The life of Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein

Born at Cumberland Lodge, Windsor, on 12th August 1872, Princess Marie Louise was the fourth child of Princess Helena and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. Join me, Shannon McInulty, as I explore her journey from free spirited princess to unhappy wife of Prince Aribert of Anhalt and eventually to flourishing “Princess of nowhere”.

In the afternoon of 12th August 1972, Queen Victoria ‘Received at length the welcome news, (which I had been anxiously awaiting for the last fortnight) that dear Lenchen had been safely confined with a girl at ½ p. 12. Again a very large child. Am very thankful.’ The following day she left Osborne, presumably to see her new grandchild. In her journal, Victoria wrote that she had received ‘very good accounts of Lenchen’ although ‘she had again rather a bad time.’

Just over a month after her birth, on 18th September 1872, the princess was christened possibly at either St George’s Chapel Chapel or the Queens Private Chapel at Windsor Castle. She was given the names Franziska Josepha Luise Augusta Marie Christina. However, she was known as “Louie” by her family, and simply as Princess Louise by the public. Her godparents included Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria and Queen Marie of Hanover.

Growing up in Windsor, Marie and her siblings spent much time with her grandmother Queen Victoria. The Queen was especially close and loving towards the children but often described Louise as “very ugly” in comparison to her siblings and cousins. Unlike many of Queen Victoria’s other grandchildren children, Louise grew under a relatively modest lifestyle. Although she was privately tutored at home, her father encourage his children to spend their time gardening and studying horticulture; while Princess Helena often took her daughters to hospitals and charitable events, where they would help out and learn that not everyone was quite as privileged as themselves. The children also wore hand-me-down clothing and often enjoyed playing cricket with other local children from all backgrounds. Whenever they could, the family would travel abroad to visit their relatives. Through visiting Princess Alice in Germany, Louise shared a close bond with her cousin, Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, who she described as being more like a sister than a cousin.

In November 1890, Princess Louise met Prince Aribert of Anhalt during the wedding of her cousin, Princess Charlotte of Prussia. The two immediately got along and the charming prince had captivated Louise with his endless flirtation. As with any young woman of that time, Louise soon fell in love and within four weeks the two had become engaged. While many of Louise’s close friends and relatives believed the match to be too sudden, her cousin, Kaiser Wilhelm II, was strongly in support of her decision to marry one of his closest friends. Seven months later, on 6th of July 1891, Louise and Aribert got married at St George’s Chapel Windsor. Following the ceremony, the newlyweds and their guests return to Windsor Castle to sign the marriage registry before having tea in the dining room, after which the couple left Windsor to embark on their honeymoon in Clevedon.

Once the ‘happy’ couple returned to Anhalt, their relationship changed dramatically and particularly worsened after they moved to Berlin for Aribert to focus on his military career. Despite Louise’s lack of friends in her new country, the prince often left his wife alone for days or weeks, even when they were under the same roof. Instead, he spent most of his time in the company of the other men; a habit which later led to rumours about him possibly being homosexual. If the isolation from her husband wasn’t bad enough, Louise’s every move was governed by the strict rules and regulations of Berlin court. As a free spirit, Louise soon began to feel trapped. She couldn’t talk or see anyone without having to pass a message through both are maid and Footman first. Whenever she could, the princess accompanied her relatives on foreign tours but always dreaded returning home to her husband.

As time passed, the unhappiness took its toll on Louise’s health. In summer 1898, she visited Britain where she saw her grandmother, Queen Victoria. Following the visit, the Queen described how “Louise has been very far from well, but not in bad spirits. She’s only so weak and everything tires her”. While we will never know for sure, many historians believe that Louise may have been battling anorexia, explaining her unusually extreme tiredness and susceptibility to respiratory illnesses; such as bronchitis and pneumonia.

In October 1900 Louise’s brother, Prince Christian Victor, died of enteric fever while away in Pretoria. The princess was devastated by his loss and feared the impact that his passing would have on her already fragile mental and physical health. Wanting to save her sanity, Louise asked Aribert and Queen Victoria for permission to go on a tour of North America and Canada. Before long, both of them agreed and she soon set off on her travels. She visited both New York and Washington before travelling to Ottawa, where she stayed with the governor of Canada, Lord Minto. While she was there, Princess Louise received a telegram from her mother forwarding a message from Ariberts father demanding that she returned to Germany. Just as Louise was about to leave, Lord Minton received a second telegram, this time from Queen Victoria saying to “tell my granddaughter to come home to me”.

