by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

The Dukes and Saxe-Meiningen have several prominent burial sites. First was the Schlosskirche (link in German) at Elisabethenburg Palace. The palace was built by Duke Bernhard I between 1682-and 1692 and includes the Schlosskirche – castle church – in the southern wing. The crypt beneath the church is the burial site of several Dukes and Duchesses.

The Ducal Crypt in the English Garden in Meiningen was built between 1835 and 1839 and was the burial site of several Dukes and Duchess. In addition, many members of the family were buried in the surrounding grounds. In 1977, the government of East Germany removed all the tombs from the chapel, cremated the bodies, and reburied them in unmarked graves in the nearby Parkfriedhof.

The Parkfriedhof (Park Cemetery) in Meiningen. photo: by Kramer96 – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4778630

The Parkfriedhof (Park Cemetery – link in German) is the largest of four cemeteries in Meiningen. It was established in the 1830s under the direction of Duke Georg II. Some years later, a funeral chapel and crematorium were also built. The Parkfriedhof was the original burial site for Duke Georg II and now holds the remains of many of the ducal family who were previously buried in the Ducal Chapel in the English Garden.

Altenstein Palace was a summer residence of the Dukes of Saxe-Meiningen and became the home of the last Duke, Bernhard III, after the end of the monarchy in 1918. In 1919, he had a gravesite created in the palace park for his wife and himself.

All photos and portraits are from Wikipedia unless otherwise identified.

Dukes of Saxe-Meiningen

• Bernhard I – 1680 – April 27, 1706
• Ernst Ludwig I – April 27, 1706 – November 24, 1724
• Ernst Ludwig II – November 24, 1724 – February 24, 1729
• Karl Friedrich – February 24, 1729 – March 28, 1743
• Friedrich Wilhelm – March 28, 1743 – March 10, 1746
• Anton Ulrich – March 10, 1746 – January 27, 1763
• Karl Wilhelm – January 27, 1763 – July 21, 1782
• Georg I – July 21, 1782 – December 24, 1803
• Bernhard II – December 24, 1803 – September 20, 1866
• Georg II – September 20, 1866 – June 25, 1914
• Bernhard III – June 25, 1914 – November 10, 1918

Unofficial Royalty: Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen Index

Bernhard I
Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
1680 – April 27, 1706

Unofficial Royalty: Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Bernhard I was the first Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. He was born in Gotha on September 10, 1649, the son of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Altenburg and Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg. After his father’s death, he and his brothers ruled the duchy jointly, but it was divided in 1680. He first married Marie Hedwig of Hesse-Darmstadt on November 20, 1671, and had seven children. After her death, he married Elisabeth Eleonore of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and had five children. Bernhard I died in Meiningen and is buried in the Schlosskirche at Elisabethenburg Palace.

Marie Hedwig of Hesse-Darmstadt
Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen
1st wife of Bernhard I

Unofficial Royalty: Marie Hedwig of Hesse-Darmstadt, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen
Marie Hedwig was born November 26, 1647 in Glessen, the daughter of Georg II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Sophie Eleonore of Saxony. She married Bernhard I in 1671 and had seven children. She died on April 19, 1680 in Ichtershausen, just weeks after giving birth to her youngest child. Marie Hedwig was buried in the Meiningen City Church and later moved to the Schlosskirche at Elisabethenburg Palace.

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Children of Bernhard I and Marie Hedwig

Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (below)

Prince Bernhard
(October 28, 1673 – October 25, 1694)
Bernhard died in Brussels, unmarried, just days before his 21st birthday.

Prince Johann Ernst
(December 29, 1674 – February 8, 1675)
Johan Ernst died, unmarried, at 20 years old.

Princess Marie Elisabeth
(August 11, 1676 – December 22, 1676)
Marie Elisabeth died in infancy.

Prince Johann Georg
(October 3, 1677 – October 10, 1678)
Johann Georg died in infancy.

Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (below)

Prince Georg Ernst
(March 26, 1680 – January 1, 1699)
Georg Ernst died of smallpox at 18 years old.

Elisabeth Eleonore of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen
2nd wife of Bernhard I

Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth Eleonore of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen
Elisabeth Eleonore was born September 30, 1658 in Wolfenbüttel, the daughter of Anton Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Juliane of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Norburg. She married Bernard I, as his second wife, on January 25, 1681, and had five children. Elisabeth Eleonore died on March 15, 1729 and is buried in the Schlosskirche at Elisabethenburg Palace.

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Children of Bernard I and Elisabeth Eleonore

Princess Elisabeth Ernestine
(December 3, 1681 – December 24, 1766)
Elisabeth Ernestine never married. She became Abbess of Gandersheim Abbey.

Princess Eleonore Friederike
(March 2, 1683 – May 13, 1739)
Eleonore Friederike became a nun at Gandersheim Abbey.

Prince Anton August
(June 20, 1684 – December 7, 1684)
Anton August died in infancy.

Princess Wilhelmine Luise
(January 19, 1686 – October 5, 1753)
Wilhelmine married Karl, Duke of Württemberg-Bernstadt on December 20, 1703, but had no children. She is buried with her husband at St. Katherine’s Church in Bernstadt (now Bierutów, Poland).

Anton Ulrich, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (below)

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Ernst Ludwig I
Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
April 27, 1706 – November 24, 1724

Unofficial Royalty: Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Ernst Ludwig I was the eldest son of Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and his first wife, Marie Hedwig of Hesse-Darmstadt. He married Dorothea Marie of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg in September 1704 and had five children. He later married Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg. Having become the reigning Duke upon his father’s death in 1706, he reigned until his own death on November 24, 1724. Ernst Ludwig I is buried in the Schlosskirche at Elisabethenburg Palace.

Dorothea Marie of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen
1st wife of Ernst Ludwig I

Unofficial Royalty: Dorothea Marie of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen
Dorothea Marie was the first wife of Ernst Ludwig I. She was born in Gotha on January 22, 1674, the daughter of Friedrich I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and Magdalena Sybille of Saxe-Weissenfels. She and Ernst Ludwig had five children before her death on April 18, 1713 in Meiningen. She is buried in the Schlosskirche at Elisabethenburg Palace.

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Children of Ernst Ludwig I and Dorothea Marie

Prince Josef Bernhard
(May 27, 1706 – March 22, 1724)
Josef Bernhard died in Rome just before his 18th birthday.

Prince Friedrich August
(November 4, 1707 – December 25, 1707)
Friedrich August died in infancy.

Ernst Ludwig II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (below)

Princess Luise Dorothea
(August 10, 1710 – October 22, 1767)
Wikipedia: Princess Luise Dorothea of Saxe-Meiningen
Luise Dorothea married Friedrich III, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg on September 17, 1829, and had nine children. She is buried with her husband at the Margarethenkirche in Gotha (link in German).

Karl Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (below)

Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg
Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen
2nd wife of Ernst Ludwig I

Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen
Elisabeth Sophie was born April 5, 1674, the daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg and Sophie Dorothea of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. She was married three times. Her first marriage was in April 1691 to Friedrich Casimir Kettler, Duke of Courland, with whom she had two sons. Her second marriage was to Christian Ernst, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, with no children. Then, on June 3, 1714, she married Ernst Ludwig I who had been widowed the previous year. They had no children. Elisabeth Sophie died on November 22, 1748 and is buried in the Schlosskirche at Elisabethenburg Palace.

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Ernst Ludwig II
Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
November 24, 1724 – February 24, 1729

Unofficial Royalty: Ernst Ludwig II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Ernst Ludwig II was born in Coburg on August 8, 1709, the son of Ernst Ludwig I and his first wife, Dorothea Marie of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. Unmarried, he became reigning Duke upon his father’s death in 1724 and reigned until his death on February 24, 1729. He is buried in the Schlosskirche at Elisabethenburg Palace.

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Karl Friedrich
Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
February 24, 1729 – March 28, 1743

Unofficial Royalty: Karl Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Karl Friedrich was born in Meiningen on July 18, 1712, a younger son of Ernst Ludwig I and his first wife, Dorothea Marie of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. He succeeded his elder brother, Ernst Ludwig II, on February 24, 1729 and reigned until his death on March 28, 1743. He never married. Karl Friedrich is buried in the Schlosskirche at Elisabethenburg Palace.

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Friedrich Wilhelm
Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
March 28, 1743 – March 10, 1746

Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Friedrich Wilhelm was born in Ichtershausen on February 16, 1679, a younger son of Bernhard I and his first wife, Marie Hedwig of Hesse-Darmstadt. Never married, he succeeded his nephew, Friedrich Wilhelm, in 1743 and ruled until his death in March 1746. He is buried in the Schlosskirche at Elisabethenburg Palace.

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Anton Ulrich
Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
March 10, 1746 – January 27, 1763

Unofficial Royalty: Anton Ulrich, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Anton Ulrich was born in Meiningen on October 22, 1687 to Bernhard I and his second wife, Elisabeth Eleonore of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. In 1711, he married Philippine Elisabeth Caesar and had 10 children. As the marriage was morganatic, the children were excluded from the line of succession. On September 26, 1750, he married Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Philippsthal and had seven children. He died in Frankfurt on January 27, 1763 and is buried in the Schlosskirche at Elisabethenburg Palace.

Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Philippsthal
Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen

Unofficial Royalty: Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Philippsthal, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen
Charlotte Amalie was born in Philippsthal on August 11, 1730, the daughter of Karl I, Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal and Christina of Saxe-Eisenach. She married Anton Ulrich in September 1750 and had seven children. She died in Meiningen on September 7, 1801 and was buried in the Schlosskirche at Elisabethenburg Palace. In 1977, her remains were moved to the Parkfriedhof in Meiningen.

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Children of Anton Ulrich and Charlotte Amalie

Princess Charlotte
(September 11, 1751 – April 25, 1827)
Wikipedia: Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen
Charlotte married Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg on March 21, 1769 and had four children. She died in Genoa, Sardinia (now Italy) and is buried in the Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno in Genoa.

Princess Luise
(August 6, 1752 – June 3, 1805)
Wikipedia: Princess Luise of Saxe-Meiningen
Luise married Adolph, Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld on October 18, 1871 and had six children.

Princess Elisabeth
(September 11, 1753 – February 3, 1754)
Elisabeth died in infancy.

Karl Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (below)

Prince Friedrich Franz
(March 16, 1756 – March 25, 1761)
Friedrich Franz died in childhood.

Prince Friedrich Wilhelm
(May 18, 1757 – April 13, 1758)
Friedrich Franz died in infancy.

Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (below)

Princess Amalie
(March 4, 1762 – May 28, 1798)
Amalie married Heinrich Karl Erdmann, Prince of Carolath-Beuthen on February 10, 1783.

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Karl Wilhelm
Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
January 27, 1763 – July 21, 1782

Unofficial Royalty: Karl Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Karl Wilhelm was born November 19, 1754 in Frankfurt, the son of Anton Ulrich, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Philippsthal. He married Luise of Stolberg-Gedern in June 1780 but had no children. He died in Sonneberg on July 21, 1782 and was buried in the Schlosskirche at Elisabethenburg Palace. In 1977, his remains were moved to the Parkfriedhof in Meiningen.

Luise of Stolberg-Gedern
Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen

Unofficial Royalty: Luise of Stolberg-Gedern, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen
Luise was born in Gedern on November 13, 1764, the daughter of Christian Karl, Prince of Stolberg-Gedern and Countess Eleonore of Reuss-Lobenstein. She married Karl Wilhelm in June 1780 but had no children. She died in Carlsruhe, Silesia (now Pokój, Poland) on May 24, 1834 and is buried in a cemetery there.

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Georg I
Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
July 21, 1782 – December 24, 1803

Unofficial Royalty: Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Georg I was born February 4, 1761, the son of Anton Ulrich, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Philippsthal. In November 1782, he married Luise Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and had three children. After a reign of over 21 years, Georg I died in Meiningen on December 24, 1803. He was buried in the Ducal Chapel in the English Garden in Meiningen. In 1977, his remains were moved to the Parkfriedhof in Meiningen.

Luise Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen

Unofficial Royalty: Luise Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen
Luise Eleonore was born August 11, 1763, the daughter of Christian Albrecht, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Caroline of Stolberg-Gedern. She married Georg I in 1782 and had three children. After her death on April 30, 1837, she was buried in the Ducal Chapel in the English Garden in Meiningen. In 1977, her remains were moved to the Parkfriedhof in Meiningen.

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Children of Georg I and Luise Eleonore

Princess Adelheid
(August 13, 1792 – December 2, 1849)
Unofficial Royalty: Adelheid of Saxe-Meiningen, Queen of the United Kingdom
Adelheid married Prince William of the United Kingdom, The Duke of Clarence (and future King William IV) on July 11, 1818 at Kew Palace in Surrey, England. She had several children but none lived more than three months. Through her marriage, she was Queen of the United Kingdom from 1830 until her husband’s death in 1837. Queen Adelaide died at Bentley Priory in Middlesex, England and is buried in the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.

Princess Ida
(June 25, 1794 – April 4, 1852)
Wikipedia: Princess Ida of Saxe-Meiningen
Princess Ida married Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach on May 30, 1816, and had eight children. She is buried with her husband in the Weimarer Fürstengruft, the ducal burial chapel in Weimar.

Bernhard II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (below)

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Bernhard II
Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
December 24, 1803 – September 20, 1866

Unofficial Royalty: Bernhard II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Bernhard II was born December 17, 1800 in Meiningen, the son of Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and Luise Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. He married Marie Friederike of Hesse-Kassel in March 1825 and had two children. He became Duke upon his father’s death in 1803 and reigned until abdicating on September 20, 1866. He died in Meiningen sixteen years later, on December 3, 1882, and was buried in the Ducal Chapel in the English Garden in Meiningen. In 1977, his remains were moved to the Parkfriedhof in Meiningen.

Marie Friederike of Hesse-Kassel
Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen

Unofficial Royalty: Marie Friederike of Hesse-Kassel, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen
Marie Friederike was born September 6, 1804 in Kassel, the daughter of Wilhelm II, Elector of Hesse and Princess Auguste of Prussia. She married Bernhard II in March 1825 and had two children. The Duchess died on January 1, 1888 in Meiningen and was buried in the Ducal Chapel in the English Garden in Meiningen. In 1977, her remains were moved to the Parkfriedhof in Meiningen.

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Children of Bernhard II and Marie Friederike

Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (below)

Princess Auguste
(August 6, 1843 – November 11, 1919)
Wikipedia: Princess Auguste of Saxe-Meiningen
Auguste married Prince Moritz of Saxe-Altenburg on October 15, 1862. The couple had five children, including Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg. She was buried with her husband in the ducal mausoleum in the Altenburg cemetery. In 1974, their remains were moved to an unmarked grave elsewhere in the cemetery.

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Georg II
Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
December 20, 1866 – June 25, 1914

Unofficial Royalty: Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Georg II was born April 2, 1826, the only son of Bernhard II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and Marie Friederike of Hesse-Kassel. He married Princess Charlotte of Prussia on May 18, 1850 and had three children before her death in 1855. On October 23, 1858, he married Princess Feodora of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and had three more children. After Feodora’s death in 1872, Georg II married for the third time. On March 18, 1873, he married Ellen Franz. The marriage was morganatic, and they had no children. The Duke died in Bad Wildungen on June 25, 1914 and is buried in the Parkfriedhof in Meiningen.

Charlotte of Prussia
Hereditary Princess of Saxe-Meiningen
1st wife of Georg II

Unofficial Royalty: Charlotte of Prussia, Hereditary Princess of Saxe-Meiningen
Charlotte was born at Schönhausen Palace in Berlin, the daughter of Prince Albrecht of Prussia and Princess Marianne of the Netherlands. She married the future Georg II in May 1850 and had three children. She died on March 30, 1855, one day after giving birth to a fourth child – a son – who also died. Charlotte is buried in the Parkfriedhof in Meiningen.

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Children of Georg II and Charlotte

Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (below)

Prince Georg Albrecht
(April 12, 1852 – January 27, 1855)
Georg Albrecht died in infancy. He is buried in the Parkfriedhof in Meiningen.

Princess Marie Elisabeth
(September 23, 1853 – February 22, 1923)
Wikipedia: Princess Marie Elisabeth of Saxe-Meiningen
Marie Elisabeth never married and died at the age of 69. She is buried in the Parkfriedhof in Meiningen.

unnamed son
(March 29, 1855 – March 30, 1855)
An unnamed son was born and died almost immediately after birth. His mother, Princess Charlotte, also died. He is buried in the Parkfriedhof in Meiningen.

Feodora of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen
2nd wife of Georg II

Unofficial Royalty: Feodora of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen
Feodora was born July 7, 1839 in Stuttgart, the daughter of Ernst I, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Princess Feodora of Leiningen (the elder half-sister of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom). She married Georg II, as his second wife, on October 23, 1858 and had three children. Feodora died in Meiningen on February 10, 1872 and is buried in the Parkfriedhof in Meiningen.

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Children of Georg II and Feodora

Prince Ernst Bernhard
(September 27, 1859 – December 29, 1941)
Wikipedia: Prince Ernst Bernhard of Saxe-Meiningen
Ernst Bernhard married Katharina Jensen on September 20, 1892 and had six children. He is buried in the Parkfriedhof in Meiningen.

Prince Friedrich Johann
(October 12, 1861 – August 23, 1914)
Wikipedia: Prince Friedrich Johann of Saxe-Meiningen
Friedrich Johann married Countess Adelheid of Lippe-Biesterfeld and had six children. He is buried in the Parkfriedhof in Meiningen.

Prince Viktor
(May 14, 1865 – May 17, 1865)
Viktor died just days after his birth. He is buried in the Parkfriedhof in Meiningen.

Ellen Franz
Baroness von Heldburg
3rd wife of Georg II

Unofficial Royalty: Ellen Franz, Baroness von Heldburg
Ellen Franz was the third – and morganatic – wife of Georg II. She was born in Naumburg on May 30, 1839, and had a career on the stage as an actress and pianist. On March 18, 1873, she married Georg II and was created Baroness von Heldburg. She died on May 24, 1923 and is buried beside her husband in the Parkfriedhof in Meiningen.

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Bernhard III
Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
June 25, 1914 – November 10, 1918

Unofficial Royalty: Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Bernhard III was the last reigning Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. He was born on April 1, 1851, the eldest son of Georg II and his first wife. On February 18, 1878, he married Princess Charlotte of Prussia, and the couple had one daughter. He became Duke upon his father’s death in 1914 and reigned until being forced to abdicate on November 10, 1918 when the German Empire fell and the monarchies were abolished. He died in Meiningen on January 16, 1928, and is buried in the grounds of Altenstein Palace.

Charlotte of Prussia
Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen

Unofficial Royalty: Charlotte of Prussia, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen
Charlotte was born at the Neues Palais in Potsdam on July 24, 1860, the eldest daughter of Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia and Victoria, Princess Royal of the United Kingdom. On February 18, 1878, she married the future Bernhard III and had one daughter. Her husband was forced to abdicate in November 1918, and Charlotte died the following year, on October 1, 1919, in Baden-Baden. She is buried in the grounds of Altenstein Palace.

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Children of Bernhard III and Charlotte

Princess Feodora
(May 12, 1879 – August 26, 1945)
Wikipedia: Princess Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen
Princess Feodora married Prince Heinrich XXX Reuss (younger line) on September 26, 1898 in Breslau. The couple had no children. Feodora suffered from ill health for much of her adult life. She lived her last years in a sanatorium in Hirschberg, Silesia, where died by suicide on August 26, 1945. She is buried in a cemetery in Kowary, Poland.

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