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Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia

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Princess Louise Margaret
Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn
Burial
SpousePrince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
IssuePrincess Margaret, Crown Princess of Sweden
Prince Arthur of Connaught
Princess Patricia of Connaught
Names
Louise Margaret Alexandra Victoria Agnes
German: Luise Margarete Alexandra Victoria Agnes
HouseHouse of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
House of Hohenzollern
FatherPrince Frederick Charles of Prussia
MotherPrincess Maria Anna of Anhalt-Dessau

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.

Early life

Princess Luise Margarete was born at Marmorpalais (Marble Palace) near Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia. Her father was Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia (1828–1888), 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 7th child and 3rd son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The couple got a great number of expensive gifts; the Queen's gift for instance consisted of a magnificent diamond tiara, a pearl and diamond penchant, among other items.[1] Many members of England and Germany's royal families attended, such as the Prince and Princess of Wales.[1] After her marriage she 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.

Later life

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 at Frogmore. The Duke of Connaught survived her by almost twenty-five years.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Styles of
The Duchess of Connaught
Reference styleHer Royal Highness
Spoken styleYour Royal Highness
Alternative styleMa'am

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

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, 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

Legacy

The maternity wing attached to Aldershot's former military hospital, the Cambridge Military Hospital was also named in her honour as the Louise Margaret Maternity Hospital.

Ancestry

Family of Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia

References

  1. ^ a b c "Royal Marriage Bells" (PDF), The New York Times, London, 13 March 1879
Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia
Born: 25 July 1860 Died: 14 July 1917
Honorary titles
Preceded by Viceregal Consort of Canada
1911–1916
Succeeded by

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