October 1915: Royalty and World War I

by Susan Flantzer

brig gen trefusis

Brigadier-General The Honorable John Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis; Credit – http://www.devonremembers.co.uk

Brigadier-General The Honorable John Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis

The Honorable John Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis was born on January 14, 1878 in London, England. He was the eldest son from the second marriage of his father Charles Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis, 20th Baron Clinton to Margaret Walrond, daughter of Sir Jack Walrond, 1st Baronet.  John, whose nickname was Jack Tre, had six siblings and five half siblings from his father’s first marriage. His father died in 1904 and his eldest son from his first marriage, Charles Jack Robert Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis, became the 21st Baron Clinton. The 21st Baron’s younger daughter, The Honorable Fenella Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis , married The Honorable Jack Bowes-Lyon, a brother of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

Jack attended Eton College and then began his military career as a volunteer trooper in the Imperial Yeomanry in the Second Boer War of 1899-1902, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Irish Guards https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Guards on July 1, 1901 and promoted to lieutenant a year later. In 1904, he was appointed as aide-de-camp to General Lord Methuen who was commander of the IV Army Corps, and then Commander-in-Chief of British Empire land forces in South Africa. In October of 1909, Jack was promoted to captain, was appointed adjutant of the Irish Guards and returned to the United Kingdom.

Upon his return to the United Kingdom, Jack served as an officer of a company of cadets at the Royal Military College Sandhurst until 1914 when he was appointed as an adjutant at the Royal Military College Sandhurst. At the outbreak of World War I, the Irish Guards were sent to France. Jack was promoted to major and went to France on September 18, 1914 as an adjutant of the Irish Guards 1st Battalion. He kept a personal diary (see link to diary below) from September 18, 1914 until August 11, 1915.
Devon Remembers: World War I Diary of Jack Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis

The Irish Guards had heavy casualties among both officers and men in the First Battle of Ypres in October and November of 1914. Jack was appointed acting commander of the 1st Battalion and made a temporary Lieutenant Colonel. He was awarded a Distinguished Service Order in February of 1915 and was mentioned in dispatches.

In August of 2015, Jack received word that he had been promoted to brigadier general and was to command the 20th Brigade in 7th Division.  At the time, he was the youngest brigadier general in the British Army. The author Rudyard Kipling whose son served in the Irish Guards (and died at the Battle of Loos in September of 1915 at age 18) wrote in his history of the Irish Guards, “The CO, Colonel Trefusis, was telephoned word that he was to command the 20th Brigade and was pathetically grieved at his promotion. He hated leaving the battalion which, after eleven months of better or worse, he had come to look upon as his own.”

Jack’s leading of the 20th Brigade in the successful attack upon Loos further enhanced his reputation, but that was the last important battle in which he participated. On October 24, 1915, Jack was arranging for his brigade to be relieved in the battle line by another brigade. While taking his replacement brigadier general around the trenches, Jack was shot through the forehead by a sniper and died immediately. He was buried the next day in the Guards Cemetery at Windy Corner in Cuinchy, France.  He was one of 58 British generals killed on the Western Front.

Treufis grave

Grave of Brigadier-General The Honorable Jack Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis; Photo Credit – http://www.webmatters.net/txtpat/images/1105.jpg

Guards Cemetery Windy Corner

Guards Cemetery, Windy Corner in Cuinchy, France; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

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Timeline: October 1, 1915 – October 31, 1915

October 7 – December 4: Serbia is invaded by Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Bulgaria
October 14: Bulgaria declares war on Serbia
October 14 – November 9: Morava Offensive from Leskovac, Serbia to Negotin, Serbia , a phase of the Central Powers Invasion of Serbia, Bulgarians break through Serbian lines
October 14 – November 15: OVche Pole Offensive between Vranje, Serbia and Berovo, Macedonia, a phase of the Central Powers invasion of Serbia, Bulgarians break through Serbian lines
October 15: United Kingdom declares war on Bulgaria
October 16: France declares war on Bulgaria
October 17 – November 21: Battle of Krivolak in Krivolak, Kingdom of Serbia (now Macedonia) , start of the Salonika Front
October 18 – November 4: Third Battle of the Isonzo at Soča river in western Slovenia
October 19: Italy and Russia declare war on Bulgaria
October 27: French army lands in Salonika and, with the help of British and Italian troops, sets up a Balkan Front.

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A Note About German Titles

Many German royals and nobles died in World War I. The German Empire consisted of 27 constituent states, most of them ruled by royal families. Scroll down to German Empire here to see what constituent states made up the German Empire.  The constituent states retained their own governments, but had limited sovereignty. Some had their own armies, but the military forces of the smaller ones were put under Prussian control. In wartime, armies of all the constituent states would be controlled by the Prussian Army and the combined forces were known as the Imperial German Army.  German titles may be used in Royals Who Died In Action below. Refer to Unofficial Royalty: Glossary of German Noble and Royal Titles.

24 British peers were also killed in World War I and they will be included in the list of those who died in action. In addition, more than 100 sons of peers also lost their lives, and those that can be verified will also be included.

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October 1915 – Royals/Nobles/Peers/Sons of Peers Who Died In Action

The list is in chronological order and does contain some who would be considered noble instead of royal. The links in the last bullet for each person is that person’s genealogical information from Leo’s Genealogics Website or to The Peerage website.  If a person has a Wikipedia page, their name will be linked to that page.

Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Ninian Crichton-Stuart

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Charles Mills

The Honorable Charles Thomas Mills; Photo Credit – http://thepeerage.com/p2401.htm#i24009

2nd Lieutenant The Honorable Charles Thomas Mills

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Captain The Honorable Richard Grosvenor

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2nd Lieutenant The Honorable Thomas Fremantle

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Yvo Charteris

The Honorable Yvo Alan Charteris; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

Captain The Honorable Yvo Alan Charteris

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Brigadier-General The Honorable John Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis

Wilhelmine of Prussia, Queen of the Netherlands, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Wilhelmine of Prussia, Queen of the Netherlands; Credit – Wikipedia

The first wife of King Willem I of the Netherlands, Princess Wilhelmine of Prussia (Friederike Luise Wilhelmine) was born in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany, on November 18, 1774. Her parents were  King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia and Frederica Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt.

