Princess Friedrich Leopold of Prussia
Princess Louise Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg (German: Feodora Luise Sophie Adelheid Henriette Amalie; 8 April 1866 – 28 April 1952) was a daughter of Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein and Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.[1] She wrote poetry under the pseudonym F. Hugin, which was set to music by composer Anna Teichmüller.[2]
Marriage and children
On 24 June 1889, Louise married Prince Friedrich Leopold of Prussia.[1] He was the youngest child and only son of Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia and Princess Maria Anna of Anhalt-Dessau, and was a great grandson of Frederick William III of Prussia. Their decision to marry seemingly confirmed that old scores could be forgotten (the groom's father Prince Friedrich Karl had been instrumental in the Prussian victory against Denmark over Schleswig-Holstein in the Second Schleswig War).[3]
The wedding was a grand affair held at Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin. One viewer commented that the ceremonies "were performed with all the splendor which such an event demanded, and which showed that the Emperor is willing to abate nothing of the traditional pomp and circumstance of his predecessors, nay, rather to increase them".[3] Many important royal figures attended, which included Louise's brother-in-law, Emperor Wilhelm, and King George I of Greece. They had four children:
Louise had several near-death experiences. In 1896, Louise and one of her ladies broke through the ice while skating near Glienicke Castle in Potsdam.[5] Although they were rescued, Prince Friedrich was upbraided by Wilhelm II of Germany and was ordered under arrest for two weeks in his room. Wilhelm was Louise's brother-in-law, and according to one source, apparently upbraided Prince Friedrich for his indifference of the treatment of his wife.[5] The following year, Louise slipped off her saddle while riding a horse, and was dragged for some distance down the road. She was finally rescued by her husband and an aide-de-camp.[6]
Louise often represented her sister, the Empress, at social engagements and visits to hospitals. She faced much personal tragedy, as three of her children died young; Friedrich Karl died from his wounds in World War I in 1917, Viktoria died of the flu in 1923, and Friedrich Sigismund died after a fall from his horse in 1927. Louise would die herself on 28 April 1952, aged 86, in
Bad Nauheim, Germany.[1]
