Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg
| Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg | |
|---|---|
| Princess Julius Ernst of Lippe | |
 |
|
| Born |
8 May 1878 Neustrelitz |
| Died | 14 October 1948 (aged 70) Oberkassel |
| Spouse | Count George Jametel Prince Julius Ernst of Lippe |
| Issue | Count George Jametel Countess Marie Auguste Jametel Princess Elisabeth of Lippe Prince Ernst August of Lippe |
| House |
House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz House of Lippe |
| Father | Adolf Friedrich V, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz |
| Mother | Princess Elisabeth of Anhalt |
Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg (baptised Victoria Marie Augustine Louise Antoinette Caroline Leopoldine; 8 May 1878 – 14 October 1948) was the eldest daughter of Adolf Friedrich V, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Princess Elisabeth of Anhalt.
As a young woman Marie became pregnant by a palace servant. The servant, a married man named Hecht, was responsible for turning off the gas-lights in the bedrooms of the grand ducal children. Several of Marie's cousins, including the future King George V of the United Kingdom and William II, German Emperor, thought that Marie had been "hypnotised", while Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom thought that Marie had been "drugged". Hecht was dismissed from service on the charge of stealing; his subsequent lawsuit against the grand ducal family made the details of the story public. The story made radical newspaper headlines in its day.
A daughter was born to Marie in 1898; she was raised under the protection of Marie's grandmother, Grand Duchess Augusta of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (born Princess Augusta of Cambridge).
Marie went to France where she met Count George Jametel (1859–1944), the son of Ernest Jametel, a banker and patent medicine manufacturer, and nephew of the politician ; he had received the title of Papal Count from Pope Leo XIII in 1886. Marie and George were married on 22 June 1899, at the Catholic Chapel of St. Elizabeth in Richmond Park, near White Lodge, the home of Marie's great-aunt, the Duchess of Teck (born Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge). There was a second Anglican wedding ceremony the same day at the Parish Church of Kew. In spite of the fact that the marriage was morganatic, many members of Marie's family attended the wedding, including her grandparents, parents, and three siblings. The wedding breakfast was given by her great-uncle the Duke of Cambridge at Cambridge Cottage, Kew.
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