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King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, The Duke of Windsor

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, later The Duke of Windsor; Credit – Wikipedia

The future King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom was born on June 23, 1894, at White Lodge, Richmond Park on the outskirts of London, England.  At the time of his birth, his great-grandmother Queen Victoria sat on the throne of the United Kingdom.  His parents, the future King George V and Queen Mary were the Duke and Duchess of York, and his grandparents, the future King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra were the Prince and Princess of Wales.  The infant prince was the eldest son of his parents and was third in the line of succession behind his grandfather and father.

Four Generations: Standing: The future King Edward VII and the future King George V, Sitting: Queen Victoria holding the future King Edward VIII

 

The little prince was christened with a long string of names, Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David, on July 16, 1894, in the Green Drawing Room at White Lodge by Edward White Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury.  The name Edward was in honor of his late uncle and elder brother of his father Prince Albert Victor known as Prince Eddy.  Christian was for his great-grandfather King Christian IX of Denmark and Albert was for his great-grandfather Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.  The last four names, George, Andrew, Patrick, and David, were in honor of the patron saints of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.  In the family, the prince was known as David.

David had twelve grandparents, nine of whom were reigning sovereigns/consorts or future reigning sovereigns/consorts:

David had four brothers and one sister:

 Family of King George V

David’s Family, 1906

David and his siblings were raised at York Cottage, his parents’ home on the grounds of Sandringham, and York House, St James’ Palace. When Queen Victoria died in 1901, his grandfather became King Edward VII. His parents became The Prince and Princess of Wales, and soon the family moved to Marlborough House, just across from St James’ Palace.  David and his brother, the future King George VI (called Bertie in the family), were raised by Frederick Finch, the nursery footman, and Henry Hansell, their tutor. Finch remained an important person in David’s life as he later became his valet and his butler. David continued under Hansell’s instruction until 1907 when he enrolled at the Osborne Naval College.  He did not enjoy his time there and after two years, he moved on to continue his studies at Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.

David as a midshipman on board HMS Hindustan, Credit – Wikipedia

In May 1910, David’s grandfather King Edward VII died and David’s father became King George V. David automatically became Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay and was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester a month later on June 23, 1910, his 16th birthday.  Now that he was the heir to the throne, his education intensified. He was withdrawn from his naval course before his formal graduation and served as a midshipman for three months aboard the battleship Hindustan.  Next, he was enrolled at Magdalen College, Oxford, even though he was intellectually underprepared. He left Oxford after eight terms without any academic qualifications.

 Investiture as Prince of Wales

 

On July 13, 1911, at Caernarvon Castle in Wales, David was formally invested as Prince of Wales in a ceremony instigated and devised by Welsh politician David Lloyd George, Constable of the Castle and Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time and a future Prime Minister.  David, at the sensitive age of sevemteen, was made to wear what he considered a ridiculous fancy outfit.

The Prince of Wales at the Front in Merville, France, August 8, 1915; Credit – Wikipedia

When World War I started in 1914, David was eager to participate. He had joined the Grenadier Guards in June 1914 and was willing to serve on the front lines.  However, Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener refused to allow it because of the possible harm that could occur if the enemy captured the heir to the throne.  David countered that he had four younger brothers and the succession to the throne was safe, but it was to no avail. The sense of frustration he felt was to remain for the rest of his life. David did not witness trench warfare first-hand but he visited the front lines as often as he could.

David, as Prince of Wales, made several successful overseas tours in the 1920s and the 1930s. He was a popular prince and was admired for his fashion style and easy manner.  Much to his father’s annoyance, David showed little interest in marrying and settling down. His father was disgusted by his affairs with married women and was reluctant to see him inherit the throne. King George V prophetically said, “After I am dead, the boy will ruin himself in 12 months.”

 Wallis Simpson

In 1930, King George V gave David the lease of Fort Belvedere in Windsor Great Park. There, David continued his relationships with a series of married women, including socialite Freda Dudley Ward and Thelma, Viscountess Furness, the American wife of a British peer, who introduced the prince to her friend and fellow American Wallis Simpson. Wallis was in her second marriage to Ernest Simpson, an American-born naturalized British shipping executive.  Her first marriage had ended in divorce.  The Simpsons became frequent guests at Fort Belvedere and Wallis acted as his hostess despite the presence of her complacent husband.

 Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII on vacation, summer 1936

On January 20, 1936, King George V died and David became King Edward VIII.  He showed impatience with court protocol and caused concern by his disregard for established constitutional conventions. He was also completely enthralled by Wallis and was naively convinced that once she was free from her marriage, he would be able to marry her and she would be queen.  At that time, it was unthinkable that the Supreme Governor of the Church of England could marry a person who had been divorced not just once, but twice.  David’s insistence on proceeding with these plans despite much advice to the contrary provoked a government crisis.

David informed Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin that he would abdicate if he could not marry Wallis. Baldwin then presented the king with three choices:  (1) give up the idea of marriage  (2) marry against his ministers’ wishes  (3) abdicate. It was evident that David was not prepared to give up Wallis and knew that if he married against the advice of his ministers, he would cause the government to resign, prompting a constitutional crisis. He chose to abdicate.

The Instrument of Abdication; Credit – Wikipedia

King Edward VIII signed the Instrument of Abdication at Fort Belvedere on December 10, 1936, in the presence of his brothers: Prince Albert, Duke of York, the heir to the throne; Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester; and Prince George, Duke of Kent. The next day, the last act of his reign was the royal assent to His Majesty’s Declaration of Abdication Act 1936, necessary because only Parliament can change the succession to the throne. On the evening of December 11, 1936, once again His Royal Highness Prince Edward, the former king gave his famous radio speech in which he said, “I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love.”

