Princess Alexandrine | |||||
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Duchess William of Mecklenburg-Schwerin | |||||
Born |
Berlin |
1 February 1842||||
Died | 26 March 1906 Schloss Marley |
(aged 64)||||
Spouse | Duke William of Mecklenburg-Schwerin | ||||
Issue | Charlotte, Princess Heinrich XVIII Reuss of Köstritz | ||||
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House |
House of Hohenzollern (by birth) House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (by marriage) |
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Father | Prince Albert of Prussia | ||||
Mother | Princess Marianne of the Netherlands |
Full name | |
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German: Friederike Wilhelmina Luise Elisabeth Alexandrine |
Princess Frederica Wilhelmina Louise Elisabeth Alexandrine of Prussia (1 February 1842 – 26 March 1906) was a member of the House of Hohenzollern as the daughter of Prince Albert of Prussia and his wife Princess Marianne of the Netherlands.
Alexandrine ('Addy') was the youngest child born to Prince Albert of Prussia and his wife Princess Marianne of the Netherlands. She was named after her aunt (and later mother-in-law) the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. She had two elder surviving siblings, Princess Charlotte (later Hereditary Princess of Saxe-Meiningen), and Prince Albert. Her parents' marriage was dissolved on 28 March 1849. Her father later remarried in 1853 to one of the court maids-of-honor, Rosalie von Rauch, who was created Countess of Hohenau. The couple had two sons. Their mother also remarried morganatically to a former coachman, producing issue with Johannes van Rossum.
Due to the troubled marriage of her parents, Alexandrine was to all intents and purposes the adopted daughter of her otherwise childless uncle and aunt, King Frederick William IV of Prussia and Queen Elisabeth Ludovika, and became their ward. They took Alexandrine to live with them, bringing her up as their own offspring.
As a young woman, Alexandrine was considered as a potential bride for the one-year older Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (the future Edward VII of the United Kingdom), but was not considered "clever or pretty" enough by his sister Crown Princess Victoria ('Vicky') of Prussia. The prince married Alexandra of Denmark instead. Despite her comment, Vicky had a fondness for Alexandrine, writing to her mother that she was "such an excellent girl and much admired here". There were also financial advantages to a marriage to Alexandrine; she already had one million dollars through her mother, and would have even more wealth when she married. Consequently, Vicky tried again to marry her off to another British relative, Prince George, Duke of Cambridge. Nothing came of this either, however.