Charlotte of Prussia

The Year of Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – Charlotte of Prussia: “The ideal of the Russian Tsarina” (Part four)

Read part three here. Life changed forever in December 1825. Nicholas’s elder brother, Emperor Alexander I, died on 1 December in the arms of his once-estranged wife. He had fallen ill during a trip to Crimea. The news arrived in St Petersburg on 9 December. Charlotte’s mother-in-law, Empress Maria Feodorovna, fainted upon hearing the news [read more]
Charlotte of Prussia

The Year of Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – Charlotte of Prussia: “Her soul resonates with ours” (Part three)

Read part two here. On 12 June 1817, Charlotte left Berlin with her brother, William. Her entire entourage consisted of 12 carriages, and Charlotte’s carriage alone was being pulled by eight horses. She had been told that Nicholas would meet her at the border, but he surprised her at Memel. When they finally reached the [read more]
Charlotte of Prussia

The Year of Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – Charlotte of Prussia: “Your good little heart” (Part one)

On 13 July 1798, Queen Louise of Prussia gave birth to her second, but eldest surviving, daughter, who was named Charlotte. Louise’s chief lady-in-waiting wrote, “The child is healthy and beautiful, but the poor Queen was extremely weak.” Luckily. Louise recovered quickly, and Charlotte joined her brothers, Frederick William and William, in the nursery. Four [read more]
prince charles of prussia
The Royal Women

The Year of Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – The life and death of Prince Charles of Prussia (Part two)

Read part one here. There was some disappointment in the choice for Charles, as it had been hoped that Marie would marry a future ruler. It was Marie’s grandfather who had written in 1824, “I learned that Marie’s parents did not believe that Prince Charles’s position in the Prussian state was such that they would [read more]