charlotte empress mexico
Charlotte of Belgium

Sisi & her sister-in-law Charlotte of Belgium – A “pretentious little Coburg” (Part one)

Charlotte of Belgium was born on 7 June 1840 as the daughter of Leopold I of Belgium and Louise of Orléans. Though her childhood was considered to be happy, she had little contact with her parents. Charlotte was separated from her brothers and was given an entirely different education. She grew up fast, and Charlotte was just [read more]

stephanie
Elisabeth in Bavaria

Sisi & her daughter-in-law Stéphanie of Belgium – The “emptiness of the heart” (Part four)

Read part three here. The Empress and Emperor blamed Stéphanie for Rudolf’s death, but she received a heartfelt letter from Queen Elisabeth of Romania, who wrote, “My dearest Stéphanie, My thoughts turn to your almost hourly in your solitude, and the words of your wonderful letter are chiselled deep into my heart. This letter of [read more]

stephanie
Elisabeth in Bavaria

Sisi & her daughter-in-law Stéphanie of Belgium – The “emptiness of the heart” (Part three)

Read part two here. Their duties soon took them away from their young daughter. Stéphanie and Rudolf visited Constantinople and Bulgaria, followed by visits to Carinthia, Carniola, Tyrol, Albania, Greece and Montenegro. They returned to Belgium to celebrate Stéphanie’s father’s 50th birthday in 1885. The following year, both Rudolf and Stéphanie became ill. Stéphanie was [read more]