Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen

Princess Marie Luise Alexandra Karoline of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (17 November 1845 – 26 November 1912), later Countess of Flanders, was a princess of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, later simply of Hohenzollern. She married Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders, second son of King Leopold I of Belgium, and she was the mother of King Albert I.[1]

Princess Marie
Countess of Flanders
Born(1845-11-17)17 November 1845
Sigmaringen, Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
Died26 November 1912(1912-11-26) (aged 67)
Brussels, Belgium
Burial
Spouse
(m. 1867; died 1905)
Issue
Names
Marie Luise Alexandra Karoline
HouseHohenzollern-Sigmaringen
FatherKarl Anton, Prince of Hohenzollern
MotherPrincess Josephine of Baden

Family

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Marie was the youngest daughter and last of the six children of Prince Karl Anton, Prince of Hohenzollern, Prime minister of Prussia and Princess Josephine of Baden, and a younger sister of Prince Leopold, Prince of Hohenzollern, King Carol I of Romania and of Queen Stephanie, Queen Consort of Portugal.

Marriage

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Marie was considered as a potential wife for the future Edward VII of the United Kingdom.[2] Though she was considered "quite lovely" by his family, her Roman Catholic religion barred her from being a suitable consort for the head of the Anglican church.[2] On 25 April 1867 at St. Hedwig's Cathedral in Berlin, she married Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders, second son of King Leopold I of Belgium and Louise-Marie of Orléans.[1]

They had five children:

Princess Marie was an accomplished artist, even occasionally exhibiting her paintings at the Brussels Fair. She had a literary salon, which was the gathering place of many authors as well as a feature of Brussels social life for forty years.[1] She also demonstrated appreciation for music, on one occasion awarding a gold medal to the Zoellner Quartet after it performed for the Belgian royalty.[3]

Death

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Marie Luise died in Belgium in 1912 at the age of 67, after suffering from pneumonia for several days.[1] She was buried in the Church of Our Lady of Laeken.

 
Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Countess of Flanders in middle age, 1880s

Honours

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Ancestry

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Countess of Flanders Dead", New York Times, Brussels, Belgium, 27 November 1912
  2. ^ a b Hibbert, p. 41.
  3. ^ Cariaga, Daniel, "Not Taking It with You: A Tale of Two Estates", Los Angeles Times, 22 December 1985; accessed April 2012.
  4. ^ Nieuws Van Den Dag (Het) 02-10-1900
  5. ^ Almanach royal officiel: 1875 p. 18
  6. ^ Almanach royal officiel: 1875 p. 18
  7. ^ Almanach royal officiel: 1875 p. 18
  8. ^ Almanach royal officiel: 1875 p. 18

Sources

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