Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia
Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia (Louise Margaret Alexandra Victoria Agnes; later Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn; 25 July 1860 – 14 March 1917) was a German princess, and later a member of the British Royal Family, the wife of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn. She also served as the Viceregal Consort of Canada, when her husband served as the Governor General of Canada from 1911 to 1916. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Queens Margrethe II of Denmark and Anne-Marie of Greece are among her great-grandchildren.
Early life
Princess Luise Margarete was born at Marmorpalais (Marble Palace) near Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia. Her father was Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia (1828–1885), the son of Karl of Prussia (1801–1883) and his wife Princess Marie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1808–1877). Her mother was Princess Maria Anna of Anhalt (1837–1906), daughter of Leopold IV of Anhalt-Dessau. Her father, a nephew of the German Emperor Wilhelm I, distinguished himself as a field commander during the Battle of Metz and the campaigns west of Paris in the 1870–71 Franco-Prussian War. Her father was a double cousin of the German Emperor Friedrich III, the husband of her sister-in-law, Victoria, Princess Royal.
Marriage
On 13 March 1879, Princess Luise Margarete married Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn at St. George's Chapel Windsor.[1] Prince Arthur was the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The couple received a great number of expensive gifts; the Queen's gift consisted of a diamond tiara, a pearl and diamond pendant.[1] Many members of England and Germany's royal families attended; these included the Prince and Princess of Wales.[1] After her marriage, Princess Louise was styled Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Connaught and her name was Anglicised as Louise Margaret.
Duchess of Connaught
The Duchess of Connaught spent the first twenty years of her marriage accompanying her husband on his various deployments throughout the British Empire. The Duke and Duchess of Connaught acquired Bagshot Park in Surrey as their country home and after 1900 used Clarence House as their London residence. She accompanied her husband to Canada in 1911, when he began his term as Governor-General. In 1916, she became colonel-in-chief of the 199th Canadian (Overseas) Infantry Battalion (The Duchess of Connaught's Own Irish-Canadian Rangers), CEF. In 1885, she became chief of the 64th (8th Brandenburg) Regiment of Infantry "Field Marshal General Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia", Prussian Army.
Death and legacy
The Duchess of Connaught died of influenza and bronchitis at Clarence House. She became the first member of the British Royal Family to be cremated. This was done at Golders Green Crematorium. The procedure of burying ashes in an urn was still unfamiliar at the time, and her urn was transported in an ordinary coffin during the funeral ceremonies. Her ashes were eventually buried at the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore. The Duke of Connaught survived her by almost twenty-five years.
The maternity hospital adjacent to the Cambridge Military Hospital at Aldershot was named in her honour as the Louise Margaret Maternity Hospital.
Titles, styles, honours and arms
Titles and styles
- 25 July 1860 – 13 March 1879: Her Royal Highness Princess Luise Margarete of Prussia
- 13 March 1879 – 14 March 1917: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn
Honours
- CI: Companion of the Crown of India, March 1879
- VA: Royal Order of Victoria and Albert (First Class), 1893
- DStJ: Dame of Justice of St. John, 1888
- RRC: Member of the Royal Red Cross, 1883
Arms
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Issue
| Image | Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Princess Margaret of Connaught | 15 January 1882 | 1 May 1920 | married, 15 June 1905, Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden; had issue |
 | Prince Arthur of Connaught | 13 January 1883 | 12 September 1938 | married, 15 October 1913, Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife; had issue |
 | Princess Patricia of Connaught | 17 March 1886 | 12 January 1974 | married, 27 February 1919, Captain Sir Alexander Ramsay, renouncing her title and becoming Lady Patricia Ramsay; had issue |
Ancestry
References
- 1 2 3 "Royal Marriage Bells" (PDF), The New York Times, London, 13 March 1879
External Links
Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia Born: 25 July 1860 Died: 14 July 1917 | ||
| Honorary titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by The Countess Grey |
Viceregal Consort of Canada 1911–1916 |
Succeeded by The Duchess of Devonshire |
