Category Archives: German Royals

Marie of Hesse-Kassel, Queen of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Marie of Hesse-Kassel, Queen of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Marie of Hesse-Kassel was the wife of King Frederik VI of Denmark and Norway. Born on October 28, 1767, in Hanau in the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (now in Hesse, Germany), Marie Sophie Frederikke was the eldest child of Prince Carl of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Louise of Denmark and Norway. Her father was the second son of Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Mary of Great Britain, daughter of King George II of Great Britain. Her mother was the youngest child of King Frederik V of Denmark and Norway and his first wife Princess Louisa of Great Britain, daughter of King George II of Great Britain. King Christian VII of Denmark and Norway and Sophia Magdalena, wife of King Gustav III of Sweden were Marie’s maternal aunt and uncle.

Marie had five younger siblings:

Being the second son, Marie’s father Carl had to find his own way in life and so he did what many other younger royal sons did, took positions from foreign royal relatives. Carl’s opportunities in Denmark were far greater than what Hesse-Kassel could offer him. He became a Field Marshal in the Danish Army and was royal governor of the Danish duchies of Schleswig-Holstein from 1769 to 1836. Marie and her siblings were raised at Gottorp Castle in Slesvig, then part of Denmark now Schleswig in Germany, and at her mother’s country estate Louisenlund.

Louiselund; Credit – By PodracerHH – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6889446

In 1772, due to the mental illness of King Christian VII, his half-brother Hereditary Prince Frederik became Regent but it was Hereditary Prince Frederik’s mother Dowager Queen Juliana Maria who really held the power. In 1784, Crown Prince Frederik, the only son of King Christian VII of Denmark and Norway, reached the age of legal majority. He had no intention of allowing Hereditary Prince Frederik and his mother Juliana to continue their rule. Crown Prince Frederik somehow managed to get his insane father to sign an order dismissing Hereditary Prince Frederik’s supporters from the council and declaring that no royal order was legal unless co-signed by the Crown Prince, thereby deposing his stepmother and half-brother. Crown Prince Frederik then ruled permanently as Crown Prince Regent until the death of his father.

Marie holding a portrait of her fiancé by Cornelius Høyer; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Marie of Hesse-Kassel was on the list of possible brides for Crown Prince Frederik. She had some advantages: her mother was the daughter of a King of Denmark and she had been raised in Denmark. However, factions of the Danish court did not support the marriage because a more dynastic marriage was preferred but Crown Prince Frederik wanted to show his independence and insisted upon the marriage.

Crown Prince Frederik, the future King Frederik VI; Credit – Wikipedia

On July 31, 1790, in the Gottorp Castle chapel, Frederik and Marie were married. The couple made a triumphant official entrance into Copenhagen on September 14, 1790. The Danish people were enthusiastic about the marriage because Marie was considered completely Danish and not a foreign princess although she had received a German education and German was her first language.

Crown Princess Marie was under immense pressure to produce a male heir to the throne because the main line of the Danish royal family was in danger of becoming extinct. Frederik and Marie had eight children but unfortunately, six of them, including two boys, died in infancy. Only two daughters survived and both daughters had childless marriages. For the rest of her life, Marie would lament her lack of sons and grandchildren. Injuries from her last childbirth prevented Marie from having any further marital relations and she was forced to accept her husband’s adultery.

King Frederik VI and Queen Marie with their daughters Caroline and Vilhelmine by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, 1821; Credit – Wikipedia

When King Christian VII died on March 13, 1808, his son succeeded him as King Frederik VI of Denmark and Marie became Queen of Denmark. She became more acquainted with Danes, finally learned the Danish language more fluently, took an interest in Danish literature and history, and became interested in politics. When Frederick VI was participating in the Congress of Vienna after the Napoleonic Wars from September 5, 1814 – June 1, 1815, Marie served as Regent.

Queen Marie of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

King Frederick VI died on December 3, 1839, at the age of 71 at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen. He had reigned Denmark for a total of 55 years: 24 years as Crown Prince Regent and 31 years as King. As he had no sons, he was succeeded by King Christian VIII, the son of King Frederik’ VI’s half-uncle Frederik, Hereditary Prince of Denmark.

After her husband’s death, Marie retired from public life but remained a respected figure, living at Frederiksborg Castle and Amalienborg Palace. The conflicts between the branches of the Danish royal family during the succession crisis caused by a lack of male dynasts and the First Schleswig War (1848–51) caused her much distress.

Marie of Hesse-Kassel, Queen of Denmark died on March 21, 1852, at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen at the age of 84. She was buried at Roskilde Cathedral in the Frederik V Chapel near her husband.

Tomb of Marie Sophie of Hesse-Kassel, Queen of Denmark; Photo by Susan Flantzer

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.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. (2018). Frederik 6.. [online] Available at: https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederik_6. [Accessed 15 Sep. 2018].
  • De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Marie von Hessen-Kassel (1767–1852). [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_von_Hessen-Kassel_(1767%E2%80%931852) [Accessed 15 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Landgrave Charles of Hesse-Kassel. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landgrave_Charles_of_Hesse-Kassel [Accessed 15 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Frederick VI of Denmark. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_VI_of_Denmark [Accessed 15 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Marie of Hesse-Kassel. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_of_Hesse-Kassel [Accessed 15 Sep. 2018].
  • Flantzer, S. (2016). King Christian VII of Denmark. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-christian-vii-of-denmark/ [Accessed 15 Sep. 2018].
  • Flantzer, S. (2018). King Frederik VI of Denmark. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-frederik-vi-of-denmark/

Ernst August II, Crown Prince of Hanover

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Ernst August II, Crown Prince of Hanover; Credit – Wikipedia

Ernst August was the last Crown Prince of Hanover, and the last to hold the Dukedoms of Cumberland and Teviotdale in the United Kingdom. He was born Prince Ernst August Wilhelm Adolf Georg Friedrich on September 21, 1845, in Hanover, Kingdom of Hanover, now in Lower Saxony, Germany. He was the only son of King Georg V of Hanover and Princess Marie of Saxe-Altenburg. He had two younger sisters:

Queen’s Villa in Gmunden. photo: Von Lars Staffanski – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32046268

Ernst August became Crown Prince upon his father’s accession in November 1851. However, in 1866, Hanover was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia after siding against Prussia in the Austro-Prussian War. Two years later, Ernst August’s parents moved their family to Gmunden, Austria. They took up residence at Villa Redtenbacher, which they later purchased. It would be his parents’ home until his father died in 1878, and later became known as the Queen’s Villa, as Queen Marie remained there until she died in 1907.

Princess Thyra of Denmark, c1871. source: Wikipedia

On December 21, 1878, Ernst August married Princess Thyra of Denmark at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen. She was the daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark and Princess Luise of Hesse-Kassel. The couple first met while Ernst August was visiting his second cousin, The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII of the United Kingdom) at Sandringham in Norfolk, England in 1875. Princess Thyra was the sister of Edward’s wife Alexandra. Ernst August and Thyra had six children:

Ernst August with his wife and children, 1888. source: Wikipedia

Upon his father’s death in June 1878, Ernst August inherited his titles, becoming the 3rd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale and Earl of Armagh in the United Kingdom, and head of the House of Hanover. He was also made a Knight of the Order of the Garter by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, his father’s first cousin. Like his father, he continued to claim his right to the Hanoverian throne, which caused friction with Prussia. This was such a big issue that when he became the rightful successor to the Duchy of Brunswick upon the death of his cousin Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick, the Kingdom of Prussia refused to allow him to ascend the ducal throne. Instead, they appointed Prince Albrecht of Prussia to serve as Regent for the duchy.

