by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2015
Louise Margaret of Prussia, Duchess of Connaught; Credit – Wikipedia
Princess Luise Margarete Alexandra Viktoria Agnes of Prussia was born on July 25, 1860, at the Marmorpalais (Marble Palace), a royal residence in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia (now in Brandenburg, Germany). She was the fourth daughter and the fourth of the five children of Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia and Princess Maria Anna of Anhalt-Dessau. Prince Friedrich Karl’s father, Prince Karl of Prussia, was a younger son of King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia and a brother of King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia and Wilhelm I, German Emperor and King of Prussia. Luise Margarete’s mother was also descended from Prussian kings as her great-grandfather was King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia.
Luise Margarete had three sisters and one brother:
- Princess Marie of Prussia (1855 – 1888), married (1) Prince Hendrik of the Netherlands, no issue (2) Prince Albert of Saxe-Altenburg, had issue
- Princess Elisabeth Anna of Prussia (1857 – 1895), married Friedrich August II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg, had issue
- Princess Anna of Prussia (born and died 1858), died at two months
- Prince Friedrich Leopold of Prussia (1865 – 1931), married Princess Louise Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, had issue
Princess Louise, Duchess of Connaught (née Princess of Prussia) by Unknown photographer, albumen print, 1870s, NPG x45763 © National Portrait Gallery, London
Luise Margarete’s parents had an unhappy marriage. After her birth, the birth of a fourth daughter, Prince Friedrich Karl reportedly beat his wife for not producing a son. Apparently, only the urgings of Friedrich Karl’s uncle King Wilhelm I of Prussia and future German Emperor, prevented a formal separation. Luise Margarete became engaged to Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, Queen Victoria‘s third son and the seventh of her nine children. However, Queen Victoria considered Luise Margarete a less than satisfactory bride for her son. She was plain-looking and had broken teeth. Her parents were unpleasant, had an unhappy marriage, and lived apart. Victoria wanted to avoid associating her family with a possible scandal.
Prince Arthur, 1st Duke of Connaught and Strathearn; Princess Louise, Duchess of Connaught after Léon Abraham Marius Joliot, albumen carte-de-visite, 1870s, NPG Ax131371© National Portrait Gallery, London
Luise Margarete and Arthur were married on March 13, 1879, at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. The bride received a magnificent diamond tiara and a pearl and diamond pendant from her mother-in-law Queen Victoria. After her marriage, Luise Margarete was styled Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Connaught and her name was anglicized to Louise Margaret.
Louise Margaret in her wedding dress; Credit – http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/2905669/the-duchess-of-connaught-when-princess-louise-margaret-of-prussia-1860-1917-in Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2014
Arthur and Louise Margaret had one son and two daughters. The Swedish and Danish Royal Families are their descendants. The family resided at their country home Bagshot Park and Clarence House, their London residence.
- Princess Margaret of Connaught (1882-1920), married Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, had issue, Margaret died before her husband became King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden; Danish and Swedish Royal Families descend from this marriage
- Prince Arthur of Connaught (1883-1938), married Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife, a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria, had issue
- Princess Patricia of Connaught (1886-1974), married The Honorable Alexander Ramsay, had issue, upon her marriage Patricia voluntarily relinquished her title of Princess and her style Royal Highness and was known as Lady Patricia Ramsay
The Duke and Duchess of Connaught with their children, Portrait by Hughes & Mullins, 1893; Credit – Wikipedia
Louise Margaret spent the first twenty years of her marriage accompanying her husband on his various military assignments. In 1911, Arthur was appointed the first Governor-General of Canada who was also a member of the Royal Family. Louise Margaret and her youngest child Patricia accompanied Arthur to Canada. They lived in Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Canada, and undertook extensive travels in Canada. After the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the family remained in Canada and Louise Margaret worked for the Red Cross and other organizations.
In the summer of 1916, Louise Margaret and her family returned to England from their five-year stay in Canada. A little more than six months later, on March 14, 1917, Louise Margaret died from bronchial pneumonia at Clarence House at the age of 56. She became the first member of the British Royal Family to be cremated, which was done at Golders Green Crematorium. Burying ashes in an urn was still unfamiliar at the time, and her urn was placed in a coffin during the funeral, which was held at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. Louise Margaret’s ashes were buried at the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore. Arthur survived his wife by nearly 25 years, dying on January 16, 1942, at Bagshot Park at the age of 91.
The Duchess of Connaught, along with her husband is buried in the grave on the right-hand side of the photo, nearest the wall; Photo Credit – Connie Nissinger, www.findagrave.com
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