Today in History - November 30th. 1870 - Princess Henriette of Belgium
On November 30th. 1870, Princess Henriette of Belgium was born in Brussels (capital of Belgium).
source picture: Wikipedia
Princess Henriette was the daughter of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders (brother of King Leopold II) and Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen.
In 1896, Princess Henriette married Prince Emmanuel of Orléans, (8th. Duke of Vendôme). He was a great-grandson of King Louis-Philippe of France.
They had 4 children.
A current view of Brussels - Own picture
Duty
Henriette was a great sportswoman, and was often considered the best shot among royal women.
On one occasion, she killed a stag that had already killed another, making her very popular in Belgian sporting circles. She even earned the sobriquet the "Sporting Duchess". In 1908, she accompanied her husband to the Rocky Mountains in the United States to shoot grizzly bears.
She often did royal visits for her brother King Albert. In 1914 for instance, she visited a hospital in Neuilly that was treating American troops.
In two letters, Henriette and her sister-in-law Queen Elisabeth expressed their appreciation and asked for more support from the American Commission For Relief in Belgium, which had been giving donations to the Belgian people ever since the German invasion.
Death
Henriette Marie of Belgium died aged 77, on 28 March 1948, in Sierre, Valais, Switzerland.

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