After succeeding his father, Ernst August purchased a large amount of land near the Villa, and in 1882, began construction on a new castle in Gmunden, Austria. Completed four years later, he named it Schloss Cumberland (link in German), in honor of his British title. Schloss Cumberland would become Ernst August’s primary residence for the rest of his life.

Reconciliation with Prussia finally came in 1913. Ernst August’s son, also named Ernst August, became engaged to Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia, the only daughter of the German Emperor. In the days leading up to the wedding, Ernst August renounced his rights to the Duchy of Brunswick in favor of his son, who took his place as Duke of Brunswick.

World War I saw the end of what had always been a close relationship with his British relatives. He was removed from the roll of the Order of the Garter in 1915, and in 1917 was stripped of his title of Prince of the United Kingdom. Lastly, as a result of the Titles Deprivation Act, in 1919 he was stripped of his British peerages for “bearing arms against Great Britain.” The titles – Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale – remain in abeyance, and his direct descendants could petition to have them restored. To date, no such petition has been made.

Schloss Cumberland. photo: Stague49 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=67974426

The former Crown Prince spent his remaining years at Schloss Cumberland in Gmunden, Austria where he died on November 14, 1923, after suffering a stroke. He is buried in the mausoleum at the Schloss, alongside his wife and mother.

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.

Prince Ernst August V of Hanover

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Credit – www.tatler.com

Duchy of Brunswick: The Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was a subdivision of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg. After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, the Congress of Vienna turned Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel into an independent country called the Duchy of Brunswick in 1815. Ernst August III, the last Duke of Brunswick was forced to abdicate on November 8, 1918, as the German Empire came to an end. Today the land that encompassed the Duchy of Brunswick is in the German state of  Lower Saxony. Since 1866, the senior heir of the House of Hanover has been the pretender to the throne of the Kingdom of Hanover.

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Prince Ernst August (V) of Hanover is the current pretender to the thrones of the Kingdom of Hanover and the Duchy of Brunswick. Born on February 26, 1954, in Hanover, Lower Saxony, then in West Germany, now in Germany, he is the second of the six children and the eldest of the three sons of Ernst August (IV), Hereditary Prince of Brunswick, Prince of Hanover, the son of Ernst August (III), Duke of Brunswick and Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia, the only daughter of Wilhelm II, German Emperor, and his first wife Princess Ortrud of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. At his christening, he was given a long string of names: Ernst August Albert Paul Otto Rupprecht Oskar Berthold Friedrich Ferdinand Christian Ludwig.

Ernst August has five siblings:

Ernst August (V), the tallest boy, with his parents and siblings; Credit – https://www.welfenbund.de/

Ernst August is among the senior male-line descendants of King George III of the United Kingdom. This line is directly descended from George III’s son, Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, who became King of Hanover due to the Salic Law which forbade female succession following the death of his brother King William IV and the accession of Queen Victoria. (George III → Ernest Augustus (I), Duke of Cumberland, King of Hanover → George V, King of Hanover → Ernst August (II), Duke of Cumberland (married Princess Thyra of Denmark, daughter of King Christian IX) → Ernst August (III), Duke of Brunswick (married Viktoria Luise, only daughter of Wilhelm II, German Emperor) → Ernst August (IV), Hereditary Prince of Brunswick → Ernst August (V), Prince of Hanover)

He is also a great-great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria via his father (Queen Victoria → Victoria, Princess Royal → Wilhelm II, German Emperor → Viktoria Luise of Prussia → Ernst August (IV), Hereditary Prince of Brunswick→ Ernst August (V), Prince of Hanover) and a great-great-grandson of King Christian IX of Denmark via his father (King Christian IX → Thyra of Denmark → Ernst August (III), Duke of Brunswick → Ernst August (IV), Hereditary Prince of Brunswick → Ernst August (V), Prince of Hanover).

Ernst August (V)’s father was the brother of Frederica of Hanover who married King Paul I of Greece. Therefore, Ernst August (V) is the first cousin of Frederica and Paul’s children: King Constantine II of Greece, Queen Sofia of Spain, and Princess Irene of Greece. Ernst August (V)’s paternal uncle Prince Georg Wilhelm of Hanover married Princess Sophie of Greece, a sister of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

On June 17, 1914, King George V of the United Kingdom, who was the first cousin of Ernst August (V’s) grandfather Ernst August (III), Duke of Brunswick via their mothers and third cousins via their fathers, issued a Letters Patent granting the children of the Duke of Brunswick the style Highness and declaring that they would be Prince or Princess of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The Letters Patent clearly state the style and title were only for the children of Ernst August (III), Duke of Brunswick.

On November 8, 1918, at the end of World War I, Ernst August (V)’s grandfather was forced to abdicate his throne as reigning Duke of Brunswick. In 1919, German royalty and nobility lost their privileges in Germany. Thereafter, hereditary titles could only be used legally as part of surnames. In 1931, Ernst August (III), Duke of Brunswick declared that his descendants, as descendants of King George III, would continue to use British HRH Prince/Princess. However, legally they are not British HRH Prince/Princess. All titles used by the family are used in pretense.

As the senior male descendant of George III’s son, Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, Ernst’s August (V)’s grandfather, the former Duke of Brunswick, also held the British peerage titles Duke of Cumberland, Duke of Teviotdale, and Earl of Armagh. In 1917, the British Parliament passed the Titles Deprivation Act 1917 which allowed the Privy Council to investigate “any persons enjoying any dignity or title as a peer or British prince who have, during the present war, borne arms against His Majesty or His Allies, or who have adhered to His Majesty’s enemies.” Under the terms of that act, an Order in Council on March 28, 1919, formally removed the former Duke of Brunswick’s British peerages, Duke of Cumberland, Duke of Teviotdale, and Earl of Armagh. The former Duke of Brunswick and his children also lost their titles of Prince and Princess of the United Kingdom and the styles Royal Highness and Highness. According to the Titles Deprivation Act, the male heirs of Ernst August, former Duke of Brunswick have the right to ask the British Crown to reinstate their British peerage titles but no descendant has ever done so. Currently, Ernst August (V) is the male heir of these British peerages.

Ernst August (V) attended schools in West Germany until the age of fifteen when his motorcycle driving license was revoked due to an accident. Shortly afterward, he was sent to England where he attended the Box Hill School in Surrey. Ernst August (V) discovered that he was interested in agriculture which he studied in Canada and then at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester, England. Afterward, he worked as a businessman and producer of animal documentary films.

Ernst August and Chantal on their wedding day; Credit – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/314970567684403672/?lp=true 

In 1980, Ernst August (V) became engaged to Chantal Hochuli, the daughter of Johann Gustav Hochuli, a Swiss millionaire from his family’s chocolate company and architect, and Rosemarie Lembeck. Ernst August’s father was initially opposed to the marriage because of Chantal’s less-than-royal ancestry. However, he eventually changed his mind and modified the House of Hanover’s dynastic laws so that the marriage could take place. The couple was married on August 28, 1981, in a civil ceremony in Pattensen, Germany. A religious ceremony was held on August 30, 1981, at Marienburg Castle, also in Pattensen, Germany.

Ernst August and Chantal had two sons:

Prince Ernst August (VI) of Hanover and his wife; By Foto: Axel Hindemith, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60789603

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Prince Christian of Hanover and his wife

In 1987, Ernst August (V)’s father died and he became Head of the House of Hanover and pretender to the thrones of the Kingdom of Hanover and the Duchy of Brunswick.

Caroline and Ernst on their wedding day; Credit – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/30399366205165248/?lp=true

In 1996, rumors began to emerge that romantically linked Ernst August (V) to Princess Caroline of Monaco, a long-time friend. Ernst August and Caroline had been seen together in the Far East, in New York, and in London. On October 23, 1997, Ernst August and his wife Chantal were divorced. On January 23, 1999, in a civil ceremony in Monaco, Ernst August married Caroline who was pregnant with their child. It was the third marriage for Caroline.

The couple had one daughter:

While initially very happy, the couple, still legally married, now leads separate lives. Caroline and her daughter Alexandra live primarily in Monaco, while her husband remains at his homes in Germany.

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Princess Alexandra of Hanover

Over the years, Ernst August (V) has had several controversial incidents. In 2000, he was photographed urinating on the Turkish Pavilion at Expo 2000 in Hanover, Germany causing a diplomatic incident when the Turkish embassy accused him of insulting the Turkish people. In 2004, he was convicted of aggravated assault and causing grievous bodily harm after beating a German man in a nightclub in Kenya.

In 2004, Ernst August (V) signed over to his elder son Ernst August (VI ) his German property, including Marienburg Castle, Calenberg Castle, the Princely House at Herrenhausen Gardens and some forests near Blankenburg Castle. Since then, the younger Ernst August has taken over many representative tasks on behalf of his father. Ernst August (V) initially remained in charge of the family assets in Austria. However, in 2013, due to negligence, he was removed as chairman of a family foundation based in Liechtenstein which holds the properties near Gmunden, Austria, the Hanovers’ main residence in exile after 1866 when their Kingdom of Hanover was annexed by Prussia. His elder son Ernst August (VI) was made the chairman of the family foundation. Due to disputes over the family assets, Ernst August (V) declared his intention to withhold consent for his elder son’s marriage which he did not attend.

Ernst August (V) at the wedding of his son Christian, 2018; Credit – www.zimbio.com

Ernst August (V) also has had several health issues. On April 3, 2005, he was admitted to the hospital with acute pancreatitis. The next day, he fell into a coma, two days before the death of his father-in-law Rainier III, Prince of Monaco. A few days later, he was no longer in a coma but remained in intensive care. Ernst August (V) was hospitalized again in 2011, 2017, and 2018 for problems related to alcohol. The incident in 2018 occurred during the wedding celebrations of his son Christian in Lima, Peru. During the celebrations, Ernst August (V) lost consciousness because he drank too much and had to be admitted to a hospital where he was placed in a medically induced coma. After two weeks in the hospital, he was transferred to a clinic in Austria. In February 2019, he had another serious health issue. He was taken to the hospital by helicopter and needed emergency surgery for a ruptured duodenal ulcer. A week later, doctors discovered that Ernst August (V) had throat cancer. Because of the poor state of his health, doctors treated the tumor with cryotherapy.

In July 2020, it was reported that Ernst August (V) was temporarily taken to a psychiatric facility. He reportedly called police saying he needed immediate help. When the police arrived, Ernst August (V) was extremely aggressive and attacked them physically.

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

  • bild.de. (2019). Krebs-Schock: Tumor im Hals bei Ernst August von Hannover. [online] Available at: https://www.bild.de/unterhaltung/leute/leute/krebs-schock-tumor-im-hals-bei-ernst-august-von-hannover-60112354.bild.html [Accessed 22 Mar. 2019].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Prince Ernst August of Hanover (born 1954). [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Ernst_August_of_Hanover_(born_1954) [Accessed 22 Mar. 2019].
  • Es.wikipedia.org. (2019). Ernesto Augusto de Hannover (1954). [online] Available at: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernesto_Augusto_de_Hannover_(1954) [Accessed 22 Mar. 2019].
  • Flantzer, S. (2019). Ernst August (IV), Hereditary Prince of Brunswick, Prince of Hanover. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/ernst-august-iv-hereditary-prince-of-brunswick-prince-of-hanover/ [Accessed 22 Mar. 2019].
  • It.wikipedia.org. (2019). Ernesto Augusto di Hannover (1954). [online] Available at: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernesto_Augusto_di_Hannover_(1954) [Accessed 22 Mar. 2019].
  • Madame Figaro. (2017). Le mari de Caroline de Monaco s’oppose au mariage de son fils. [online] Available at: http://madame.lefigaro.fr/celebrites/ernst-august-de-hanovre-le-mari-de-caroline-de-monaco-soppose-au-mariage-de-son-fils-avec-la-russe-ekaterina-malysheva-030717-133081 [Accessed 22 Mar. 2019].
  • País, E. (2019). Ernesto de Hannover, operado de urgencia por un problema de páncreas. [online] EL PAÍS. Available at: https://elpais.com/elpais/2019/02/06/gente/1549451643_943505.html [Accessed 22 Mar. 2019].

Ernst August IV, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick, Prince of Hanover

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Ernst August in the 1930s; Credit – Wikipedia

Duchy of Brunswick: The Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was a subdivision of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg. After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, the Congress of Vienna turned Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel into an independent country called the Duchy of Brunswick in 1815. Ernst August III, the last Duke of Brunswick was forced to abdicate on November 8, 1918, as the German Empire came to an end. Today the land that encompassed the Duchy of Brunswick is in the German state of  Lower Saxony. Since 1866, the senior heir of the House of Hanover has been the pretender to the throne of the Kingdom of Hanover.

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The second of the five children and the eldest of the three sons of Ernst August (III), Duke of Brunswick and Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia, the only daughter of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia, Ernst August was born on March 18, 1914, in Brunswick in the Duchy of Brunswick now in Lower Saxony, Germany. As his father was the reigning Duke of Brunswick, Ernst August (IV) was styled His Royal Highness The Hereditary Prince of Brunswick at birth.

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Ernst August (IV)’s parents

Ernst August (IV) was among the senior male-line descendants of King George III of the United Kingdom. This line is descended from George III’s son, Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, who became King of Hanover (due to the Salic Law which forbade female succession) following the death of his brother King William IV and the accession of Queen Victoria. (George III → Ernest Augustus (I), Duke of Cumberland, King of Hanover → George V, King of Hanover → Ernst August (II), Duke of Cumberland (married Princess Thyra of Denmark, sister of Queen Alexandra of UK, Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia and King George I of Greece) → Ernst August (III), Duke of Brunswick (married Viktoria Luise, only daughter of Kaiser Wilhelm II) → Ernst August (IV), Hereditary Prince of Brunswick).

He was also a great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria via his mother (Queen Victoria → Victoria, Princess Royal → Wilhelm, German Emperor →  Viktoria Luise of Prussia → Ernst August (IV), Hereditary Prince of Brunswick) and a great-grandson of King Christian IX of Denmark via his father (King Christian IX → Thyra of Denmark → Ernst August, Duke of Brunswick → Ernst August (IV), Hereditary Prince of Brunswick).

On June 17, 1914, King George V of the United Kingdom, who was the first cousin of Ernst August (III), Duke of Brunswick via their mothers and third cousins via their fathers, issued a Letters Patent granting the children of the Duke of Brunswick the style Highness and declaring that they would be Prince or Princess of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

Ernst August’s christening at Brunswick Cathedral in May 1914 was perhaps the last great gathering of European royalty before the start of World War I in August 1914. Christened with the names Ernst August Georg Wilhelm Christian Ludwig Franz Joseph Nikolaus Oskar, the infant prince had a long list of illustrious royal godparents, some of whom would be on opposite sides in the upcoming war:

Ernst August (IV) with his mother in 1914; Credit – Wikipedia

Ernst August (IV) had three brothers and one sister:

Ernst August on the right with his parents and his brother Georg Wilhelm in 1916; Credit – Wikipedia

On November 8, 1918, at the end of World War I, Ernst August’s father was forced to abdicate his throne as reigning Duke of Brunswick. The Duke of Brunswick had been appointed a Knight of the Order of the Garter by Queen Victoria in 1878 but he had been struck off the roll of the Order of the Garter in 1915 by his first cousin King George V of the United Kingdom along with six other Austrian or German royals. Further action was taken against him after the British Parliament passed the Titles Deprivation Act 1917 which allowed the Privy Council to investigate “any persons enjoying any dignity or title as a peer or British prince who have, during the present war, borne arms against His Majesty or His Allies, or who have adhered to His Majesty’s enemies.” Under the terms of that act, an Order in Council on March 28, 1919, formally removed the former Duke of Brunswick’s British peerages, Duke of Cumberland, Duke of Teviotdale, and Earl of Armagh. The former Duke of Brunswick and his children also lost their titles of Prince and Princess of the United Kingdom and the styles Royal Highness and Highness. According to the Titles Deprivation Act, the male heirs of Ernst August, former Duke of Brunswick have the right to ask the British Crown to reinstate their British peerage titles but no descendant has ever done so.

In 1919, German royalty and nobility lost their privileges in Germany. Thereafter, hereditary titles could only be used legally as part of surnames. In 1931, Ernst August (III), Duke of Brunswick declared that his descendants, as descendants of King George III, would continue to use British HRH Prince/Princess. However, legally they are not British HRH Prince/Princess. All titles used by the family are used in pretense.

Cumberland Castle; Credit – By Pepito Tey – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 at, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22858180

After World War I, the Hanover family first took refuge at Cumberland Castle (link in German), their home in Gmunden, Austria. Once the situation in Germany calmed down, they were able to return to Germany, claim the bulk of their fortune, and retain ownership of Blankenburg Castle and Marienburg Castle.

First educated with his family in Austria and Germany, Ernst August attended the Gymnasium (secondary school) in Hamelin in Lower Saxony, Germany along with his brother Georg Wilhelm. The brothers lived with one of their teachers, Dr. Oppermann. Ernst August then attended the Schule Schloss Salem established by the educator Kurt Hahn with the support of Prince Maximilian of Baden (one of Ernst August’s godparents). Later, under the Nazi regime, Hahn, who was Jewish, left Germany for Scotland where he founded the Gordonstoun School, later attended by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (who previously also attended Schule Schloss Salem) and his three sons.  After his secondary education was completed, Ernst August went to England where he studied at Oxford University. Returning to Germany, he attended the University of Göttingen and received a Doctorate of Jurisprudence (law) in 1937.

During World War II, Ernst August (IV) served as an officer in the 4th Panzers Group under the command of General Erich Hoepner.  In 1944, Ernst August (IV) and most other former German princes were expelled from the army by Adolf Hitler. Ernst August’s former commander General Hoepner was a participant in the unsuccessful July 20, 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler and was hanged on August 8, 1944. Ernst August (IV) was arrested by the Gestapo who suspected him, wrongly, of being involved in the plot. He was imprisoned for a few weeks and then released.

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Wedding of Ernst August (IV) and Ortrud

On August 31, 1951, at Marienburg Castle in Hanover, Germany, Ernst August (IV) married Princess Ortrud of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, daughter of Prince Albrecht of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and his second wife Princess Hertha of Ysenburg and Büdingen. Ortrud’s parents had been close friends of Ernst August’s grandfather Wilhelm II, German Emperor. A religious ceremony was held on September 5, 1951, in the Marktkirche in Hanover, followed by a reception in the Gallery Building at Herrenhausen Gardens, the only part of the House of Hanover’s former summer palace still intact, as the palace itself had been destroyed during World War II. The marriage was considered an equal marriage, in accordance with the laws of the House of Hanover, allowing Ernst August (IV) to inherit the property and titles of his family.

Ernst August (IV), Ortrud, and their six children; Credit – https://www.welfenbund.de/

Ernst August and Ortrud had six children:

In 1953, Ernst August (IV)’s father died and he became Head of the House of Hanover and pretender to the thrones of Hanover and Brunswick.

The Sophia Naturalization Act 1705 provided that all the children and descendants of Electress Sophia of Hanover, with the exception of Roman Catholics, shall be naturalized as British citizens. The Act was repealed by the British Nationality Act 1948 but it was stipulated that any non-Catholic descendant of Electress Sophia of Hanover who had already been born when the repealing statute was enacted in 1949 could claim British citizenship. In 1957, Ernest August (IV), a descendant of Electress Sophia, successfully sought a declaration that he was a British citizen under the 1705 and 1948 Acts. No other family members became British citizens at that time and the citizenship did not extend to any descendants of Ernst August (IV), Hereditary Prince of Brunswick, who were all born after 1949.

In 1961, Ernst August (IV) sold his remaining properties at Herrenhausen Gardens except for the Princely House, a small palace built in 1720 by King George I of Great Britain. Marienburg Castle was turned into a museum in 1954 and Ernst August (IV) moved to the nearby Calenberg Castle. This move caused a serious disagreement with his mother who had to move out of the castle. Ernst August (IV) also sold Cumberland Castle at Gmunden, Austria to the state of Upper Austria in 1979. However, the family foundation based in Liechtenstein kept forests, a game park, a hunting lodge, and other properties at Gmunden. The family property is now managed by Ernst August (IV)’s grandson Ernst August (VI) after his father Ernst August (V) transferred the property to him in November 2018.

Countess Monika zu Solms-Laubach, Ernst August’s second wife; Credit – By Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60077233

On February 6, 1980, Ernst August (IV)’s first wife Ortrud died at the age of 54. She was buried at Marienburg Castle. Ernst August (IV) married for a second time to Countess Monika zu Solms-Laubach. The couple was married in a civil ceremony on July 16, 1981, and then in a religious ceremony the next day.

Ernst August (IV); Credit – https://www.geni.com/

On December 9, 1987, Ernst August (IV), the former Hereditary Prince of Brunswick and Prince of Hanover, died at Calenberg Castle in Schulenburg in Lower Saxony, Germany at the age of 73. He was buried next to his first wife at Marienburg Castle. His second wife Monika survived him by nearly 28 years, dying on June 4, 2015, at the age of 85, and was buried in her birthplace, Laubach in Hesse, Germany.

Marienburg Castle where Ernst August is buried; Credit – By Ralf Claus – Ralf Claus, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43012866

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

  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Prince Ernest Augustus of Hanover (1914–1987). [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Ernest_Augustus_of_Hanover_(1914%E2%80%931987) [Accessed 21 Mar. 2019].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. (2019). Ernest-Auguste de Hanovre (1914-1987). [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest-Auguste_de_Hanovre_(1914-1987) [Accessed 21 Mar. 2019].
  • HRH Viktoria Luise, Princess of Prussia. (1977). The Kaiser’s Daughter. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
  • Mehl, S. (2018). Ernst August III of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/ernst-august-iii-of-hanover-duke-of-brunswick/ [Accessed 21 Mar. 2019].
  • Mehl, S. (2018). Viktoria Luise of Prussia, Princess of Hanover, Duchess of Brunswick. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/viktoria-luise-of-prussia-princess-of-hanover-duchess-of-brunswick/ [Accessed 21 Mar. 2019].
  • Petropoulos, J. (2009). Royals and the Reich. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Augusta of Hesse-Kassel, Duchess of Cambridge

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge, 1818 by William Beechey; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel was the wife of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, son of King George III of the United Kingdom and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Through her granddaughter Queen Mary, Princess Augusta is an ancestor of the British Royal Family.

Auguste Wilhelmine Luise was born on July 25, 1797, at Rumpenheim Castle (in German) in Offenbach am Main, Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, now in Hesse, Germany. She was the youngest child of the eight children Prince Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Caroline of Nassau-Usingen.  Her father was the youngest son of Landgrave Friedrich II of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Mary of Great Britain, daughter of King George II of Great Britain.

Princess Augusta Wilhelmina Louisa, Duchess of Cambridge by Johann Giere, after Georg Friedrich Reichmann, lithograph, early 19th-century NPG D7448 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Augusta had seven older siblings:

Augusta’s paternal grandparents had an unhappy marriage and when her grandfather Landgrave Friedrich II of Hesse-Kassel converted to Roman Catholicism, her grandmother Princess Mary of Great Britain took her children to the Danish court where her sister Louise was married to King Frederik V of Denmark. Princess Mary’s younger sons remained in Denmark and had important positions in the Danish military and government. Augusta’s father was a general in the Danish army, and so she grew up mostly in Denmark but spent some time in Hesse-Kassel.

Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1817, in the United Kingdom, after the tragic death in childbirth of Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only legitimate grandchild of King George III despite the king having twelve surviving children, the king’s aging bachelor sons needed to seek brides to provide for the succession.  Of all the bachelor sons, Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge was the most eligible. He had neither mistresses nor illegitimate children and he had not married in contravention to the Royal Marriages Act. Adolphus had a military career and attained the rank of Field Marshal. Since the British Kings of the House of Hanover were also Kings of Hanover, someone was needed to represent them in Hanover. In 1816, Adolphus was appointed Governor-General of the Kingdom of Hanover and then Viceroy of Hanover.

Princess Augusta Wilhelmina Louisa, Duchess of Cambridge by James Thomson, published by Dean & Munday, after John Partridge, stipple engraving printed in colours, published 1 July 1818, NPG D8036 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Adolphus had been given the task of helping to find a bride for his elder brother Prince William, Duke of Clarence, the future King William IV. Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel was one of the princesses on his list. Adolphus wrote that Augusta “would make an ideal Queen of England”. Upon hearing this, William said that it appeared Adolphus was in love with Augusta himself and wrote to his brother to take her for himself. By Christmas 1817, Adolphus and Augusta were engaged. Adolphus married Augusta of Hesse-Kassel in the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, now in Hesse, Germany, on May 7, 1818, and then again at the Queen’s House (now Buckingham Palace) in the presence of Queen Charlotte on June 1, 1818.  The groom was 44 and the bride was 20.  Despite the age difference, the marriage was a happy one and Adolphus was very much in love with Augusta.  The couple lived in Hanover from 1818 – 1837 while Adolphus served his father and then his two brothers, King George IV and King William IV, as Viceroy of Hanover. Upon their return to England, Adolphus and Augusta lived at Cambridge House and later at St. James’s Palace, both in London.

The couple had three children:

Princess Augusta Wilhelmina Louisa, Duchess of Cambridge; Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck by Camille Silvy, albumen carte-de-visite, 9 October 1860 NPG Ax46799 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Prince Adolphus died “of cramps in the stomach” at Cambridge House in London on July 8, 1850, at the age of 76.  He was buried in the Cambridge Mausoleum, built following his death at St. Anne’s Church in Kew, London.  Augusta survived her husband by 39 years, dying at age 91 on April 6, 1889, at St. James’ Palace in London. She was the last surviving daughter-in-law of King George III.  Queen Victoria wrote of her death: “Very sad, though not for her. But she is the last of her generation, & I have no longer anyone above me.” In 1930, the remains of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were removed from the mausoleum at St. Anne’s Church and interred in the Royal Vault in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle at the instigation of their granddaughter Queen Mary.

Princess Augusta Wilhelmina Louisa, Duchess of Cambridge by Walery, published by Sampson Low & Co, carbon print, published April 1889 NPG x9115 © National Portrait Gallery, London

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

  • De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Auguste von Hessen. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_von_Hessen [Accessed 12 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Prince Frederick of Hesse-Kassel. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landgrave_Frederick_of_Hesse-Kassel [Accessed 12 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Augusta_of_Hesse-Kassel [Accessed 12 Sep. 2018].
  • Flantzer, S. (2013). Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/july-8-daily-featured-royal-date/ [Accessed 12 Sep. 2018].
  • Fraser, Flora. Princesses: The Six Daughters of George III. (2004). New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
  • Van Der Kiste, John (2013). George III’s Children. New York: The History Press.
  • Van Der Kiste, John. (2000). The Georgian Princesses. Phoenix Mill: Sutton Publishing.

Friedrich VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Friedrich VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg; Credit – Wikipedia

Friedrich VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg was a reigning Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg and the husband of Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom, daughter of King George III of the United Kingdom. Friedrich Joseph Ludwig Carl August was born on July 30, 1769, in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe in the Landgraviate of Hesse-Homburg, now in Hesse, Germany. He was the eldest child of Friedrich V, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg and Caroline of Hesse-Darmstadt.

Friedrich had fifteen siblings but only eleven survived childhood:

Friedrich was educated with his brother Ludwig Wilhelm. They studied together in Geneva, and in 1788, they joined the Prussian army together. Friedrich then served in the Austrian army during the Napoleonic Wars reaching the rank of Field Marshal. He was injured several times and was created a Commander of the Austrian Military Order of Maria Theresa.

While Friedrich was in the military, he showed no inclination to marry. In 1814, 45-year-old Friedrich had met 44-year-old Princess Elizabeth, the third daughter and seventh of the fifteen children of King George III of the United Kingdom and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, at a ball held at the British court. None of George III’s six daughters had been allowed to marry at the age when most princesses would marry. The daughters were very sheltered and spent most of their time with their parents and sisters. The living conditions of King George’s daughters came to be known as “the Nunnery.”

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, and her exile. Two of King George III’s daughters managed to get married: In 1797, Charlotte, Princess Royal married the future King Friedrich I of Württemberg at the age of 31 and had one stillborn daughter. In 1816, 40-year-old Princess Mary married her cousin Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester, and had no children. Princess Elizabeth was the last of the daughters to finally escape from “the Nunnery.”  Augusta, Sophia, and Amelia never married.

Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom, Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1818, Elizabeth read a letter from 48-year-old Friedrich, then Hereditary Prince of Hesse-Homburg to her mother asking to marry Elizabeth and she finally saw the way to exit “the Nunnery.” Elizabeth was nearly 48 years old and was hardly likely to provide heirs for Hesse-Homburg but her dowry would go a long way in helping tiny Hesse-Homburg out of its debts and would provide funds for needed building renovations. Elizabeth would have her own household to administer, a husband, and freedom from her mother. Queen Charlotte was not easily persuaded to agree to the marriage and after heated discussions and interventions from several of Elizabeth’s siblings, the Queen agreed to the marriage.

On April 7, 1818, in the Private Chapel at the Queen’s House (now Buckingham Palace), Princess Elizabeth married her prince and gained her freedom. The bride wore a dress of silver tissue and Brussels lace with ostrich feathers on her head. Friedrich was not handsome but he was very kindhearted and a war hero who had been wounded at the Battle of Leipzig. The couple spent their honeymoon at the Royal Lodge at Windsor. The marriage was not a love match but through mutual understanding and respect, it was a happy marriage that met the needs of both Elizabeth and Friedrich.

Elizabeth of the United Kingdom and Frederick VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg; Credit – royalcollection.org.uk

On January 20, 1820, Friedrich’s father died and he succeeded him as Landgrave of the 85 square mile/ 221 km2 Landgraviate of Hesse-Homburg. Using Elizabeth’s dowry and annual allowance, the couple built new roads, restored the castles in Bad Homburg and Meisenheim, and became involved in the care of the poor. Using seeds and seedlings from England, they created an English garden at Bad Homburg Castle.

Bad Homburg Castle; Credit – By ziegelbrenner – Private photo, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1324918

Friedrich VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg died in Bad Homburg in the Landgraviate of Hesse-Homburg, now in Hesse, Germany, at the age of 59 on April 2, 1829, due to influenza and complications from an old leg wound. He was buried in the Ducal Crypt in the castle church at Bad Homburg Castle.  Elizabeth wrote, “No woman was ever more happy than I was for eleven years and they will often be lived over again in the memory of the heart.”  She survived Friedrich by nearly eleven years, dying on January 10, 1840, at the age of 69, and was buried next to Friedrich.

As Friedrich had no children, his brother Ludwig Wilhelm succeeded him. Three other brothers succeeded as the reigning Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg. Only one of Friedrich’s five brothers had children. Gustav had one son and two daughters but his son died at the age of eighteen.

  • Ludwig Wilhelm: reigned 1829-1839, no children
  • Philip V: reigned 1839-1846, no children
  • Gustav: reigned 1846-1848, no surviving male children
  • Ferdinand: reigned 1848-1866, unmarried

After the death of Ferdinand in 1866, the Landgraviate of Hesse-Homburg was briefly added to the territory of Ludwig III, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine before being annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia later in 1866.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Friedrich VI. (Hessen-Homburg). [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_VI._(Hessen-Homburg) [Accessed 11 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Frederick VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_VI,_Landgrave_of_Hesse-Homburg [Accessed 11 Sep. 2018].
  • Flantzer, S. (2014). Princess Elizabeth, Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/january-10-1840-death-of-princess-elizabeth-of-the-united-kingdom-daughter-of-king-george-iii-of-the-united-kingdom/ [Accessed 11 Sep. 2018].
  • Fraser, Flora. Princesses: The Six Daughters of George III. (2004). New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
  • Van Der Kiste, John (2013). George III’s Children. New York: The History Press.
  • Van Der Kiste, John. (2000). The Georgian Princesses. Phoenix Mill: Sutton Publishing.

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.

Frederica Charlotte of Prussia, Duchess of York

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Frederica Charlotte of Prussia, Duchess of York; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia was the wife of Prince Frederick, Duke of York, the second son of King George III of the United Kingdom. Given the German names Friederike Charlotte Ulrike Katharina, she was born on May 7, 1767, at Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany, the only child of the future King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia, eldest son of Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia (the second son of King Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia),  and his first wife and first cousin, Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Lüneburg.

Frederica had no siblings but had seven half-siblings from her father’s second marriage to Friederike Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt:

The family of King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia, circa 1777 – seated: the future King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia and his second wife Frederika Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt holding Princess Wilhelmina; standing, left to right: Prince Friedrich Wilhelm, Prince Ludwig Karl, and Princess Frederica Charlotte; Credit – Wikipedia

At the time of her birth, Frederica’s great uncle (the uncle of both her parents) Friedrich II, better known as Frederick the Great, was King of Prussia. Friedrich II had no children, so the heir presumptive to the Prussian throne was Frederica’s father as the eldest son of Friedrich II’s next brother Prince August Wilhelm who was deceased.

Frederica’s mother Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Crown Princess of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederica’s mother Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was the daughter of Karl I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Philippine Charlotte of Prussia, sister of King Friedrich II of Prussia. Friedrich II had arranged the marriage of his niece Elisabeth Christine and nephew Friedrich Wilhelm hoping they would produce heirs for the Prussian throne. However, the marriage was unsuccessful. Friedrich Wilhelm neglected his wife and had constant affairs with dancers and actresses. When Frederica was born, a girl instead of a male heir, the marriage further deteriorated. Hurt by her husband’s behavior, Elisabeth Christine began to have affairs with army officers and musicians.

In January 1769, Elisabeth Christine discovered she was pregnant with the child of her lover, a musician named Pietro, and the couple planned to escape to Italy. However, at a masked ball, Friedrich Wilhelm was informed by a masked, anonymous person that his wife was pregnant. Angered by his wife’s pregnancy, Friedrich Wilhelm asked his uncle for a divorce. King Friedrich II initially refused to allow the couple to divorce but then relented. The musician Pietro was arrested and beheaded. Elisabeth Christine was placed under house arrest as a prisoner of the state in the Ducal Castle of Stettin. She never saw her daughter Frederica again. Elisabeth Christine died on February 18, 1840, at the age of 93, after spending 71 years under house arrest.

Frederica was less than two years old when her mother was banished. During her childhood, Frederica was raised with her half-siblings and she was cared for by her paternal grandmother Luise Amalie of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and her stepmother Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt, her father’s second wife. She also maintained a close relationship with Friedrich II’s childless wife Queen Elisabeth Christine, Frederica’s paternal great-aunt, the sister of her paternal grandmother.

Frederica’s father, King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

Upon the death of Friedrich II (Frederik the Great) in 1786, Frederica’s father succeeded to the Prussian throne as King Friedrich Wilhelm II. Frederica was nineteen years old, a marriageable age, but had no offers. Five years earlier, Prince Frederick, Duke of York, the second son of King George III of the United Kingdom, had visited the Prussian count and met Frederica. In 1791, Frederick returned to the Prussian court hoping to enlist in the Prussian army in a war against Austria which ultimately never happened. He stayed at the Prussian court for a while and developed feelings for Frederica. Frederick proposed and Frederica accepted, and her father was glad that his 24-year-old daughter would finally be married.

Wedding of Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia and Prince Frederick, Duke of York; Credit – Wikipedia

On September 29, 1791, at Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, Frederica married Prince Frederick, Duke of York. When the new Duchess of York arrived in London, England, she received an enthusiastic welcome. A second marriage was held on November 23, 1791, at the Queen’s House (now Buckingham Palace) because the Archbishop of Canterbury was not authorized to grant a license for a ceremony held in Prussia.

The marriage was unsuccessful. Frederick was unfaithful and the couple was unable to have children. In 1794, the couple separated and Frederica lived out her life at Oatlands Park in Weybridge, Surrey, England. Frederick and Frederica remained on good terms and the couple never caused any scandal. Frederica did not like London and did not get involved in politics or any royal family issues, instead, she spent her time in Weybridge doing charity work to help the needy and working on musical projects. Frederick visited her regularly but there was never any attempt at reconciliation.

Frederica had been suffering from tuberculosis for some time and died on 6 August 6, 1820, at the age of 53 at Oatlands Park. Frederick was present at her death and shortly before she died,  Frederica begged him to allow her to be buried in Weybridge instead of  St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. On August 13, 1820, Frederica, Duchess of York was buried in the chancel of St. Nicholas at Weybridge, also known as Weybridge Old Church, in a simple vault at her request. Today the vault stands close to the tower of St. James’ Church which replaced the old church in 1848.

Grave of Frederica, Duchess of York; Credit – www.findagrave.com

The people of Weybridge so admired Frederica’s charitable works that funds were raised through a voluntary contribution for the York Column, a monument to be erected in Weybridge in her memory. The inscription on the monument reads:

“This column was erected by the inhabitants of Weybridge and its vicinity on the 6th day of August 1822 by voluntary contribution. In token of their sincere esteem and regard for her late Royal Highness the most excellent and illustrious Frederica Charlotte Ulrica Catherina, Duchess of York who resided for upwards of thirty years at Oatlands in this parish, exercising every Christian virtue and died, universally regretted, on the 6th day of August 1820.”

York Column erected in memory of Frederica, Duchess of York; Credit – https://www.allaboutweybridge.co.uk/shops-services/york-column-monument-green-history-weybridge

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

  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Crown Princess of Prussia. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_Christine_of_Brunswick-Wolfenb%C3%BCttel,_Crown_Princess_of_Prussia [Accessed 10 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Frederica_Charlotte_of_Prussia [Accessed 10 Sep. 2018].
  • Flantzer, S. (2016). Prince Frederick, Duke of York. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/prince-frederick-duke-of-york/ [Accessed 10 Sep. 2018].
  • Fraser, Flora. Princesses: The Six Daughters of George III. (2004). New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
  • Van Der Kiste, John (2013). George III’s Children. New York: The History Press.
  • Van Der Kiste, John. (2000). The Georgian Princesses. Phoenix Mill: Sutton Publishing.

