King/Grand Duke Willem III (1817-1890) Queen Sophie (1818-1877) and sons

**Marengo** · #1 04-04-2007, 06:30 PM

King Willem III (1817-1890), Queen Sophie (1818-1877) and sons

This thread is about King Willem III Alexander Paul Frederik Lodewijkof The Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Prince of Oranje-Nassau etc etc, (Brussels, Feb 19, 1817 - Het Loo, Apeldoorn, Nov 24, 1890) and Queen Sophie Friederike Mathilde of The Netherlands, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, Princess of Oranje-Nassau, Princess of Wurttemberg, (Stuttgart, June 17 1818 - The Hague, June 7, 1877)

Parents Willem: King Willem II of The Netherlands and Queen Anna Pavlovna of The Netherlands, nee Grand Duchess of Russia.

Parents Sophie: King Willem I of Wurttemberg and Queen Catharina Pavlovna of Wurttemberg, nee Grand Duchess of Russia.

Children Willem and Sophie: Prince Willem, Prince Maurits and Prince Alexander.

Second wife Willem III: Queen Adelheid Emma Wilhelmine Therese, nee Princess of Waldeck-Pyrmont

Daughter of Willem and Emma: Queen Wilhelmina of The Netherlands

Siblings Willem: Prince Alexander, Prince Casimir, Prince Hendrik of The Netherlands and Grand Duchess Sophie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.

(Half-)Siblings Sophie: Princess Marie of Wurttemberg, Countess of Neipperg, Princess Katharina of Wurttemberg, King Karl I of Wurttemberg,
Princess Auguste of Saxe-Weimar.

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painting left: King Willem III's enthronement painting
painting right: Queen Sophie painted by Francois Xavier Winterhaller

Note 1: All the pictures posted from post 1-20 are free of copyrights, unless stated differently.

Note 2: Most pictures were originally posted by Thijs at the Alexander Palace Forums

**Marengo** · #2 04-24-2007, 08:59 AM

King Willem III (from wikipedia)

William III, King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg (William Alexander Paul Frederick Louis of Orange-Nassau) (Willem Alexander Paul Frederik Lodewijk van Oranje-Nassau, Koning der Nederlanden en Groothertog van Luxemburg in Dutch) (February 19, 1817 – November 23, 1890) was King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg (1849–1890).

William was born in Brussels as son of William II of the Netherlands and Queen Anna, daughter of TsarPaul I of Russia and Empress Mari Fyodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg). In his early years, he served in the military.
He married his first cousin Sophie, daughter of King William I of Württemberg and Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna of Russia, in 1839. This marriage was unhappy and was characterized by struggles about their children. Sophie was a liberal intellectual, hating everything leaning toward dictatorship, such as the army. William was simpler, more conservative, and loved the military. He prohibited intellectual exercise at home, for which action Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, who corresponded with Sophie, called him an uneducated farmer. (His extramarital enthusiasms, however, led the New York Times to call him "the greatest debauchee of the age".) Another cause of marital tension (and later political tension) was his capriciousness; he could rage against someone one day, and be extremely polite the next.

read more about Willem III in this wikipedia article.

**Marengo** · #3 05-09-2007, 06:32 AM

King Willem III (2)

**Marengo** · #4 05-09-2007, 06:32 AM

Picture above left: King Willem III aka King Gorilla around 1880
Picture above right: King Willem III and his second wife Princess Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont
Picture below: King Willem III in one of the last years of his life

**Marengo** · #5 05-09-2007, 07:14 AM

Queen Sophie (from wikipedia)

Sophia Frederika Mathilde van Württemberg (17 June1818 – 3 June1877) was the first wife of King William III of the Netherlands.
She was born in Stuttgart, her parents were King William I of Württemberg and Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna of Russia, the fourth eldest daughter of TsarPaul I. Sophie and William (as her and William’s mother Queen Anna Paulowna were sisters) are first cousin. Shortly after Sophie’s birth, her mother died, and she was cared for by her aunt, Catharina of Württemberg.
Prior to her marriage, King Otto of Greece and Duke William of Brunswick were possible suitors for Princess Sophie. Political complications put a stop to the engagement with the first because Sophie's father had no confidence in the newly established Greek monarchy. Change prevented a proposal by the scond candidate because it was rumored that Sophie had already been bethored.

Read more about Queen Sophie in this wikipedia article

**Marengo** · #6 05-09-2007, 07:33 AM

Sophie

**Marengo** · #7 05-09-2007, 07:34 AM

The man above is the Duke of Brunswick, with whom Sophie fell in love. Sadly he had to give way for theheir to the more prestigious Dutch crown.

**Marengo** · #8 05-09-2007, 07:36 AM

Queen Sophie

**Marengo** · #9 05-09-2007, 07:36 AM

Queen Sophie

**Marengo** · #10 05-09-2007, 07:36 AM

Crownprince Willem (from wikipedia)

Prince William of Orange, Prince of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange-Nassau (Willem Nicolaas Alexander Frederik Karel Hendrik) (The Hague, September1840 – Paris, 11 June1879), was from 17 March1849 until his death the heir apparent of his father King William III of the Netherlands.

