alternatehistory.com
Tour and Wedding
As well as his years on the Privy Council, Prince William of Wales, took on a new role of touring foreign nations on his father's behalf as well as searching for a suitable future bride. He left Britain, in January 1835, aged 15, with a large household around him. William would begin his visit, with a stop in Belgium, where he was graciously hosted by Leopold I, who regaled him tales of his time as husband of William's own late cousin, Princess Charlotte of Wales and introducing William to Leopold's thirteen year old niece Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, daughter of Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Maria Antonia Koháry de Csábrág, however there was no connection between the pair.
From Belgium, the royal tour, traveled through Prussian held provinces of Rhine Province and Westphalia, the Prince was able to see the influence the Prussian hyper-masculine military culture and monarchy was having on these lands.
Arriving in mid-March in the Prince's father's other domain, the Kingdom of Hanover, where his uncle, Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge was serving as Viceroy of Hanover, along with his cousin, Prince George and Princess Augusta of Cambridge, the time spent with his cousin, George created a bond that would serve both the men a life time of loyalty and friendship, however Augusta, was a formidable force and did not take to William's liberal views.
Leaving Hanover, in late May, his household, traveled northward to Denmark, where William was welcomed with kind hospitality, by 67 year old Frederick IV, housed in Palace of Amalienborg in Copenhagen. Frederick was the son of King Christian VII and Caroline Matilda of Great Britain, Christian was himself, son of a British princess, Louise of Great Britain. Although 42 years separated the pair, the conversations between them were heard by staff to continue though out the day and into the late hours of the night. Frederick suggested that William would be a charming and caring match for his youngest daughter, Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark, however, she was 13 years older than Prince William and only separated from her husband Prince Frederick of Denmark, with a divorce on the cards, Vilhelmine, would cause a great crisis in the British constitution, which William knew he couldn't allow. While inside the palace, Frederick, granted an private and personal reading of the "Fairy Tales Told for Children" by an author named, Hans Christian Andersen, Prince William, fell in love with these tales and requested a published book in English to be sent to his home in London, for him to read to himself and his future issues. He left the Kingdom of Denmark, sailing from Copenhagen, through the Baltic sea, for Stockholm Sweden in Early-July.
In Russia, William stayed with Russian Tsar, Nicholas I and his family in the Winter Palace, seeing the beautiful country in its warm summer scene of August, he caught the eyes of both of Nicholas's eldest daughters, Grand Duchess Maria and Grand Duchess Olga, however he found Olga to be non-challenging, while Nicholas did not want his eldest daughter, Maria, who William found to be attentive and generous with strong liberal views, to leave Russia to live abroad.
William and his entourage would bid the Russian family, good bye on the 8th September, traveling toward Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, the royal party would reach the Hohenzollern household, in late September, with the elderly Frederick William III of Prussia gratefully welcoming the British heir.
King Frederick William, had hoped to have a Hohenzollern bride wed William, forming a strong alliance with Britain, however his daughter's were already married and his granddaughters, were too young.
The visit was a short one, with the Prince, traveling south towards Vienna, before September was even finished, while sitting in his stage coach, Prince William of Wales, would spend his time observing the country side of Europe, which still bared scares of the Napoleonic War, and arriving at the Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, in mid-October, he was greeted warmly by Prince Klemens von Metternich, Austria's Foreign Minister, who represented the mentally deficienct, Emperor Ferdinand of Austria, whom had succeeded to the throne on March 2, of this year, following the death of his father, Francis, the last Holy Roman Emperor.
Leaving Vienna on 3rd November, the court would make their way West, aiming for France, along the Germanic side of the Alps. King Louis Philippe I, tried desperately to persuade the young Prince of Wales to consider marrying his youngest daughter, Princess Clémentine of Orléans, who was described as "possessing great beauty and accomplishments," going as far as stating he would request a decree from Pope Gregory XVI (although many believed that the strongly conservative and traditionalist Pope would have said no)
Prince William, having grown up learning about King James II, the Glorious Revolution and seeing the great strife that was still in Britain, knew that a Catholic bride would have consequences that didn't bare thinking about.
