Princess Eleonore Ernestine Marie of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich (17 September 1871 – 16 November 1937) was

Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine This is a list of the Landgravine, Electress and Grand Duchess of Hesse, the consorts of the Landgrave of Hesse and its successor states; and finally of the Electors and Grand Dukes of Hesse. Hesse Upper Hesse (Marburg) The only Landgrav ...

as the second wife of Grand Duke Ernest Louis. She was nicknamed "Onor" by her family. She was regent of Hesse in the absence of her spouse during

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 ...

Biography

Family

She was the fourth child and second daughter of Prince Hermann of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich and Countess Agnes of Stolberg-Wernigerode.

Grand Duchess of Hesse

Royal Monogram of Princess Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich

Eleonore married

Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse , spouses = , issue = , house = Hesse-Darmstadt , father = Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine , mother = Princess Alice of the United Kingdom , birth_date = , birth_place = New Palace, Darmstadt, Gra ...

in Darmstadt on 2 February 1905. By marriage, she became Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine. As Grand Duchess, she took over the sponsor- and leadership of a number of charity organizations previously managed by her mother-in-law. When her spouse left to join the First world war in 1914, she was appointed to serve the affairs of state as regent in his absence. She was regarded as a competent regent. She equipped a hospital train to the front. The Hesse monarchy was abolished in 1918. Eleonore continued to manage her charitable programs after the introduction of democracy.

Death

Eleonore died in an airplane crash on her way to her son Louis' wedding in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. Also killed in the crash was her elder son Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse, his wife Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark, and their two sons, Ludwig and Alexander. The remains of their stillborn son was also found in the wreckage.

Orders and decorations

* : Lifesaving Medal on Band, ''20 April 1898'' * : ** Dame of the Order of the Golden Lion, in Diamonds, ''2 February 1905'' ** Grand Cross of the

Ludwig Order The Ludwig Order (german: Großherzoglich Hessischer Ludwigsorden), was an order of the Grand Duchy of Hesse which was awarded to meritorious soldiers and civilians from 1807 to 1918. History The order was founded by Louis I, Grand Duke of Hesse ...

, in Diamonds, ''2 February 1905''

Issue

Eleonore and Ernest Louis had two sons: *

Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse (''Georg Donatus Wilhelm Nikolaus Eduard Heinrich Karl'', 8 November 1906 – 16 November 1937) was the first child of Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse, and his second wife, Princess Eleonore of ...

(1906–1937), who married Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark (sister of

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 E ...

), and had issue. * Louis, Prince of Hesse and by Rhine (1908–1968). Married

Hon. ''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific Style (ma ...

Margaret Campbell Geddes, daughter of Lord Geddes, no issue. He adopted Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse as heir.

Ancestry

Notes

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich, Princess 1871 births 1937 deaths Grand Duchesses of Hesse Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Belgium Burials at the Mausoleum for the Grand Ducal House of Hesse, Rosenhöhe (Darmstadt) House of Hesse-Darmstadt House of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1937 20th-century women rulers 20th-century rulers in Europe