Princess Charlotte of Prussia
Encyclopedia
Princess Charlotte of Prussia (Viktoria Elisabeth Auguste Charlotte), Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen
(24 July 1860 Potsdam
, Germany
– 1 October 1919 Baden-Baden
, Germany
) was the second child born to Prince Friedrich of Prussia and Princess Victoria. Through her mother, Charlotte was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria
and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
, and she grew close to her older brother Wilhelm II.
published new research by Berlin historian Wolfgang Wippermann, which suggests that Charlotte hosted sex parties to entrap aristocratic rivals.
Wippermann claims to have discovered 246 letters from 1891 which discuss in detail swinger-style parties held in a hunting lodge called Jagdschloss Grunewald, west of Berlin. The parties included senior aristocrats and court officials, who were allegedly later invited to experiment with different sexual positions.
A series of letters written by an anonymous source about these parties resulted in several duels. Wipperman believes that the letters were written by Charlotte herself, who first invited the guests to the parties, and the illustrations and descriptions of the sexual experiments themselves and their participants.
, and they were married in Berlin
on 18 February 1878.
The couple had one daughter, Feodora, who was born on 12 May 1879. Following Feodora's birth, Charlotte retreated from family life in favor of the society life in Berlin. Feodora fell under the care of nannies and other servants when not visiting her maternal grandmother in Berlin or at her country estate, Friedrichshof. Charlotte subscribed to the conservative political views of her elder brother and Chancellor Bismarck
, leading to further discord with her mother, who favored liberal policy.
In 1914, Prince Bernhard inherited his father's dukedom to become Duke Bernhard III of Saxe-Meiningen. Although now elevated to the rank of duchess, her tenure was to be short, as Bernhard abdicated at the end of World War I
. By this time, Charlotte, long plagued by ill health, was dying, finally succumbing to her illnesses on 1 October 1919 at age fifty-nine.
, a genetic disorder that is thought to have affected Charlotte's great-great-grandfather George III of the United Kingdom
.
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Saxe-Meiningen
The Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine line of the Wettin dynasty, located in the southwest of the present-day German state of Thuringia....
(24 July 1860 Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
– 1 October 1919 Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden is a spa town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the western foothills of the Black Forest, on the banks of the Oos River, in the region of Karlsruhe...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) was the second child born to Prince Friedrich of Prussia and Princess Victoria. Through her mother, Charlotte was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
Early life
At an early age Charlotte displayed a nervous and agitated personality, frequently biting her nails and tearing at her clothes. Queen Victoria once wrote to her daughter, “tell Charlotte I was appalled to hear of her biting her things. Grandmamma does not like naughty girls”. Charlotte was punished for this by having her pockets sewn up or being made to stand with her hands tied behind her back in the corner, these measures did little good as she soon went back to her old ways. This, in addition to her indifference to her studies, saddened her mother. She was well loved by her paternal grandparents King Wilhelm I and Queen AugustaAugusta of Saxe-Weimar
Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was the Queen of Prussia and the first German Empress as the consort of William I, German Emperor.-Early life:...
, and she grew close to her older brother Wilhelm II.
Jagdschloss Grunewald orgies
In September 2010, the German magazine Der SpiegelDer Spiegel
Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
published new research by Berlin historian Wolfgang Wippermann, which suggests that Charlotte hosted sex parties to entrap aristocratic rivals.
Wippermann claims to have discovered 246 letters from 1891 which discuss in detail swinger-style parties held in a hunting lodge called Jagdschloss Grunewald, west of Berlin. The parties included senior aristocrats and court officials, who were allegedly later invited to experiment with different sexual positions.
A series of letters written by an anonymous source about these parties resulted in several duels. Wipperman believes that the letters were written by Charlotte herself, who first invited the guests to the parties, and the illustrations and descriptions of the sexual experiments themselves and their participants.
Marriage
In 1876, Charlotte became engaged to her second cousin Prince Bernhard of Saxe-MeiningenBernhard III Frederick Wilhelm Albrecht Georg, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Bernhard III Frederick Wilhelm Albrecht Georg, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen , was the last reigning duke of Saxe-Meiningen....
, and they were married in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
on 18 February 1878.
The couple had one daughter, Feodora, who was born on 12 May 1879. Following Feodora's birth, Charlotte retreated from family life in favor of the society life in Berlin. Feodora fell under the care of nannies and other servants when not visiting her maternal grandmother in Berlin or at her country estate, Friedrichshof. Charlotte subscribed to the conservative political views of her elder brother and Chancellor Bismarck
Otto von Bismarck
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...
, leading to further discord with her mother, who favored liberal policy.
In 1914, Prince Bernhard inherited his father's dukedom to become Duke Bernhard III of Saxe-Meiningen. Although now elevated to the rank of duchess, her tenure was to be short, as Bernhard abdicated at the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. By this time, Charlotte, long plagued by ill health, was dying, finally succumbing to her illnesses on 1 October 1919 at age fifty-nine.
Recent medical research
Recent medical tests performed on her remains and those of her daughter Feodora, who committed suicide in 1945 after a lifetime of ill-health, have revealed that both probably suffered from porphyriaPorphyria
Porphyrias are a group of inherited or acquired disorders of certain enzymes in the heme bio-synthetic pathway . They are broadly classified as acute porphyrias and cutaneous porphyrias, based on the site of the overproduction and accumulation of the porphyrins...
, a genetic disorder that is thought to have affected Charlotte's great-great-grandfather George III of the United Kingdom
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
.
Titles and styles
- 24 July 1860 – 18 February 1878: Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Prussia
- 18 February 1878 – 25 June 1914: Her Royal Highness The Hereditary Princess of Saxe-Meiningen
- 25 June 1914 – 1 October 1919: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen
Honours
- Dame of the Order of LouiseOrder of LouiseThe Order of Louise was founded in 1814 by Frederick William III of Prussia to honor his late wife, the much beloved Queen Luise . This order was chivalric in nature, but was intended strictly for women whose service to Germany was worthy of such high national recognition...
- Companion of the Order of the Crown of IndiaOrder of the Crown of IndiaThe Imperial Order of the Crown of India is an order in the British honours system.The Order was established by Queen Victoria in 1878, when she became Empress of India. The Order is open only to women; no new appointments have been made after the Partition of India in 1947...
Ancestry
Sources
- Massie, Robert and Jeffrey Finestone. The Last Courts of Europe.
- Packard, Jerrold M. Victoria's Daughters.
- Van der Kiste, John. Kaiser Wilhelm II.
- preussen.de. Prinzessin Charlotte von Preußen
- The Guardian. Sex parties, bloody duels and blackmail: life at court of last German emperor
External links
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