Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Grand duchess of Saxe-Weimar bolts!




Grand Duchess Karoline of Saxe-Weimar has left the grand duchy for Switzerland. The former Princess Karoline Reuss married Grand Duke Wilhelm Ernst in May. She has left the court for Switzerland, "deeply angered."

 But her resentment is not directed toward her husband, and they have not separated.

The Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach is hidebound and conservative, where the dignitaries are "more pretentious, narrow-minded, and bigoted." Grand Duchess Karoline found conditions at her new home to be intolerable."

all images Marlene Eilers Koenig collection

Her mother-in-law, Pauline, who contracted a morganatic marriage with her chamberlain, has not helped ameliorate the situation. Karoline found her mother-in-law to be "too unfriendly." Karoline, described as sensible, "confided her woes to her husband, and has gone to Switzerland with his sanction." Karoline hopes that the Grand Duke will take matters into his own hand, and reorganize the court, and remove the dignitaries "who had fancied that they could bend the young princess to their narrow notions of etiquette propriety."

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

It was pretty sad story and the Grand Duchess died roughly after two years of marriage.

She was the sister of the "Kaiserin Hermine", the second and a bit controversial wife of the last German Emperor Wilhelm II. She married him in exile. He quite recently read two books about Hermine; parts were dealing with Caroline as well.

Marlene Eilers Koenig said...

Yes, there is more to come about Caroline (and Feodora) -- not just right now. I have a wonderful postcard of all the sisters together.

Anonymous said...

Marlene
I just want say how much I am enjoying your insyghts into the lives of the European Royals. Fasinating stuff that really fleshes out the family tree side of things