5 February 1999
On this day in 1999, Arthur Chatto – son of Lady Sarah and Daniel Chatto – was born in London. Princess Margret’s grandson formally acted as a Page of Honour for his great -aunt, Queen Elizabeth II. The royal attended Eton College and now studies at The University of Edinburgh.
6 February 1665:
On this day in 1665, Queen Anne was born at St James’s Palace to the future King James II and his wife, Anne Hyde; she was also the niece of King Charles II. Queen Anne married Prince George of Denmark and fell pregnant seventeen times; tragically, however, she died without an heir apparent as her eldest child only lived to the age of eleven. The Queen is buried alongside her husband and children in the Henry VII Chapel of Westminster Abbey in London.
6 February 1685:
On this day in 1685, King Charles II died at the age of 54 from an apoplectic fit at Whitehall Palace in London. The King was buried in the Royal Tombs in Westminster Abbey. He was the grandson of King James I, the son of King Charles I and the brother of King James II. The King was well-known for the restoration of the monarchy following the Puritan ruling of Oliver Cromwell. Whilst he would have no legitimate children with his wife, Catherine of Braganza, he did father at least fifteen illegitimate children with various mistresses.
6 February 1952:
On this day in history, King George VI died in his sleep on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. His death was a result of lung cancer, brought on by his heavy smoking. The King was succeeded by his eldest daughter – then, Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh – who was 25 at the time. The future Queen had embarked on a royal tour of the Commonwealth and was in Kenya at the time of her succession.
Embed from Getty Images6 February 1899:
On this day in 1899, Prince Alfred – son of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia – died under unclear circumstances in Austria-Hungary. The royal was a first cousin of King George V, Kaiser Wilhelm II and Tsar Nicholas II.
7 February 1923:
On this day in 1923, George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood was born at Chesterfield House in London. The royal was the first child of Princess Mary, The Princess Royal and the first grandchild of King George V and Queen Mary of Teck.
9 February 2002:
On this day in 2002, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon died at King Edward VII Hospital in London. The younger sister of The Queen died from a stroke, resulting in a cardiac arrest in the early hours of February 9. In her lifetime, she married Antony Armstrong-Jones and had two children, Lady Sarah Chatto and David, Earl of Snowdon.
10 February 1840:
Today in history, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert married at The Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace. They were married happily until 1861 when Prince Albert died from typhoid. Queen Victoria spent the next 40 years of her life in permanent mourning. The couple had nine children, 42 grandchildren, 87 great-grandchildren, 142 great-great-grandchildren.
Embed from Getty Images12 February 1554:
On this day in 1554, Lady Jane Grey, otherwise known as the ‘Nine Days Queen’ was beheaded at the Tower of London on the order of Queen Mary I. The young woman had been selected by King Edward VI to succeed him upon his death in 1553, instead of Edward’s Catholic half-sister, Mary. Lady Jane had been born in either 1536 or 1537, meaning she was only 16 or 17 when her execution was ordered. Her execution took place on Tower Green of the Tower of London, on the same day as her husband, Lord Guildford Dudley, and his brothers. The ‘Nine Days Queen’ is buried at the Church of St Peter Ad Vincula within the Tower.
18 February 1516:
On this day in 1516, Queen Mary I was born at the Palace of Placentia in Greenwich to Queen Katherine of Aragon and King Henry VIII. Mary had expected to become Queen following the death of her half-brother, but Edward VI ordered for Lady Jane Grey to succeed him. Queen Mary quickly raised her Catholic followers and had Lady Jane Grey imprisoned. After only nine days as Queen, she was executed at the Tower of London. Queen Mary reigned for five years, before her death during influenza-season in 1558.
19 February 1960:
On this day in 1960, Prince Andrew, Duke of York was born at Buckingham Palace. He was the first child to be born to a reigning monarch since Queen Victoria had her nine children with Prince Albert. The Duke married Sarah Ferguson in 1986, and they have two children – Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
Embed from Getty Images23 February 2012:
Princess Estelle, Duchess of Östergötland, was born on this day to Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden. She was the first Swedish female to be born where a younger brother could not supersede her in the line of succession to the throne. Estelle is second in line to the Swedish throne.
25 February 1883:
On this day in 1883, Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone was born at Windsor Castle to Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont. Upon her death in 1981, at the age of 97, she was the eldest surviving grandchild of Queen Victoria. She had three children with her husband, Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone.
27 February 1998:
On this day in history, the second son of Princess Mary and Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood died in 1998. Gerald Lascelles was styled as The Right Honourable Gerald Lascelles and was a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II.
28 February 1869:
On this day in 1869, Prince Albert, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein was born at Frogmore House as the second son of Princess Helena – daughter of Queen Victoria. The royal never married and had one illegitimate child. He died in Germany in 1931.
