OTD February 17th. 1861 - Princess Helen of Waldeck and Pyrmont

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Princess Helen of Waldeck and Pyrmont was born on February 17th. 1861 in Arolsen (now located in Germany).



Family

Her parents were George Victor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont and Princess Helena of Nassau.
She was thus a sister of Emma, Queen Consort of William III of the Netherlands.



Love and Marriage

The sisters, Helena, Emma and Pauline were considered as a second wife for King William III of the Netherlands, however Emma became his consort. Later, Helena met Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and the youngest son of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, at the suggestion of her mother.

In November 1881, the two became engaged. On April 27th. 1882, Leopold and Helena married in the St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. After their wedding, the Royal Couple resided at Claremont House. The couple had a brief, but happy marriage.

Unfortunately, Leopold died of haemophilia after a fall in Cannes France in March 1884. Then, Helena was pregnant with their second child.

The couple had two children:

- Princess Alice of Albany, later Countess of Athlone
- Prince Charles, Duke of Albany, later Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha



Duty

Princess Alice of Albany said that her mother was very intelligent and she had a strong sense of duty too. Helena liked to go among the people and Queen Victoria soon came to regard her young daughter-in-law with respect and affection.

In 1899, Helena opened the Albany institute. During World War I, Helena was involved in several hospital charities. In 1899, Helena's son the Duke of Albany was selected as the new heir to the German Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He took residence there. When the First World War broke out he fought in the German army. Due to this, he was stripped out of his British titles.

Helena's daughter, Alice, remained in England, through her marriage she became a sister-in- law of George V's consort, Queen Mary.

Death

Helena died on September 1st. 1922 of a heart attack in Tyrol, Austria.

Legacy

Through her son she is a great-grandmother of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.

Source pictures: Wikipedia
Location: United Kingdom

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