Archduchess Gisela of Austria, Princess of Bavaria

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Archduchess Gisela of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

The eldest surviving child of Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria and Elisabeth of Bavaria (Sisi), Archduchess Gisela was born in Laxenburg, Austria, the summer retreat of the Habsburgs, on July 12, 1856. The infant archduchess was baptized Gisella Luise Marie – Gisella with a double L – but she always wrote her name with only one L.  Gisela had an older sister Sophie, born in 1855, and the birth of another girl was a disappointment to the family who was anxiously awaiting the birth of a boy to succeed to the throne.

In 1857, on a trip to Hungary, part of the Habsburg empire, Sophie and Gisela became ill with diarrhea and a very high fever. Gisela survived but Sophie died in her mother’s arms.

Gisela had three siblings:

Empress Elisabeth with her two eldest surviving children, Gisela and Rudolf  with a portrait of the deceased Sophie on the wall in 1858; Credit – Wikipedia

Gisela was never close to her mother. Empress Elisabeth’s mother-in-law Archduchess Sophie, born Princess Sophie of Bavaria, was also Elisabeth’s aunt and deemed the teenage mother too young to care for her first two children. After their baptisms, Sophie and Gisela were taken away from their mother and raised by their grandmother.

Gisela with her brother Rudolf in 1861; Credit – Wikipedia

Gisela was two years old when her brother Rudolf, the Crown Prince and heir to the throne, was born. Gisela had a close relationship with her brother even after she married and moved to Bavaria. She never got over Rudolf’s suicide. On January 30, 1889, at Mayerling, a hunting lodge in the Vienna Woods which Rudolf had purchased, in an apparent suicide plot, Rudolf shot his 17-year-old mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera, and then shot himself.

Gisela and Prince Leopold of Bavaria in 1872; Credit – Wikipedia

In April 1872, Gisela was betrothed to her second cousin Prince Leopold of Bavaria, son of Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria and Archduchess Augusta of Austria.  Leopold’s father Prince Luitpold served as Prince Regent from 1886 until he died in 1912 due to the mental incompetence of his nephews King Ludwig II and King Otto. On April 20, 1873, 16-year-old Gisela and 27-year-old Leopold were married at the Augustinerkirche, the parish church of the Habsburgs, near Hofburg Palace in Vienna. The bride was overshadowed by her radiant and youthful-looking mother. Wedding festivities included a special performance of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and a gala ball given by the city of Vienna at the Musikverein, a concert hall. Gisela was warmly welcomed by Leopold’s family in Munich. The couple had a happy marriage and lived in the Palais Leopold in the Schwabing section of Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria.

Gisela and Leopold had four children:

Gisela and Leopold with their four children, circa 1885; Credit – Wikipedia

On September 10, 1898, Gisela’s mother Empress Elisabeth was assassinated when she was stabbed in the heart by the Italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni in Geneva, Switzerland. After her mother’s death, Gisela received 40% of her mother’s monetary assets and Achilleion Palace which her mother had built on the Greek island of Corfu to escape life at court.

Achilleion Palace in Corfu, Greece; By Marc Ryckaert (MJJR) – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23107846

During World War I, Leopold was given the command of the German 9th Army and quickly proved himself to be an able commander. Gisela set up a military hospital in her Munich palace. Gisela’s father Emperor Franz Joseph died on November 21, 1916, in the middle of World War I, at the age of 86. As he had no son to succeed him, his great-nephew succeeded him as Emperor Karl I of Austria but only reigned for two years as the monarchy was abolished at the end of World War I.

Golden Wedding of Leopold and Gisela by Hermann Eißfeldt, 1923; The bishop presiding is Papal Nuncio Eugenio Pacelli, the future Pope Pius XII. To his right is Leopold and Gisela’s son George who became a priest

In 1923, Gisela and Leopold celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Leopold died on September 28, 1930, at the age of 84. Two years later, Gisela died on July 27, 1932, aged 76. She was buried with her husband in the Wittelsbach crypt at St. Michael’s Church in Munich, Germany.

Wittelsbach crypt at St. Michael’s Church; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

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

  • De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Gisela von Österreich. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gisela_von_%C3%96sterreich [Accessed 1 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Archduchess Gisela of Austria. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archduchess_Gisela_of_Austria [Accessed 1 Sep. 2018].
  • Van Der Kiste, J. (2005). Emperor Francis Joseph: Life, Death and the Fall of the Habsburg Empire. Stroud: Sutton Publishing.
  • Wheatcroft, A. (1995). The Habsburgs. London: Viking.

Sophie Friederike of Bavaria, Archduchess of Austria

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Sophie Friederike of Bavaria, Archduchess of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

The mother of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria and the ill-fated Emperor Maximilian of Mexico, the grandmother of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria whose assassination sparked World War I, and the great-grandmother of  Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria, Sophie Friederike Dorothea Wilhelmine was born January 27, 1805, in Munich, then in the Electorate of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany, along with her identical twin sister Maria Anna Leopoldine Elisabeth Wilhelmine. At the time of Sophie’s birth, her father Maximilian Joseph was Duke of Zweibrücken, Elector of Bavaria, Duke of Berg, and Elector Palatine. Due to his loyal service to Napoleon, Emperor of the French, Maximilian Joseph’s Electorate of Bavaria was created a kingdom and he became the first King of Bavaria on January 1, 1806. Maximilian Joseph’s first wife Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt died in 1796 and he married Sophie’s mother Caroline of Baden in 1797.

Maximilian Joseph was an adherent of The Enlightenment, the intellectual and philosophical movement that dominated the world of ideas in Europe during the 18th century, and his children were educated to think in modern ways. Now that Bavaria was a kingdom, King Maximilian I Joseph and later his son King Ludwig I ensured that the females of the family made good marriages.

Sophie had five half-siblings from her father’s first marriage:

Sophie had six siblings including a twin sister and another set of twin siblings:

Sophie with her twin sister Maria Anna and their youngest surviving sister Ludovika by Joseph Karl Stieler; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1816, Sophie’s half-sister Caroline Augusta became the fourth wife of Franz I, Emperor of Austria. Franz’s only surviving children were by his second wife Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, who had died in childbirth along with her twelfth child. His eldest son and heir Ferdinand was developmentally delayed and suffered from epilepsy, hydrocephalus, neurological problems, and a speech impediment. Ferdinand learned to walk and talk late, and his condition and behavior caused great concern. Because of his frail constitution, he did not receive the education appropriate for the heir to the throne.

Perhaps it was through the influence of Caroline Augusta, Emperor Franz’s fourth wife and Sophie’s half-sister, that the idea developed of Franz’s second son Franz Karl being a good match for Sophie. At a family gathering of the Habsburgs and the Wittelsbachs (the Bavarian royal family), Franz Karl, who was clumsy and shy, became attracted to Sophie, who was strong-willed and authoritarian. Franz Karl sent Sophie letters and gifts and regularly traveled to Munich to see her. Eventually, he found the courage to ask her to marry him. Some thought the eldest son Ferdinand was incapable of reigning and his father considered removing him from the succession. Franz Karl was somewhat feeble-minded but Sophie’s family agreed to the marriage because they thought that the disabilities of Franz Karl’s brother might cause Franz Karl to succeed to the throne.

Family of Franz I, Emperor of Austria: From left to right: Caroline Augusta of Bavaria, Empress of Austria; Franz I, Emperor of Austria; Napoleon II of France, Duke of Reichstadt (Franz’s grandson); Princess Sophie of Bavaria, Archduchess of Austria; Marie-Louise of Austria, Duchess of Parma (Franz’s daughter and Napoleon II’s mother); the future Ferdinand I, Emperor of Austria; and Archduke Franz Karl of Austria in 1826 by Leopold Fertbauer; Credit – Wikipedia

On November 4, 1824, Sophie married Archduke Franz. In 1831, Franz’s elder brother
Ferdinand married Maria Anna of Savoy, the daughter of King Vittorio Emanuele I of Sardinia. The marriage was childless and probably never consummated, but the couple remained devoted to each other.

