And yes, I was referring to Sophie-Charlotte when I said "almost another queen to Bavaria", next to the Emperess of Austria and the Queen of Naples.
Not queen of Bavaria, since King Ludwig II broke off his engagement to Marie Gabrielle's aunt Sophie. Both younger daughters of Duke Carl Theodor married in the same year; but I'm not sure which engagement was announced first.
I know that it's considered taboo in many cultures for younger sisters to marry before older sisters. But it seems to have happened numerous times in European royal history. Look at Marie Gabrielle's maternal aunt Maria Ana, Infanta of Portugal: she married in 1893, nine years after her younger sister, Infanta Antonia (second wife of Duke Roberto of Parma).
A "modest" ducal house that had provided an Emperess to Austria, a Queen to Naples, almost another Queen to Bavaria and three months later, a Queen to Belgium. Is it known which engagement was made public first ? Elisabeth, the elder who married in Oct.1900 or M.Gabriele, the younger, who married in July.1900 ?
Strange that the younger married before the elder...
I read somewhere that his parents were opposed to the marriage because the two were too closely related. In fact, Rupprecht and Marie Gabrielle were only second cousins, once removed. Another source stated that his father was opposed because of her *modest* background -- being a member of the ducal branch of the Wittelsbachs. Evidently he preferred for his son to marry a princess from a foreign royal house.
If monarchy had not been abolished, and if she had survived her father-in-law, Duchess Marie Gabriele in Bayern might have become queen of Bavaria together with her husband king Rupprecht
Has there ever been a queen consort of a country who was born a princess of her native dynasty? Such a thing would have resulted from a cousin marriage. It could have happened in the UK, had the man we know in history who eventually became King George V married his first cousin Marie, Princess of Edinburgh, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Princess "Missy", however, acted strongly under the influence of her mother in rejecting his hand.
Despite the fact that he had been created into the Duke of York by then, second and direct in the line of succession to the throne (his older brother having died unmarried and without issue), the Duchess of Edinburgh worked to prevent the union. Her actions were simply out of spite against the British royal family (who were in favor of the match), since she had been made to accept a low rank in the royal court -- despite being the only daughter of Czar Alexander II of Russia.
Anyhow, I was wondering about other countries, and whether there have been native-born queens consort (not regnant).
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