Prince William was the oldest son of King Willem III of the Netherlands and his first wife, Queen Sophie. His nickname was Wiwill. In 1849, after the death of his grandfather King Willem II of the Netherlands, he became the heir apparent. His Victorian upbringing turned out to be a disaster. His tutor punished him because of his masturbation, something that led to feelings of shame and of guilt. But he was said to possess a sharp mind.

After the failed plans for a marriage between Prince William and Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, the second eldest daughter of Queen Victoria, the prince fell in love with the noblewoman named Mathilde van Limburg Stirum. The relationship between the prince and his parents became very problematic, as the parents refused to accept Mathilde as his bride.

Read more about Wiwill in this wikipedia article

**Marengo** · #11 05-09-2007, 07:36 AM

Willem (2)

**Marengo** · #12 05-09-2007, 07:36 AM

Prince Maurits

**Marengo** · #13 05-09-2007, 07:37 AM

Prince Alexander (from madmonarchs)

The engagement and marriage of the Dutch Crown Prince Willem Alexander and Máxima Zorreguieta has resulted in a hype in The Netherlands. Hardly anyone, however, remembers the previous Dutch Crown Prince. His name was Alexander and he lived in the 19th century. He had progressive ideas and scientific and cultural interests, but he was also his mother's darling. After his mother's death he became extremely melancholic. He locked himself up in his residence, leaving only to visit his mother's vault.

Crown Prince Willem Alexander Karel Hendrik Frederik of The Netherlands (1851-1884) was the youngest son of King Willem III of The Netherlands (1817-1890) and his first cousin Sophie of Württemberg (1818-1877) . Around his birth on August 25, 1851, his parents were already fighting like cat and dog. King Willem did not hesitate to whip his wife with his riding whip. Queen Sophie had often trouble hiding the scratches and bruises inflicted by her husband. Sophie was an intellectual, progressive in thoughts, but melodramatic in behaviour. Willem could be jovial, but he was also hot-tempered, coarse and capricious . Both were pig-headed and Sophie's snobbery brought out the worst in Willem.

Read more of about Alexander in this article from madmonarchs.

**Marengo** · #14 05-09-2007, 07:37 AM

Alexander (2)

**Marengo** · #15 05-09-2007, 07:37 AM

**Marengo** · #16 05-09-2007, 07:37 AM

The relations of Queen Sophie with her Dutch in-laws was never to good. Sophie and her mother-in-law and aunt, Queen Anna Paulowna had an open dislike for each other. Anna seemed to reflect the dislike she had for her sister Katherine on Katherine's daughter Sophie. Sophie on the other hand always disliked all her Russian and Prussian relatives, Queen Anna being no exception. The only person in the family she had a somewhat close relationship with was the freemason Prince Frederik, second son of King Willem I and uncle of her husband. Sophie writes in her memoires however that she suspected that Prince Frederik was in love with her and by some it was said that the two were lovers, a rumour not based on any evidence though.

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Below: A painting of the Dutch Royal family around 1860. Standing in the middle is King Willem III, next ro him is his wife Sophie. The other lady who is sitting is Princess Marie of Wied, daughter of Prince Frederik. She is holding her eldest son. The three men on the left are Prince Hendrik, Prince Frederik and the Fuert of Wied, Frederiks son-in-law. The gentlemen on the right are princes Alexander and Willem, sons of the King and Queen.

**Marengo** · #17 05-09-2007, 08:03 AM

Drawing above: King Wilhelm I of Wurttemberg and his family. Above you see the King and his 3rd wife Queen Pauline. The young man is their son Karl. Below him are Princess Sophie and her sister Princess Marie (Countess of Neipperg) and completely below are Princesses Katherine and Pauline of Wurttemberg.
Painting below right: King Wilhelm I of Wurttemberg, father of Queen Sophie.
Drawing below left: King Wilhelm I of Wurttemberg, father of Queen Sophie.

**Marengo** · #18 05-09-2007, 08:03 AM

The relations between Sophie and her sister-in-law Olga was rather cool. Sophie found her Russian sister-in-law to pushy and she thought that Olga overpowered her (weak) husband completely. The Russian background of Olga didn't help their relations either, Sophie disliked all her Russian relatives and named them cold, haughty, aloof etc.

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Painting above left: Queen Pauline of Wurttemberg with her eldest daughter Katherine, stephmother and half-sister of Queen Sophie
Buste above right: A buste of Princess Katherine of Wurttemberg,m half-sister of Queen Sophie
Picture middle left: King Karl I of Wurttemberg, half-brother of Queen Sophie
Painting middle right: Queen Olga Nicolaievna of Wurttemberg, sister-in-law of Queen Sophie
Painting below: Queen Pauline of Wurttemberg, wearing a magnificent tiara that is still owned by the Wurttemberg family today.

**Marengo** · #19 05-09-2007, 08:03 AM

Picture above left: Queen Pauline of Wurttemberg, stephmother of Queen Sophie
Painting above right: Queen Olga Nicolaievna of Wurttemberg, sister-in-law of Queen Sophie
Painting below: Princess Katherine of Wurttemberg, half-sister of Queen Sophie

**Marengo** · #20 05-09-2007, 08:13 AM

Queen Sophie's salon in Palace Noordeinde, around 1870: