Friedrich Wilhelm III, Queen Louise & family

[Marc]

They are mediatized family!I read the text Prince Nicholas Romanov wrote in witch is stated that if Prince George Alexandrovich(at that time heir to the throne) wanted to marry he would be pemitted to a marry one Countess von Harrach zu Rohrau und Thannhausen(he took it for example becuse it was a mediatized House) rather then one Princess Obolensky(who descended from middle aged rulers of Russia-also took it as an example) who was considered unequal comparing to the Countess!That doesn't mean that the rank is always relevant,because in this case one Princess is outranked by one specific Countess...That's why I am puzzled with this marriage thing!

[Robert_Hall]

Well then, since they are mediatized, they are equal. Extra titles were quite often simply given out as "wedding presents".  Equally as often quite meaningless.

[TampaBay]

Don't know!Never been to Chicago  

Marc,

You need to go.  Stay at the Whitehall.

TampaBay

[Robert_Hall]

The Windy City- home of Marshall Fields, and the wonderful Art Institute. Have not been there in ages but did at one time consider moving there [San Francisco & London won out on that decision]

[Elizabeth_Fern]

does anyone have any information on her relationship with her children? any anecdotes or quotes etc? I would love to read some.

[Marc]

She had very strong relationship with her children!During Napoleonic wars she traveled from one city(where she was) to the other(where the children were) just to see them allmost daily...don't have more details,but if someone has...

[Joseph_Kaiser]

Queen Louise was also very popular, one of my favorite stories can be found in The Soldier Kings: The House of Hohenzollern by Walter Nelson.  She was at a ball where she was being introduce to many people, when she happened to be introduced to a officer's wife.  Louise asked her about her family and her birth in which this woman said that she was a nobody.  In the meantime the nobles who were standing nearby began to snicker.  Queen Louise said in a very soft voice but of course a voice that everyone in the room had no trouble in hearing that "all of us, without exception, are equal"  She was quite a person

[Marc]

Very interesting story!It seems she was very ''down to earth''...

[Joseph_Kaiser]

She was definately down to earth, probably more than other monarchs during that time period and even after.  I think she was first aware of her position but also she kept her personality which allowed her opinions to be known

[Marc]

So,she was something like a role model for a monarch...

[Joseph_Kaiser]

she didn't allow her head to be turned by her position, which I think makes her so unique

[Prince_Lieven]

Hello everyone!  

I have searched thoroughly to see if this has been discussed before but couldn't find anything.

I hope someone can give me some info on the siblings of Wilhelm I, excepting Frederick Wilhelm IV and Princess Charlotte (Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, who can of course be discussed in the Imperial Family Section). So, the siblings I would like pics and info on are:

* Prince Karl of Prussia (1801-1883). He married Princess Marie of Saxe-Weimar (whose sister Augusta married Wilhelm I) and had three children: Frederick Karl, father of the Duchess of Connaught; Princess Luise and Princess Anna, who was the mother of Mossy's husband Fischy.

* Princess Alexandrine of Prussia (1803-1892). She married Paul Frederick, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and had  three children: Frederick Franz II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin; Princess Luise, who married Prince Hugo of Windisch-Graetz and Prince Wilhelm, who married his cousin Alexandrine, daughter of Albrecht of Prussia (see below).

* Princess Louise of Prussia (1808-1870). She married Prince Frederick of the Netherlands and had two children: Louise, who married Charles XV of Sweden, and Maria, who married Prince Wilhelm of Wied.

* Prince Albrecht of Prussia (1809-1872). He married Princess Marianne of the Netherlands (sister of Frederick, who married Albrecht's sister Louise) and had three children: Princess Frederike, who married Georg II of Saxe-Meiningen (their son Bernard married Charlotte, Vicky's daughter); Prince Albert, who married Princess Marie of Saxe-Altenburg and Alexandrine, who married Wilhelm, son of her father's sister Alexandrine.

I would be grateful for any info on these people! Thanks in advance!  

[grandduchessella]

Vicky wrote of Alexandrine (who I think was Wilhelm I's favorite sibling) in 1858:

she (Alexandrine) was 'his living image, she is very good natured to me...but she is not very distingue.' QV didn't have as good an opinion and later that year wrote that she was glad Vicky was spared 'seeing any more of that dreadful' GDss because she shouldn't be seen too much publicly with 'so worthless a woman'. QV didn't feel that was too harsh a statement, believing that if it wasn't for Alexandrine's rank she wouldn't 'be received anywhere, and really she ought not to be'. Alexandrine apparently had pretty vulgar manners and used coarse language.

it was about something Alexandrine wrote (about Vicky being 'small') that QV wrote that she didn't understand that comment since Vicky was taller than the Queen and she (QV) was certainly 'not a dwarf!'

Alexandrine was rather reactionary in her views and this caused a very sour relationship with her SIL Augusta. When Wilhelm ascended the throne, Alexandrine threw herself into her brother's arms and implored him not to trust Augusta because she was an 'intriguer' who would 'try to meddle' with State business. It was probably this that caused a bad relationship (combined with QV's views) to emerge with Vicky. Alexandrine would remark that she wouldn't step foot in the Neue Palais as long as Vicky lived there. Since the NP was were the family gathered to rather morbidly celebrate the death of Frederick Wilhelm III, Vicky absented herself so Alexandrine could attend.

Vicky would attend the viewing of Wilhelm's brother (the previous King) and Alexandrine would crowd her 'so close up to the p illow and stood behind me I own it gave me a great shudder' and the whole proceeding was very upsetting to Vicky.

[grandduchessella]

Vicky wrote to her mother that both Alexandrine and Louise (Netherlands) she found 'more disagreeable every time I see them, they are living in corporations of pride, prejudice and spite--the first [Louise] usually and the latter [Alexandrine] always.

In 1864: 'The whole family here look upon me with a certain look of virtuous indignation and raise their eyes to the skies when they mention England, as if I could help it. The Grand Duchess....said yesterday to Princess Charles she never ceased regretting that there was an Englishwoman in the family, 'e par-dessus le marche si anglaise'. It is not very pleasant for me...'

Since Vicky's second only to Ella as my favorite, I'm really not liking Alexandrine much.  

[grandduchessella]

1865:

'I plunged...into the freezing depth of the family circle here. It began with a pail of cold water being poured on my head in the shape of a visit to Charlottenberg where I found the three aunts together; viz the Queen Dowager, the Grand Duchess...and Princess Louise of the Netherlands. The conversation was neither amusing nor cheering to one's spirits, consisting in cross little remarks about nothing.'

Based on everything one reads about various family members I don't think I would've wanted to marry into the Prussian Royal Family.    How did Fritz turn out so well?