Princesses & Twins (Part one)

Giving birth has always been dangerous, but multiples added another dimension to the danger. Nevertheless, there are several instances of surviving twins. Here are some royal twins (girl/girl) from history.

Elsa of Württemberg & Olga of Württemberg

Elsa and Olga were born on 1 March 1876 as the daughters of Duke Eugen of Württemberg and Grand Duchess Vera Constantinovna of Russia. Elsa was the elder twin. Their only sibling died at the age of seven months. The sisters were said not to look alike.

Elsa went on to marry Prince Albert of Schaumburg-Lippe on 6 May 1897, and they had four children together: Max (born 1898), Franz Joseph (born 1899), Alexander (born 1901) and Bathildis (born 1903). She died on 27 May 1936.

Olga went on to marry Prince Maximilian of Schaumburg-Lippe, who happened to be her brother-in-law’s younger brother, on 3 November 1898. They had three children before Maximilian’s death in 1904: Eugen (born 1899), Albert (born 1900) and Bernhard (born 1902-died young). Olga died on 21 October 1932.

Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria & Amalie Auguste of Bavaria

Elisabeth Ludovika and Amalie Auguste were born on 13 November 1801 as the daughters of the future King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and Caroline of Baden. They were actually the first of two sets of twins born to this couple.

Elisabeth Ludovika went on to marry the future King Frederick William IV of Prussia on 29 November 1823, but they did not have any children together. She died on 14 December 1873.

Amalie Auguste went on to marry the future John, King of Saxony, on 21 November 1822. They had nine children together, of which six survived to adulthood: Albert (born 1828), Elisabeth (born 1830), George (born 1832), Anna (born 1836), Margaretha (born 1840) and Sophie (born 1845). She died on 8 November 1877.

Maria Anna of Bavaria & Sophie of Bavaria

Maria Anna of Bavaria & Sophie of Bavaria were the second set of twins born to the future King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and Caroline of Baden. They were born on 27 January 1805.

On 4 November 1824, Sophie married Archduke Franz Karl of Austria. They went on to have four surviving sons together, including the future Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. She died on 28 May 1872.

Maria Anna went on to marry the future King Frederick Augustus II of Saxony on 24 April 1833. Her sister, Amalie Auguste, was married to Frederick’s brother, John. Maria Anna and Frederick did not have any children together. She died on 13 September 1877.

Aisha bint Al Faisal & Sara bint Al Faisal

Aisha and Sara are the twin daughters of Prince Faisal bin Hussein, the younger brother of King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Princess Alia Tabbaa. They were born on 27 March 1997. They have two elder and two younger half-siblings.

Aisha attended the Amman Baccalaureate School, and she received her Master’s Degree in Religion, Law, and Society from the University of Westminster. In June 2024, she announced her engagement to Kareem Al Mufti.

Sara also attended the Amman Baccalaureate School. She led the Jordanian delegation at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Louise-Élisabeth of France & Henriette of France

Louise-Élisabeth of France & Henriette of France were the twin daughters of King Louis XV of France and Marie Leszczyńska. They were born on 14 August 1727 and were the couple’s first children. They would go on to have a total of eight siblings, of which three died in childhood.

Louise-Élisabeth was the firstborn and she was known at court as Madame Première. On 25 October 1739, she married the future Philip, Duke of Parma, and they had three children together. She died of smallpox on 6 December 1759, and she was buried beside Henriette in the Basilica of St Denis.

Henriette was the younger twin, and she was known as Madame Seconde. When her sister left to marry the future Duke of Parma, she became physically ill.¹ Henriette took part in court life, but she never married. In February 1752, she fell ill shortly after going on a sleigh ride with her father. She died three days later, on 10 February 1752.

Adélaïde of Orléans & Françoise of Orléans

Adélaïde and Françoise were the twin daughters of Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (known also as Philippe Égalité) and Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon. They were born on 23 August 1777. They had three surviving siblings. The two princesses came into the world “with their feet blackened, as though bruised, and very delicate.”²

Françoise was the elder twin, and she was known as Mademoiselle d’Orléans. She died sometime in 1782 of measles. Her mother, “who had remained constantly” with Françoise “night and day up to her last moments,” also fell ill but recovered. The Comtesse de Genlis wrote, “Nothing can express the sorrow felt by this child at the death of her sister.”³

Adélaïde was initially known as Mademoiselle de Chartres but she became known as Mademoiselle d’Orléans after Françoise’s death. Several marriages were considered for her, but in the end, she did not marry. She left France shortly before the French Revolution. Her father was guillotined. She eventually joined her mother in Spain. She returned to France after the fall of Napoleon. Her brother became Louis Philippe I, King of the French, in 1830, for which she had actively campaigned. She died on 31 December 1847.

Part two coming soon.

1. Princesses Ladies and Salonnières of the Reign of Louis XV p.220
2. Louis-Philippe and his sister, the political life and role of Adelaide of Orleans, (1777-1847) by Raoul Arnaud and E.L. p.17
3. Louis-Philippe and his sister, the political life and role of Adelaide of Orleans, (1777-1847) by Raoul Arnaud and E.L. p.27