Princess Sophie of Schönburg-Waldenburg
| Princess Sophie | |||||
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| Princess of Albania | |||||
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| Born |
21 May 1885 Potsdam, Brandenburg, German Empire |
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| Died | 3 February 1936 (aged 50) Fântânele, Romania |
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| Spouse | William, Prince of Albania | ||||
| Issue |
Princess Marie Eleonore of Albania Carol Victor, Hereditary Prince of Albania |
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| House |
House of Schönburg-Waldenburg (by birth) House of Wied-Neuwied (by marriage) |
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| Father | Victor, Hereditary Prince of Schönburg-Waldenburg | ||||
| Mother | Princess Lucia of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg | ||||
| Full name | |
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| Sophie Helene Cecilie |
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Styles of Princess (Queen) Sophie of Albania |
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.svg) |
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| Reference style | Her Highness |
| Spoken style | Your Highness |
Princess Sophie of Schönburg-Waldenburg (Sophie Helene Cecilie; 21 May 1885 – 3 February 1936) was the consort of Prince William of Wied. With her husband's ascension to the Albanian throne she became the Princess of Albania (Albanian: Princeshë e Shqipërisë). Outside the country and in diplomatic correspondence, she was styled "Princess consort", but in Albania she was referred to as Mbretëreshë, or Queen.
Princess Sophie was born in Potsdam, Brandenburg the daughter of Hereditary Prince Victor of Schönburg-Waldenburg (1856–1888) and his wife Princess Lucia of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (1859–1903), both members of German mediatised dynasties. She had some remote Albanian ancestry, being a descendant of Ruxandra Ghica, daughter of Grigore I Ghica, Prince of Wallachia.
Her maternal grandparents were Prince Emil of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (1824–1878) and his first wife Pulcheria Cantacuzene (1820–1865), a Romanian princess. Emil was the son of August Ludwig, Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (1788–1874) and Franziska Allesina gennant von Schweitzer (1802–1878).
Both of Princess Sophie's parents died when she was young so she spent much of her youth at the Fantanele estate in Moldavia, which was owned by her maternal relatives.
On 30 November 1906 at Waldenburg, Saxony Princess Sophie married Prince William of Wied, they had two children.
Princess Sophie was close to her husband's aunt Queen Elisabeth of Romania, whom she had known since moving to Romania after the death of her parents. Princess Sophie and Queen Elisabeth sang, painted, composed and played musical instruments together. Queen Elisabeth played an important role in getting Princess Sophie's husband William the Albanian throne by asking Take Ionescu to persuade the great powers to select William. Princess Sophie and Queen Elisabeth both worked to overcome William's reluctance to accept the throne.
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