English: Margaret Beatrice Feodora , house =

Hohenzollern The House of Hohenzollern (, also , german: Haus Hohenzollern, , ro, Casa de Hohenzollern) is a German royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) dynasty whose members were variously princes, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern, Brandenb ...

, father =

Frederick III, German Emperor Frederick III (german: Friedrich Wilhelm Nikolaus Karl; 18 October 1831 – 15 June 1888), or Friedrich III, was German Emperor and King of Prussia for 99 days between March and June 1888, during the Year of the Three Emperors. Known informa ...

, mother =

Victoria, Princess Royal Victoria, Princess Royal (Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa; 21 November 1840 – 5 August 1901) was German Empress and Queen of Prussia as the wife of German Emperor Frederick III. She was the eldest child of Queen Victoria of the United Kingd ...

, birth_date = , birth_place = New Palace,

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

, death_date = , death_place =

Schloss Friedrichshof Schlosshotel Kronberg (Castle Hotel Kronberg) in Kronberg im Taunus, Hesse, near Frankfurt am Main, was built between 1889 and 1893 for the dowager German Empress Victoria and originally named Schloss Friedrichshof in honour of her late hus ...

Kronberg im Taunus Kronberg im Taunus is a town in the Hochtaunuskreis district, Hesse, Germany and part of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Regional Authority, Frankfurt Rhein-Main urban area. Before 1866, it was in the Duchy of Nassau; in that year the whole Duchy was ab ...

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major histor ...

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

, burial_place = Schloss Friedrichshof, Kronberg im Taunus, Hesse, Germany , religion =

Lutheranism Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

Princess Margaret Beatrice Feodora of Prussia (german: Margarethe; 22 April 1872 – 22 January 1954) was the youngest child of

, and

. As such, she was the younger sister of

Emperor 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 Empi ...

and a granddaughter of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

. She married

Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse Frederick Charles Louis Constantine, Prince and Landgrave of Hesse (german: Friedrich Karl Ludwig Konstantin Prinz und Landgraf von Hessen-Kassel; fi, Fredrik Kaarle; 1 May 1868 – 28 May 1940), was the brother-in-law of the German Empe ...

, the elected

King of Finland This is a list of monarchs and heads of state of Finland; that is, the kings of Sweden with regents and viceroys of the Kalmar Union, the grand dukes of Finland, a title used by most Swedish monarchs, up to the two-year regency following the inde ...

, making her the would-be Queen of Finland had he not decided to renounce the throne on 14 December 1918. In 1926 they assumed the titles of

Landgrave Landgrave (german: Landgraf, nl, landgraaf, sv, lantgreve, french: landgrave; la, comes magnus, ', ', ', ', ') was a noble title used in the Holy Roman Empire, and later on in its former territories. The German titles of ', ' ("margrave"), a ...

and Landgravine of Hesse. The couple had six sons and lost three in the

First First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and

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 ...

Early life

Princess Margaret of Prussia was the youngest of eight children born to Frederick III, then-Crown Prince of the German Empire and his wife,

, Britain's

's eldest daughter. Born on 22 April 1872 in the

s' New Palace in

, by the time the infant was christened, her head was covered with short hair like moss, from which she acquired her nickname "Mossy".Pakula, ''An Uncommon Woman'', p. 298 She was named Margarethe Beatrice Feodora. Crown Princess Margherita of Italy was her godmother and Emperor Pedro II of Brazil was her godfather. Princess Margaret grew up amid great privilege and formality.Petropoulos, ''Royals and the Reich'', p. 34 Together with her sisters, Princess Viktoria and Princess Sophie, Margaret was deeply attached to her parents, forming an antagonist group to that of her eldest siblings, William II,

Princess Charlotte Princess Charlotte may refer to: People * Charlotte Christine of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1694–1715), wife of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich of Russia and mother of Tsar Peter II, Emperor of Russia * Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans (1700–1761), wife of ...

and Prince Heinrich. She remained close to her mother after the death of her father. Margaret was widely regarded as the most popular of

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

's sisters, and she maintained good relations with a wide array of family members. She was a first cousin of both King

George V of the United Kingdom George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...

and

Empress Alexandra of Russia german: Alix Viktoria Helene Luise Beatrixrussian: Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova , house = Hesse-Darmstadt , father = Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine , mother = Princess Alice of the United Kingdom , birth_name ...