On his last day in Paris, Prince William, was expected to return straight to Great Britain, however he was invited to visit the Netherlands as an honoured guest at the court of William I, it was while in this beautiful country, that William fell in love with Princess Sophie, the granddaughter of William I, through his heir Prince William of Orange.
He requested a extension on his visit as to spend his 16th birthday with the Dutch royal family, secretly he would as King William I permission and on 25 December, he requested that Princess Sophie, did him the honour of being his wife, as expected she was quick to accept and so it was set, with his father's ailing health at 72 years old, on 25 November 1837 at the age of 18, Prince William of Wales was wed to Princess Wilhelmine Marie Sophie Louise of the Netherlands (8 April 1824 – 23 March 1897) in one of the grandest weddings in European history, with foreign dignities such as Léopold I, King of the Belgians (uncle of William's cousin, Princess Alexandria), King Louis Philippe I of France, and representing Frederick William III of Prussia, was his forty year old, second son, Prince William of Prussia (future Emperor of Germany)
As well as President Andrew Jackson being represented by former American chargé d'affaires in London, Aaron Vail. Prince William, refused the offer of United States Minister to the United Kingdom, Andrew Stevenson, to attend, due to Stevenson's controversial standing of being a slave owner, going against the Prince's abolitionism views.
The grooms side:
King William IV (Father)
Queen Adelaide (Mother)
Princess Alexandria of Kent and Strathearn (cousin)
The Dowager Duchess of Kent and Strathearn (aunt)
The Princess Augusta Sophia (aunt)
The Prince Ernest Augustus Duke of Cumberland and Duchess Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (uncle and aunt)
Prince George of Cumberland (cousin and Groomsman)
The Duke of Sussex and Lady Cecilia Underwood (uncle and aunt)
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (uncle and aunt)
Prince George of Cambridge (cousin, bestman and groomsman)
Princess Augusta of Cambridge (cousin)
Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge (cousin)
The Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh (aunt)
The Princess Sophia (aunt)
The bridal train was carried by these bridesmaids:
- Maid of Honour, was bestowed on to Princess Alexandria of Kent, cousin of Prince William and third in line to the throne at this time.
- Princess Wilhelmina Frederika Alexandrine Anna Louise, cousin of the bride, through Prince Frederick of the Netherlands, the second child of King William I of the Netherlands and Wilhelmina of Prussia, youngest at only 10 years old.
- Lady Mary Howard, granddaughter of the Duke of Norfolk, Earl Marshal and premier peer of the realm
- Princess Augusta of Cambridge, cousin of Prince William
- Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, cousin of Prince William
- Lady Caroline Gordon-Lennox, daughter of the Duke of Richmond and Lennox
- Lady Elizabeth Howard, daughter of the Earl of Carlisle
- Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, daughter of the Earl Stanhope
- Lady Sarah Villiers, daughter of the Earl of Jersey
- Lady Elizabeth Sackville-West, daughter of the Earl De La Warr
- Lady Ida Hay, daughter of the Earl of Erroll
- Lady Jane Pleydell-Bouverie, daughter of the Earl of Radnor
Princess Sophie was chosen not only for her closeness of age, but also whom through her great-grandfather, William V, Prince of Orange's mother Anne, Princess Royal, she is related to George I, and on her other side she is the Great-great maternal granddaughter of George I, via Sophia Dorothea of Hanover. Her links to Prussia and Russia, being the great granddaughter of Peter III of Russia, Catherine the Great and Frederick William II of Prussia, also made her an idea choice for Prince William.
She was described by her husband's aunt, Victoria, Dowerger Duchess of Kent and Strathearn, thusly "Sophie was not my first though of as a future Queen of Great Britain, due to being extremely ugly, she has however showed great strength and personality, being a most imposing Princess. She is clever, too, and upheld the reputation of the Hanover family. As a Princess of the Netherlands by birth, she kept and maintained at her court the traditions in which she had been reared. Notwithstanding her want of beauty, moreover, she presented a splendid figure, being always magnificently dressed and covered with wonderful jewels."
