Princess Caroline Augusta of Bavaria was the 4th wife of the last Holy Roman Emperor Franz II (first Emperor of Austria). He died in 1835 and she died in February 1873 a difference of 38 years
Empress Catherine II the Great of Russia (Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst). Although she became an Empress of Russia in her own right after the death of her husband Emperor Peter III of Russia. He died in 1762 and she died in 1796 a difference of 34 years.
Empress Maria Feodorovna (Dagmar of Denmark) the widow of Emperor Alexander III of Russia. He died in 1894 and she died in 1928 a difference of 34 years.
Marie de' Medici, Queen of France and Navarre as the second wife of King Henri IV of France and Navarre. He was assassinated in 1610 and she died in 1642 a difference of 32 years.
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That Princess Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont was widowed early was no surprise, since she married (as his second wife) King Willem III of the Netherlands, who was more than 40 years her senior. The same could be said of her sister Helen, who married Prince Leopold of the United Kingdom, Duke of Albany -- the hemophilic youngest son of Queen Victoria. Although both widows were young enough to catch new husbands, neither remarried. As such, they had long widowhoods (44 and 38 years, respectively).
Emma's Spanish counterpart, who was born Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria and became the second queen consort of King Alfonso XII, was also widowed early and found herself serving as regent for a minor sovereign. Her widowhood also lasted 44 years.
Other notable examples of long widowhoods are those of Great Britain's Queen Victoria (39 years) and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (50 years); Infanta Antonia of Portugal (52 years), second wife of Duke Roberto of Parma; Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma (67 years), the last empress of Austria; and Princess Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg (43 years), wife of Dom Miguel of Portugal.
Can anybody name additional examples of notable royal women in the last 200 years, who were longtime widows (at least 30 years)?
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