, all three being grandchildren of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. As an adult, she was said to resemble her aunt, Princess Alice.

Marriage

Princesa Margarida no dia de seu casamento

Princess Margaret was first attracted to

Prince Maximilian of Baden Maximilian, Margrave of Baden (''Maximilian Alexander Friedrich Wilhelm''; 10 July 1867 – 6 November 1929),Almanach de Gotha. ''Haus Baden (Maison de Bade)''. Justus Perthes (publishing company), Justus Perthes, Gotha, 1944, p. 18, (French). a ...

.Petropoulos, ''Royals and the Reich'', p. 35 When he did not reciprocate her affection, she moved on to her second choice, Max's close friend,

, future head of the Hesse-Kassel dynasty and future elected

. They were married on 25 January 1893 at the Hohenzollern Stadtschloss in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

on the anniversary of her parents' wedding.Pakula, ''An Uncommon Woman'', p. 557 At the time of the wedding, Prince Frederick Charles was not the Head of the

House of Hesse-Kassel The House of Hesse is a European dynasty, directly descended from the House of Brabant. They ruled the region of Hesse, one branch as prince-electors until 1866, and another branch as grand dukes until 1918. Burke's Royal Families of the World, ...

.Petropoulos, ''Royals and the Reich'', p. 33 The position was held by his older and virtually blind brother Landgrave Alexander Friederich, who relinquished it in the mid-1920s in order to enter an unequal marriage. Prince Frederick Charles, as was his title when he married, was addressed as His Highness, while Princess Margaret warranted Royal Highness. This disparity came to an end in 1925 when Frederick Charles became Landgrave of

and Head of the house of Hesse-Kassel. They were second cousins, both great-grandchildren of King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia, he through his mother Anna, she through her father Friedrich. Initially, her brother Wilhelm opposed the match as he felt that Frederick Charles's position was too "minor" for the Kaiser's sister. Later, however, he gave his blessing, since Margaret herself "was so unimportant".Packard, p. 295 The marriage was very happy. Princess Margaret had a strong personality; she would always seem more secure and grounded than her husband. The couple's main residence during the early years of marriage was

Schloss Rumpenheim Rumpenheim Castle is a '' Schloss'' located in the banks of the Main river in the German city of Offenbach am Main. History The origin of the palace dates back to the manor house of Johann Georg Seifert von Edelsheim, a politician serving the C ...

. Margaret's husband was her mother's favorite son-in-law. In 1901, Princess Margaret inherited

at the death of her mother. It was highly unconventional for a husband to reside in his wife's home. However, Margaret was committed to maintain the house of her mother which entailed a great expense and the family moved to Friedrichshof. In 1918, Margaret's husband accepted the offer of the throne of newly independent

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

, but due to German misfortunes in

World War I 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 ...

, soon renounced it. She would have become the Queen of Finland. Her predecessor as Grand Duchess-consort of Finland was her first cousin, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia.

Family tragedies

Margaret's elder sons, Friedrich Wilhelm and Maximilian, were killed in action during

. Prince Maximilian, Princess Margaret's second and favorite son, was serving near

Aisne Aisne ( , ; ; pcd, Ainne) is a French department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne. In 2019, it had a population of 531,345.Petropoulos, ''Royals and the Reich'', p. 43 He died soon afterward and his body was secretly buried in the village of Caestre by the local people, who learned he was the Kaiser's nephew. The priest refused to identify the grave until the Germans had left Belgium and a compensation was paid. Max's younger brother Wolfgang appealed for help to the British authorities, and eventually, after an enquiry was made, Maximilian's body was returned to his family. Princess Margaret's oldest son, Friedrich Wilhelm died on 12 September 1916 at Kara Orman in

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

. He was killed in close fighting; his throat was slit by an enemy bayonet.Petropoulos, ''Royals and the Reich'', p.44 Her two other sons, Philipp and Christoph, embraced Nazism, and Margaret, who was a sister of the last Kaiser Wilhelm II, invited

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

to tea and flew the

swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍) is an ancient religious and cultural symbol, predominantly in various Eurasian, as well as some African and American cultures, now also widely recognized for its appropriation by the Nazi Party and by neo-Nazis. It ...

from her home at Schloss Kronberg. Philipp married Princess

Mafalda ''Mafalda'' () is an Argentine comic strip written and drawn by cartoonist Quino. The strip features a six-year-old girl named Mafalda, who reflects the Argentinian middle class and progressive youth, is concerned about humanity and world pea ...