On December 12, 1936, at the accession meeting of the Privy Council, the new King George VI announced his intention to give his brother the title Duke of Windsor with the style of Royal Highness. Letters Patent dated May 27, 1937 re-conferred the “title, style, or attribute of Royal Highness” upon the Duke of Windsor, but specifically stated that “his wife and descendants, if any, shall not hold said title or attribute”.

 Wedding Day – June 3, 1937

On June 3, 1937, David married Wallis Simpson at the Château de Candé, near Tours, France. The legality of King George VI’s Letters Patent stating that David’s style Royal Highness could not be extended to his wife or children is doubtful.  As the son of a British monarch, David was entitled to that style which should have automatically reverted to him upon his abdication and automatically extended to his legal wife and any legitimate children. David considered denying his wife the style Her Royal Highness unjust, but out of respect for his brother, he never made it a public issue.  In their household, the Duchess of Windsor was always addressed as Royal Highness.

 Villa Windsor, the Paris home of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor

 

During World War II, David was stationed with the British Military Mission to France. However, after accusations that he held Nazi sympathies, he was appointed Governor of the Bahamas. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor lived the latter part of their lives in Paris, France in a mansion they called Villa Windsor located at 4 Route du Champ d’Entraînement in the Bois de Boulogne, a large park. The house is owned by the city of Paris and was leased to the Windsors at a nominal rent from 1952 to 1986.  During the 1950s and 1960s, the Duke and Duchess were treated as celebrities and were the toast of parties they hosted and attended as guests.  The couple visited Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon at the White House and were popular guests among society around the world.

President Richard Nixon and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, 1970; Credit – Wikipedia

The Duchess was never fully accepted by the Royal Family. Her mother-in-law Queen Mary refused to formally receive her. Occasionally, the Duke visited his mother and brother King George VI, and he attended his brother’s funeral in 1952 and his mother’s funeral in 1953. He did not attend the coronation of his niece Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. In 1965, the Duke and Duchess visited London and were visited by the Duke’s niece Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke’s sister-in-law Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, and the Duke’s sister Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood. During their visit to London, the Duke’s sister Mary suddenly died and the couple attended her funeral. The funeral of Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent in 1968 was the last royal event the Duke attended. He was invited to the investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales in 1969 but declined the invitation.

The Duke’s health started to decline during the 1960s when he was treated for an aneurysm and detached retina. He was a heavy smoker and in late 1971 was diagnosed with throat cancer. Early in 1972, the Duke underwent surgery for a hernia. On May 18, 1972, Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Prince of Wales visited the Duke of Windsor at his Paris home while on a state visit to France. The Duke was too ill to come downstairs to tea, but the Queen spent 15 minutes talking alone with her Uncle David in his sitting room after the Duchess of Windsor hosted tea in the downstairs drawing room.

Ten days later, a statement from Buckingham Palace said: “It is announced with deep regret that His Royal Highness, the Duke of Windsor, has died at his home in Paris at 2:25 A.M., Sunday, May 28, 1972.” The Duke of Windsor died a month before his 78th birthday. The Duke’s body lay in state at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle and an unexpectedly large number of people filed by the casket.

Queen Elizabeth II, The Duchess of Windsor, and The Queen Mother at the Duke of Windsor’s funeral

At the Duke’s request, a private royal funeral was held at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. The casket, draped in the Duke’s personal standard, was carried into the chapel by eight soldiers of the Welsh Guard followed by The Duke of Edinburgh, King Olav V of Norway, a first cousin of the Duke, and other male members of the Royal Family. Excepting the Duke’s only surviving brother The Duke of Gloucester, who was too ill, all other adult members of the Royal Family attended the funeral. The Dean of Windsor the Rt. Rev. Launcelot Fleming conducted the funeral service with the Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey and the Archbishop of York Donald Coggan. During the funeral, the Garter King of Arms recited words reserved for a deceased sovereign: “Knight of the Garter, of the Thistle, of St. Patrick, Knight Grand Cross of a multiplicity of Orders, sometime the most high, most mighty and most excellent monarch Edward VIII of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas, Emperor of India.”

The Duke’s casket was made of plain English oak and bore the inscription “HRH The Prince Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David, Duke of Windsor. Born 1894. Died 1972. King Edward VIII 20th January – 11th December 1936.” The Duke of Windsor was buried near his brother the Duke of Kent at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore behind the Royal Mausoleum of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert at Frogmore near Windsor Castle. The Duchess of Windsor attended her husband’s funeral. She lived as a recluse in her Paris home until she died in 1986 and was buried next to her husband.

Graves of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Photo Credit – findagrave.com

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House of Windsor Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Amalia of Oldenburg, Queen of Greece

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Amalia of Oldenburg, Queen of Greece, Credit – Wikipedia

Amalia Maria Frederica was born a Duchess of Oldenburg on December 21, 1818, in Oldenburg, Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, now in Lower Saxony, Germany.  Her parents were Duke Augustus of Oldenburg (later Grand Duke of Oldenburg) and his first wife, Princess Adelheid of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym. Amalia’s mother died two years after her birth at the age of 20.  Five years after his first wife’s death, Amalia’s father married Princess Ida of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, a younger sister of his first wife.  Princess Ida died three years after her marriage and three years late Amalia’s father married Princess Cecilia of Sweden, daughter of the deposed King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden.

Amalia had one sister:

  • Duchess Frederica of Oldenburg (1820 – 1891) married Jakob von Washington, a distant relative of the first President of the United States George Washington, had issue

Via her father’s second wife Princess Ida of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, Amalia had one half-brother who succeeded his father as Grand Duke:

Amalia had three half-brothers from her father’s third marriage to Princess Cecilia of Sweden:

  • Duke Alexander (1834 – 1835), died young
  • Duke August (1836 – 1837), died young
  • Duke Elimar (1844 – 1895), married morganatically Baroness Natalie Vogel von Friesenhof, had issue

On December 22, 1836, Amalia married King Otto I of Greece in Oldenburg.  King Otto had been born Prince Otto Friedrich Ludwig of Bavaria of the Wittelsbach dynasty at Schloss Mirabell in Salzburg, Austria, the second son of King Ludwig I of Bavaria and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen.  In 1833, Otto had been appointed king of the newly created Kingdom of Greece.

Upon her arrival in Greece, the 17-year-old Queen Amalia was heartily welcomed.  She worked on social issues and was involved in the creation of gardens in the capital city of Athens.  Amalia wisely realized that her style of dress should emulate the style of the Greek people.  She created a “romantic folksy court dress” which became the Greek national costume.

Queen Amalia in the Greek national costume, Credit – Wikipedia

Queen Amalia became unpopular because she interfered with the government and her marriage did not produce an heir. King Otto was unfaithful to his wife and had an affair with the scandalous Jane Digby, who previously had an affair with Otto’s father.  In 1861, there was an assassination attempt made on Queen Amalia.  The assassin had been sentenced to death, but Queen Amalia intervened and he was sentenced instead to life imprisonment.

In 1862, a coup occurred in Athens while Otto and Amalia were visiting the Peloponnese, a peninsula in southern Greece. Otto and Amalia left Greece for Bavaria aboard a British warship, with the Greek royal regalia, formerly crown jewels of the Wittelsbach dynasty that ruled in Bavaria, that Otto had brought with him to Greece.  In 1959, Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria returned the Greek royal regalia to King Paul of Greece.  Although the Greek monarchy has since been deposed, the jewels have remained in Greece.

Otto died in 1867 at the age of 52 in the Neue Residenz in Bamberg, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria, and was buried at the Theatine Church in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany.  Amalia survived him by eight years, dying on May 20, 1875, at the age of 56, also at the Neue Residenz in Bamberg, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany.  Her tomb is next to her husband’s in the crypt at the Theatine Church in Munich.

Tomb of Queen Amalie; Photo Credit –  © Susan Flantzer

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Greece Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony, Queen of Spain

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony; Credit – Wikipedia

Given a long string of names, Maria Josepha Amalia Beatrix Xaveria Vincentia Aloysia Franziska de Paula Franziska de Chantal Anna Apollonia Johanna Nepomucena Walburga Theresia Ambrosia, the third wife of King Ferdinand VII of Spain, Princess Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony, was born in Dresden, Electorate of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany on December 7, 1803.  She was the youngest child of the seven children of Prince Maximilian of Saxony and his first wife Princess Caroline of Parma, a granddaughter of Maria Theresa of Austria.   When  Maria Josepha Amalia was only three months old, her mother died and she was sent to a convent to be raised by nuns.  Her childhood in the convent was quite austere and as a result, she was a very ardent Roman Catholic.

Maria Josepha Amalia had six older siblings:

King Ferdinand VII of Spain’s first two wives (of four) had died and he had no surviving children.  His choice for a third wife was the nearly 16-year-old Maria Josepha Amalia.  The couple was married in Madrid on October 20, 1819.  The king fell in love with the beautiful, young princess, but her youth and inexperience made the adjustment to marriage difficult.  There was much pressure upon Ferdinand VII to produce an heir.  There were rumors that Maria Josepha Amalia’s devout Roman Catholicism caused her to believe that sexual relations between spouses were wrong and that Pope Pius VII had to convince her that sexual relations were permissible.  However, the marriage remained childless and Maria Josepha Amalia died of a fever at the age of 25 on May 18, 1829, at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez.  She was buried in the royal crypt at the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo El Real.  King Ferdinand VII eventually got his heir through his fourth marriage to Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies who gave birth to Queen Isabella II of Spain.

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Kingdom of Spain Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Louise of Baden, Elizabeth Alexeievna, Empress of All Russia

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Louise of Baden, Elizabeth Alexeievna, Empress of All Russia; Credit – Wikipedia

The Romanov Emperors of Russia often married princesses of German principalities and grand duchies and Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia was no different.  Princess Louise Maria Auguste of Baden was born in Karlsruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, on January 24, 1779.  She was the third of the six daughters and the third of the eight children of Karl Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Baden and Amelia Frederica of Hesse-Darmstadt.

Louise, herself an empress, had seven siblings including two queens, a grand duchess, a duchess, and a grand duke. Collectively, Louise’s siblings are ancestors of a number of royal families.

Catherine II (the Great, Empress of All Russia) was considering candidates for the bride of her eldest grandson Alexander and was favorably impressed by 12-year-old Louise.  Louise and her younger sister Frederica went to St. Petersburg, Russia in the fall of 1792.  Empress Catherine was enchanted with the young princess and Louise was attracted to the tall, handsome Alexander.   Louise stayed in Russia to learn the Russian language and convert to Russian Orthodoxy.  She exchanged her birth name for Elizabeth Alexeievna and became a Grand Duchess of Russia.  The couple was formally betrothed in May 1793 and the wedding occurred on September 28, 1793. Elizabeth Alexeievna looked resplendent with the diamond-studded Order of St. Andrei on her silver brocade gown. The bride was fourteen and the groom was fifteen.

Alexander I circa 1801; Credit – Wikipedia

Elizabeth Alexeievna and Alexander’s young age and lack of experience caused them to become overwhelmed with expectations that they could not fulfill.  Court intrigues confused and frightened Elizabeth Alexeievna and Empress Catherine’s own lover attempted to seduce the young Grand Duchess.  She felt alone in a strange world, especially after her sister Frederica returned to Baden and felt comfort only with her husband.  Less than six months after her marriage, Elizabeth Alexeievna wrote to her mother, “Without my husband, who alone makes me happy, I should have died a thousand deaths.”

Empress Catherine II  died in 1796, disappointed that her eldest grandson and his wife had not produced a son,  and Alexander’s father Paul became Emperor.  Elizabeth Alexeievna did not like her father-in-law or his policies and avoided his court as much as possible.  Alexander and Elizabeth Alexeievna’s marriage started to falter and she sought affection from her husband’s friend Polish Prince Adam Czartoryski, a Polish noble.  In 1799, Elizabeth Alexeievna gave birth to a daughter Maria Alexandrovna, who had dark eyes and dark hair like Prince Adam Czartoryski and unlike the blond-haired and blue-eyed Elizabeth Alexeievna and her husband.  Sadly, the child died when she was 13 months old.

Prince Adam Czartoryski; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1801, the behavior and policies of Emperor Paul led to a conspiracy to overthrow him.  Paul was assassinated and his eldest son became Emperor Alexander I.  Elizabeth Alexeievna fulfilled her duties as Empress, but by this time their marriage was really one in name only.  Alexander started a long-term affair in 1803 and Elizabeth Alexeievna resumed her affair with  Prince Adam Czartoryski.  This affair lasted until Elizabeth Alexeievna began a new affair with Captain Alexis Okhotnikov.  In 1806, Elizabeth Alexeievna gave birth to another daughter, Elizabeth Alexandrovna, who died of an infection when she was 17 months old.  Rumors circulated that Elizabeth Alexandrovna was really the daughter of Alexis Okhotnikov.  In 1807, Alexis Okhotnikov was killed and suspicions arose that either Emperor Alexander I or his brother Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich had ordered him killed.

Elizabeth Alexeievna in 1807; Credit – Wikipedia

Although the death of Elizabeth Alexandrovna brought Alexander and Elizabeth Alexeievna temporarily closer, they had no more children.  In 1819, Alexander became very involved in religious mysticism, ended his long-term affair, and somewhat reconciled with his wife.  By 1825, Elizabeth Alexeievna’s health was suffering due to lung problems and the doctors recommended getting away from the harsh climate of St. Petersburg.  Alexander and  Elizabeth Alexeievna relocated to the city of Taganrog, Russia by the Sea of Azov where they stayed in a modest house.  In November of 1825, Alexander returned to Taganrog after visiting Crimea.  He had a cold, which developed into typhus. On December 1, 1825, he died in Elizabeth Alexeievna’s arms in their home in Taganrog.  Elizabeth Alexeievna survived him by five months.  While traveling back to St. Petersburg for her husband’s funeral, she felt so sick that it was necessary to stop at Belev in Tula Province, Russia.  On the morning of May 16, 1826, Elizabeth Alexeievna’s maid went to check on her and found her dead in her bed of heart failure at the age of 47.  Elizabeth Alexeievna and her husband were buried at the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

Tombs of Emperor Alexander I and Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna, Photo: Wikipedia

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Romanov Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton, Hereditary Princess of Monaco

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton, Hereditary Princess of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

Besides having an American mother, Prince Albert II of Monaco has a Scottish great-grandmother on his father’s side.  Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton was born on December 11, 1850, at Hamilton Palace in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.  Her father was William Alexander Anthony Archibald Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton.  The Duke of Hamilton is the Premier Peer of Scotland and head of both the House of Hamilton and the House of Douglas.  Her mother was Princess Marie Amelie of Baden.  Through her mother, Lady Mary Victoria was a third cousin of Emperor Napoléon III of France and first cousin of Queen Carola of Saxony, Queen Stephanie of Portugal, King Carol I of Romania, and Countess Marie of Flanders (mother of King Albert I of the Belgians).

Lady Mary Victoria had two elder brothers:

Mary Victoria and Albert shortly after their wedding; Credit – Wikipedia

Lady Mary Victoria and the future Prince Albert I of Monaco first met in August 1869 at a ball in Paris given by Emperor Napoléon III and Empress Eugénie.   Emperor Napoléon III suggested a match between Prince Albert and Lady Mary Victoria to Albert’s grandmother Caroline, the wife of Prince Florestan I of Monaco.  Lady Mary Victoria’s family was old, noble, and wealthy, and connected to several European royal families through Lady Mary Victoria’s mother.  Although Monaco was no larger in area than the lands held by the Duke of Hamilton, the Hamiltons were impressed by Monaco’s status as an independent country.  The couple was married on September 21, 1869, a month after their first meeting, at the Château de Marchais in Champagne, France, still owned by the Princely Family of Monaco.

Having been more or less forced into marriage, Mary Victoria and Albert were less than compatible.   Albert thought that his new wife was empty-headed and although Mary Victoria thought her husband handsome, she did not particularly like him.  Additionally, Mary Victoria did not like Monaco and the Mediterranean, so unlike her native Scotland.  19-year-old, pregnant Mary Victoria left Monaco with her mother and headed to her mother’s family home in the Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Germany.   It was in Baden that Mary Victoria gave birth to the future Prince Louis II of Monaco on July 12, 1870.

Mary Victoria and Albert never reconciled.  Their marriage was annulled by the Roman Catholic Church in 1880 and civilly dissolved the same year by Prince Charles III of Monaco.  Their son Prince Louis was raised in Baden by his maternal grandmother and did not see his father until he was 11 years old, when he returned to Monaco to be trained for his future royal duties.  He succeeded his father as Prince Louis II in 1922 and is the grandfather of Prince Rainier III of Monaco and the great-grandfather of Prince Albert II of Monaco.

