The Royal Women

The Dutch succession crisis of the early 20th century

Upon the death of King William III his only surviving child, Princess Wilhelmina became Queen at the age of 10. As she had no siblings, her potential successor at that time was her aunt Sophie, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. Her father’s other siblings had all died without leaving issue. Queen Wilhelmina married Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin on  7 February [read more]

Book Reviews

Darling Queen, Dear Old Bones (edited) by Emerentia van Heuven-van Nes Book Review

This book presents a remarkable collection of letters from Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands (1880–1962) and her governess, Elizabeth Saxton Winter (1855–1936), an Englishwoman. The earliest letters are those of a child, sent to Miss Winter when she was on holiday in England, but after Wilhelmina’s education was finished in 1896 and she had no [read more]