Wilhelmine had four brothers and two sisters:

Wilhelmine had one half-sister from her father’s first disastrous marriage to Elizabeth Christine of Brunswick-Lüneburg:

Wilhelmine was called Mimi in the family and her sense of duty was influenced by her great-uncle King Friedrich II (the Great) of Prussia.  Her education included the ideas of the French philosopher Voltaire which were popular at the Prussian court and learning several languages. Wilhelmine was musically gifted and an excellent artist.

Wilhelmine in the 1790s; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 1, 1791, in the royal palace in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg,  Wilhelmine married her first cousin Prince Willem of Orange-Nassau (later King Willem I of the Netherlands), son of Willem V, Prince of Orange and Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia, the bride’s aunt. The wedding celebrations lasted seventeen days. The marriage was arranged as an alliance between Prussia and the House of Orange, but it was also a love match. After the marriage, the couple lived at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, Netherlands.

The couple had four children:

The Napoleonic Wars disrupted Wilhelmine and Willem’s family life. The French invaded the Dutch Republic in 1795 and the family went into exile first in England and then in 1796 in Prussia where they lived until 1813. In 1806, Willem’s father died and he inherited the title Prince of Orange. After Napoleon’s defeat at the Battle of Leipzig in 1813, the French retreated all over Europe including from the Dutch Republic. On November 13, 1813, Willem returned to his homeland, landing only a few yards from the place where he had left with his father 18 years before. The provisional government offered Willem the title of King, which he refused, instead proclaiming himself Sovereign Prince. He was also made Grand Duke of Luxembourg, receiving that territory in return for trading his hereditary German lands to Prussia and the Duke of Nassau. When Napoleon escaped from Elba, his place of exile, Willem felt threatened. Urged on by the powers who met at the Congress of Vienna, Willem proclaimed the Netherlands a monarchy on March 16, 1815. After Napoleon’s defeat at the Battle of Waterloo and his second exile, the Congress of Vienna formally confirmed Willem as the hereditary ruler of what was known as the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.

King Willem I of the Netherlands; Credit – Wikipedia

Wilhelmine was not successful in her role as Queen. While she still contributed generously to charities, the Dutch people thought her cold and distant as she only came in contact with family and her court ladies. In the now modern-day Belgium areas, Wilhelmine was ridiculed for her old-fashioned German style of dress. Wilhelmine and her court spent the summers at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague and the winters at Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, or the Royal Palace of Laeken in Brussels (now in Belgium). Wilhelmine and Wilhelm traveled annually to Berlin, where they performed duties on behalf of Wilhelmine’s brother King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia.

Wilhelmine’s health worsened in 1820 and by 1829, she rarely appeared in public. Her condition was not helped by the tense relationship between her husband and her eldest son and by the 1830-1831 Belgian Revolution which resulted in the secession of the southern provinces from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium.

Wilhelmine’s last trip was to Berlin in May-June 1837 for the christening of her grandson Prince Albert of Prussia, the son of her daughter Marianne. Despite her ill health, Wilhelmine was determined to make this trip. Beyond exhaustion upon her return, Wilhelmine spent the summer at Het Loo Palace. On October 4, 1837, Wilhelmine and her husband traveled to Noordeinde Palace in The Hague. The trip greatly weakened Wilhelmine and her condition worsened. Queen Wilhelmine died on October 12, 1837, at the age of 63, with her family at her bedside. She was buried in the Royal Vault of the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, the Netherlands.

The access to the royal crypt in the foreground; Credit – By Sander van der Wel from Netherlands – Royal grave tomb and the grave of Willem van Oranje, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28146859

King Willem I abdicated in 1840 due to constitutional changes he did not agree with, anger over the loss of Belgium, and his desire to make a morganatic second marriage with Henriëtte d’Oultremont after the death of Wilhelmine. He died in exile in Berlin on December 12, 1843. His remains were buried at the Royal Vault of the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft.

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Kingdom of the Netherlands Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Louise of Sweden, Queen of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Louise of Sweden, Queen of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

The wife of King Frederik VIII of Denmark,  Princess Louise of Sweden (Lovisa Josefina Eugenia in Swedish) was born on October 31, 1851, at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden. She was the only surviving child of King Carl XV of Sweden and Princess Louise of the Netherlands. Louise had one younger brother, Prince Carl Oscar, who died when he was a year old. Because of complications during the birth of her brother, Louise’s mother was unable to have any more children. Although Sweden had reigning queens in the past, female succession had been banned in the Constitution of 1809, so Louise could not become Queen. Louise’s father was succeeded by his younger brother King Oscar II. Louise has an interesting royal ancestry. Besides being descended from the Kings of Sweden, Louise is also a descendant of Empress Josephine of France via her first marriage, King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, King Willem I of the Netherlands, King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia, and King George I of Great Britain.

Louise in 1861; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Because she was an only child, Louise was cherished and adored by her parents. She resembled her mother in appearance and her father in her manner. Children’s balls were arranged for Louise at the Royal Palace and were eagerly attended by children of society parents and her cousins, the sons of her uncle, the future King Oscar II. Louise was educated by her governess Hilda Elfving and received swimming lessons from Nancy Edberg, a pioneer in women’s swimming. Louise’s mother took swimming lessons along with her daughter and as a result, swimming became more accepted for women.