Mary Victoria’s second husband Count Tassilo Festetics de Tolna; Credit – Wikipedia

Mary Victoria married a second time in 1880 to Count Tassilo Festetics de Tolna, a Hungarian noble. The couple had four children.  Through this marriage, Mary Victoria is the great-grandmother of fashion designer Prince Egon von Fürstenberg, socialite and actress Princess Ira von Fürstenberg, and the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Karel Schwarzenberg.

  • Countess Mária Matild Georgina Festetics de Tolna (1881 – 1953, married Prince Karl Emil von Fürstenberg
  • Prince György Tasziló József Festetics de Tolna (1882 – 1941), married Countess Marie Franziska von Haugwitz.
  • Countess Alexandra Olga Eugénia Festetics de Tolna (1884 – 1963), married  (1) Prince Karl von Windisch-Grätz  (2) Prince Erwin zu Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst
  • Countess Karola Friderika Mária Festetics de Tolna (1888 – 1951), married Baron Oskar Gautsch von Frankenthurn

Mary Victoria’s second marriage was a happy one and lasted over 40 years.  During that time, she busied herself with the enlargement and improvement of her husband’s ancestral home, Festetics Palace, and its gardens, in Keszthely, Hungary.  In 1911, Count Tasziló Festetics de Tolna was made a Prince with the style Serene Highness by Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. Mary Victoria died on May 14, 1922, at the age of 71 in Budapest, Hungary, and was buried with her second husband in the family mausoleum on the grounds of the Festetics Palace.

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Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, and Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, and Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Theresa was the sovereign ruler of the Habsburg territories from 1740 until she died in 1780 and was the only female to hold the position. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria, Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands, and Parma. By marriage, she was Duchess of Lorraine, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, and Holy Roman Empress.

Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina, Archduchess of Austria was born at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria on May 13, 1717, the second and eldest surviving child of Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI and Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.

Maria Theresa’s siblings:

  • Leopold Johann, Archduke of Austria (born and died 1716), died aged seven months
  • Maria Anna, Archduchess of Austria (1718 – 1744), married Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, no children, died in childbirth
  • Maria Amalia, Archduchess of Austria (1724 – 1730), died aged six-years-old

Maria Theresa’s only brother died several weeks before she was born and her two younger siblings were sisters. The fact that Maria Theresa’s father did not have a male heir caused many problems. Maria Theresa’s grandfather Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I devised the Mutual Pact of Succession, a succession device secretly signed by his elder son, the future Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I, and his younger son, Maria Theresa’s father the future Holy Roman Emperor  Karl VI in 1703. The Mutual Pact of Succession stated that the Habsburg hereditary lands would be inherited by both of the brothers’ respective male heirs. However, if one should fail to have a son, the other one would succeed him in all the Habsburg hereditary lands. If both brothers died without sons, the daughters of Joseph, the elder brother, would have absolute precedence over the daughters of Karl, the younger brother, and the eldest daughter of Joseph would ascend to the thrones of all the Habsburg hereditary lands.

When Joseph died on April 17, 1711, his brother, Maria Thersa’s father Karl succeeded him as the ruler of the Habsburg hereditary lands and was elected Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI. However, Karl’s only son died in infancy and upon his death, the Habsburg hereditary lands should have gone to Joseph’s daughter Archduchess Maria Josepha of Austria. However, Karl VI’s Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 annulled the Mutual Pact of Succession and made his future daughters the heirs to the Habsburg hereditary lands instead of Maria Josepha. When Karl died in 1740, Maria Theresa’s succession to the Habsburg hereditary lands led to the War of Austrian Succession (1740 – 1748) which ended in the confirmation of Maria Theresa’s Habsburg titles.

Maria Theresa married Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine on February 12, 1736, in the Augustinian Church in Vienna. Throughout his reign, Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI expected to have a male heir and never really prepared Maria Theresa for her future role as sovereign.  Upon her father’s death in 1740, Maria Theresa became Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia in her own right. She was unable to become the sovereign of the Holy Roman Empire because she was female. The Habsburgs had been elected Holy Roman Emperors since 1438, but in 1742 Karl Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria and Prince-Elector of Bavaria from the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach was elected Holy Roman Emperor Karl VII. He died in 1745 and via a treaty Maria Theresa arranged for her husband Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine to be elected Holy Roman Emperor. Despite the snub, Maria Theresa wielded the real power.

Maria Theresa and Francis Stephen at their wedding breakfast, by Martin van Meytens; Credit – Wikipedia

On February 12, 1736, in the Augustinian Church in Vienna, Francis Stephen married Maria Theresa. The couple had sixteen children but eight of them died in childhood and four of the eight died from smallpox:

Maria Theresa with her family; Credit – Wikipedia

Even though he had 16 children with his wife, Francis was not faithful during his marriage and had many affairs.  Despite being the nominal Holy Roman Emperor, he was content to leave the act of reigning to his wife.  Francis died suddenly in 1765 at the age of 56 in his carriage while returning from the opera.  His son Joseph succeeded him as Holy Roman Emperor although Maria Theresa continued to wield the real power.

In 1767, Maria Theresa had smallpox and after that, her health deteriorated.  She died on November 29, 1780, at Hofburg Palace, after a reign of 40 years and surrounded by her surviving children.  Maria Theresa was the last of the House of Habsburg.  Thereafter, the Imperial House was the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.  Her son Joseph, Holy Roman Emperor since his father’s death, succeeded his mother as King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia.  Maria Theresa was buried alongside her husband in a magnificent tomb in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna.

