Princess Viktoria Luise Of Prussia

Victoria Louise of Prussia (German: Viktoria Luise Adelheid Mathilde Charlotte) was born on 13 September 1892 at the Marmorpalais in Potsdam. She was the seventh child and only daughter of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein. Her paternal lineage includes Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, making her a great-granddaughter of the British monarch.

Her baptism took place on 22 October 1892 in the Marble Gallery of the New Palace in Potsdam, coinciding with her mother's birthday. She was named Victoria after her great-grandmother and Louise after her great-great-grandmother, Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The family nickname for her was "Sissy."

Historian Justin C. Vovk characterizes her as intelligent, stately, and dignified, with a nature that was sometimes imperious and willful. She was known to enjoy being the center of attention and was her father's favored child. Her early years were spent primarily at Homburg Castle, where she and her brother Prince Joachim would visit their cousins at Kronberg Castle. She received music lessons from concert pianist Sandra Droucker starting in 1905 and traveled to England briefly in 1911 with her family for the unveiling of a statue of Queen Victoria near Buckingham Palace. Her confirmation occurred on 18 October 1909 at Friedenskirche in Potsdam.

In 1912, Victoria Louise became engaged to Prince Ernest Augustus of Hanover, heir apparent to the ducal title of Brunswick and a member of the House of Hanover living in exile due to the annexation of Hanover by Prussia in 1866. Their relationship generated political considerations, as Ernest Augustus was also the heir to the Kingdom of Hanover, and negotiations involved arrangements for him succeeding to Brunswick in exchange for renouncing claims to Hanover. The engagement was announced on 11 February 1913, and their wedding was held on 24 May 1913 in Berlin. The marriage was attended by numerous European royals, including Wilhelm II, George V, and Tsar Nicholas II, and it was considered the largest assembly of reigning monarchs in Germany since 1871. It was described as a major social event of European royalty before the outbreak of World War I.

Following her marriage, Victoria Louise received the title Duchess of Brunswick. The couple resided in Brunswick Palace and had five children: Prince Ernest Augustus (1914–1987), Prince George William (1915–2006), Princess Frederica (1917–1981), Prince Christian Oscar (1919–1981), and Prince Welf Henry (1923–1997). She was a descendant of the British royal family through her daughter Frederica, who is an ancestor of the current King Felipe VI of Spain.

Her husband was compelled to abdicate in November 1918 as a result of the German Revolution. The subsequent abolition of the duchy of Brunswick led to their status changing from monarchs to private citizens. Ernest Augustus was deprived of his British peerages in 1919 under the Titles Deprivation Act 1917 due to his service in the German military during World War I.

During the interwar period, they lived primarily in exile, residing at estates such as Gmunden and Blankenburg Castle. Although some of her brothers were associated with the Nazi Party, Ernest Augustus did not officially join but maintained close contacts with Nazi leaders, donating funds. In the 1930s, there were discussions about arranging a marriage alliance between her daughter Princess Frederica and the British royal family, but these did not materialize.

In May 1941, Victoria Louise traveled to Doorn to visit her ailing father, Kaiser Wilhelm II, who died on 4 June 1941. During World War II, she resided at Marienburg Castle in Germany, and in late 1945, she and her family moved to Brunswick after their property was taken over in East Germany.

Following the war, she engaged in various public and charitable activities within Lower Saxony, including supporting palace restoration efforts and philanthropic causes. Her husband died on 30 January 1953. She later expressed her views through autobiographical publications, including her 1965 autobiography titled *Life as Daughter of the Emperor*. She also authored biographies of her mother and sister-in-law Cecilie.

Victoria Louise died on 11 December 1980 and was buried alongside her husband in the Royal Mausoleum at Herrenhausen Gardens in Hanover.