Louise as a young teenager; Credit – Wikipedia

The relations between Denmark and Sweden were tense because Sweden had not helped Denmark during the Second Schleswig War with Prussia and Austria. Further tension developed after Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (the future King Christian IX of Denmark) was chosen over Swedish candidates as the heir presumptive to the Danish throne due to a succession crisis. A marriage between Louise and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark was suggested as a means to improve the relations between the two countries. The couple had met for the first time in 1862 when Louise was eleven and Frederik nineteen. Frederik was aware Louise would be a popular choice in Denmark because a German bride would be unacceptable to the Danes after Denmark’s loss in the Second Schleswig War. The couple became engaged on April 15, 1868. During her engagement, Louise studied the Danish language, literature, culture, and history with Lorentz Dietrichson, a poet and professor of art history and literature.

17-year-old Louise and 26-year-old Frederik were married at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden on July 28, 1869. Frederik and Louise had eight children:

by Elfelt, vintage postcard print, (circa 1877)

Frederick VIII, King of Denmark with his family by Elfelt, bromide postcard print, (circa 1877), NPG x74398 © National Portrait Gallery, London

The family lived a secluded life, residing at Amalienborg Palace in the winter, and Charlottenlund Palace in the summer. Louise was a strict, but caring mother and ensured her children had a sense of duty. It was long an open secret that she wanted one of her daughters to marry into the Swedish royal family, and this was accomplished when her daughter Princess Ingeborg married Prince Carl of Sweden, the third son of King Oscar II of Sweden.

While Louise was popular with the Danish people, she experienced ostracism within the Danish royal family, which was dominated by her mother-in-law Queen Louise, born Louise of Hesse-Kassel. Her sisters-in-law Alexandra (the future Queen of the United Kingdom) and Dagmar (the future Empress of Russia) did not care about her and were not fond of her. Frederik was too timid to support his wife. Louise did have an ally in her sister-in-law Thyra (later Crown Princess of Hanover), who was two years younger.

Louise on the left with her sister-in-law Thyra, circa 1870; Credit – Wikipedia

During her long tenure as the Danish Crown Princess, Louise founded several charitable organizations. She was deeply religious and had a lifelong interest in the Church Association for the Inner Mission in Denmark. In her spare time, Louise did needlework, leatherwork, and painting.

In 1906, Louise’s father-in-law King Christian IX died after a reign of nearly 43 years and her husband became King Frederik VIII. She was politically well-informed, but never intervened in political situations. Louise’s period as Queen of Denmark was short as Frederik reigned for only six years. He died in Hamburg, Germany on May 14, 1912, at the age of 68. He was returning to Denmark after a trip to Nice, France, and made a stop in Hamburg. He went out for a walk on the evening of his arrival, became faint, collapsed, and died on a park bench where he was found by a policeman.

 

As a widow, Louise continued her charity work and took care of her three unmarried children. From 1915-1917, she built Egelund Castle and lived there for the remainder of her life. Upon her death, Egelund Castle passed to her youngest unmarried son, Prince Gustav. In 1922, her youngest daughter Princess Dagmar married a noble landowner despite Louise’s protestations that she was marrying beneath her station. Queen Louise died on March 20, 1926, at Amalienborg Palace and was buried next to her husband in the Glücksburger Chapel at Roskilde Cathedral.

Tomb of King Frederik VIII and Queen Louise; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

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Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

100 Years Ago: The Queen Mother’s brother is killed in World War I

Captain The Honorable Fergus Bowes-Lyon; Photo Credit – Daily Mail

100 years ago, on September 27, 1915, The Queen Mother’s brother Captain The Honorable Fergus Bowes-Lyon died in World War I.  His death was the feature of our September 1915 Royalty and World War I article.  On her wedding day, The Queen Mother left her bridal bouquet on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey in honor of her brother. Read the story of The Queen Mother’s brother below.
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Unofficial Royalty: September 1915 – Royalty and World War I – The Honorable Fergus Bowes-Lyon

King Frederik VIII of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

King Frederik VIII of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

His Serene Highness Prince Frederik of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, the future King Frederik VIII of Denmark, was born at the Yellow Palace in Copenhagen Denmark on June 3, 1843. Frederik’s given names were Christian Frederik Vilhelm Carl and he was the eldest of the six children of Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (the future King Christian IX of Denmark) and Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel. When Frederik was ten years old, his father was chosen as the heir presumptive to the Danish throne due to a succession crisis and Frederik became a Prince of Denmark. Frederik had three sisters and two brothers:

Frederik with his parents and siblings; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik grew up in his birthplace, the Yellow Palace, adjacent to the Amalienborg Palace where the Danish Royal Family lived. When Frederik’s father became the Danish heir presumptive, the family gained an additional home, Bernstorff Palace in Gentofte, Copenhagen, Denmark. After his confirmation in 1860, Frederik started his military training. He then began studying political science at Oxford University in England but returned to Denmark in November 1863, when his father succeeded to the Danish throne as King Christian IX. As Crown Prince of Denmark, Frederik served as a lieutenant in North Jutland during the Second Schleswig War against Austria and Prussia. Frederik later became Inspector General of the Danish Army and was a leading member of the Danish Masonic Order. He was given a seat on the State Council and assisted his father in government duties.

Frederik as Crown Prince; Credit – Wikipedia

Queen Louise had a goal for her children: to marry well. She wanted Frederik to marry either Princess Helena or Princess Louise, two daughters of Queen Victoria. However, Queen Victoria did not want her younger daughters to marry foreign heirs as this would necessitate them leaving England. In July 1868, Frederick became engaged to Princess Louise of Sweden, the 17-year-old, the only surviving child of King Charles XV of Sweden and his wife Louise of the Netherlands. The relations between Denmark and Sweden were tense because Sweden had not helped Denmark during the Second Schleswig War. The marriage was suggested to improve the relations between the two countries.

Frederik and Louise; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik and Louise were married at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden on July 28, 1869. The couple resided at Amalienborg Palace during the winter and Charlottenlund Palace during the summer. Louise was popular with the Danish people but experienced ostracism within the royal family, dominated by her mother-in-law.

