16. King Alexander of Greece and the pet monkeys
Alexander of Greece was a controversial figure before serving briefly as the constitutional monarch of that country. He had the effrontery to marry a commoner in 1919, from which ensued a controversy which forced him to leave the country. Alexander was at the Tatoi estate, walking his German Shepard through the grounds when he encountered an angry monkey. Tatoi was home to numerous pets, including parrots and other birds, which flew freely outdoors, and several species of monkeys and other primates. While the King was walking a Barbary macaque either attacked the dog or was attacked by it.
The king attempted to separate the animals, and the chattering and screams of the macaque drew the attention of other monkeys, one or more of which bit the king on his legs and upper body. The monkeys were driven off by servants who heard the commotion and the king received medical attention for his wounds, but infection nonetheless set in quickly. Just over three weeks later, on October 25, 1920, King Alexander died of sepsis, which resulted from the bite of an alleged pet monkey. Alexander was buried on the grounds of the estate not far from where the monkey, or monkeys, inflicted the fatal bites.