View attachment 419646
From Belgium, the royal tour, traveled through Prussian held provinces of Rhine Province and Westphalia, the Prince was able to see the influence the Prussian hyper-masculine military culture and monarchy was having on these lands.
Arriving in mid-March in the Prince's father's other domain, the Kingdom of Hanover, where his uncle, Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge was serving as Viceroy of Hanover, along with his cousin, Prince George and Princess Augusta of Cambridge, the time spent with his cousin, George created a bond that would serve both the men a life time of loyalty and friendship, however Augusta, was a formidable force and did not take to William's liberal views.
Leaving Hanover, in late May, his household, traveled northward to Denmark, where William was welcomed with kind hospitality, by 67 year old Frederick IV, housed in Palace of Amalienborg in Copenhagen. Frederick was the son of King Christian VII and Caroline Matilda of Great Britain, Christian was himself, son of a British princess, Louise of Great Britain. Although 42 years separated the pair, the conversations between them were heard by staff to continue though out the day and into the late hours of the night. Frederick suggested that William would be a charming and caring match for his youngest daughter, Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark, however, she was 13 years older than Prince William and only separated from her husband Prince Frederick of Denmark, with a divorce on the cards, Vilhelmine, would cause a great crisis in the British constitution, which William knew he couldn't allow. While inside the palace, Frederick, granted an private and personal reading of the "Fairy Tales Told for Children" by an author named, Hans Christian Andersen, Prince William, fell in love with these tales and requested a published book in English to be sent to his home in London, for him to read to himself and his future issues. He left the Kingdom of Denmark, sailing from Copenhagen, through the Baltic sea, for Stockholm Sweden in Early-July.
In Russia, William stayed with Russian Tsar, Nicholas I and his family in the Winter Palace, seeing the beautiful country in its warm summer scene of August, he caught the eyes of both of Nicholas's eldest daughters, Grand Duchess Maria and Grand Duchess Olga, however he found Olga to be non-challenging, while Nicholas did not want his eldest daughter, Maria, who William found to be attentive and generous with strong liberal views, to leave Russia to live abroad.
William and his entourage would bid the Russian family, good bye on the 8th September, traveling toward Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, the royal party would reach the Hohenzollern household, in late September, with the elderly Frederick William III of Prussia gratefully welcoming the British heir.
King Frederick William, had hoped to have a Hohenzollern bride wed William, forming a strong alliance with Britain, however his daughter's were already married and his granddaughters, were too young.
The visit was a short one, with the Prince, traveling south towards Vienna, before September was even finished, while sitting in his stage coach, Prince William of Wales, would spend his time observing the country side of Europe, which still bared scares of the Napoleonic War, and arriving at the Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, in mid-October, he was greeted warmly by Prince Klemens von Metternich, Austria's Foreign Minister, who represented the mentally deficienct, Emperor Ferdinand of Austria, whom had succeeded to the throne on March 2, of this year, following the death of his father, Francis, the last Holy Roman Emperor.
Leaving Vienna on 3rd November, the court would make their way West, aiming for France, along the Germanic side of the Alps. King Louis Philippe I, tried desperately to persuade the young Prince of Wales to consider marrying his youngest daughter, Princess Clémentine of Orléans, who was described as "possessing great beauty and accomplishments," going as far as stating he would request a decree from Pope Gregory XVI (although many believed that the strongly conservative and traditionalist Pope would have said no)
Prince William, having grown up learning about King James II, the Glorious Revolution and seeing the great strife that was still in Britain, knew that a Catholic bride would have consequences that didn't bare thinking about.
On his last day in Paris, Prince William, was expected to return straight to Great Britain, however he was invited to visit the Netherlands as an honoured guest at the court of William I, it was while in this beautiful country, that William fell in love with Princess Sophie, the granddaughter of William I, through his heir Prince William of Orange.
