250: Wilhelmina of Prussia, Queen of the Netherlands (Part four)

Read part three here.

Despite the affair, William also managed to father a child with his wife again. On 9 May 1810, Wilhelmina gave birth to a daughter named Marianne at the Niederländisches Palais in Berlin. She was named for her aunt, Princess Maria Anna of Hesse-Homburg. William wrote to his eldest son, “Our wishes have been granted, my dear Guillaume. Fortunately, Mom gave birth yesterday morning at four o’clock, and she gave you a little sister. Mom is doing as well as possible in such circumstances, and she is very happy. Especially since the little one is in good health and promises continuation of life.”¹

Things were looking up for the family, and Napoleon was now fighting a losing battle. Soon, there were calls for the family to return to the Netherlands and on 30 November 1813, William landed at Scheveningen. Their sons returned separately. As did Wilhelmina and Marianne, who returned to the Netherlands via Arnhem at the end of 1813. They returned to living at Noordeinde Palace. In early December, William wrote to his mother, “You have no idea, my dearest mother, of the reception I experienced and the joy that the nation shows at me being delivered from the French and my return to the homeland. The general cry is the assembly of the executive power and everyone expressed the desire that I be invested with sovereignty.”² William was made Sovereign Prince of the Netherlands.

Attention now also turned to the marriage prospects of their eldest son, also named William. The most eligible Princess was Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only child of the future King George IV of the United Kingdom. Both the younger William and Charlotte herself were apprehensive about the match. He wrote to his father, “I am grateful that as a father you speak so openly about your future plans for me and for the space you offer to freely exchange ideas about them. […] The marriage with Princess Charlotte that you mention was also presented to me as a possibility by Constant. It doesn’t strike me as completely imaginary, although at the same time, it seems unlikely to me, and I confess to you that I hope it doesn’t happen.”³

When it became clear that William would one day be a head of state in his own right, a match with Charlotte, who was set to be Queen in her own right one day, seemed even more unlikely. Nevertheless, their engagement was announced on 30 March 1814, but Charlotte broke off the engagement in June. She wrote to her father, “He told me that our duties were divided, that our respective interests were in our different countries… Such an avowal was sufficient at once to prove to me Domestick (sic) happiness was out of the question.” ⁴ The younger William wrote home, “She behaved in such a revolting manner towards me that I can only congratulate myself on having learned her true character which could never have suited me, and it is therefore a true blessing from heaven that things took this turn.”⁵

On 30 March 1814, Wilhelmina’s husband was inaugurated as Sovereign Prince in Amsterdam with their two sons by his side. Just one year later, the Low Countries were united into a single kingdom, and William became the Netherlands’ first king, and Wilhelmina became its first queen. On 16 March 1815, William proclaimed himself King, and shortly after, he and Wilhelmina departed for Brussels. Their eldest son was wounded at the Battle of Waterloo, and Wilhelmina responded, “Like a Spartan woman,” and rushed to be by his side.⁶

On 21 September 1815, William received another inauguration, this time as King.

The southern Netherlands were not quite as happy to be united with the northern parts, and William and Wilhelmina were not universally loved. “Apart from a few formal audiences and Männer-Dinners, both Highnesses see no one,” one observer wrote, “and the Queen does not yet know any ladies other than those who belong to the court.” ⁷ It was already known that Wilhelmina cared little for politics, but she became painfully shy when others tried to discuss it. By comparison, their eldest son was very popular in Brussels, which led to tensions.

After his failed engagement to Princess Charlotte of Wales, the younger William married Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna of Russia in 1816. Their wedding took place in Russia; thus, none of the family was present. They would not meet until the summer of 1816 when they travelled to Berlin to meet the newlyweds halfway. Anna had fallen pregnant quite quickly, and Wilhelmina’s first grandchild, yet another William, was born on 19 February 1817. Anna would later describe her mother-in-law as an “Angel.”⁸

Wilhelmina’s mother-in-law, also named Wilhelmina, and her sister-in-law, Louise, had spent a lot of time together after both were widowed. In the autumn of 1817, Louise travelled back to Germany for several weeks, and she wrote to her mother that she had forgotten how to write letters. It was her last journey abroad, and she returned home to spend the last two years of her life by her mother’s side. Louise died on 15 October 1819 after a short illness, and her mother would follow just eight months later. After her daughter’s death, Wilhelmina wrote, “Sometimes I think it was necessary for God to take her from me. Perhaps I was too attached to life and the wish not to be separated from my daughter. She could not get used to the thought that she would survive me as the natural order of things would be.”⁹

Part five coming soon.

1. Correspondentie van de stadhouderlijke family 18o7-1820 p.46
2. Correspondentie van de stadhouderlijke family 18o7-1820 p.236
3. Koning Willem I by Jeroen Koch p.204
4. Charlotte & Leopold: The True Story of the Original People’s Princess by James Chambers p.147
5. Correspondentie van de stadhouderlijke family 18o7-1820 p.254
6. Koning Willem I by Jeroen Koch p.270
7. Koning Willem I by Jeroen Koch p.310
8. Koning Willem I by Jeroen Koch p.320
9. Prinsessen van Oranje in Duitschland by J.W.A. Naber p. 274