Princess Alexandrine of Baden, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Part II

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Alexandrine of Baden, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duke Ernst II of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Ernst Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine, Golden Jubilee, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom

Prince Ernst succeeded his father, Ernst I, as Duke Ernst II of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1844. The couple traveled to Windsor to visit their relations. Lady Eleanor Stanley, one of Victoria’s maids-of-honour, commented to her mother:

“…the Duke is not well, they say, and he certainly looks dreadfully ill… he however shook hands with us very civilly at meeting, and seemed in great spirits at being with his brother. The Duchess [Alexandrine] told Lady Duoro she had been at Ems in hopes of producing a son and heir, but it had no effect as yet; we were rather amused at her saying it so simply, but she seems a very nice person and very pretty.”

The couple’s relationship at this stage was “as unclouded as it would ever be”, in the words of historian Charlotte Zeepvat. While touring some farms in Windsor, Alexandrine caught a cold; they left soon after. Lady Eleanor commented again that “[Alexandrine] was very sweet at parting, and kissed us all round; she looked very delicate, as white as a sheet, and more fit to be in her bed than undertaking a long journey.

The parting of the Royalty was not so sorrowful as I expected; plenty of kissing, but no tears”. Victoria was sorry to see them leave, as she loved Ernst loyally for Albert’s sake, and had come to see Alexandrine as a sister.

Victoria chose Ernst to be the godfather of her second daughter Princess Alice, and he was consequently expected in England in April 1859 for her confirmation. Though Victoria was eager to see his wife again, and though plans had been arranged the previous year for her to visit, Ernest chose to not bring her along. It was clear that as the chances of producing children had faded, Ernst was taking less and less interest in his wife.

The marriage proved to be childless. Though it was most likely that the fault lay with Ernest (due to the venereal disease he contracted before his marriage), Alexandrine seems to have accepted without question that their childlessness was her fault.

Before and during their marriage, Ernst carried on countless affairs. Alexandrine remained a loyal wife, however, and chose to ignore those relationships of which she was aware. At one point, Ernst had two mistresses, and was living with them and Alexandrine “in an improbable ménage which made the couple a laughing-stock to all but their family”. Although she loved Alexandrine, Victoria was appalled by her willingness to accept his affairs:

“Uncle E.’s conduct is perfectly monstrous and I must blame Aunt very much. They have not written to me yet – but when they do I shall have to write very strongly.”

As the years went by, Ernst’s behavior and manner of dress increasingly became a joke to younger generations. Marie of Edinburgh, a daughter of Ernst’s nephew and successor Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh later recalled Ernst as “an old beau, squeezed into a frock-coat too tight for his bulk and uncomfortably pinched in at the waist’, sporting a top hat, lemon-coloured gloves, and a rosebud in his lapel”.

Prince Ernst Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine recalled how Alexandrine used to trail behind her husband calling, “Ernst, my treasure”; this caused particular embarrassment at the 1887 Windsor Golden Jubilee oV Queen Victoria when Prince Ernst Ludwig’s brother-in-law Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia mockingly imitated Alexandrine, calling out to Ernst Ludwig “Ernst, my treasure”, not realizing that the Duke was approaching from the other end of the room: “He saw my aghast expression and turned, then we both fled, escaping into different rooms. I burst out laughing but for a long time Sergei was desperately worried, because he didn’t know if Uncle had heard him.”

Ernst died on August 22, 1893 after a short illness. Next in line to the Ducal throne would have been HRH The Prince of Wales (future King Edward VII) but he had renounced his rights in favour of his brother, Prince Alfred, who became the new reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Alexandrine died on December 20, 1904, having survived her husband by eleven years.

Alexandrine is buried in the ducal mausoleum at Friedhof am Glockenberg [de], Coburg.

December 6, 1820: Birth of Alexandrine of Baden, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Part I

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Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Alexandrine of Baden, Emperor Alexander II of Russia, Emperor Nicholas I of Russia, Grand Duke Leopold of Baden, Gustaf IV Adolf of Sweden, Marie of Hesse and By Rhine, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom

Princess Alexandrine of Baden (Alexandrine Luise Amalie Friederike Elisabeth Sophie; December 6, 1820 – December 20, 1904) was the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha as the wife of Duke Ernst II of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. She was the eldest child of Leopold, Grand Duke of Baden, and his wife Princess Sophie of Sweden, daughter of King Gustaf IV Adolf of Sweden and his wife, Frederica of Baden.

In 1838–39, the young bachelor, Tsarevich Alexander of Russia, future Emperor Alexander II is, made the Grand Tour of Europe which was standard for young men of his class at that time. One of the purposes of the tour was to select a suitable bride for himself. His father Emperor Nicholas I of Russia suggested Princess Alexandrine of Baden as a suitable choice, but he was prepared to allow Alexander to choose his own bride, as long as she was not Roman Catholic or a commoner.

Alexandrine of Baden

Alexandrine already regarded herself as his betrothed, as all the preliminary negotiations had taken place.

In Germany, Alexander made an unplanned stop in Darmstadt. He was reluctant to spend “a possibly dull evening” with their host Ludwig II, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, but he agreed to do so because Vasily Zhukovsky insisted that his entourage was exhausted and needed a rest.

During dinner, he met and was charmed by Princess Marie, the 14-year-old daughter of Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse. He was so smitten that he declared that he would rather abandon the succession than not marry her. He wrote to his father: “I liked her terribly at first sight. If you permit it, dear father, I will come back to Darmstadt after England.” When he left Darmstadt, she gave him a locket that contained a piece of her hair.

Alexander and Marie of Hesse and by Rhine were married April 28, 1841 in the Cathedral Church of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, on the eve of Alexander’s twenty-third birthday. Marie was 17.

At the urging of his brother Prince Albertof Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Hereditary Prince Ernst of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (born 1818) began to search for a suitable bride. Albert believed that a wife would be good for his brother: “Chains you will have to bear in any case, and it will certainly be good for you… The heavier and tighter they are, the better for you. A married couple must be chained to one another, be inseparable, and they must live only for one another.” With this advice in mind (although Albert was reprimanded for presuming to counsel his elders), Ernest began searching.

Around this time, Ernst was suffering from a venereal disease brought on by his many affairs; Albert consequently counseled him against marrying until he was fully recovered. He also warned that continued promiscuity could leave Ernst unable to father children. Ernst waited a few years before marrying as a result.

Ernst of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

Various candidates were put forward as a possible wife for Ernest. His father wanted him to look to a woman of high rank, such as a Russian grand duchess, for a wife. One possibility was Princess Clémentine of Orléans, a daughter of Louis Philippe I, whom he met while visiting the court at the Tuileries. However, such a marriage would have required his conversion from Lutheranism to Roman Catholicism, and consequently nothing came of it. She later married his cousin Prince August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Ernest was also considered by Dowager Queen Maria Christina as a possible husband for her young daughter Isabella II of Spain, and by Queen Victoria for her cousin Princess Augusta of Cambridge.

On 13 May 1842, in Karlsruhe, Ernest married Princess Alexandrine. To the consternation of his brother and sister-in-law Queen Victoria, the marriage failed to “settle down” Ernest. Alexandrine accepted all his faults cheerfully enough, however, and began a fierce devotion to Ernest that became increasingly baffling to the outside world.

Though he gave his consent, Ernst’s father, Duke Ernst I of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was disappointed that his first son did not do more to advance the concerns of Coburg. The marriage did not produce any issue, though Ernest apparently fathered at least three illegitimate children in later years.