Louise Marie Amélie (18 Feb. 1858 - 1 Mar. 1924) of Belgium, Princess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was the first child of King Leopold II of the Belgians and his wife Queen Marie-Henriette.
Her birth was a severe blow for her father, King Leopold II as he was hoping for a son. Princess Louise grew up at the court of Laeken, and received a Spartan upbringing, slightly tempered by the nice moments she shared with her younger brother Prince Leopold and her younger sister Princess Stefanie.
In 1875, at 17 years of age the barely adult Louise was forced to marry her second cousin, Prince Philip of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, who belonged to the wealthy Hungarian branch of the Coburg family and who was 14 years older then his bride. From the marriage two children were born, Princess Dorothea and Prince Leopold, but the marriage was by no means succesfull. Leopold II however was proud as his marriage strategy, which almost meant that he sold his daughter with the eye on political issues. His inexperienced daughter quickly found herself waking up in a nightmare. Already on her first night with her husband she exchanges their bed for the glasshouses of Laeken, where she was hiding in fear. Her mother Marie-Henriette however points out to her the duties of a Princess and she has to return...
After her marriage the Princess moved to Vienna, far away from her familiar and safe envronment. Her motherhad already told her many stories about the Habsburg court, but still it was very different from what she expected. She was bedazzled by the glitter and glamour which seemed without an end. Due to her birth and marriage she was allowed into the close circle around the Emperor and the -usually absent- Empress. The couple enjoyed it that they were allowed to sit at the Imperial table and received many important curteseys. The Princess, who was financially dependent on her husband, started to enjoy her new and cosmopolitan life in Vienna to the fullest.