Frederik and Louise had eight children:

by Elfelt, vintage postcard print, (circa 1877)

Frederick VIII, King of Denmark with his family by Elfelt, bromide postcard print, (circa 1877), NPG x74398 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Four generations of Danish kings: Frederik IX in front; in back left to right: Christian IX, Christian X, Frederik VIII; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

After being Crown Prince for 43 years, Frederik became King of Denmark upon his father’s death in 1906. Unlike his father, Frederik VIII was a liberal ruler who supported the parliamentary system introduced in 1901.

Returning to Copenhagen after a trip to Nice, France, Frederik made a stop in Hamburg, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Germany on May 13, 1912. He registered at the Hamburger Hof Hotel using the pseudonym Count Kronborg. On May 14, 1912, Frederik left the hotel alone for an evening stroll. When he was not found in his hotel room the next morning, a discreet search revealed that the body of a well-dressed unknown gentleman had been found on a park bench. The body, which had been moved to the city morgue a little before midnight, was that of the 68-year-old King Frederik VIII who had died of a heart attack.

On May 16, 1912, Frederik’s body was placed on a special train to Travemünde, Kingdom of Prussia on the Baltic Sea. The coffin was loaded on the royal yacht and brought back to Denmark. He was buried in the Glücksburger Chapel at Roskilde Cathedral.  Queen Louise died at age 74 on March 20, 1926, at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark, and was buried with her husband.

Tomb of King Frederik VIII and Queen Louise; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

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Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Louise of Hesse-Kassel, Queen of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

by Unknown photographer, postcard print, 1890s?

Louise, Queen of Denmark by unknown photographer, bromide postcard print, 1890s, NPG x74394 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel (Luise Wilhelmine Friederike Caroline Auguste Julie), the wife of King Christian IX of Denmark, was born on September 7, 1817, in Kassel, Electorate of Hesse-Kassel, now in Hesse, Germany, where her father was stationed with the Danish army. Her father was Prince Wilhelm of Hesse-Kassel. Wilhelm’s father, Prince Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel, a grandson of King George II of Great Britain through his daughter Mary, was the founder of a cadet branch of the House of Hesse, Hesse-Kassel-Rumpenheim. In 1781, Friedrich bought Rumpenheim Castle in Offenbach, now in Hesse, Germany, from his brother Karl, and it became the family’s seat. It became a tradition to hold family reunions at Rumpenheim Castle. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many European monarchs were descendants of the Hesse-Kassel-Rumpenheim branch of the House of Hesse, and they continued the family reunion tradition.

Louise’s mother was a Danish princess, Princess Charlotte, the daughter of Frederik, Hereditary Prince of Denmark, the heir presumptive to the thrones of Denmark and Norway. He was the surviving son of King Frederick V of Denmark and his second wife, Juliana Maria of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel.

Louise lived in Denmark from the time she was three years old. The family first lived at the Prince Wilhelm Mansion in Copenhagen and later at the Brockdorff’s Palace, one of the four palaces of the Amalienborg in Copenhagen. Brockdorff’s Palace was later renamed Frederick VIII’s Palace and currently, it is the home of King Frederik X of Denmark and his family. Louise and her siblings received a typical royal upbringing. Louise was an accomplished painter and pianist. She received art lessons from two of the best Danish artists at the time, Martinus Rørbye and Wilhelm Marstrand, and was taught music by the composer Frederik Kuhlau.

Louise had five siblings:

The family had an important position in Denmark, and it became even more important when Princess Charlotte’s brother came to the Danish throne in 1839 as King Christian VIII. Not only was King Christian VIII Louise’s uncle, but he had only one legitimate child, the future King Frederik VII. Frederik had no children and Princess Charlotte was the only sibling of King Christian VIII to have children. This meant that it was likely that one of Princess Charlotte’s children would inherit the Danish throne.

On May 26, 1842, Louise married her second cousin Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg at Amalienborg Palace. Christian had visited Rumpenheim Castle in Hesse, where he took an interest in his future wife. After the wedding, the couple lived at the Yellow Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark.

by FranÁois Deron, albumen carte-de-visite, early 1860s

Louise, Queen of Denmark; Christian IX, King of Denmark by François Deron, albumen carte-de-visite, early 1860s, NPG x74387 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Christian and Louise had six children:

by Georg Emil Hansen, albumen carte-de-visite photomontage, 1862

Christian IX, King of Denmark and his family by Georg Emil Hansen, albumen carte-de-visite photomontage, 1862, NPG x74402 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Louise was as much the “Grandmother of Europe” as Queen Victoria was. Louise had 39 grandchildren and her grandsons included Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, King Constantine I of Greece, King George V of the United Kingdom, King Christian X of Denmark, and King Haakon VII of Norway. Louise is the ancestor of six of the ten current European monarchs (King Philippe of Belgium, King Frederik X of Denmark, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, King Harald V of Norway, King Felipe VI of Spain, King Charles III of the United Kingdom) and two former monarchs (the late King Michael of Romania and the late King Constantine II of Greece).

Painting (by Laurits Tuxex) of Christian and Louise with their large family of European royalty at Fredensborg Palace; Credit – Wikipedia

Like Louise, Christian spent much of his youth in Denmark and also had a claim on the Danish succession. Through his father, he was a direct male-line descendant of King Christian III of Denmark.  Through his mother, Christian was a great-grandson of King Frederik V of Denmark. King Frederik VI of Denmark was the first cousin of Christian’s mother and was married to Christian’s maternal aunt Marie. King Christian VIII died in 1848 and was succeeded by his son King Frederik VII, who had married three times but had no children, resulting in a succession crisis. Women could inherit the Danish throne only if there were no male heirs (Semi-Salic Law), and Louise and her mother both rescinded their succession rights to Christian, Louise’s husband, in 1851.  The Act of Succession of 1853 officially made Christian the heir of King Frederik VII, and he became king in 1863 when King Frederik VII died.