Tomb of Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Franz I; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

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Madame Élisabeth of France, sister of King Louis XVI of France

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Madame Élisabeth of France, Credit – Wikipedia

Élisabeth Philippine Marie Hélène, the youngest of the eight children of Louis, Dauphin of France and his second wife Maria Josepha of Saxony, was born on May 3, 1764, at the Palace of Versailles.  Her father was the only surviving son of King Louis XV of France and his wife Marie Leszczyńska, but he predeceased his father.  Upon King Louis XV’s death, his grandson (Elisabeth’s brother) succeeded him as King Louis XVI.  When Elisabeth was just two years old, her mother died of tuberculosis.  Elisabeth was raised by her governess Marie Louise de Rohan.

Elisabeth as a child; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth had seven siblings:

Elisabeth was devoted to her brother King Louis XVI, and with his permission, declined all marriage offers so that she could remain in France.  Several times during the French Revolution, Elisabeth refused to leave France when she had the opportunity, choosing to remain with her brother and his family.  She accompanied her brother and his family on their unsuccessful attempt to flee Paris.  Elisabeth was present during the siege of the Tuileries Palace and accompanied her brother and his family to imprisonment in the notorious Temple. After the execution of Louis XVI on January 21, 1793, Elisabeth remained imprisoned in the Temple with her sister-in-law Marie Antoinette and niece Marie-Thérèse Charlotte.  In August 1793, Marie Antoinette was taken to the Conciergerie where she was tried and then taken to her execution on October 16, 1793.  On the day of her execution, Marie Antoinette wrote her last letter, addressed to Elisabeth, but it was never delivered.

On May 9, 1794, Elisabeth was transferred to the Conciergerie where she was tried and condemned to be executed the next day.  She was executed by the guillotine at the Place de la Révolution in Paris (now called Place de la Concorde) with 23 other people on May 10, 1794.  A very religious person, Elisabeth comforted and prayed with several others awaiting execution.  She was originally buried in a common grave at the Errancis Cemetery in Paris.  At a later date, Elisabeth’s remains along with the remains of other guillotine victims were buried in the Catacombs of Paris.  The Roman Catholic Church views Elisabeth as a martyr and a Servant of God. The Cause of Beatification of Élisabeth was introduced in 1924 but has not yet been completed.

The photo below is a memorial to Madame Elisabeth at the Conciergerie, a former palace and prison in Paris where hundreds of guillotine victims including Madame Elisabeth and Marie Antoinette were tried and imprisoned before their executions.

Memorial to Madame Elisabeth at the Conciergerie; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

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King Edward VII of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

King Edward VII of the United Kingdom; Wikipedia

The eldest son and second of nine children of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, King Edward VII was born on November 9, 1841, at Buckingham Palace in London, England.  He was given the names Albert Edward in honor of his father and his maternal grandfather Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and was called Bertie by his family. The infant prince was christened at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, on January 25, 1842, by William Howley, Archbishop of Canterbury.

His godparents were:

The Prince of Wales in a sailor suit, watercolor, painted by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1846

Bertie had eight siblings:

Albert, Victoria and their nine children, 1857. Left to right: Alice, Arthur, Albert, Edward, Leopold, Louise, Victoria with Beatrice, Alfred, Victoria, and Helena; Credit – Wikipedia

As the eldest son of the British monarch, he was automatically Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay at birth. Through his father Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, he was also Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Duke of Saxony. When Bertie was one month old, he was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester.  Bertie’s parents were determined to give him an education that would prepare him for his future role, but he did not have the aptitude for studies.  Instead, his strengths were his social skills.

 Bertie in 1860

Bertie’s father, Prince Albert, died on December 14, 1861.  The month before, Prince Albert had been informed of rumors that Bertie was having an affair with an Irish actress while doing army service in Ireland.  Already feeling ill, Prince Albert went to Ireland to discuss the affair with his son. For the rest of her life, Queen Victoria blamed Bertie for his father’s death.

Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her husband Prince Albert had been seeking a bride for their eldest son, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, known in the family as Bertie. Victoria and Albert’s eldest daughter Victoria, Princess Royal, Crown Princess of Prussia, known as Vicky in the family, was enlisted to help with the search. Princess Alexandra of Denmark, the daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark and Louise of Hesse-Kassel, had originally been fifth on the list of potential brides. However, Vicky thought Alix, as she was called in her family, would be the perfect match for Bertie and she sent back glowing reports of her to Victoria and Albert. Prince Albert concluded that Alix was “the only one to be chosen”. Vicky then arranged the first meeting between Alix and Bertie in Speyer Cathedral, then in the Kingdom of Prussia, now in Germany, on September 24, 1861. On September 9, 1862, after the death of his father in December 1861, Bertie proposed to Alix at the Royal Palace of Laeken, the home of his great-uncle King Leopold I of the Belgians.  The couple was married at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on March 10, 1863. Queen Victoria, in perpetual mourning for Prince Albert, watched the ceremony from Catherine of Aragon’s Closet overlooking the left side of the altar. 

Bertie and Alix on their wedding day, photographed by John Jabez Edwin Mayall, March 10, 1863; Credit – Wikipedia

Bertie and Alix had six children:

 

The Prince and Princess of Wales, Bertie and Alix, made their homes at Marlborough House near Buckingham Palace in London and Sandringham House in Norfolk, England, purchased by Queen Victoria for Bertie and Alix. It is still a privately owned residence of the British monarch.

Sandringham House; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

During his marriage, Bertie had quite many mistresses. Apparently, Alix knew about many of them and accepted them. Among the women, Bertie socialized with were: the actress Lillie Langtry; Lady Randolph Churchill (born Jennie Jerome in the USA, was the mother of Winston Churchill); Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick; actress Sarah Bernhardt; and Alice Keppel, the great-grandmother of Queen Camilla.

