew Festing, the 79th Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta, and more recently a photo of Gennadiy Chyzhykov, President of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has been used by a Facebook page called “Casa de Götzen-Iturbide // Haus Von Götzen-Iturbide”, which is a hoax. No known public photograph of either Richard or his mother is known to exist.

Matthew Festing

Gennadiy Chyzhykov

Through the Götzen side of the family, Richard’s closet noble cousins are Johannes, Hereditary Prince of Schwarzenberg, Alexander, Count of Schönburg-Glauchau and Albert, Prince of Thurn and Taxis. More distantly Richard is a cousin of King Simeon II of Bulgaria, who was interviewed by his son Ferdinand in 2013 while at university, and of the senior line of the House of Orleans and Bragança which is currently headed by Prince Dom Pedro Carlos of Orleans and Bragança.

 

 

House of Gotzen-Iturbide

 

 

Maximilian Gustav Richard Albrecht Augustin Graf von Götzen-Iturbide; born 4 September 1954, Hungary, son of Gustav, Count von Götzen and Maria Gisella de Iturbide, Baroness Tunkl von Aschbrunn und Hohenstadt. Married 8 December 1998 at the West Surrey Register Office, Annette Rosemarie Radtke (born October 1966, Germany), daughter of Joachim Kurt Richard Radtke.

 

Children:

 

a) Ferdinand Leopold Maximilian Gustav Salvator Graf von Götzen-Iturbide; born 26 August 1992, Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia.

 

b) Isabella Emanuela Helena Charlotte Gräfin von Götzen-Iturbide; born 9 September 1997, Frimley, Surrey.

Monaco Pretenders - The English Grimaldi's

George Frederick Ernest, 13th Marquess Grimaldi
and his wife Kathleen Elizabeth, Marchioness Grimaldi 

The Monaco branch of the House of Grimaldi died out in the male line on 14 February 1748 with the death of Honoré François Grimaldi (born 1669), Archbishop of Besançon from 1724 to 1731 and then Abbot of the Abbey’s of Saint Maixant and of Vauluisant.

He was the younger brother of Prince Antonie I of Monaco (1661-1731) who was succeeded by his daughter Princess Louise-Hippolyte (1697-1731) and her husband Jacques Goyon de Matignon (1689-1751) who adopted the Grimaldi name and arms and ruled Monaco as Prince Jacques I, firstly alongside his wife then after her death alone until his abdication in 1733 in favour of their son Honoré III.

Their descendants were known in the Almanach de Gotha as the House of Goyon de Matignon-Grimaldi and reigned until the death of Prince Louis II in 1949 when the succession passed via his 1919 legitimised daughter Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois (1898-1977) to her son Prince Rainer III (1923-2005).  He and his son, the present prince of Monaco, Albert II (born 1958), belong to the House of Poliginac in the paternal line (Poliginac-Grimaldi) via Count Pierre de Polignac (1895-1964) the husband of Princess Charlotte, who like the husband of Princess Louise-Hippolyte had also assumed the Grimaldi name and arms and was created a prince of Monaco.

On account of the break with the male line in 1731 with the succession of Princess Louise-Hippolyte, the surviving branches of the House of Grimaldi have at various times publicly asserted a claim to the Principality of Monaco believing salic law should have been adhered too as it was in France, and the succession should therefore not have passed via the female line.

One such surviving branch of the House of Grimaldi are the Marquesses Grimaldi, the title having been created in Genoa in August 1529 for Luca Grimaldi (died 1580) by the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, in his capacity of King of Italy. The 1st Marquess’ descendant Alessandro, 6th Marquess Grimaldi (1659-1732) commanded the Spanish forces during the French bombardment of Genoa and as a consequence was exiled in 1685 by edict of King Louis XIV of France. The exiled 6th Marquess settled in England and married the granddaughter of Sir Francis Anderson MP, his descendants form the English branch of the House of Grimaldi.

In 1834 Stacey Grimaldi, a descendant of the 6th Marquess, noted with the publication of House of Grimaldi’s pedigree that "The Principality of Monaco is now claimed from the reigning Prince of Monaco by the Marquess Luigi Grimaldi della Pietra on the ground that it is a male fief and ought not to have descended to heirs female and this Pedigree has been compiled to show at Genoa and Turin that the Grimaldis of England are the eldest branch and have a prior claim."

Stacey Grimaldi (1790-1863) however belonged to the junior line of the English Grimaldi’s descending from William Grimaldi (1751-1830), a son of Alexander, 7th Marquess Grimaldi (1714-1800) via his second marriage, while there was also a senior line descending from Alexander Grimaldi (1742-1780), the son of the 7th Marquess’ first marriage. In 1834 and for many decades after, the senior line were either uninterested in their claim to Monaco or without the means to pursue it. Stacey Grimaldi and his younger son Alexander Beaufort Grimaldi (1839-1925) were therefore the initial driving force behind the English Grimaldi’s claims to Monaco and as such this junior line have adopted (or at least been attributed by various sources) the Marquess title and been numbered as though they succeeded on the death of the 7th Marquess.