Louise preferred not to take a public role as Queen of Denmark. She focused on her children and grandchildren, and her charities. Louise relished her role as matriarch of an extensive European family and enjoyed the annual family reunions. She was the patron of 26 charities including: Kronprinsesse Louises praktiske Tjenestepigeskole (The Servant Girl’s School of Crown Princess Louise), Dronning Louises Børnehospital (Queen Louise’s Children’s Hospital), Louisestiftelsen (Louise Foundation), an orphanage for girls that trained them to be domestic servants, Diakonissestiftelsen (The Deaconess Foundation) which introduced the Deaconess profession in Denmark, Foreningen til Oprettelse af Friskolebørneasyler i Kbh.s Arbejderkvarter (Foundation for the Establishment of Charter School Asylums in the Labor Quarters of Copenhagen), and Belønnings- og Forsørgelsesforeningen (The Reward- and Self-Supporting Foundation) which supported domestic servants by providing financial aid to the ill, unemployed and retired.

Like her daughter Alexandra, Louise suffered from hereditary otosclerosis, abnormal growth of bone near the middle ear that can result in hearing loss. Louise’s deafness worsened during her last years and she was cared for by two deaconesses from the Deaconess Foundation she had started. Queen Louise, aged 81, died on September 29, 1898, at Bernstorff Palace near Copenhagen, Denmark, surrounded by a large part of her family, who had come to Denmark to be at her side. King Christian IX died at age 87 on January 29, 1906, at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen. Both were buried in the Glücksburger Chapel at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark.

Tomb_Christian IX_Louise

Tomb of King Christian IX and Queen Louise; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

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Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

King Christian IX of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

by Unknown photographer, postcard print

Christian IX, King of Denmark by Unknown photographer, postcard print, NPG x28085 © National Portrait Gallery, London

The ancestor of six of the ten current European monarchs (Philippe, King of the Belgians, King Frederik X of Denmark, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, King Harald V of Norway, King Felipe VI of Spain, King Charles III of the United Kingdom, and two former monarchs (the late King Michael of Romania and the late King Constantine II of Greece), King Christian IX of Denmark was not born destined to be a king.

King Christian IX was born a German prince, the sixth child and fourth son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck and Princess Louise Caroline of Hesse-Kassel, on April 8, 1818, at Gottorp Castle near the town of Schleswig in the Duchy of Schleswig (now Germany). Through his father, Christian was a direct male-line descendant of King Christian III of Denmark.  Through his mother, Christian was a great-grandson of King Frederik V of Denmark, and also a great-great-grandson of King George II of Great Britain.  In 1825, Christian’s father became Duke of Glücksburg and changed his title to Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.

Christian had nine siblings:

Glücksburg Castle; Credit – by Wolfgang Pehlemann – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Until he was seven years old, Christian lived at his birthplace, Gottorp Castle. In 1825, when Christian’s father became Duke of Glücksburg, the family moved to Glücksburg Castle, now in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Christian’s father died in 1831 at the age of 46, and King Frederik VI of Denmark along with Prince William of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld became the guardians of Prince Christian and his nine siblings. King Frederik VI was the first cousin of Christian’s mother and was married to Christian’s maternal aunt Marie.

At the age of 14, Christian was sent to Copenhagen, Denmark for officer training at the Military Academy of Copenhagen. He lived with Colonel Linde, head of the military academy, received private lessons, and was rarely with the other cadets. King Frederik VI and Queen Marie were also involved in the upbringing of Christian and he frequently stayed with them. In 1836, he was appointed a captain of the Royal Horse Guards and lived in the barracks at Frederiksholms Channel in Copenhagen. In 1839, King Frederik VI gave Christian the Yellow Palace next to Amalienborg Palace, the home of the Danish monarchs, in Copenhagen, Denmark. Christian lived at the Yellow Palace until 1863 when he became King of Denmark.

Yellow Palace; Credit – Wikipedia

From 1839 to 1841, Christian studied constitutional law and history at the University of Bonn (now in Germany). While studying at the university, Christian received the news of the death of King Frederik VI of Denmark on December 3, 1839. Because Frederik VI only had surviving daughters, he was succeeded by his cousin King Christian VIII of Denmark.  During the holidays from his university studies, Christian traveled through various German monarchies. On one of these trips, he visited Castle Rumpenheim in Hesse, where he took an interest in his future wife, Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel.

by FranÁois Deron, albumen carte-de-visite, early 1860s

Louise, Queen of Denmark; Christian IX, King of Denmark by François Deron, albumen carte-de-visite, early 1860s, NPG x74387 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel was born in Kassel, Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, now in the German state of Hesse on September 7, 1817. Her parents were Prince William of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Charlotte of Denmark, a granddaughter of King Frederik V of Denmark.  On May 26, 1842, Louise married her second cousin Christian at Amalienborg Palace. After the wedding, the couple lived at the Yellow Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Christian and Louise had six children:

by Georg Emil Hansen, albumen carte-de-visite photomontage, 1862

Christian IX, King of Denmark and his family by Georg Emil Hansen, albumen carte-de-visite photomontage, 1862, NPG x74402 © National Portrait Gallery, London

The couple had 39 grandchildren and their grandsons included Nicholas II, Emperor of All  Russia, King Constantine I of Greece, King George V of the United Kingdom, King Christian X of Denmark and King Haakon VII of Norway. Over the years, numerous large family reunions were held at Fredensborg Palace with children, in-laws, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

A story has been told about King Christian IX. Whether it is true or not, it illustrates his relationship with other European monarchies:

Christian and his court lived simply, largely because of economics. One day, Christian and his son William (George I of Greece) and the husbands of two of his daughters went for a walk. They encountered a country gentleman who wondered who they were, thinking they were guests of some local squire. “I am your king,” explained Christian. “This is my son, the King of Greece, and this is my son-in-law, the Tsar of Russia (Alexander III of Russia), and my other son-in-law, the Prince of Wales (the future Edward VII of the United Kingdom).” The man was not impressed and said, “All right, I’ll tell you who I am. I am Jesus Christ!”

