by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2018
Alexandrine of Prussia, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin; Credit – Wikipedia
Princess Alexandrine of Prussia was the wife of Grand Duke Paul Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. She was born in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany, on February 23, 1803, the daughter of King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia and Princess Luise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and was given the names Friederike Wilhelmine Alexandrine Marie Helene. She was known as Alexandrine, a name given to her in honor of her godfather, Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia. Alexandrine had eight siblings:
- Friedrich Wilhelm IV, King of Prussia (1795-1861) – married Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria, no issue
- Wilhelm I, German Emperor (1797-1888) – married Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, had issue
- Princess Charlotte (1798-1860) – married Nicholas I, Emperor of All of Russia, had issue
- Princess Friederike (1799-1800) – died in infancy
- Prince Carl (1801-1883) – married Princess Marie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, had issue
- Prince Ferdinand (1804-1806) – died in childhood
- Princess Luise (1808-1870) – married Prince Frederik of the Netherlands, had issue
- Prince Albrecht (1809-1872) – married (1) Princess Marianne of the Netherlands, had issue; (2) Rosalie von Rauch, Countess of Hohenau, had issue
Paul Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin; Credit – Wikipedia
After rejecting a marriage proposal from the future King Oscar I of Sweden, Alexandrine married the future Grand Duke Paul Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in Berlin on May 25, 1822. The couple took up residence at Ludwigslust Palace, and although the marriage was not a happy one, they had three children:
- Friedrich Franz II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1823-1883) – married (1) Princess Auguste of Reuss-Köstritz, had issue; (2) Princess Anne of Hesse and by Rhine, had issue; (3) Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, had issue
- Princess Luise (1824-1859) – married Hugo, Prince of Windisch-Grätz, had issue
- Prince Wilhelm (1827-1879) – married Princess Alexandrine of Prussia, had issue
The Alexandrine Cottage in Heiligendamm. photo: Von Niteshift – Selbst fotografiert, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10361282
After her husband’s accession in 1837, he moved the court to Schwerin, leaving Ludwigslust to serve as a summer residence. They took up residence at the Altes Palais (link in German) in the center of the city. Just five years later, Paul Friedrich died and was succeeded by the couple’s son, Friedrich Franz II. Now the Dowager Duchess, Alexandrine retained the Altes Palais as her residence in Schwerin, as well as living at the Alexandrine Cottage in Heiligendamm (link in German).
Alexandrine in her later years, circa 1891; Credit – Wikipedia
The Dowager Grand Duchess Alexandrine died in Schwerin, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, on April 21, 1892, at the age of 89. By that time, she had been widowed for fifty years, lived through the reign of her son, and saw her grandson succeed to the Grand Ducal throne in 1883. She was also the last living grandchild of King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia and had seen the Prussian throne held by her father, two brothers, a nephew, and a great-nephew. She is buried beside her husband in the Schwerin Cathedral.
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