On 21 August 1858, at Schloss Laxenburg, Empress Elisabeth gave birth to her third child and the much-longed-for male heir – Crown Prince Rudolf. Elisabeth received a triple strand of pearls worth 75,000 guldens from her husband. On his very first day of life, Rudolf received the Order of the Golden Fleece, and he was [read more]
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]
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]
Read part one here. On 2 May 1881, Stéphanie left Belgium for her new life in Austria. When Stéphanie entered the specially prepared train, she lost control and began to cry. Her mother held her and scolded her for breaking down. She was so exhausted that she fell asleep before they had left Belgium and [read more]
Princess Stéphanie of Belgium was born on 21 May 1864 as the daughter of King Leopold II of Belgium and Archduchess Marie Henriette of Austria at the Royal Palace of Laeken. She was their third child, after an elder sister named Louise and an elder brother named Leopold – who tragically died in childhood. Another [read more]
The suicide of Elisabeth and Franz Joseph’s only son Crown Prince Rudolf was preceded by years of unhappy marriage with Princess Stephanie Belgium, frustration at not being included in government affairs and severe illness. Rudolf had grown up mostly without his mother, but he worshipped her nonetheless. As his mental state deteriorated, he began to [read more]
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