King Christian IX with his family gathered in the Garden Hall of Fredensborg Palace in 1883 by Laurits Tuxen; Credit – Wikipedia

So how did King Christian IX become King of Denmark?  When King Christian VIII died in 1848, he was succeeded by his son King Frederik VII, who had married three times but had no children, and this resulted in a succession crisis. Louise, Christian IX’s wife, had lived in Denmark from the time she was three years old. She was a niece of King Christian VIII of Denmark and a closer heir than her husband.  Women could inherit the Danish throne only if there were no male heirs (Semi-Salic Law), and Louise and her mother both rescinded their succession rights to Christian, Louise’s husband, in 1851.  The Act of Succession of 1853 officially made Christian the heir of King Frederik VII, and he became king in 1863 when King Frederik VII died.

As soon as he became king, Christian was thrust into a conflict with Prussia over the Schleswig and Holstein, two duchies just to the south of Denmark. This was known as the Schleswig-Holstein Question, a complex issue regarding the relationship of two duchies to the Danish crown and to the German Confederation. Lord Palmerston, former British Prime Minister said of it, “The Schleswig-Holstein question is so complicated, only three men in Europe have ever understood it. One was Prince Albert, who is dead. The second was a German professor who became mad. I am the third and I have forgotten all about it.” The Second Schleswig War between Denmark and a Prussian/Austrian alliance in 1864 resulted in the Danish loss of both Schleswig and Holstein to Prussia.  It was not publicly known until 2010 that King Christian IX secretly contacted the Prussians, offering that Denmark would join the German Confederation if Denmark could stay united with Schleswig and Holstein. This proposal was rejected by Otto von Bismarck, German Chancellor. The bitterness in Denmark over the loss of Schleswig and Holstein lasted a long time.

Queen Louise, aged 81, died on September 29, 1898, at Bernstorff Palace near Copenhagen and King Christian IX died at age 87 on January 29, 1906, at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen. Both were buried in the Glücksburger Chapel at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark.

Tomb_Christian IX_Louise

Tomb of King Christian IX and Queen Louise; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

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Marie Henriette of Austria, Queen of the Belgians

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Marie Henriette of Austria, Queen of the Belgians; Credit – Wikipedia

Archduchess Marie Henriette of Austria (Marie Henriette Anne) was born on August 23, 1836, at Buda Castle in Budapest, Hungary. She was the youngest of the five children of Joseph, Archduke of Austria, Palatine of Hungary and his third wife Maria Dorothea of Württemberg.

Her father’s first wife Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna of Russia, daughter of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia, died from puerperal fever, a childbirth complication, shortly after giving birth to a daughter, who died on the day of her birth.

Marie Henriette had two half-siblings, fraternal twins, from her father’s second marriage to Princess Hermine of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym.  Princess Hermine died from childbirth complications at the age of 19, after giving birth to the twins.

Marie Henriette had two full sisters and two full brothers:

Marie Henriette’s father Archduke Joseph was appointed Palatine of Hungary in 1796. The Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor was also King of Hungary, and the Palatine of Hungary was a deputy of the King of Hungary when he was absent from the country. Archduke Joseph was very popular with the Hungarian people and his statue stands in a square named after him in Budapest, Hungary.

Athletic and energetic, Marie Henriette grew up with her brothers and sisters in Hungary, where she rode the horses she loved. She was interested in painting and music, and even composed an opera, Wanda. On August 22, 1853, 16-year-old Marie Henriette married 18-year-old Prince Leopold, Duke of Brabant, the heir to the Belgian throne, and the future King Leopold II of the Belgians. The marriage had been carefully orchestrated to strengthen the infant Belgian monarchy by marrying its future second monarch to a member of a prestigious Catholic dynasty. Marie Henriette had tearfully protested the marriage. Princess Pauline von Metternich wrote the marriage was “between a stable-boy and a nun, and by a nun, I mean the Duke of Brabant.”

Leopold and Marie Henriette;  Credit – Wikipedia

Leopold and Marie Henriette had four children:

The marriage started unhappy, remained unhappy, and the couple lived mostly separate lives. Leopold had many mistresses and made no real attempt to have a successful marriage. Marie Henriette was cold and inaccessible. Her only passion remained her Hungarian horses. Their children were brought up very strictly and with discipline. In 1869 when her only son Leopold died, Marie Henriette was devastated. King Leopold blamed Marie Henriette for their son’s death. Little Leopold had fallen into a pond, caught pneumonia, and died.

Marie Henriette and her son Leopold; Credit – Wikipedia

Hoping for a crown prince Marie Henriette became pregnant again, but the long-awaited crown prince did not materialize as the child was a girl named Clémentine. The couple completely separated after the birth of Clémentine and in 1895 Marie Henriette moved to Spa, Belgium where she lived out the rest of her life at Hôtel du Midi, the home she had bought there. Her youngest daughter Clementine replaced her as the first lady of the Belgian court.

Marie Henriette in 1875; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Queen Marie Henriette suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 66 on September 19, 1902, at her home Hôtel du Midi in Spa, Belgium. She was buried in the Royal Crypt at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken in Brussels, Belgium. King Leopold II died seven years later and was buried with her, but not before marrying (not legally as it was a religious and not a civil marriage) his long-time mistress Caroline Lacroix five days before his death.

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Tomb of King Leopold II and Queen Marie Henriette; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

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Kingdom of Belgium Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Leopold II, King of the Belgians

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Leopold II, King of the Belgians; Credit – Wikipedia

Leopold II, King of the Belgians, was the second monarch of Belgium and is known for his exploitation of the Congo Free State for his personal gain and the atrocities committed against the native people. Leopold Louis Philippe Marie Victor was born in Brussels, Belgium, on April 9, 1835. He was the second-born but first surviving child of King Leopold I of the Belgians and his second wife Louise-Marie of Orleans, daughter of  Louis-Philippe I, King of the French and Maria Amalia of the Two Sicilies.

