Monday, October 3, 2022

Cecilie Of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Crown Princess of Prussia

From Esoteric Curiosa:

Duchess Cecilie Of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was born September 20, 1886, the youngest daughter and child of Grand Duke Friederich Francis III of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and of his wife Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia. Although born at the family Schloss of Schwerin, Duchess Cecilie spent little of her youth at her home on the Baltic Sea. Her father, being a confirmed invalid was obliged to live in the south. Taking up abode at Cannes on the French Riviera, where he built the famous Villa Wenden. Cecilie's grand ducal parents were an ill suited couple at best and stormy scenes between the two were frequent. Grand Duchess Anastasia, born a Russian Grand Duchess, having inherited many of her despotic and eccentricies of her Romanov ancestors, was quite a bit for her husband to handle and dominated his softer nature. 

In 1897 even the most hardened habitues of the Riviera were shocked by the tragic and sudden death of Cecilie's father, who in a moment of despondency supposedly threw himself off the wall from Villa Wenden. At the time of her engagement to Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany, Cecilie was described "as a vivacious little blonde, with Dresden China figure, brown eyed and of healthy complexion, with a sunny disposition; she was an excellent liguist and fond of sport. but not the least horsy!" Duchess Cecilie married William on 6 June 1905 in Berlin. Once she was married she was styled Her Imperial and Royal Highness The German Crown Princess and was also Crown Princess of Prussia. Her husband died in 1951, making her Dowager Princess. Cecilie died on 6 May 1954 of a stroke and had been ill for some time leading up to this. She and her husband are buried in the grounds of Hohenzollern Castle. (Read more.)

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