Her father was William ( Guillaume ) IV von Nassau, Grand Duke of Luxemburg (1852- ) Her mother was Marie-Anne, Princess of Braganca, Princess ( Infanta ) of Portugal.
William and Marie-Ann had six children, all girls. We have no information at this time on how the children were dressed. All of the girls except the two oldest married German princes.
Marie Adelaide was born in 1894. She never married. After Luxemburg was liberated from the Germans following World War I s was accused of pro-German sympathies. As a result, she abdicated in 1919. At this time Luxemburg almost became a republic. This is what happened throughout Germany when the Kaisser and other German royals were forced to abdigate. Marie Adelaide died in 1924.
Charlotte was the second child.
Hilda was born in 1897. She mariied Prince Adolf of Schwarzenburg.
Antonia was born in 1899. She married Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria (1899- ) in 1921 after his family had been deposed. It was his second marriage and he was quite a bit older than her. The Bacarian royal family was deposed in 1918, but the Luxemburg royal family was not.
Elisabeth was born in 1901. She married Prince Ludwig Philipp of Thurn und Taxis (1901- ).
Sophie was born in 1902. She married Prince Ernst Heinrich of Saxony (1902-1941)
Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg was born at Berg Castle on January 23, 1896. We have no information on her childhood at this time.
After the abdication of her elder sister, Princess Charlotte, became Grand Duchess (January 15, 1919). The titled heads of Germany in 1918-19 were dethroned throughout thevnew Republic as a result of the disaster of World War I. There was talk of also creating a republic in Luxembourg. The people of Luxembourg which had been occupied by the German Army, however, voted in a plebiscite by an overwhelming majority to confirm her title and position (September 28, 1919).
Charlotte after the plebiscite on November 6, 1919, married Prince Félix of Bourbon-Parma (1893-1970) (November 6, 1919). Félix became Prince Consort. Félix was her cousin on their mothers' side. Both Charlotte and Félix were great grand-children of the exiled king Miguel of Portugal.
|
Charlotte and Félix had six children. The family included four girls and two boys. John ( Jean ) who was born in 1921. The other children were born in relatively short secession. The youngest child was Alix who was born in 1929. We know very little about the family and the childhood of the children at this time. The royal family fled the country when the Germans invaded for a second time (1940). They spent the war in Britain, returning after the War. Grand Duchess Charlotte abdicated in favor of John in 1964.
We have only limited information on how the children were dressed. The girls all wore dresses. The boys all wore wore short pants suits when younger.
Luxembourg attempted to remain neutral, but was engulfhed by the World War II. The Germans invaded neutral Luxembourg again in 1940 and the Duchy had to endure a second German occupation, this time even more brutal. Charlotte with her family fled to Portugal and from there to England. A Government in exile was formed in London. Charlotte's husband Felix and her son Jean served in the allied army fighting the Germans. The NAZIs regarded Luxembourg rather like Alsace as rightfully part of Germany. This time Luxembourg was incorporated into the Reich by the NAZIs until liberation in 1945. Thousands of her people were conscripted by the NAZIs for service in the German military and for slave labor in the Reich.
Grand Duchess Charlotte abdicated in favor of John in 1964.
Grand Duchess Charlotte died on July 9, 1985. On the day after her death, the government decided to have a monument erected in memory of this great and noble lady. The monument, financed by national subscription, was inaugurated on April 29, 1990 at the Place Clairefontaine in Luxembourg.
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site royal pages:
[Return to the Main Luxembourg royalty page]
[Return to the Main royal pages]
[Austria]
[Belgium]
[Denmark]
[France]
[Germany]
[Italy]
[Japan]
[Jordon]
[Monaco]
[Netherlands]
[Norway]
[Portugal]
[Romania]
[Russia]
[Spain]
[United Kingdom]
[Yugoslavia]
