#TodayinRoyalty: January 31

Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Young Pretender to the British throne, dies (1788)

Charles Edward Louis  Stuart, more popularly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, died on January 30, 1788. Born on December 31, 1720, he was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, the Old Pretender, as such grandson of the dethroned King James II. During his lifetime, he was also known as "the Young Pretender" and "the Young Chevalier". He is best remembered for his role in the 1745 rising and his defeat at Culloden in April 1746 effectively ended the Stuart cause. His escape from Scotland after the uprising led to his portrayal as a romantic figure of heroic failure.

Princess Maria Luisa of Bourbon-Parma, Princess of Bulgaria dies (1899)

 On  January 31, 1899, Princess Maria Louisa, the eldest daughter of Robert I, the last reigning Duke of Parma, died. Married to Prince (later Tsar) Ferdinand of Bulgaria, she gave birth to four children, including the future Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria. Frail and disillusioned by her marital life, she died at the age of 29 due to pneumonia.

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands is born (1938)

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands’ warm personality endeared her not only to her subjects but also to the press and the people who came to admire. As queen, her reign saw significant changes in the government of the Netherlands’ colonies: in 1986, Aruba seceded and became a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands and in 2010, the Netherlands Antilles was dissolved, while Curaçao and Sint Maarten became constituent countries. She abdicated in 2013 to "place the responsibility for the country in the hands of a new generation," following the footsteps of her mother, Queen Juliana, and grandmother, Queen Wilhelmina.