The Year of Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – Auguste von Harrach – “The chosen betrothed of the mighty lord” (Part two)

Read part one here.

The children were shocked, and “a palpable  sense of emotion was evident in every face; even the sons could not hold back their tears.”¹ His daughter Charlotte was devastated but resigned herself to the situation. She wrote, “Princess Liegnitz has not introduced the slightest change into the course of daily life.” Her husband wrote to his brother that the Princess of Liegnitz was “good, very simple, modest but quite insignificant.”²

Following their uncle’s emotional plea, they agreed to the King’s morganatic match. Georg went to the King and told him of their decision. King Frederick William went to them immediately and “moved yet lighthearted, as the king was at that moment, he had shown his children his heart as it was and as it had always been, and what more did he need to be loved and honoured?”³

On 5 November 1824, Auguste met the royal family as the future spouse of the King. Auguste became overwhelmed, and Charlotte asked her to sit down, “much to her credit.”⁴ After the meeting, the three daughters, Charlotte, Alexandrine and Louise, and Prince William went to Charlottenburg to pray at their mother’s tomb.⁵

A few days later, King Frederick William explained his decision to Bishop Eylert and told him, “It cannot be a Queen, I’ve had one! I won’t get another Louise; we were both young; those days are gone; gone forever!” […] I have followed my heart and my inner inclination.” ⁶ The King asked Bishop Eylert to perform the wedding ceremony two days later in the royal chapel of Charlottenburg Palace.⁷

The Crown Prince proposed creating a mediatised principality to give Auguste an appropriate rank.⁸ The Royal Household Ministry went on to propose the title of Duchess of Liegnitz and Countess of Hohenzollern.⁹ However, King Frederick William did not like the title of Duchess and decreed that she was to be known as Princess of Liegnitz and Countess of Hohenzollern. For her rank, he decreed that “the lady in question should, at all times, occupy the rank below those ladies who have entrance to the Cabinet.”¹⁰

So few people knew of the impending wedding that a bridal wreath had to be borrowed at the last moment.¹¹ On 9 November 1824, the King entered the chapel with his bride, followed by the Crown Prince, Grand Duke Georg, Auguste’s parents, the Lord Chamberlain, Colonel von Witzleben and Cabinet Councillor Albrecht.¹²

The bishop later wrote, “The distinguished bridal couple approached the altar for the wedding ceremony. The King, as usual, wore his noble, open countenance, only there was more seriousness and the clarity of his greatness upon it than usual; the bride, as the chosen betrothed of the mighty lord, stood there by his side, shy with the lovely expression of blossoming youth and the touching look of innocence. I said to her, ‘You have been given the great, momentous task of brightening and beautifying the King’s life, easing his burdens, dispelling his worries, and thereby having a beneficial effect on his mood; and the more quietly, without fanfare, the more subtly, the more truly femininely she does this, the more endearing she will be; her destiny is important and solemn.'”¹³ Auguste “trembled, and bright tears bore witness to the sacred emotions and vows.”¹⁴

After the exchange of vows, King Frederick William embraced the Crown Prince and told him, “If the immortals know the deeds of mortals here on earth, then your departed mother will rejoice in this hour. You will keep her in your heart, honouring her commitment. You will live longer than I, and after my death, you will be a faithful friend and patron to my rightful Christian wife.”¹⁵ A small breakfast was served, and Auguste’s parents quietly returned to their hotel.¹⁶

News of the wedding wasn’t announced, but it wasn’t long before people began noticing the beautiful stranger who was close to the royal family. Not much later, the authorities received the notification of the marriage. In it, the King noted that he wished to “treat his marriage to Her Serene Highness the Princess of Liegnitz solely as a private matter.”¹⁷ As the news began to spread, one observer noted, “The outrage was widespread; the public resembled a brood of children about to get a stepmother. Not only an act of disloyalty against his deceased wife, no, almost a sacrilege against the guardian angel of the land, against the adored Louise, was seen in such a step by the monarch.”¹⁸

Another observer noted, “Everyone is outraged and is stirring up trouble… indeed, it seems that in the circle of princes and princesses, the highest displeasure and most bitter indignation are not at all concealed; based on this, everyone believes they can say anything with impunity. The noblewoman are completely besotted with their gossip; one can see in many of them that the fiercest envy speaks from them. Indeed, one could not name a single lady who would not have immediately wanted to take the place of the Princess of Liegnitz!”¹⁹

Read part three here.

1. Fürstin von Liegnitz by Paul and Gisela Habermann p.38
2. Die Preußin auf dem Zarenthron by Marianna Butenschön p.113
3. Fürstin von Liegnitz by Paul and Gisela Habermann p.38
4. Fürstin von Liegnitz by Paul and Gisela Habermann p.38
5. Fürstin von Liegnitz by Paul and Gisela Habermann p.38
6. Fürstin von Liegnitz by Paul and Gisela Habermann p.40
7. Fürstin von Liegnitz by Paul and Gisela Habermann p.41
8. Fürstin von Liegnitz by Paul and Gisela Habermann p.38
9. Fürstin von Liegnitz by Paul and Gisela Habermann p.42
10. Fürstin von Liegnitz by Paul and Gisela Habermann p.43
11. Fürstin von Liegnitz by Paul and Gisela Habermann p.44
12. Fürstin von Liegnitz by Paul and Gisela Habermann p.44
13. Fürstin von Liegnitz by Paul and Gisela Habermann p.44
14. Fürstin von Liegnitz by Paul and Gisela Habermann p.45
15. Fürstin von Liegnitz by Paul and Gisela Habermann p.45
16. Fürstin von Liegnitz by Paul and Gisela Habermann p.45
17. Fürstin von Liegnitz by Paul and Gisela Habermann p.47
18. Fürstin von Liegnitz by Paul and Gisela Habermann p.50
19. Fürstin von Liegnitz by Paul and Gisela Habermann p.50