| Duchess Marie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Countess George Jametel Princess Julius Ernst of Lippe | |||||
 | |||||
| Born | (1878-05-08)8 May 1878 Neustrelitz,German Empire | ||||
| Died | 14 October 1948(1948-10-14) (aged 70) Oberkassel,Allied-occupied Germany | ||||
| Spouse | |||||
| Issue | Count George Jametel Countess Marie Jametel Princess Elisabeth of Lippe Prince Ernst August of Lippe | ||||
| |||||
| House | Mecklenburg-Strelitz | ||||
| Father | Adolphus Frederick V, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz | ||||
| Mother | Elisabeth of Anhalt | ||||
Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Victoria Marie Auguste Luise Antoinette Karoline Leopoldine; 8 May 1878 – 14 October 1948) was the eldest daughter ofAdolf Friedrich V, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and his wifePrincess Elisabeth of Anhalt.
Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was born on 8 May 1878 inNeustrelitz. She was the eldest child and daughter ofAdolphus Frederick V, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, andPrincess Elisabeth of Anhalt. Nearly a month after her birth, Duchess Marie was christened into theLutheran church on 2 June at theCarolinenpalais in Neustrelitz.[1] She was given the namesVictoria Marie Auguste Luise Antoinette Karoline Leopoldine.
During her childhood, Marie and her younger sisterJutta were looked after by a handful governesses.[1] Their parents rarely saw them.[2]
As a young woman of 19, Marie became pregnant by a palace servant in 1897.[3] The servant, a married man named Heinrich Hecht, was responsible for turning off the gas-lights in the bedrooms of the grand ducal children.[3] Several of Marie's cousins, including the future KingGeorge V of the United Kingdom andWilliam II, German Emperor, thought that Marie had been "hypnotised", whileQueen Victoria of the United Kingdom thought that Marie "must have been drugged".[3] Hecht was dismissed from service on the charge of stealing; his subsequent lawsuit against the grand ducal family made the details of the story public.[3] The story made radical newspaper headlines in its day.[4]
A daughter was born to Marie in 1898; she was raised under the protection of Marie's grandmotherAugusta, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.[5]
Marie went to France, where she met Count GeorgeJametel (1859–1944), the son of Ernest Jametel, a banker and patent medicine manufacturer, and nephew of the politicianCount Gustave-Louis Jametel; he had received thePapal title ofCount fromPope Leo XIII in 1886. The acquaintance proceeded at a brisk pace, and Marie and George were married on 22 June 1899, only one year after the birth of Marie's illegitimate child, at the insistence of her maternal grandmotherGrand Duchess Augusta Caroline of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.[6] The wedding was held at the Catholic Chapel of St. Elizabeth inRichmond Park, London, nearWhite Lodge, the home of Marie's late great-auntthe Duchess of Teck. A second, Anglican wedding ceremony was held the same day at the Parish Church ofKew.[7] Even though the marriage wasmorganatic, many members of Marie's family attended the wedding, including her grandparents, parents, and three siblings. The wedding breakfast was given by her great-unclethe Duke of Cambridge at Cambridge Cottage, Kew.[8]
Marie and George received a large financial settlement ($200,000) from Marie's father.[9] They lived in the Faubourg St. Germain inParis. They had two children:
Marie's husband George had several affairs, most notoriously with the marriedInfanta Eulalia of Spain, daughter ofIsabella II of Spain.[10] In January 1908, Marie applied for a divorce from George.[9][11] She accused the Count of having married her for her money, and of having continued his affair with Infanta Eulalia.[3] When the matter went to court, Marie's own scandalous past, as the unwed mother of amanservant's child, was revealed and thrown in her face; as a result, Marie's family suffered much public disgrace. In August the same year, while the case was still proceeding in court, Marie's youngest brother, the nineteen-year-old Duke Karl Borwin of Mecklenburg, felt moved to challenge his brother-in-law to a duel, supposedly in defence of Marie's honour. The duel took place, and it was Borwin who was killed.[12] Marie and George were divorced 31 December 1908.[13] During the divorce, custody of the son George was initially granted to the father and the daughter Marie Auguste to the mother. However, it was later agreed that the son would divide his time equally between both parents.[14] Having lost her fortune due to the divorce,[3] Marie resumed the use of her Mecklenburg title and lived in theBlasewitz section ofDresden.
On 11 August 1914, atNeustrelitz, Marie married equallyPrince Julius Ernst of Lippe (1873–1952), third son ofCount Ernst of Lippe-Biesterfeld, regent ofLippe, younger brother ofLeopold IV, Prince of Lippe and uncle ofPrince Bernhard of the Netherlands.[15]
After their marriage Marie and Julius lived in Blasewitz and they later moved toLippesches Palais inOberkassel nearBonn. They had two children:
Duchess Marie died 14 October 1948 inOberkassel, nearBonn, aged 70. She is buried beside her second husband in theMausoleum am Büchenberg inDetmold, which is aLippe family mausoleum.[16]
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