the dashing ruler of the Principality of Monaco, Prince Albert II who, at 50, still refused to settle down
The virgin Queen, Elizabeth I of England. According to many historians, she refused to get married for fear of losing the English throne to foreign rulers in marriage alliances. But her stubbornness to refuse in marriage resulted to the union of England and Scotland forming the geographical name of Great Britain when she succeeded by her great nephew James VI of Scotland.
Society dictates us that married life is a pre-requisite of our existence in this world, that silly principle influenced our minds to hop in even if our financial and emotional resources throw a red flag in front of our faces. We might as well reassess our real motive in joining the intricacies of married life. But are we really assured of happiness and fulfillment if we crawl into the aisle or better be contented with our own selves if unfortunately or fortunately we are destined to remain single forever. Single hood has no specific map to follow, whether you are famous, a man or a woman “about-town”, wealthy, powerful or just an ordinary folk. Reasons range from out of choice, no choice or just enjoying the value of freedom.
Here are great inspirations from World’s famous people who refused to take a plunge and choose to sail into the sunset of their lives- alone.
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN-was born on Dec.16 1770 and died on Mar.26 1827. He was a German composer and virtuoso pianist (Italian term means an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability in singing or playing a musical instrument). He remains one of the most influential composers of all time. When he was in his 20’s Beethoven became completely deaf but it did not hamper his desire to compose songs, in fact he became an ardent composer who would later on rise to fame despite his shortcomings. When he was 16 his mother died of tuberculosis, he became a breadwinner raising his two younger brothers because his father became an alcohol addict and could no longer support his family. According to some sources, the reason of his deafness was due to a severe disorder called tinnitus, a “ringing” in his ears that made it hard for him to perceive and appreciate music; because of this incapacity, he also avoided conversation. He lived for a time in the small Austrian town of Heiligenstadt, just outside Vienna. Over the years his deafness became his liability especially in every performance, at one point, according to many historians, during the premiere of his Ninth Symphony, he saw that the audience greatly appreciated his work and noticed their overwhelming applause but because of his hearing impediment, he heard nothing then he began to weep bitterly. Reports had it that, he attempted suicide several times. Beethoven never married but at one point he was engaged to a pretty German aristocrat Giulietta Guiccardi, but her father refused to accept Beethoven, instead made her marry to a German nobleman. Beethoven died during thunderstorm in 1827.
US Pres.JAMES BUCHANAN– (born Apr.23, 1791 and died June 1, 1868) was the 15th US President. He was born to a humble family in Philadelphia, his aggressiveness in life made him a well-known businessman and politician. His political career started as a US representative. He was a lawyer and owned a law firm before becoming a politician. James Buchanan had a love story worthy of soap operas. His love life was one of a kind and very rare in a man who was in power. He was engaged to Ann Caroline Coleman, daughter of a wealthy businessman from Philadelphia, but he spent less time with his fiancée because of his business and other political engagements, the reports that he was only marrying Ann for her money complicated the situation. There were reports also that he was involved to other women which denied by Buchanan, gradually Ann broke off the engagement and later on died from an overdose. Ann’s death shocked Buchanan especially when her family blamed her death to him. In his memoir, he wrote: “It is now no time for explanation, but the time will come when you will discover that she, as well as I, had been much abused. God forgive the authors of it… I may sustain the shock of her death, but I feel that happiness has fled from me forever.” He declared then that he would never marry. When he was elected into the US presidency, his niece Hariett Carter served as first lady in the Whitehouse.
SIR ISAAC NEWTON-(born January 1643 and died March 31, 1727) was a gifted English Scientist, he was known through out the world history as the father of modern science with a spectacular talent in physical science. He was a great mathematician, physicist, astronomer, natural philosopher and theologian. He developed his initial study in the law of gravity from the falling apple in his English courtyard. His book Philosophia Naturalis Principia Mathematica published in 1687, is said to be the greatest single work in the history of science. The theory contained in the book dominated the scientific view of the physical universe for the next three centuries and said to be the basis for modern engineering. Due to his remarkable achievement in the field of science, Isaac Newton was awarded with Honorary British Knighthood by Queen Anne of England in 1704, earning him the courtesy title of SIR.