Alice Keppel; Credit – Wikipedia

After waiting 59 years, Bertie became king upon the death of his mother on January 22, 1901. The coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra was held at Westminster Abbey on August 9, 1902.  Originally scheduled for June 26, it had to be postponed because the new king developed appendicitis.  Bertie and Alix began the practice of the royal family’s public appearances as we now know them during Queen Victoria’s withdrawal after her husband’s death, and they continued this during Bertie’s reign.  The king had royal palaces repaired and reintroduced traditional ceremonies, such as the State Opening of Parliament, that Queen Victoria had not attended.

 Alix and Bertie on their Coronation Day

King Edward VII was known as “the Uncle of Europe” because he was related to many other royals:

 Alix and Bertie in 1909

Bertie’s habits did not keep him in the best of health.  He ate too much and usually smoked twenty cigarettes and twelve cigars a day.  He began to suffer from chronic bronchitis.  In March 1910 while vacationing in Biarritz, France, Bertie collapsed and remained in Biarritz to recuperate. On April 27, 1910, he returned to Buckingham Palace.  Queen Alexandra had also been away but started her return trip home as soon as she knew about her husband’s condition and arrived in London on May 5.

On May 6, 1910, Bertie insisted that his valet dress him in his frock coat and formal clothes before he received his private secretary Francis Knollys and his good friend Ernest Cassel.  During the afternoon, the king suffered a series of heart attacks, but he refused to be put into bed, sitting instead in a chair.  Alix sent for Alice Keppel, Bertie’s mistress, and arranged for her to see the king during one of his periods of consciousness.  His son George, soon to be king, told him that his horse, Witch of the Air, had won at Kempton Park that afternoon. The king replied, “I am very glad,” his last words. After waiting 59 years to become king and reigning for nine years, King Edward VII lapsed into a coma and died peaceably just before midnight on May 6, 1910, at the age of 68.

King Edward VII was buried at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, on May 20, 1910.  Barbara Tuchman opens The Guns of August, her great book about World War I, a war that would cause the extinction of many European monarchies, with a description of Edward VII’s funeral:

“So gorgeous was the spectacle in the May morning of 1910 when nine kings rode in the funeral of Edward VII of England that the crowd, waiting in hushed and black-clad awe, could not keep back gasps of admiration.  In scarlet and blue and green and purple, three by three the sovereigns rode through the palace gates, with plumed helmets, gold braid, crimson sashes, and jeweled orders flashing in the sun.  After them came five heirs apparent, seven queens – four dowagers and three regnant – and a scattering of special ambassadors from uncrowned countries.  Together they represented seventy nations in the greatest assemblage of royalty and rank ever gathered in one place and, of its kind, the last.”

Tomb of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor; Photo Credit – https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/606282/tomb-of-king-edward-vii-and-queen-alexandra

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Recommended Books

  • Edward and Alexandra: Their Private and Public Lives – Richard Alexander Hough
  • Edward VII: The Last Victorian King – Christopher Hibbert
  • King Edward VII – Philip Magnus
  • Queen Alexandra – Georgina Battiscombe
  • The Heir Apparent: A Life of Edward VII, The Playboy Prince – Jane Ridley
  • The Marlborough Set – Anita Leslie

Queen Victoria Resources at Unofficial Royalty

House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Maria Anna of Savoy, Empress of Austria

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Maria Anna of Savoy, Empress of Austria, Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Anna of Savoy and her twin sister Maria Teresa were born on September 19, 1803, at the Palazzo Colonna in Rome, Papal States, now in Italy, the daughters of Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy and Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria-Este.  Maria Anna spent part of her childhood on the island of Sardinia, the only part of her father’s lands that Napoleon had not conquered. In 1814, her father’s conquered land was restored and the family returned to Turin.

Maria Anna had six siblings:

Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia and his family; Credit – Wikipedia

In February 1831, Maria Anna married Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria. The marriage was childless and probably never consummated, but the couple remained devoted to each other. Emperor Ferdinand suffered from several ailments including epilepsy and hydrocephalus. He was considered incapable of ruling although he kept a coherent diary. His father’s will stipulated that Ferdinand’s uncle Archduke Ludwig be consulted on government matters and during Ferdinand’s reign a council called the Secret State Conference controlled the government. Ferdinand is famous for telling his cook, “I am the Emperor and I want dumplings” when the cook told him that the apricots needed for the traditional apricot dumplings (German: Marillenknödel) were not in season.

Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

Ferdinand abdicated the throne in favor of his nephew Franz Joseph during the Revolutions of 1848 and lived the rest of his life at Hradčany Palace in Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic. He died on June 29, 1875, at the age of 82, and was buried in the Ferdinandsgruft (Ferdinand’s Vault) in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, Austria. Maria Anna survived her husband by nine years and died at the age of 80 on May 4, 1884, in Prague, now in the Czech Republic, which was then part of the Kingdom of Bohemia. Empress Maria Anna was buried next to her husband in the Imperial Crypt.

Tomb of Maria Anna of Savoy; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

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Austria Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Princess Mary of the United Kingdom, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Mary of the United Kingdom, the fourth daughter and eleventh of fifteen children of King George III of the United Kingdom and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, was born on April 25, 1776, at the Queen’s House (now Buckingham Palace) in London. Mary was christened on May 19, 1776, in the Great Council Chamber at St. James’s Palace, by Frederick Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury.

