Princess Marie Élisabeth Louise of Croÿ (26 November 1875 – 20 June 1968) was a member of the Belgian aristocracy and a member of the

Belgian Resistance The Belgian Resistance (french: Résistance belge, nl, Belgisch verzet) collectively refers to the resistance movements opposed to the German occupation of Belgium during World War II, German occupation of Belgium during World War II. Within Be ...

during two world wars.

Early life

Princess Marie was born in London, the daughter of Prince Alfred Emmanuel de Croÿ and his wife Elizabeth Mary Parnell. Her brother, Prince Réginald of Croÿ, was also involved in anti-German activities during the First World War.

First World War

When the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

broke out in 1914, the princess was visiting a friend, Violet Cavendish-Bentinck, at the home of her mother, Mrs Louisa Scott; she immediately set out for France. She worked as a nurse, at the family home of Chateau de Bellignies, which was in use as a hospital, and assisted

Edith Cavell Edith Louisa Cavell ( ; 4 December 1865 – 12 October 1915) was a British nurse. She is celebrated for saving the lives of soldiers from both sides without discrimination and for helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Be ...

in helping allied servicemen to escape to Britain via the Netherlands. For this she was arrested in 1915 along with Nurse Cavell and a number of others, but escaped the death penalty. At their trial in October, she asked for clemency for her fellow prisoners, claiming that she and her brother were solely responsible. She was condemned to ten years' hard labour, and sent to a prison at

Siegburg Siegburg (i.e. ''fort on the Sieg river''; Ripuarian: ''Sieburch'') is a city in the district of Rhein-Sieg-Kreis in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the banks of the rivers Sieg and Agger, 10 kilometres from the former seat of ...

in Germany. The Kaiser,

Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until his abdication on 9 November 1918. Despite strengthening the German Empir ...

, offered to free her, but she declined because she did not want to be given preferential treatment. In 1917 the princess was admitted to hospital in

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...

, her health seriously affected by prison conditions. She was finally released on 13 November 1918. The Canadian journalist Elizabeth Montizambert, who had been in the occupied territory during the war, became a close friend of Marie and her brother.

Later life

During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the princess was again involved in Resistance activities.

Henri Giraud Henri Honoré Giraud (18 January 1879 – 11 March 1949) was a French general and a leader of the Free French Forces during the Second World War until he was forced to retire in 1944. Born to an Alsatian family in Paris, Giraud graduated from ...

, who had been assisted by Nurse Cavell's team when he was a junior officer, once again received Princess Marie's help when he escaped from

Königstein Castle Königstein () may refer to: Germany * Königstein im Taunus, a town in Hesse * Königstein, Saxony * Königstein Fortress, near Königstein, Saxony * Königstein (hill), an elevation on which the fortress sits * Königstein, Bavaria * Königstei ...

in 1942. She was arrested at

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...

. In recognition of her war service, she was awarded the honours of Chevalier of the

Order of Leopold Order of Leopold may refer to: * Order of Leopold (Austria), founded in 1808 by emperor Francis I of Austria and discontinued in 1918 * Order of Leopold (Belgium), founded in 1832 by king Leopold I of Belgium * Order of Leopold II, founded in Congo ...

and of the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. She wrote a memoir of her war experiences, titled ''War Memories'', which was published by Macmillan in 1932. She did not marry, and died at

Saint-Benin-d'Azy Saint-Benin-d'Azy () is a Communes of France, commune in the Nièvre Departments of France, department in central France. The river Ixeure flows through the commune. Administration Saint-Benin-d'Azy is part of the canton of Guérigny and of the a ...

, aged 92.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marie Of Croy, Princess 1875 births 1968 deaths Knights of the Legion of Honour French Resistance members World War I nurses House of Croÿ