There was only one recorded romance of Isaac Newton, at the age of 19, while studying at The King’s School in Grantham, he met Anne Storer, it was reported they were engaged but later on broke up because Newton became engrossed in his studies. Storer married someone else and Newton was greatly affected with this break up. He kept a warm memory with this romance and devoted his full time in his works in science and never married. Newton’s body when autopsied after his death found a massive amount of mercury, probably resulting from his alchemical pursuits.
ALFRED NOBEL-(born October 21, 1833 died December 10- 1896) was a Swedish scientist and inventor of dynamite. He had been often compared to America’s Thomas Alva Edison who had no formal college education when they discovered their first invention that made them famous through out world history.
Alfred Nobel did not marry; legend had it that Nobel was frustrated when a Swedish woman rejected him for another gentleman who was a great Swedish mathematician. Alfred did not pursue romance anymore, one year before his death, he wrote his last will splitting his fortunes to various charities and left an instruction to establish an award giving body for human achievements, The Nobel Prize award which will be given in 5 areas: Chemistry, Physics, physiology and Medicine, Literature and Economics (Peace Prize was added years later). There were rumors arise when the field of mathematics was not included in the award, according to the legend, Alfred Nobel felt the romance rejection terribly upsetting that he strictly instructed in his last will testament that no field of mathematics will be included in giving of the awards (since his arch rival was a mathematician) however, the rumor remained a rumor through out the years. Some version had it that mathematics was not included because it was integrated in physics and chemistry, for example Albert Einstein, a German born American Scientist who was known in modern history as the greatest mathematician of the 20th century won his Nobel Prize Award in the field of Physics via Law on Photo electric effect in 1921. Nobel Prize Award made a debut in December 10, 1901 at Stockholm, Sweden, five years after Alfred Nobel’s death.
After his invention of Dynamite, world’s conservatives were furious on him that he was dismissively called “The Merchant of Death”. Nobel was a shy man who was afraid in meeting people. He died in an Italian village, west of Venice.
HER MAJESTY, QUEEN ELIZABETH I of England (called the Great-born on September 7, 1533 and died March 24, 1603)-was the daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn from the famous Howard clan. When Anne was beheaded in 1536, Elizabeth was only three years old. She was named after her paternal grandmother Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Consort of King Henry VII (the former Princess Elizabeth of York, daughter of King Edward IV) and her maternal grandmother Lady Elizabeth Howard, daughter of Thomas Howard, the 2nd Duke of Norfolk. She became Queen of England in 1558 at the age of 25 when her half-sister Queen Mary I died without children. She was famously known as “The Virgin Queen” because she never got married, the state of Virginia in the mainland US was named after her. Elizabeth was the last monarch of the Tudor dynasty and because of her, Great Britain was born. She was succeeded by his great nephew King James VI of Scotland, who reigned in England as King James I, the first of the Stuart monarchs in Britain who unite Scotland and England forming the geographical name of Great Britain, Wales was added later through a conquest.
Queen Elizabeth stubborness against marriage became a legend, with her beauty, wealth and fame, the last thing could happen was to succumb to spinsterhood, but the fiery Queen, who was the responsible of the beheading of the last female Scottish ruler Queen Mary, who happens to be her great niece, strongly maintained that she could not sacrifice the English throne through a marriage alliance for a foreign Prince. During medieval period, royalty were not allowed to marry commoners, since Elizabeth was an heiress presumptive of her sister Mary Tudor, she must choose a man with a Princely title and must expand English territories through a marriage of a foreign royal. But there are reports that Elizabeth suffered a hidden trauma which affected her views about men.
Elizabeth, having declared illegitimate when her mother Ann Boleyn stripped the title of a Queen and executed, lived in various royal palaces, then in 1548, she temporarily lived in the countryhome of Thomas Seymour, brother of Jane Seymour, the third wife of her father King Henry VIII, despite their age differences, it was reported that she formed a unique relationship with Seymour that it was suspected leading to romance. Elizabeth was only 15 at that time and Seymour, a married man, was 40, threatening a scandalous relationship, Courtiers of the sovereign stepped up to break the ties. Elizabeth was moved out from the Seymour household. When she became Queen, she avoided the issue of romance and never entertained suitors, some historians noted that the fiery Queen may be was traumatized with Thomas Seymour, whom many claimed, took advantaged of her innocence. However she formed a unique closeness with her favorite equerry Robert Dudley, whom she made an Earl of Leicester. Issue of romance was dismissed because Dudley was married at that time. Since then no romance issue attached to the Tudor Queen and the Courtiers avoided entertaining suitors in behalf of the monarch. Her last persistent suitor was Francis, the Duke of Anjou, twenty two years her junior.