, daughter of King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy.Petropoulos, ''Royals and the Reich'', p. 75 Due to his close relations with the King of Italy, Philipp was appointed in 1939 to

Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...

's personal staff, since he could be a useful channel of communications between

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and

Fascist Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. . Publicly, he continued with his duties and occasionally he made private missions in Italy for Hitler. When Italy capitulated, he personally informed Hitler. Hitler's revenge recoiled on Philipp, who was imprisoned in a concentration camp for political prisoners. Mafalda was taken to

Buchenwald Buchenwald (; literally 'beech forest') was a Nazi concentration camp established on hill near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within Germany's 1937 borders. Many actual or su ...

, where she died of a haemorrhage caused by the amputation of her arm, which had been mangled in a bombing raid on the camp.Petropoulos, ''Royals and the Reich'', p. 303 Landgravine Margaret's fifth son, Christoph, was a staunch supporter of the German war effort, but after the

Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II where Nazi Germany and its allies unsuccessfully fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (later re ...

, he became frustrated by the limitations placed on his own role in the conflict, and increasingly critical of the German leadership.Petropoulos, ''Royals and the Reich'', p. 307 Christoph's reaction to the assassination of

Heydrich Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich ( ; ; 7 March 1904 – 4 June 1942) was a high-ranking German SS and police official during the Nazi era and a principal architect of the Holocaust. He was chief of the Reich Security Main Office (inc ...

, whom he called a "dangerous and cruel man", in 1942 was that it was "the best news I had in a long time". The Nazi regime had turned against his family by the time he died in a plane crash near Forli on 7 October 1943.Petropoulos, ''Royals and the Reich'', p. 308 He was married to Princess Sophie of Greece, a sister of Philip,

Prince of Greece and Denmark This is a list of Greek princes from the accession of George I of the House of Glücksburg to the throne of the Kingdom of Greece in 1863. Individuals holding the title of prince will usually also be styled " His Royal Highness" (HRH). The wife o ...

who, in 1947, married the heir to the throne of the United Kingdom and, in 1952, became

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from El ...

, consort of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

. Landgravine Margaret also lost another one of her daughters-in-law during the war. Wolfgang's wife, Princess Marie Alexandra, when she and seven other women who were aid workers were killed in a bomb attack on

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

on 29–30 January 1944.Petropoulos, ''Royals and the Reich'', p. 317 The cellar in which they had taken refuge collapsed under the weight of the building, rendering Marie Alexandra's body barely recognisable.Petropoulos, ''Royals and the Reich'', p. 318 Landgravine Margaret, very much the matriarch, was at the centre of her large and dynamic family. During and after

World War II 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 ...

, she took care of many of her grandchildren and tried to preserve a centre at Friedrichshof as their parents faced various tribulations.

Last years

Landgravine Margaret had difficult years after 1945; they were compounded by the theft from Schloss Friedrichshof in November 1945 of the family jewellery, valued at over £2,000,000.Petropoulos, ''Royals and the Reich'', p. 344 After World War II, Friedrichshof was used as an officer's club by the military authorities during the American occupation. Princess Margaret's son Wolfgang, fearing for the jewels, had buried them in a sub-cellar of the castle. On 5 November 1945, the manager of the club, Captain Kathleen Nash, discovered the jewels and together with her future husband, Colonel Jack Durant, and Major David Watson, stole the treasure and took it out of Germany.Petropoulos, ''Royals and the Reich'', p. 345 In early 1946, Princess Margaret discovered the theft when the family wanted to use the jewels for the wedding of Princess Sophia who was preparing to remarry. Princess Sophia and Landgravine Margaret reported it to the Frankfurt authorities, and the culprits were imprisoned in August 1951. The Hesse family received what had been recovered: only 10 percent of what had been stolen.Petropoulos, ''Royals and the Reich'', p. 349 Landgravine Margaret, the last surviving child of Emperor Frederick III and last grandchild of emperor

Emperor Wilhelm I William I or Wilhelm I (german: Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig; 22 March 1797 – 9 March 1888) was King of Prussia from 2 January 1861 and German Emperor from 18 January 1871 until his death in 1888. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he was the f ...

