Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont
| Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Emma as Queen mother | |||||
| Queen consort of the Netherlands Grand Duchess of Luxembourg | |||||
| Tenure | 7 January 1879 – 23 November 1890 | ||||
| Born |
2 August 1858 Arolsen Castle, Arolsen, Waldeck and Pyrmont, German Confederation | ||||
| Died |
20 March 1934 (aged 75) Lange Voorhout Palace, The Hague, Netherlands | ||||
| Burial | Nieuwe Kerk, Delft, Netherlands | ||||
| Spouse | William III of the Netherlands | ||||
| Issue | Wilhelmina of the Netherlands | ||||
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| House | Waldeck and Pyrmont | ||||
| Father | George Victor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont | ||||
| Mother | Princess Helena of Nassau | ||||
Princess Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont (2 August 1858 – 20 March 1934) was Queen of the Netherlands and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg as the wife of King-Grand Duke William III. An immensely popular member of the Dutch Royal Family, she also served as regent for her daughter, Queen Wilhelmina, during the latter's minority.
Family
Emma was born as Adelheid Emma Wilhelmina Theresia, Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont on 2 August 1858 in Arolsen Castle in Arolsen, the capital of the small German principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont. She was the fourth daughter of Georg Viktor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont and Princess Helena of Nassau.
Her brother, Friedrich, was the last reigning Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont. Her sister, Helena Frederica, would become the wife of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, a son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
Her maternal grandparents were William, Duke of Nassau and his second wife, Princess Pauline of Württemberg. Pauline was a daughter of Prince Paul of Württemberg and his wife Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen.
Paul was a son of Frederick I of Württemberg and his wife, Duchess Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Augusta was the eldest daughter of Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg and Princess Augusta of Great Britain, elder sister of George III of the United Kingdom.
Marriage
Emma married the elderly King William III in Arolsen on 7 January 1879, two years after the death of his first wife, Princess Sophie of Württemberg. The aging, licentious King, once described as "the greatest debauchee of the age", had previously been rejected by Emma's sister Pauline and by Princess Thyra of Denmark.
With William, Emma had her only child, the future Queen Wilhelmina, on 31 August 1880. The King also had three sons from his first marriage, William, Maurice, and Alexander, all of whom died before him without any legitimate offspring.
Widowhood
Three days before William died on 23 November 1890, Emma became regent for her husband. She continued as regent for the new monarch, her underage daughter, Wilhelmina, the late King's only surviving child until Wilhelmina's eighteenth birthday on 31 August 1898. The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, which could not be inherited by a woman at that time, passed to their distant cousin Adolf, Duke of Nassau who was also Queen Emma's maternal uncle.
She was the 812th Dame of the Royal Order of Queen Maria Luisa.
She died in The Hague on 20 March 1934, of complications from bronchitis at the age of 75, and was buried in Delft.
Titles styles and arms
- 2 August 1858 – 7 January 1879: Her Serene Highness Princess Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont[1]
- 7 January 1879 – 23 November 1890: Her Majesty The Queen, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg[1]
- 23 November 1890 – 20 March 1934: Her Majesty Queen Emma, Dowager Grand Duchess of Luxembourg[1][2]
Honours
- Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (Netherlands)[1]
- Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau (Netherlands)[1]
- Grand Cross of the Order of the House of Orange (Netherlands)[1]
- 812th Dame of the Order of Queen Maria Luisa (Spain)
Ancestry
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 (Dutch) H.M. (koningin Emma) koningin Adelheid Emma Wilhelmina Theresia, prinses van Waldeck en Pyrmont, Parlement & Politiek. Retrieved on 25 January 2015.
- ↑ Koningin Emma (1858–1934) (Dutch Royal House)
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont. |
- (Dutch) Koningin Emma (1858–1934) at the Dutch Royal House website
| Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont Cadet branch of the House of Waldeck Born: 2 August 1858 Died: 20 March 1934 | ||
| Royal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Vacant Title last held by Sophie of Württemberg |
Queen consort of the Netherlands 1879–1890 |
Vacant Title next held by Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerinas prince consort |
| Grand Duchess consort of Luxembourg 1879–1890 |
Succeeded by Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau | |
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