Queen Elizabeth I was not the only female royalty who did not marry. Princess Augusta, daughter of King George III of Great Britain remained single through out her life, though she had number of suitors eager to seek her hand she refused to accept any one and chose to live alone at the royal estate of Frogmore near Windsor Castle. Princess Victoria, daughter of King Edward VII and the favorite sister of King George V of Great Britain, was a spinster. Lately, two European Princesses comfortably embraced single hood like a royal crown, Princess Elisabeth of Denmark now 68 years old, a first cousin to Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark now 65 years old, youngest daughter of King Paul I of Greece and sister of Queen Sophia of Spain (they are both second cousin of Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales through his father Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh who is the first cousin of King Paul I). Princess Irene was once considered a royal match to King Harald V of Norway, her third cousin once removed through Queen Victoria of Britain, but the Norwegian monarch choose the commoner Sonja, disappointing all his royal relatives.
JANE AUSTEN-(born on December 16, 1775 and died on July 18, 1817) was a classic English writer, she was one of the most widely read writers in British literature. She was the author of 2 classic novels that were both made into Hollywood movies: Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. She started writing at the age of 16 but made her first publication at the age of 36. She was the daughter of an English clergy man that’s why most of her novels’ theme was reserved, conservative and with religious touches. She was raised in a humble household and lived her entire life with her parents.
Jane Austen remained single through out her life. However, there was one recorded love affair of Jane. In her 20’s she met and fell in love with a guy named Tom Lefroy, and based on the story of her sister Cassandra, the two were clearly in love but the family of Tom intervened as the latter was still finding his own place in the field of law and money was the most important issue during that time to start a family. Eventually they were separated and Jane Austen never saw him again. This failed romance of Jane was evidently the basis of her immortal classic, Pride and Prejudice. In 1802 when she was 27 years old, she received her only marriage proposal, a University graduate from Oxford, Harris Bigg-Wither, according to some accounts, Bigg-Wither was not a good looking man and despite his University degree, was not a good conversationalist to the point of being tactless when engaged in a conversation, but he was heir to a large portion of family estate, which Jane thought a practical decision for her and her family. But for unknown reasons, Austen, suddenly changed her mind and broke off the engagement. Historians later on noted that may be Austen did not really loved her fiancé and marrying him would be a big mistake. She died at the age of 42.
Ironically Jane Austen became famous several years after her death when her artistic style in writing made known to the literary world. Soon adaptations in film and television of her novels followed.
HIS SERENE HIGHNESS PRINCE ALBERT II, the Sovereign Prince of Monaco (born on March 14, 1958)-he is the only son and second child of Prince Rainier III of Monaco and Grace Kelly, a Hollywood star. He became the ruler of Monaco (a tiny principality on the Mediterranean coast, south of France) in April 2005 on the death of his father, Prince Rainier of the Royal House of Grimaldi. Albert was a sport enthusiast, an Olympian, having been represented Monaco in the Bobsled event (a winter sport in which teams make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity powered sled) in 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics. He graduated in 1981 in Amherst College in Massachusetts, USA with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science.
Prince Albert bachelorhood sparks many controversies and gave rise to rumors that he is homosexual. The prince has consistently denied this and became irritated with the constant media intrusion about his sexuality. He has string of attracted girlfriends in the past mostly fashion models including Claudia Schiffer, Catherine Oxenberg, Angie Everhart and Brooke Shields. He has also at least 2 children born out of wedlock, a daughter from a California woman he met while studying in the US and a son, he sired from Nicole Coste, an Air France flight stewardess from Togo. However, these children are not in line of succession to the principality of Monaco because they are illegitimates. Presently, the 50 year old Prince is dating Charlene Wittstock, a South African Olympian in the swimming event. But the Prince is continuingly denying speculations that their relationship is heading for marriage. Until he sired legitimate children, the prince’s direct successor is her older sister, Princess Caroline who became the second wife of Prince Ernest of Hanover on January 1999 (third cousin of Queen Elizabeth II). She presently bears a title of The Hereditary Princess of Monaco, her dashing son Andrea Casiraghi is second in line of succession to the monasque throne.
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