After five miscarriages, Sophie and Franz Karl had five children and so they provided the heirs to the throne:

Sophie and her family: Sophie, Franz Joseph with his wife Elisabeth and their two eldest children Rudolf and Gisela, Maximilian with his wife Charlotte, Karl Ludwig, Ludwig Viktor, Photograph by Ludwig Angerer, 1860; Credit – Wikipedia

Franz Karl’s brother Ferdinand succeeded to the throne in 1835 upon the death of his father. His epilepsy caused him to have as many as twenty seizures per day, and this severely restricted his ability to rule with any effectiveness. 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.

The biggest ambition of Franz Joseph’s mother Sophie was to place her oldest son on the Austrian throne. During the Revolutions of 1848, she persuaded her husband to give up his rights to the throne in favor of their son Franz Joseph. On December 2, 1848, Emperor Ferdinand abdicated the throne in favor of his 18-year-old nephew. Franz Joseph was now Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia, and King of Bohemia. During the early years of her son’s reign, Sophie was the power behind the throne, and she fulfilled the duties of an Empress.

Sophie’s four sons left to right: Karl Ludwig, Franz Joseph, Maximilian & Ludwig Viktor, circa 1860; Credit – Wikipedia

The feeling in the Imperial Court was that the young emperor should marry and produce heirs as soon as possible. Franz Joseph’s domineering mother considered several princesses as the future empress but Sophie wanted to forge a relationship with her familial House of Wittelsbach of Bavaria and the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. She arranged for a match between Franz Joseph and Helene, Duchess in Bavaria, the eldest daughter of her sister Ludovika of Bavaria and her husband Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria.

In 1853, Helene traveled with her mother and her younger sister Elisabeth, Duchess in Bavaria (Sisi) to the resort of Bad Ischl, Upper Austria to meet her cousin Franz Joseph, hoping she would become his bride. Instead, Franz Joseph fell in love with the 15-year-old Elisabeth. Franz Joseph told his mother that if he could not marry Elisabeth, he would not marry at all. Five days later their engagement was officially announced. Franz Joseph and Sisi were married on April 24, 1854, at the Augustinerkirche, the parish church of the imperial court of the Habsburgs, a short walk from Hofburg Palace in Vienna.

Sophie’s niece and daughter-in-law Elisabeth of Bavaria; Credit – Wikipedia

Sisi was young, naïve, and shy. Sophie was the stereotype of a nagging mother-in-law, always correcting her daughter-in-law but she was not the monster her niece Sisi made her out to be. Although Sophie was tactless and indiscreet, this was not unusual for a royal matriarch. She had spent her married life with a husband who probably was somewhat mentally disabled and had to deal with many family issues herself. Sophie devoted herself to her four sons and their futures, especially Franz Joseph. She felt it was her duty to school Sisi in her role as Empress.

In 1855, Sisi gave birth to her first child, a daughter, named Sophie Friederike, after her grandmother without any input from Sisi. Sophie did not feel that the teenage mother was capable of caring for her child. She had chosen the nursery staff and set up the nursery next to her own rooms. This practice continued for Sisi’s next two children. In 1857, on a trip to Hungary which was a part of the Habsburg Empire, Franz Joseph and Sisi took their two young children along despite the misgivings of their grandmother Sophie. Two-year-old Sophie and her one-year-old sister Gisela both became ill with diarrhea and a very high fever. Gisela survived but Sophie died in her mother’s arms. The death of her oldest child would haunt Sisi for her entire life and she was held responsible for Sophie’s death by her mother-in-law.

In 1859, Mexican monarchists approached Sophie’s son Maximilian with a proposal to become Emperor of Mexico which Maximilian did not accept. After the French intervention in Mexico in 1861, Maximilian changed his mind. In 1864, Maximilian accepted the crown of Mexico. His mother Sophie considered this a hazardous move and was strongly opposed. She thought Maximilian had a duty to stay in Austria and provide additional heirs for the Austrian throne. Sophie’s fears turn out to be true. On May 14, 1867, 34-year-old Maximilian was condemned to death by a court of war, and on June 19, 1867, he was executed by a firing squad along with two of his faithful Mexican generals. Before the shooting, Maximilian assured the soldiers that they were only doing their duty, gave them gold coins, and asked them to aim precisely and spare his face, so that his mother could identify his body.

Sophie and Franz Karl in 1872; Credit – Wikipedia

Sophie never recovered after the death of Maximilian and she withdrew from public life. In May 1872, ill with pneumonia, she took to her bed and fell into a coma. Franz Joseph placed the rosary of his great-great-grandmother Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, and Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia into his mother’s hands. Neither he nor Sisi left Sophie’s bedside for four days. On May 28, 1872, 67-year-old Sophie of Bavaria, Archduchess of Austria, died. Franz Joseph sobbed like a child and Sisi had to be carried from the room. Sophie was buried at the Imperial Crypt beneath the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria. From 1960 – 1962, the New Vault was added to the Imperial Crypt to relieve overcrowding. Sophie’s remains and those of her husband Franz Karl, who survived her by six years, were transferred to the West Wall of the New Vault.

The New Vault in the Imperial Crypt; Credit – Susan Flantzer

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

  • De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Sophie Friederike von Bayern. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_Friederike_von_Bayern [Accessed 3 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Princess Sophie of Bavaria. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Sophie_of_Bavaria [Accessed 3 Sep. 2018].
  • Van Der Kiste, J. (2005). Emperor Francis Joseph: Life, Death and the Fall of the Habsburg Empire. Stroud: Sutton Publishing.
  • Wheatcroft, A. (1995). The Habsburgs. London: Viking.

Prince Franz Joseph of Battenberg

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Prince Franz Joseph of Battenberg; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Franz Joseph of Battenberg was the youngest child of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine and Countess Julia Hauke, Princess of Battenberg. He was born in Padua, Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia, part of the Austrian Empire, now in Italy, on September 24, 1861, joining four older siblings:

Following his schooling, Franz Joseph received a military education in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg. He then served in the Bulgarian Military, while his brother Alexander was the Reigning Prince of Bulgaria from 1879-1886.

Consuelo Vanderbilt. source: Wikipedia

While in London in 1894, Franz Joseph met the American heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt. He was one of several men who proposed, but Consuelo did not like him and refused his marriage offer. She later went on to marry Charles Spencer-Churchill,9th Duke of Marlborough.

Princess Anna of Montenegro. source: Wikipedia

Several years later, while visiting Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom while she was on holiday in Cimiez, France, Franz Joseph met Princess Anna of Montenegro. She was the daughter of King Nikola I of Montenegro and Milena Vukotić, and was in Cimiez visiting her sister and brother-in-law. The two quickly fell in love, and their engagement was announced. They married in Cetinje, Montenegro on May 18, 1897, in both Eastern Orthodox and Protestant ceremonies. The marriage was happy but the couple did not have any children.

In the years leading up to World War I, Franz Joseph and his wife spent much of their time living in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in the German state of Hesse, but were advised to leave the country when the war broke out and settled in Switzerland. As the war progressed, they found their financial situation more and more precarious, and they sometimes struggled to make ends meet. After 1920, they began to receive some financial support from Edwina Mountbatten, the wife of Franz Joseph’s nephew Louis Mountbatten, the future 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma. Until she died in 1960, Edwina continued to send money to Princess Anna.

Prince Franz Joseph died in Territet, Switzerland on July 31, 1924, having outlived all of his siblings. He is buried in the Schaffhausen Forest Cemetery in Schaffhausen, Switzerland.

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.