Her godparents were:

Princess Mary at age six; Credit – Wikipedia

Mary had fourteen siblings:

Queen Charlotte in 1779 with her 13 eldest children; Credit – Wikipedia

The three younger sisters, Mary, Sophia, and Amelia, were educated together, spending much time with Charlotte de Montmollin, their French governess, who taught the sisters French and needlework. Jane Gomm joined the sisters in 1786 as an English teacher and then supervised their education. Mary, Sophia, and Amelia lived much of the time apart from their parents, sometimes with the younger brothers, at Kew Palace, but most often at Lower Lodge (now called Royal Lodge) at Windsor. The three younger sisters were much less disciplined than the three elder sisters. The artist John Singleton Copley discovered this when he painted Mary, Sophia, and Amelia with the family pets in 1785. The children, the dogs, and the parrots would not cooperate. Somehow, Copley managed to finish the painting, but returned to historical painting and never painted another portrait. The Copley painting is below.

Mary at left, age nine, with her two younger sisters, Sophia and Amelia, by John Singleton Copley, 1785; Credit – Wikipedia

Mary’s childhood was very sheltered. The living conditions of King George’s daughters came to be known as “the Nunnery.” None of the daughters was allowed to marry at the age when most princesses would marry. Perhaps this over-protection of King George III’s daughters was due to what happened to his sister Caroline Matilda when she married King Christian VII of Denmark. Christian’s mental illness led to Caroline Matilda having an affair, being caught, the execution of her lover, her exile, and her early death from scarlet fever at age 23. The story was told in several novels, including Per Olov Enquist’s The Visit of the Royal Physician (1999) and in the Danish film A Royal Affair (2012). Stella Tillyard also covers Caroline Matilda’s affair in her nonfiction book A Royal Affair: George III and His Scandalous Siblings (2006). Despite what happened to their aunt, the sisters longed to escape from “the Nunnery.”

Princess Mary in 1797; Credit – Wikipedia

Around 1796, Mary fell in love with her second cousin, Prince Frederick of Orange-Nassau, the youngest son of King George III’s first cousin William V, Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, when his family lived in exile in London. There was no marriage because King George III mandated that his oldest daughters be married first. In 1799, Prince Frederick died of an infection while serving in the army, and Mary was allowed to go into mourning for him.

Prince Frederick of Orange-Nassau, Mary’s would-be bridegroom, circa 1790; Credit – Wikipedia

Before King George’s first bout with what probably was porphyria in 1788, he had told his daughters that he would take them to Hanover to find them husbands. Further bouts occurred in 1801 and 1804 and prevented talk of marriage for his daughters. Queen Charlotte feared that the subject of marriage, which had always bothered her husband, would push him back into insanity. She was stressed by her husband’s illness and wanted her daughters to remain close to her. The sisters – Charlotte, Augusta, Elizabeth, Mary, Sophia, and Amelia – continued to be over-protected and isolated. This restricted them from meeting eligible suitors of their own age.

Princess Amelia  in 1807; Credit – Wikipedia

Mary had a very close relationship with her youngest sibling, Princess Amelia, and jokingly called her “Mama’s Tool” because she was so obedient to her mother. By 1810, Amelia was fatally ill with pulmonary tuberculosis. She then developed erysipelas, an acute skin infection. Before the advent of antibiotics, erysipelas frequently resulted in death. Amelia’s case of erysipelas was particularly severe, with the rash literally from her head to her toes. Mary nursed her sister through her last illness and was at Amelia’s bedside when she died on November 2, 1810, at the age of 27. Mary deeply mourned Amelia’s premature death for many years.

Eventually, three of the six sisters married, and one of them was Mary. Charlotte, Princess Royal married at age 29, a rather late age for marriage, but Elizabeth was 48 and Mary was 40 at the time of their marriages. On July 22, 1816, at the Chapel Royal in St James’s Palace, Princess Mary married her paternal first cousin, Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh, the son of King George III’s brother, Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh. Prince William was six months older than Mary and had become Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh upon his father’s death in 1805. William had been encouraged to remain single so that there might be a suitable match for Princess Charlotte of Wales, the heiress to the throne, in case no foreign prince proved suitable. However, ten weeks earlier, Princess Charlotte married Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. As a great-grandson of King George II, William was styled His Highness Prince William of Great Britain. On the day of his marriage, Mary’s brother, The Prince Regent (the future King George IV), granted William the style of His Royal Highness.

Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince William attended Trinity College (University of Cambridge) and was granted a Master of Arts degree in 1790. From 1811 until his death, he was Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. He entered the British Army at the age of thirteen in 1789 and quickly ascended the ranks: Major-General in 1796, Lieutenant-General in 1799, General in 1808, and Field-Marshal in 1816. In 1799, he participated in the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland as a Major-General of the British Army, under the command of his cousin, Prince Frederick, Duke of York.

Mary and William’s marriage was childless, and the couple lived at Gloucester House in Piccadilly, London, and Bagshot Park, now the home of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh.  Although William wanted to marry Mary, he often treated her unkindly. Mary’s meddling sister-in-law, Princess Sophia Matilda of Gloucester, made her situation even more difficult.

William died after eighteen years of marriage at the age of 58 on November 30, 1834, at Bagshot Park. Mary was a great favorite with all the members of the royal family, particularly her niece, Queen Victoria. She was renowned for her charm and kindness. Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh died at age 81, the longest-lived and the last survivor of her parents’ fifteen children, on April 30, 1857, at Gloucester House in London. She also has the distinction of being the only child of King George III to be photographed (see below). Princess Mary was buried with her husband in the Gloucester Vault at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.

Princess Mary at age 80 on the right with her niece Queen Victoria and two of Victoria’s children, Princess Alice and the Prince of Wales (future Edward VII); Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited
Fraser, Flora. Princesses: The Six Daughters of George III. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004. Print.
“Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 2017.
“Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 2017.
Van Der Kiste, John. The Georgian Princesses. Phoenix Mill: Sutton Publishing, 2000. Print.
Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.