Following her grandmothers wishes, Louise heading straight to her mother and grandmother at Cumberland Lodge in Windsor. When she arrived, she was shocked to discover that Aribert had asked his father, Duke of Anhalt, to arrange the couples annulment. At that time the separation of couples was deeply frowned upon but despite this, Louise; Queen Victoria; and Princess Helena were more disgusted by Aribert claims that Louise had made his life ‘intolerable’ along with neglecting her ‘marital duties’. Aribert had, however, forgotten to mention that he’d spent all of her money, leaving Louise near enough useless to him. Wanting to avoid as much scandal as possible, Queen Victoria quietly agreed to the annulment, which became official on the 13th of December 1900. While she was free from her unhappy marriage, Louise viewed her vows as a lifelong commitment and she continued to wear her wedding ring for the rest of her life. Tap here to learn more about their disastrous marriage!

With her new freedom, Louise moved into 21 Queensberry place in London and return to being known as Princess Louise of Schleswig-Holstein. She continued with her charity work and bought a studio in London, where she made jewellery to be donated to different charities and organisations. In 1908, the palace announced that she would be formally known as Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein. The name change came after she frequently got confused with her aunt, Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll. Upon the start of the First World War, Princess Marie Louise moved into Kensington Palace with her aunt, Princess Beatrice. Throughout the war she continued her work and turned her princess club (which had previously been providing antenatal and district nurse support for workers of Rotherhithe and Bermondsey) into a 100 bed hospital for wounded soldiers. Wanting to keep spirits up, she refused to wear any sort of uniform and insisted on wearing her best dress and hat.

In July 1917, King George V decided to relinquish all German titles used by the British Royal family. Many members were given either existing or new British titles; example, ‘Saxe-Coburg and Gotha’ became known as ‘Windsor’ and ‘Battenberg’ became ‘Mountbatten’. However, this wasn’t the case for Princess Marie Louise and her family, who simply dropped ‘Schleswig-Holstein’. Now known just as Princess Marie Louise, her and her sister, Princess Helena Victoria, soon gained the nicknames of ‘princess of nowhere’ by both relatives and commoners.

After the war, the Princess moved into Cumberland Lodge and Schomberg house with both her mother and sister. In the early 1920s she began one of her most well-known projects: Queen Mary’s dolls house. The project began after Marie Louise heard that Queen Mary was collecting miniature items. It was Marie Louise’s idea to gather British craftsmen, artists and authors to create a scale replica of the palace. Today the dolls house is admired by thousands of visitors each year at Windsor Castle.

When the second world war broke out, the British government told Marie Louise and Helena Victoria to move out of their London home. While this seems like a dramatic move, it was located close Parliament, making the sisters an easy target for bombers. Agreeing to the suggestion, Marie Louise and Helena Victoria rented and moved into a top floor apartment near Ascot. Throughout the war the two elderly sisters refused to use a bomb shelter as they preferred to die at the top of the house, rather than being buried under its rubble. As predicted, their previous home was almost completely destroyed, causing them to never return. Instead, they moved into 10 Fitzmaurice Palace in Berkeley Square, London, where they remained until their both of their deaths. Marie Louise continue to play an active role in both charitable and Royal events throughout her final years. One of her main charities was the princess Christian nursing home in Windsor, which have previously been set up and ran by her mother.

In the early 1950s, Queen Elizabeth II suggested that Marie Louise write a book about her adventurous life. Despite her declining health, the princess was determined to finish her memoirs, which were published in 1956. ‘My memories of six reigns’ provides historians with a fascinating insight into her life, along with the reigns of Queen Victoria; King Edward, VII; King George V; King Edward VIII; King George VI; and Queen Elizabeth II. Sadly Marie Louise died at Berkeley Square on the 8th of December 1956, just a few months after its release. Aged 84, she was one of the longest living royals in British history. Throughout her long life, Marie Louise became the first Royal to undergo many activities including: living in a flat, driving a car and flying in a plane. Her funeral was held on 14th of December at St George’s Chapel. Three months later, on the 3rd of April 1957, her body was moved to the Royal burial ground at Frogmore, Windsor, where she was laid to rest next to her beloved sister, who had died in 1948.

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