, died in

Kronberg Kronberg im Taunus is a town in the Hochtaunuskreis district, Hesse, Germany and part of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main urban area. Before 1866, it was in the Duchy of Nassau; in that year the whole Duchy was absorbed into Prussia. Kronberg lies at t ...

on 22 January 1954,Pakula, ''An Uncommon Woman'', p. 599 14 years after her husband and exactly 53 years to the day after her British grandmother

. She was 81 years old.

Children

Landgravine Margaret and her husband Frederick Charles of Hesse had six sons, including two sets of twins: * Prince ''Friedrich Wilhelm'' of Hesse-Kassel (24 November 1893 – 12 September 1916), killed in action in World War I. * Prince ''Maximilian'' of Hesse-Kassel (20 October 1894 – 13 October 1914), killed in action in World War I. * Prince Philipp of Hesse-Kassel (6 November 1896 – 25 October 1980

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

), married on 23 Sept 1925 to

Princess Mafalda of Savoy Princess Mafalda of Savoy (19 November 1902 – 28 August 1944) was the second daughter of King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy and his wife Elena of Montenegro. The future King Umberto II of Italy was her younger brother. Biography Princess Mafa ...

(19 November 1902

– 28 August 1944), had issue. * Prince Wolfgang of Hesse-Kassel (6 November 1896 – 12 July 1989), married

Princess Marie Alexandra of Baden Princess Marie Alexandra of Baden (''Marie Alexandra Thyra Victoria Louise Carola Hilda''; 1 August 1902 – 29 January 1944) was a Hessian princess by marriage. Family She was the only daughter and elder child of Prince Maximilian of Baden (186 ...

, no issue. * Prince ''Richard'' Wilhelm Leopold of Hesse-Kassel (14 May 1901 – 11 February 1969). * Prince Christoph of Hesse-Kassel (14 May 1901 – 7 October 1943), married

Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark ( el, Σοφία, translit=Sofía; 26 June 1914 – 24 November 2001) was by birth a List of princesses of Greece, Greek and List of princesses of Denmark, Danish princess, as well as Electorate of Hesse, Pri ...

(26 June 1914 Mon Repos,

Corfu Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...

– 24 November 2001

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

) on 13 December 1930 (civil) and 15 December 1930 (religious), had issue. Killed in action in World War II.

Honours

* : Handbuch über den Königlich Preußischen Hof und Staat
(1918), Genealogy p. 4 ** Dame of the

Order of Louise The Order of Louise (German: ''Luisen-Orden'') was founded on 3 August 1814 by Frederick William III of Prussia to honor his late wife, the much beloved Queen Louise (''née Luise Auguste Wilhelmine Amalie, Herzogin zu Mecklenburg-Strelitz''). T ...

, 1st Division ** Red Cross Medal, 1st Class * : Dame of the Order of the Golden Lion, ''25 January 1893'' * :

Royal Order of Victoria and Albert The Royal Order of Victoria and Albert is a British Royal Family Order instituted on 10 February 1862 by Queen Victoria, and enlarged on 10 October 1864, 15 November 1865, and 15 March 1880. No award has been made since the death of Queen V ...

, 2nd Class

Ancestry

Notes

Bibliography

* Henri van Oene, Genealogy of the Royal Family of Prussia, 13 May 1998, 18 September 2011
Genealogy of the Royal Family of Prussia
. * Pakula, Hannah, ''An Uncommon Woman'', Simon & Schuster, New York, 1995, * Petropoulos, Jonathan, ''Royals and the Reich'', Oxford University Press, New York, 2006, * Van der Kiste, John, ''The Prussian Princesses: Sisters of Kaiser Wilhelm II'', Fonthill, 2014 {{DEFAULTSORT:Margaret Of Prussia, Princess 1872 births 1954 deaths 19th-century German people 20th-century German people 19th-century German women 20th-century German women Prussian princesses Queens consort Finnish royalty House of Hohenzollern Ladies of the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert People from Potsdam House of Hesse-Kassel Daughters of emperors Children of Frederick III, German Emperor Daughters of kings