Sunday, November 21, 2021

Royal Death: Princess of Leiningen



November 21, 1899
The Princess of Leiningen died today at Waldleiningen.  She was 65 years old.

 She was born Princess Marie Amalie of Baden on November 20, 1834, the seventh child of Leopold, Grand Duke of Baden, and Princess Sophie of Sweden. 

On September 11, 1858, Princess Marie Amalie married Ernst Leopold Victor Carl August Joseph Emich, 4th Prince of Leiningen, whose father, Carl, was Queen Victoria's older half-brother.  Carl was the son of Princess Victoire of Saxe-Coburg and Saafeld and her first husband, Prince Emich Carl, 2nd Prince of Leiningen.

The Princess of Leiningen is survived by her husband, Ernst, and their two children, Princess Alberta, and Hereditary Prince Emich, who is married to Princess Feodora of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. and three grandchildren, Princess Viktoria, Prince Emich Ernst, and Prince Karl of Leiningen.   She is also survived by her brothers, Grand Duke Friedrich I of Baden, and Prince Karl of Baden, and her sister, Alexandrine, the widow of Duke Ernst II of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Queen Victoria and her family were unable to travel to Karlsruhe for Ernst August and Marie's wedding.   The next day on September 12, 1858, the Queen and the Prince Consort, accompanied by Princess Alice, Helena, and Louise, and Prince Arthur traveled from Balmoral to Abergeldie, and "honoured with their presence a fete" given by the Duchess of Kent, in honor the marriage of her grandson, the Prince of Leiningen with Princess Marie of Baden.

The newlyweds arrived in London from Dover in mid-October.  Lord James Murray met them at "the terminus of the South-Eastern Railway at London-bridge and took them to Paddington station."  The "illustrious party" boarded a Great Western Railway to Windsor, where they were taken to Frogmore to visit the Duchess of Kent.   The Prince and Princess were to spend most of their married life in Britain, as the Queen was fond of her nephew and his wife.

On October 21, Queen Victoria, and the Prince Consort "walked in the Home Park" and visited the Duchess of Kent.  The British sovereign and her husband also visited with the Prince and Princess of Leiningen.  The young couple were guests at a dinner at Windsor Castle on October 23 in honor of the Portuguese Minister and Countess de Lavradio.

The young couple stayed for more than a year with the Duchess of Kent and often dined with Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort.  At Christmas, they traveled to the Isle of Wight, and stayed at Anglesea Villa, but also visited the royal family at Osborne.

On November 12, 1859, the Prince and Princess of Leiningen were guests at the dinner party at Windsor Castle in honor of Prince and Princess Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia.   The Princess was Victoria's eldest child, the Princess Royal.   The Leiningens were with the Duchess of Kent for the New Year's celebration in 1860.

The Princess of Leiningen arrived at Buckingham Palace from Frogmore on February 14, 1860, to visit Queen Victoria.  Later that day, Princess Alice and the Princess of Leiningen visited Westminster Abbey.

The Prince and Princess remained in Great Britain for more than a decade and did not move to Leiningen until after the birth of the couple's two children.  They were very much a part of Victoria's inner circle and were with the family when the Duchess of Kent died in March 1861 and the Prince Consort on December 14, 1861.  The Times noted that the "Prince and Princess of Leiningen were with their illustrious relatives during all of this mournful and most trying period."

The Princess of Leiningen was one of three sponsors of the infant son of Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and his wife, Countess Gleichen.  The baptism took place at the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace, on February 19, 1863.  The other two sponsors were the Prince of Wales and Captain William Frederick Seymour, Countess Gleichen's brother.   The Princess of Leiningen was however unable to attend the baptism and was represented by Miss Emily Gore.

It was on Christmas Eve, 1863 at Osborne, when the Princess of Leiningen gave birth to a daughter, who was named Alberta.  A second child, a son, was born on January 18, 1866, also at Osborne House.

The infant prince was baptized on February 10 at Osborne in the presence of Queen Victoria, Princesses Helena, Louise and Beatrice, and Prince Leopold; the Prince and Princess of Leiningen and Princess Alberta of Leiningen; the Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, and Prince and Princess Hermann of Hohenlone-Langenburg.

He was named Emich Eduard Carl and his sponsors were the Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, the Grand Duke of Baden, represented by Prince Hermann of Leiningen, and Prince Eduard of Leiningen, represented by the Prince of Leiningen.

Princess Marie was one of the sponsors of Princess Maud of Wales, the fifth child of the Prince and Princess of Wales.  The baptism took place on Christmas Eve, 1869 at Marlborough House.  Princess Marie was unable to attend and was represented by Princess Claudine of Teck.

For twelve years, the Prince of Leiningen was the commander of the royal yacht Victoria and Albert.  He relinquished his command in May 1877.  It was at this time when the Prince and Princess of Leiningen returned to live in Germany. 

In April 1880, when Queen Victoria and Princess Beatrice were in Baden Baden,  Princess Marie came to visit them "direct from Karlsruhe."

By the spring of 1884, the Princely couple was back in England, visiting Victoria at Windsor Castle.  The following summer, the Princess of Leiningen stayed with Victoria at Balmoral and Windsor.  The Prince and Princess were at Osborne in July 1885 and were among the guests when Victoria's youngest child, Princess Beatrice, married Prince Henry of Battenberg.  The Prince and Princess were in the seventh carriage along with the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Philip of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

The Prince and Princess remained in Britain for several years. In July 1886, the couple attended a State Ball at Buckingham Palace.  They were accompanied by their 22-year-old daughter, Princess Alberta.  The Leiningens were also present for the Queen's Jubilee in 1887.

The Princess of Leiningen left Windsor Castle on July 3, 1887, to return to Germany.  They returned to Windsor in May 1889, again with their daughter, Alberta.  The Prince and Princess and Princess Alberta returned to Windsor in the summer of 1890 and were at Osborne in August 1891. In June 1892, the Princess of Leiningen spent the summer with Queen Victoria at Balmoral and Windsor.  She returned to Balmoral in May 1893, spending time with Victoria, who was certainly very fond of her nephew's wife.  The Prince of Leiningen joined his wife when the royal party returned to Windsor in June.

This visit was repeated in 1894 when the Princess of Leiningen returned to Windsor Castle and Balmoral to visit the aging Queen Victoria.

The Leiningens remained in Germany in 1895, but the Prince of Leiningen was present for the baptism of Prince Albert of York at the Church of St. Mary, Sandringham on February 17, 1896.  The infant Prince was the second son of the Duke and Duchess of York.  The following May, the Princess of Leiningen was back at Windsor Castle and Balmoral to stay with the queen.

The Princess of Leiningen was again the guest of the Queen at Windsor.   This was the final year that the Princess visited England.

 On November 23, 1899, The Times reported that the Queen "as received the sad intelligence of the death of Her Majesty's dear niece, the Princess of Leiningen, which has caused her deep grief, as the Queen was devotedly attached to the Princess, who had often visited Her Majesty and was beloved by all her knew her.  The Princess of Leiningen, who was the sister of the Grand Duke of Baden and the Duchess Alexandrine of Coburg, was married to the Queen's nephew, the Prince of Leiningen."


Kaiser Wilhelm II was at Windsor when Marie died.  Queen Victoria did not dine with her guests due to Marie's death, and the bands that were scheduled to play at the dinners were canceled.    To Queen Victoria, Marie was known as Molly.


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