Descent of the senior and junior lines
from the 7th Marquess Grimaldi

In 1913 the senior line of the English Grimaldi’s registered their pedigree with the College of Arms, having had it verified by the Norry King of Arms, Sir Henry Farnham Burke. The head of the senior line and the rightful 11th Marquess Grimaldi was George Frederick Grimaldi who had been born 18 February 1857 in Islington the son of Alfred, 10th Marquess Grimaldi (1833-1885) and his wife Ann Birch (1832-1888).

The 11th Marquess was the owner of a successful firm of Aberdeen butchers and supplied meat for the coronation of King Edward VII. He was married twice, first in 1883 to Lavina Thomas (1859-1887) with whom he had a son Ernest George Grimaldi (1885-1953), and secondly in 1890 to Elizabeth Darling, nee Devine (1853-1913). Haven proven his ancestry the 11th Marquess pursued an active and serious claim to the throne of Monaco; he left London and moved to the nearby French city of Nice from where he could distribute pamphlets in the principality promoting his claim. In 1916 Messrs Canottieri et Cie, a Nice based firm, placed an advert in a British newspaper stating that a widowed nobleman from an ancient family was looking to re-marry with a lady of any age from a good family who could bring a dowry of between £500,000 and £600,000 to aid his struggle against a "usurper". The nobleman in question was the 11th Marquess, nothing ever came from it though as he would never remarry.

The 11th Marquess’ big push for the throne came in 1922 on the death Prince Albert I of Monaco. As the late prince’s marriage to Lady Mary Hamilton had been annulled in 1880, the 11th Marquess sensed a weakness and argued that the late prince’s son and heir Hereditary Prince Louis was illegitimate and so ineligible to succeed and lobbied the British government and newly formed League of Nations to intervene. He was in Monaco at the time of Prince Albert’s death before being forced to return to his base in Nice due to ill health. With his claims having fallen on death ears and the late Prince Albert’s son declared Prince Louis II, when the 11th Marquess attempted to return to Monaco he was barred from entering by the gendarmerie. His meticulous tracing of his ancestry and pursuit of the throne cost around £1.7 million in today’s money and exhausted the family fortune. He died on 20 September 1924 in Nice and was succeeded by his only son Ernest George Grimaldi as the 12th Marquess Grimaldi.

Ernest George, 12th Marquess Grimaldi was born 3 December 1885 in Highgate but he grew up in Aberdeen where his talent as a cricketer and rugby player saw him play for the Aberdeenshire Cricket Club and the Aberdeen Nomads Rugby Club. He was educated at Edinburgh University before serving an engineering apprenticeship and training as an accountant, before finally establishing himself as a car salesman.  The 12th Marquess was married in Aberdeen to Mabel Joss Gray (1885-1951) with whom he had three sons George Frederick Ernest Grimaldi (1908-1979), John Derek Grimaldi (1914-1992) and Geoffrey Brian Grimaldi (1915-1942).

After succeeding his father he recognised his rights to Monaco, despite having neither the money nor the time to pursue an active claim with the same vigour that his father had done. In 1930 he stated "I grew up to learn the full facts of our unfortunate history. It is now my turn to attempt to establish our rights, but I put my claim forward more as a matter of form than anything else, for what more proof can be submitted than that which was received by the College of Heralds? I am probably a fatalist, but it seems we can do nothing more to establish our rights." On his death in St Albans on 17 February 1953 his eldest son, George Frederick Ernest Grimaldi, succeeded as the 13th Marquess Grimaldi.

George Frederick Ernest, 13th Marquess Grimaldi was born 23 June 1908 in Highgate.  He served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War and went on to have a varied career working as an exhibition organiser, a hotelier in Kent, a petrol station owner in Sussex and a car salesman in Bognor Regis. He married Kathleen Elizabeth Cordon (1909-1991) in 1937 and had two daughters Vanessa Grimaldi (born 1944) Anne Serena Grimaldi (born 1946).

Like his father he recognised his claim stating in 1962 "I have more right than Prince Rainer to be ruler of Monaco", however also like his father he could do little to advance it "A tremendous amount of money would be needed to do anything and I just haven’t got it. And it would also need some support from within Monaco". However he expressed his hope that "If I don’t live to become Prince of Monaco I certainly hope that one of my successors will."

The 13th Marquess visited Monaco just the once, which was while on holiday rather than to claim the throne, his visit taking place in 1949, the year Prince Rainer III succeeded. Following the prince’s wedding to Grace Kelly in 1956 the 13th Marquess acting "as head of the family" sent his congratulations and the two corresponded for a time after. Having only two daughters on the death of the 13th Marquess in 1979 he was succeeded by his younger brother John Derek Grimaldi.

John Derek, 14th Marquess Grimaldi was born 26 February 1914 in Edmonton and followed in his father’s footsteps into the car industry working as an engineer. He was married twice, first in 1942 to Frances Margaret Grundy (1914-1946), and secondly in 1947 to Thelma Louise Diffley (1917-1988).

His only child was a son who predeceased him, John Patrick Michael Grimaldi (1955-1983) a musician and a guitarist in the English rock band Argent between 1974-1976 who died unmarried and childless. The 14th Marquess, who never seemed to publicly assert any claim to Monaco, died on 21 September 1992 in Fraddon, Cornwall at which point the male line of the 11th Marquess Grimaldi died out.

In a future post I may revisit the family tree of the English Grimaldi's to explore who succeeded as the 15th Marquess Grimaldi, of Genoa.