Leopold II’s father was born Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. In 1831, he was asked to become king of the newly independent Belgium. King Leopold I was the uncle of both Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Leopold II was the first cousin of both Victoria and Albert. Leopold II’s mother died of tuberculosis when he was fifteen years old.

Leopold II had three siblings:

Leopold on the left, with his family; Credit – Wikipedia

When Leopold was nine years old, he received the title of Duke of Brabant, now the traditional title of the heir apparent to the Belgian throne, and was appointed a sub-lieutenant in the army. Leopold served in the military until he became king in 1865.

Leopold in 1844; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 22, 1853, eighteen-year-old Leopold married sixteen-year-old Marie Henriette of Austria, daughter of Joseph, Archduke of Austria and his third wife Maria Dorothea of Württemberg. The marriage had been carefully orchestrated to strengthen the infant Belgian monarchy with a Protestant first king and a Catholic populace by marrying its future second monarch to a member of a prestigious Catholic dynasty.

Leopold and Marie Henriette; Credit – Wikipedia

Leopold and Marie Henriette had four children:

The marriage was not happy, and the couple lived mostly separate lives. After the death of their only son, Leopold and Marie Henriette tried to have another son, but the result was another daughter, Clémentine. The couple completely separated after Clémentine’s birth. In 1895, Marie Henriette moved to Spa, Belgium, where she lived out the rest of her life at Hôtel du Midi, the home she had bought there.

Leopold believed that overseas colonies were the key to a country’s greatness. However, since the Belgian government showed little interest in overseas colonies, Leopold eventually began to acquire a colony as a private citizen. The Belgian government lent him money for this venture. On February 5, 1885, the Congo Free State, an area 76 times larger than Belgium, was established under Leopold II’s personal rule and a private army. Leopold amassed a huge personal fortune by exploiting the natural resources of the Congo.

A child victim of Belgian atrocities in Congo stands with a missionary; Credit – Wikipedia

The Congo Free State government used forced labor in the rubber industry, which effectively enslaved the native population. Workers were beaten, mutilated, and killed if quotas were not met. Accurate records were not kept of these atrocities, but it is estimated that between two million to fifteen million were killed. Leopold took steps to limit the knowledge of the atrocities reaching the outside world. However, news of the atrocities eventually became known. In 1908, the Belgian parliament forced Leopold to cede the Congo Free State to Belgium. The Congo Free State was transformed into a Belgian colony under parliamentary control known as the Belgian Congo. After independence in the mid-20th century, the Belgian Congo was renamed the Republic of the Congo, then Zaire, and is currently called the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In 1914, American poet Vachel Lindsay wrote a poem called The Congo containing the following lines:

“Listen to the yell of Leopold’s ghost
Burning in Hell for his hand-maimed host
Hear how the demons chuckle and yell
Cutting his hands off, down in Hell.”

In 1998, King Leopold’s Ghost, a best-selling popular history book by Adam Hochschild, was published.  It explored the exploitation of the Congo Free State by King Leopold II as well as the horrible atrocities that were committed against the Congolese people. In June 2020, during the worldwide protests against racism after the police death of American George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a statue of King Leopold II was removed from a public square in Antwerp, Belgium. Many Belgians demanded the removal of all statues of King Leopold II.

Leopold had many mistresses, giving him the nickname “The King of Belgians and the Beautiful Women.” His most prominent and notorious mistress was Blanche Zélia Joséphine Delacroix, better known as Caroline Lacroix.  In 1899, Leopold met Caroline in Paris, France where she worked as a prostitute. Leopold was 65 and Caroline was 16. Their affair lasted until he died in 1909. Because Leopold gave Caroline large sums of money, estates, gifts, and a noble title, Baroness Vaughan, she was deeply resented by the Belgian people. Caroline had no scruples about appearing in public. She accompanied Leopold to the funeral of his first cousin Queen Victoria in 1901, causing a great scandal. Her unpopularity in Belgium dramatically increased once it was realized that the riches from the Congo were not benefiting the country, but rather Leopold and his mistress. Five days before his death, Leopold and Caroline married in a Catholic ceremony. However, the marriage was not legal as a civil marriage is required in Belgium. After Leopold’s death, his daughters and the Belgian government engaged in long-term legal battles to recover a $10,000,000 trust fund Leopold had placed in the names of Caroline and their two sons. Despite both the government and Leopold’s daughters eventually receiving some funds, Caroline remained a multimillionaire.

Caroline and Leopold had two sons together:

  • Lucien Philippe Marie Antoine ( 1906–1984), Duke of Tervuren
  • Philippe Henri Marie François (1907 – 1914), Count of Ravenstein

Caroline Lacroix with her two sons by King Leopold II; Credit – Wikipedia

The last photo of Leopold II before his death;  Credit – Wikipedia

King Leopold II, aged 74, died on December 17, 1909, at the Palace of Laeken in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium, and he was succeeded by his nephew King Albert I.  At the time of his death, Leopold was extremely unpopular with the Belgian people, and his funeral procession was booed.

Leopold II’s funeral procession passes the Royal Palace of Brussels, December 22, 1909; Credit – Wikipedia

King Leopold was buried with his wife Marie Henriette, who died in 1902, at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken in Brussels, Belgium.  Many Belgians remember Leopold II as the “Builder King” for his extensive public works projects, and many remain unaware of his part in the exploitation and atrocities in the Congo Free State.