He requested a extension on his visit as to spend his 16th birthday with the Dutch royal family, secretly he would as King William I permission and on 25 December, he requested that Princess Sophie, did him the honour of being his wife, as expected she was quick to accept and so it was set, with his father's ailing health at 72 years old, on 25 November 1837 at the age of 18, Prince William of Wales was wed to Princess Wilhelmine Marie Sophie Louise of the Netherlands (8 April 1824 – 23 March 1897) in one of the grandest weddings in European history, with foreign dignities such as Léopold I, King of the Belgians (uncle of William's cousin, Princess Alexandria), King Louis Philippe I of France, and representing Frederick William III of Prussia, was his forty year old, second son, Prince William of Prussia (future Emperor of Germany)
As well as President Andrew Jackson being represented by former American chargé d'affaires in London, Aaron Vail. Prince William, refused the offer of United States Minister to the United Kingdom, Andrew Stevenson, to attend, due to Stevenson's controversial standing of being a slave owner, going against the Prince's abolitionism views.
The grooms side:
King William IV (Father)
Queen Adelaide (Mother)
Princess Alexandria of Kent and Strathearn (cousin)
The Dowager Duchess of Kent and Strathearn (aunt)
The Princess Augusta Sophia (aunt)
The Prince Ernest Augustus Duke of Cumberland and Duchess Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (uncle and aunt)
Prince George of Cumberland (cousin and Groomsman)
The Duke of Sussex and Lady Cecilia Underwood (uncle and aunt)
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (uncle and aunt)
Prince George of Cambridge (cousin, bestman and groomsman)
Princess Augusta of Cambridge (cousin)
Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge (cousin)
The Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh (aunt)
The Princess Sophia (aunt)
The bridal train was carried by these bridesmaids:
- Maid of Honour, was bestowed on to Princess Alexandria of Kent, cousin of Prince William and third in line to the throne at this time.
- Princess Wilhelmina Frederika Alexandrine Anna Louise, cousin of the bride, through Prince Frederick of the Netherlands, the second child of King William I of the Netherlands and Wilhelmina of Prussia, youngest at only 10 years old.
- Lady Mary Howard, granddaughter of the Duke of Norfolk, Earl Marshal and premier peer of the realm
- Princess Augusta of Cambridge, cousin of Prince William
- Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, cousin of Prince William
- Lady Caroline Gordon-Lennox, daughter of the Duke of Richmond and Lennox
- Lady Elizabeth Howard, daughter of the Earl of Carlisle
- Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, daughter of the Earl Stanhope
- Lady Sarah Villiers, daughter of the Earl of Jersey
- Lady Elizabeth Sackville-West, daughter of the Earl De La Warr
- Lady Ida Hay, daughter of the Earl of Erroll
- Lady Jane Pleydell-Bouverie, daughter of the Earl of Radnor
Princess Sophie was chosen not only for her closeness of age, but also whom through her great-grandfather, William V, Prince of Orange's mother Anne, Princess Royal, she is related to George I, and on her other side she is the Great-great maternal granddaughter of George I, via Sophia Dorothea of Hanover. Her links to Prussia and Russia, being the great granddaughter of Peter III of Russia, Catherine the Great and Frederick William II of Prussia, also made her an idea choice for Prince William.
She was described by her husband's aunt, Victoria, Dowerger Duchess of Kent and Strathearn, thusly "Sophie was not my first though of as a future Queen of Great Britain, due to being extremely ugly, she has however showed great strength and personality, being a most imposing Princess. She is clever, too, and upheld the reputation of the Hanover family. As a Princess of the Netherlands by birth, she kept and maintained at her court the traditions in which she had been reared. Notwithstanding her want of beauty, moreover, she presented a splendid figure, being always magnificently dressed and covered with wonderful jewels."
View attachment 419646
- Jonathan
- Word Count: 1.6k