Mary Victoria Douglas-Hamilton

Mary Victoria Hamilton
Hereditary Princess of Monaco
Spouse	Albert I of Monaco Tassilo Festetics von Tolna
Issue
Louis II of Monaco Countess Mária Mathild Festetics de Tolna Prince György Festetics de Tolna Countess Alexandra Festetics de Tolna Countess Karola Friderika Festetics de Tolna
Father	William Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton
Mother	Princess Marie of Baden
Born	11 December 1850(1850-12-11) Hamilton Palace
Died	14 May 1922(1922-05-14) (aged 71) Budapest

Lady Mary Victoria Douglas-Hamilton, also known as the Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton^[1] (11 December 1850 – 14 May 1922) was the Lanarkshire-born, Scottish-German-French great-grandmother of Prince Rainier III of Monaco, the fashion designer Prince Egon von Fürstenberg, the socialite and actress Princess Ira von Fürstenberg and the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Karel Schwarzenberg. She was the daughter of William Alexander Anthony Archibald Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton and of his wife, Princess Marie Amelie Elizabeth Caroline of Baden. Through her maternal grandmother, she was a third cousin of Emperor Napoléon III of France. She was a first cousin of Queen Carola of Saxony, Queen Stephanie of Portugal, King Carol I of Romania, and Countess Marie of Flanders (mother of King Albert I of the Belgians).

Marriages

Her first marriage, on 21 September 1869 at Château de Marchais, was to Prince Albert, only child and heir of Charles III, Prince of Monaco. Mary Victoria bore Prince Albert a single son, Louis who would take the throne of Monaco upon his father's death. Their marriage was annulled by the Church on 3 January 1880 (although civilly it was dissolved only on 28 July 1880 by the Order of Prince Charles III).

Her second marriage, on 2 June 1880, was to Count Tassilo Festetics von Tolna. The couple had four children:

• Countess Mária Mathild Festetics de Tolna (24 May 1881, Baden-Baden – 2 Mar 1953, Strobl am Wolfgangsee), who married Prince Karl Emil von Fürstenberg (Grandfather of Princess Ira von Fürstenberg, Prince Egon von Fürstenberg and Prince Karel Schwarzenberg)
• Prince György Festetics de Tolna (4 September 1882, Baden-Baden – 4 August 1941, Keszthely); who married to Countess Marie Franziska von Haugwitz.
• Countess Alexandra Festetics de Tolna (1 March 1884, Baden-Baden – 23 April 1963, Vienna); who was married first to Prince Karl von Windisch-Grätz and later to Prince Erwin zu Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst,
• Countess Karola Friderika Festetics de Tolna (17 January 1888, Vienna — 21 January 1951, Strobl); who was married to Baron Oskar Gautsch von Frankenthurn.

During her 40 year marriage to Graf, and later Prince Festetics, Lady Mary oversaw enlargement and improvement of the Festetics' main seat, Festetics Palace, and its gardens, in Keszthely, western Hungary. On numerous occasions, she and her husband would entertain her brother the Duke of Hamilton, and his great friend, Prince of Wales. There are still portraits extant in the Palace of numerous members of her family, including one of her father in full Highland dress. Outside the palace, on either side of the main entrance there are the Armorial bearings of both the Lady Mary and her husband.

Further, the Helikon Library at the Palace contains many works that were brought to Keszthely by the Lady Mary from her father and brother's collections at Hamilton Palace.

The Palace grounds, on the shores of Lake Balaton, contains a Mausoleum to the Festetics and is the final resting place of the Lady Mary and her husband.

Ancestry

Mary Victoria Hamilton's ancestors in three generations

Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton	Father: William Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton	Paternal Grandfather: Alexander Hamilton, 10th Duke of Hamilton	Paternal Great-grandfather: Archibald Hamilton, 9th Duke of Hamilton
			Paternal Great-grandmother: Lady Harriet Stewart
		Paternal Grandmother: Susan Beckford	Paternal Great-grandfather: William Beckford
			Paternal Great-grandmother: Lady Margaret Gordon
	Mother: Princess Marie of Baden	Maternal Grandfather: Karl, Grand Duke of Baden	Maternal Great-grandfather: Karl Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Baden
			Maternal Great-grandmother: Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt
		Maternal Grandmother: Stéphanie de Beauharnais	Maternal Great-grandfather: Claude de Beauharnais, 2nd Count des Roches-Baritaud
			Maternal Great-grandmother: Claude Françoise de Lezay

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

• 11 December 1850 – 21 September 1869: Lady Mary Victoria Douglas-Hamilton
• 21 September 1869 – 3 January 1880: Her Serene Highness The Hereditary Princess of Monaco
• 3 January 1880 – 2 June 1880: Lady Mary Victoria Douglas-Hamilton
• 2 June 1880 – 14 May 1922: Countess Mary Victoria von Tolna

References

1. ^ http://www.thepeerage.com/p10128.htm#i101275

External links

• Ducal House of Hamilton and Brandon^{[dead link]}
• Princely House of Monaco^{[dead link]}

Persondata
Name	Douglas-Hamilton, Mary Victoria
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	11 December 1850
Place of birth
Date of death	14 May 1922
Place of death