History
The Princess with a Punching Bag
Her marriage ended with a scandal so embarrassing Queen Victoria had to do damage control. It also left her free to become a model for today’s working royals
Marie Louise was born in 1872, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Her dad — clearly a history buff — named her after Napoleon’s second wife, but the family called her “Louie.”
Her parents, Princess Helena and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, lived at Victoria’s beck and call. Once, when Victoria was watching the kids, she sent Helena a reassuring telegram:
“Children very well, but poor little Louise very ugly.” ¹
Louise inherited her grandmother’s blunt honesty and deep family loyalty.
She was close with her only sister, Thora, and her cousin, Alix. That cousin would grow up to be the last empress of Russia, Alexandra Feodorovna. In the picture below, you can already see Alix’s brooding intensity (top left) and Louise’s open sincerity (bottom left).
