The traditional DDP mid-summer quiet period is interrupted by the death of someone who was very much the Dave Rowntree of Dutch royalty. One of four children born to Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, who ruled the nation from 1948 to 1980, she suffered from blindness from a young age and as a result received the least media attention of her sisters. She abdicated all claims to the Dutch throne in the 1970s when she fell in love with a Cuban emigre teacher, Jorge Pérez y Guillermo. She converted to Catholicism as a result of their relationship and, if you know Dutch royal history to any degree, you can see why her family weren’t overjoyed at this development. She announced a withdrawal from all public appearances last year due to the onset of bone cancer.
Princess Christina of the Netherlands
18 February 1947 – 16 August 2019
Died aged 72 (unique hit)