Princess Marie of the Netherlands was the fourth child and younger daughter of Prince Frederick of the Netherlands

Prince Frederick of the Netherlands

Prince Frederick of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange-Nassau , was the second son of king William I of the Netherlands and his wife, Wilhelmine of Prussia....

 and wife of William, 5th Prince of Wied

William, Prince of Wied

William V, Prince of Wied was a German officer and politician, elder son of Hermann, Prince of Wied. He was the father of William, Prince of Albania and brother of Queen Elisabeth of Romania.-Early life:...

. She was the mother of William, Prince of Albania.

Early life

Marie was born at Wassenaar

Wassenaar

Wassenaar is a town in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. A fairly affluent suburb of The Hague, Wassenaar lies 10 km north of that city on the N44 highway near the North Sea coast. It is part of the Haaglanden region...

, Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 the fourth child and younger daughter of Prince Frederick of the Netherlands

Prince Frederick of the Netherlands

Prince Frederick of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange-Nassau , was the second son of king William I of the Netherlands and his wife, Wilhelmine of Prussia....

 (1797–1881) second son of William I of the Netherlands

William I of the Netherlands

William I Frederick, born Willem Frederik Prins van Oranje-Nassau , was a Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg....

, and his wife, Princess Louise of Prussia (1808–1870), daughter of Frederick William III of Prussia

Frederick William III of Prussia

Frederick William III was king of Prussia from 1797 to 1840. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel .-Early life:...

.

Princess Marie suffered at an early age of hearing problems and like her sister Louise

Louise of the Netherlands

Louise of the Netherlands was the Queen of Sweden and Norway as spouse of King Charles XV of Sweden and IV of Norway.-Birth:...

, she was considered unattractive. Her parents hoped to marry her to Albert Edward, Prince of Wales

Edward VII of the United Kingdom

Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...

 (later King Edward VII). Edward's mother, 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....

, originally a supporter of the match, blew off the plan after meeting her and found her unattractive.

Marriage and family

Marie married on 18 July 1871 in Wassenaar

Wassenaar

Wassenaar is a town in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. A fairly affluent suburb of The Hague, Wassenaar lies 10 km north of that city on the N44 highway near the North Sea coast. It is part of the Haaglanden region...

, William, Prince of Wied

William, Prince of Wied

William V, Prince of Wied was a German officer and politician, elder son of Hermann, Prince of Wied. He was the father of William, Prince of Albania and brother of Queen Elisabeth of Romania.-Early life:...

 (1845–1907), elder son of Hermann, Prince of Wied

Hermann, Prince of Wied

Hermann, Prince of Wied was a German nobleman, elder son of Johann August Karl, Prince of Wied. He was the father of Queen Elisabeth of Romania.-Early life:...

 and Princess Marie of Nassau

Princess Marie of Nassau

Princess Marie of Nassau was the eighth child and fourth daughter of William, Duke of Nassau and wife of Hermann, 4th Prince of Wied. She was the mother of Queen Elisabeth of Romania.-Early life:...

.

They had six children:

• William Frederick, Prince of Wied
  William Frederick, Prince of Wied
  William Frederick, Prince of Wied was a German nobleman, eldest child of William, Prince of Wied. He was brother of William, Prince of Albania.-Early life:...
  
   (27 June 1872 – 18 June 1945) married Princess Pauline of Württemberg
  Princess Pauline of Württemberg (1877–1965)
  Princess Pauline of Württemberg was the only daughter of William II of Württemberg and wife of William Frederick, Prince of Wied. She was the last Princess of Württemberg, as well the last senior member of the House of Württemberg....
  
  , had issue.
• Prince Alexander of Wied (28 May 1874 – 15 January 1877)
• William, Prince of Albania (26 March 1876 – 18 April 1945) married Princess Sophie of Schönburg-Waldenburg
  Princess Sophie of Schönburg-Waldenburg
  Princess Sophie Helene Cecilie of Schönburg-Waldenburg was the wife of Prince William of Wied. With her husband's ascension to the Albanian throne she became the Princess of Albania .-Family and marriage:...
  
   (1885–1936), had issue.
• Prince Victor of Wied (7 December 1877 – 1 March 1946) married Countess Gisela of Solms-Widenfels (1891–1976), had issue.
• Princess Louise of Wied (24 October 1880 – 29 August 1965)
• Princess Elisabeth of Wied (28 January 1883 – 14 November 1938)

Titles and styles

• 5 June 1841 – 18 July 1871: Her Royal Highness Princess Marie of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau
• 18 July 1871 – 22 October 1907: Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wied
• 22 October 1907 – 22 June 1910: Her Royal Highness The Dowager Princess of Wied

Ancestry