The Hesse-Cassel family

[Eric_Lowe]

Indeed. I suppose the sketch of Mossy is also based on a photo. 

[Kalafrana]

'These are facts not biographical information. For example did she get along with her daughters-in-law (Malfelda, Sophie & Alexandra) ? Did Frederick & Mossy ever visited Irene & Heinrich at Hemmelmark?'

Eric

Surely facts are part of biographical information? To my mind the fact that this couple produced two sets of twins long before infertility treatment is interesting. In those days of high infant mortality, it is also interesting that all their six sons lived to adulthood. We can also safely say that it must have been a terrible thing to lose two sons in one war and a third in a second war (Friedrich Karl was dead by the time Christoph was killed, but Margaret was still around).

Does anyone know whether either set of twins was identical?

Ann

[Eric_Lowe]

Ann,

These kind of information is more trivia than biographical. I think by look at the pictures of the family you can get the answer.

Eric

[grandduchessella]

Yes. That is the one who married Mossy. Love to know more about their story. They just got glossed over by historians & biographers.

A good deal is told through the letters of her mother, Empress Friedrich, to Margaret's sister Sophie. Those were published decades ago, edited by Arthur Gould-Lee. The book is fascinating.

[grandduchessella]

Does anyone know whether either set of twins was identical?

Ann

I don't think that either set was looking at the pictures. There are very strong resemblances though. I think they were both fraternal sets.

[Kalafrana]

'These kind of information is more trivia than biographical.'

I have to disagree with your definition of trivia.

Ann

[Eric_Lowe]

As Princess Michael of Kent once said. "I feel cheated in biographies that does not talk about a person's likes and dislikes like his favorite dress or food..." I tend to agree with her.

[grandduchessella]

Isn't a person's favorite food and whatnot the very definition of 'trivia'?

I do agree that small details help to flesh out a biography, which is why I love Pope-Hennessey's bio on Queen Mary so much. He didn't list her favorite foods but there was such a color and flavor to the book rather than a dry recitation of facts. Is that what you're getting at?

As I said, check out Gould-Lee's Empress Frederick Writes to Sophie. For now, at least, that's as much information as has been put out about young Margaret's early loves, engagement and eventual marriage.

[Eric_Lowe]

Yes. James Pope Hennessy's book on Queen Mary is par excellence. Especially the correspondence between May & Aunt Augusta. I read Charlotte Zeepvat had been working over those for awhile.

I agree"Empress Fredrick Writes to Sophie" shed side light on Mossy. I would like to see "Mossy writes to Sophie" or "Empress Frederick writes to Margaret". That would be a more biographical subject.

[HerrKaiser]

Some of the "trivia" information may also fall into the category of supposition depending on how it is validated and sourced. I find anecdotal information suspicious since many of the original sources are "edited". Ha. Editing can easily slip from well intended, enhanced communication to altered tone, essences, and factual information.

[Eric_Lowe]

Well...It all goes back to the Princess Catherine Radziwill school of royal writing....

[Kalafrana]

I too enjoy small details which shed interesting lights on a person, particularly when they are unexpected. For instance, the rip-roaring New Zealand war hero, General Sir Bernard Freyberg VC (and just about everything else), was a devotee of Jane Austen. Some of the details about the Duke and Duchess of Windsor's dinner parties in Greg King's book demonstrate (to me at any rate) what a thoroughly unpleasant pair they were. But writers harping on endlessly about the subject's clothes bore me rigid, so that the book is in grave danger of being thrown out of the window.

Ann

[Eric_Lowe]

Yes. Especially people are not one dimensional but with many different facets. I was surprised to hear the the popular Queen Mother was not so popular with the Queen's staff. She was a doting grandmother to Charles and wonderful to William, but she could be nasty, selfish and inconsiderate at times with others. 

[HerrKaiser]

Yes. Especially people are not one dimensional but with many different facets. I was surprised to hear the the popular Queen Mother was not so popular with the Queen's staff. She was a doting grandmother to Charles and wonderful to William, but she could be nasty, selfish and inconsiderate at times with others.  

hence, some of Wallis' attitudes about her.

[Dru]

Wedding of Philipp of Hesse-Kassel (grandson of Friedrich-Wilhelm and Anna) and Mafalda of Savoy.  Mafalda wears the "sheaves of wheat" tiara--the diamonds came from a gown in the trousseau of Alexandra Nikolaevna, Friedrich-Wilhelm's first wife; Anna had it made into the tiara shortly before her death, and that tiara is now the traditional wedding tiara of the House of Hesse.  Download for full size.