Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen

Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
Countess of Flanders
Spouse	Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders
Issue
Prince Baudouin Henriette, Duchess of Vendôme Princess Joséphine Marie Josephine Caroline, Princess of Hohenzollern Albert I, King of the Belgians
Full name
German: Marie Luise Alexandra Karoline
House	House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Father	Charles Anthony, Prince of Hohenzollern
Mother	Princess Josephine of Baden
Born	17 November 1845(1845-11-17) Sigmaringen, Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
Died	26 November 1912(1912-11-26) (aged 67) Brussels, Belgium

Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (Marie Luise Alexandrine Karoline; 17 November 1845 – 26 November 1912) was a Princess of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, later simply of Hohenzollern, and mother of King Albert I of Belgium.^[1]

Family

Marie Luise was a daughter of Prince Karl Anton of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Prime minister of Prussia and Princess Josephine of Baden, and as such a sister of Carol I of Romania and aunt of his successor, Ferdinand of Romania.

Marriage

Marie was considered as a potential wife to 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.^[2]

She married on 25 April 1867 in Berlin with Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders, second son of King Leopold I of Belgium and Louise-Marie of Orléans.^[1]

They had 5 children:

Name	Birth	Death	Notes
Prince Baudouin	3 June 1869	23 January 1891(1891-01-23) (aged 21)	died of influenza at the age of 21.
Princess Henriette of Belgium	30 November 1870	28 March 1948(1948-03-28) (aged 77)	twin of Joséphine Marie; married Prince Emmanuel, Duke of Vendôme.
Princess Joséphine Marie of Belgium	30 November 1870	18 January 1871(1871-01-18) (aged 0)	twin of Henriette; died as an infant.
Princess Joséphine Caroline of Belgium	18 October 1872	6 January 1958(1958-01-06) (aged 85)	married Prince Karl Anton of Hohenzollern.
Albert I, King of the Belgians	8 April 1875	17 February 1934(1934-02-17) (aged 58)	third King of the Belgians; married Elisabeth of Bavaria.

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]

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

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

• 17 November 1845 – 25 April 1867 Her Serene Highness Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
• 25 April 1867 – 17 November 1905 Her Royal Highness The Countess of Flanders
• 17 November 1905 – 26 November 1912 Her Royal Highness The Dowager Countess of Flanders

Honours

• Dame of the Order of Louise

Ancestry

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} "Countess of Flanders Dead", The New York Times (Brussels), 27 November 1912, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B0CE5DC1E3AE633A25754C2A9679D946396D6CF&scp=21&sq=%22Count+of+Flanders%22+daughter&st=p 
2. ^ ^{a b} Hibbert, p. 41.

Sources

• Hibbert, Christopher (2007). Edward VII: The Last Victorian King. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 

External links

• Princely House of Hohenzollern
• Royal House of Belgium