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Tomb of King Leopold II and Queen Marie-Henriette; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

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Kingdom of Belgium Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Louise-Marie of Orleans, Queen of the Belgians

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Louise-Marie of Orleans, Queen of the Belgians; Credit – Wikipedia

Louise-Marie Thérèse Charlotte Isabelle d’Orleans was born in Palermo, Kingdom of Sicily, now in Italy, on April 3, 1812. She was the eldest daughter and second child of Louis-Philippe I, King of the French and Maria Amalia of the Two Sicilies. Among her ancestors are Kings of France, Spain, Poland, Sicily and Naples, and Holy Roman Emperors. Marie Antoinette, Queen of France was her mother’s aunt. Her paternal grandfather was Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, known as Philippe. He actively supported the French Revolution and adopted the name Philippe Égalité. He was a deputy for Paris to the National Convention, had a role in arresting the French royal family, and voted in favor of the death sentence for King Louis XVI. Philippe Égalité eventually met the same fate as Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette.

Louise-Marie had nine siblings:

Because her father was in exile due to the French Revolution, Louise-Marie’s early years were spent under British protection in Palermo, Italy, in a palace given to her parents by her maternal grandfather Ferdinando I, King of the Two Sicilies.  Upon the abdication of Napoleon as Emperor of France in 1814, Louise-Marie’s family returned to France. However, the family had to leave France again when Napoleon escaped from Elba in 1815 and briefly returned to France before his final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo. In 1817, the family was permitted to return to France, where they lived at the Palais-Royal, which had been the home of Marie-Louise’s paternal grandfather Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (Philippe Égalité). In 1830, the July Revolution resulted in the overthrow of King Charles X, the French Bourbon monarch, and the ascent of his cousin and Louise-Marie’s father as Louis-Philippe, King of the French. 18 years later, Louis-Philippe was overthrown. He spent his exile in England, where he was well-received by Queen Victoria, who let him live in Claremont House for life.

Louise-Marie’s paternal aunt Adelaide of Orléans never married and instead lived with her brother’s family. Adelaide was devoted to her nieces and nephews and was a second mother to them. Historian Jules Michelet taught Marie-Louise history. The painter and botanist Pierre Joseph Redouté taught her the art of painting flowers.

In 1831, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, uncle of both Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert, became the first King of the Belgians. Leopold’s first wife had been Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only child of King George IV of the United Kingdom, who would have become Queen if she had not tragically died due to childbirth complications in 1817. Leopold needed to marry again to provide for the Belgian succession, and his choice was Louise-Marie. She did not hide her distaste for this marriage, which she called “a sacrifice for a very difficult future.” Leopold was 22 years older than Marie-Louise, had been a widower for 14 years, and was an austere Lutheran. After meeting Leopold at a dinner, Marie-Louise described Leopold as a cold and gloomy man who “is as indifferent as the man one passes on the street.” The marriage inspired French writer Alfred de Musset, a schoolmate of Marie-Louise’s brothers, to write the play Fantasio in which a princess is forced to marry a fat and ridiculous prince.

Nevertheless, on August 9, 1832, the nearly 42-year-old Leopold married 20-year-old Louise-Marie at the Château de Compiègne, in France. Since Leopold was Protestant and Louise-Marie was Catholic, they had both a Catholic and a Protestant ceremony. Although Leopold remained Protestant, his children were raised as Catholics because the majority of Belgians were Catholic.

Wedding of Louise-Marie d’Orléans and Leopold; Credit – Wikipedia

Louise-Marie in her wedding gown; Credit – Wikipedia

Leopold and Louise-Marie had four children:

Louise-Marie, Leopold, and their family; Credit – Wikipedia

Despite her original misgivings, Louise-Marie quickly changed her mind when she got to know Leopold. She wrote to a friend, “All I can say is that the king makes me perfectly happy. His kindness to me touches me deeply. I deeply believe that he has strong and endearing qualities which alone could satisfy my heart. ” Leopold never forgot his beloved Charlotte and considered his second wife as a very dear friend. He regularly spent evenings in Louise-Marie’s salon, where she read aloud recent literary works. However, sometime between 1842 and1844, Leopold started an affair with Arcadie Claret that would last until his death. Leopold and Arcadie had two sons.

Louise-Marie had difficulties getting used to the mentality of her new Belgian subjects. She readily communicated her thoughts to friends. In one letter she wrote, “I do not denigrate the Belgians or Belgium. I would never make fun of them, at least publicly. If they were not so vain, I really would love them because they are very good people. ” Frequently, Louise-Marie’s father had to advise his daughter to be more cautious. Eventually, Louise-Marie’s attitude toward the Belgian people changed. Every morning, she received reports about some needy families. She then personally visited their homes to bring them comfort and financial aid. Sometimes Louise-Marie did not have enough money for his charitable works and then borrowed money without telling her husband.

Queen Louise-Marie; Credit – Wikipedia

In August 1850, during a memorial service for Louise-Marie’s father at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels, Belgium, it was noticed that Louise-Marie had difficulty walking and needed support from her husband to prevent her from falling. A month later, suffering from tuberculosis and feeling increasingly weak, she moved to Ostend, Belgium by the sea. Surrounded by her mother, her husband, and her children, Louise-Marie died at the age of 38 on October 11, 1850.

Death of Queen Louise-Marie (Oostende, 11 October 1850) by Jozef Meganck; Credit – Wikipedia

Louise-Marie’s actual deathbed; “Reine Marie Louise de Belgique” by karel leermans – Own work.

Louise-Marie expressed a desire to be buried in Laeken in Brussels, Belgium. Leopold had the Church of Our Lady of Laeken built in her memory. Louise-Marie was buried there, and the crypt there has become the burial site for the Belgian royal family. Leopold survived her by nearly 15 years, dying on December 10, 1865, at the age of 74. King Leopold was buried in the Royal Crypt in the Church of Our Lady in Laeken, in Brussels, Belgium with his wife Queen Louise-Marie.

Tomb of King Leopold I and Queen Louise-Marie; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

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Kingdom of Belgium Resources at Unofficial Royalty