Thyra, Crown Princess Of Hanover

Princess Thyra of Denmark (Thyra Amalie Caroline Charlotte Anna), born on 29 September 1853 and deceased on 26 February 1933, was the youngest daughter and fifth child of Christian IX of Denmark and Louise of Hesse-Kassel. She was a member of the Danish royal family and was related to several European monarchs through her siblings.

She was born at the Yellow Palace, an 18th-century townhouse located at 18 Amaliegade in Copenhagen, adjoining the Amalienborg Palace complex. Her parents were Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and Princess Louise of Denmark. Following her father’s accession to the Danish throne in 1863, her family endured a period of increased prominence.

As a child, Thyra shared her bedroom with her elder sisters Alexandra and Dagmar and was educated in domestic skills such as sewing and knitting. Her family’s status rose when her father was chosen to succeed King Frederick VII of Denmark, following the passage of the Act of Succession.

In her early years, Thyra's siblings gained prominent positions: her brother Vilhelm was elected King of Greece, her sister Alexandra married Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, and her other sister Dagmar married Tsarevich Alexander of Russia. Thyra was confirmed on 27 May 1870 by Bishop Hans Lassen Martensen at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen.

In 1871, at age 18, Thyra was involved in a romantic affair with Lieutenant Vilhelm Frimann Marcher, which resulted in pregnancy. To avoid scandal, she traveled to Greece, where her brother King George I was reigning. Upon her arrival, her pregnancy was concealed from the Danish public, and the child born from this union was immediately given up for adoption.

Thyra was considered attractive and gentle, with dark hair and blue eyes. Her mother hoped she would make a suitable marriage. Her initial suitor was King William III of the Netherlands; however, this proposal was declined due to the significant age difference.

During a family trip to Germany in 1878, arrangements were made for Thyra to meet Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover, the only son of the exiled King George V of Hanover. The political situation of Hanover, annexed by Prussia in 1866 after siding with Austria in the Austro-Prussian War, meant Ernest Augustus resided in exile; he owned Cumberland Castle in Gmunden, Austria. During their meeting, Thyra proposed marriage to Ernest Augustus, who was then the heir to the exiled Hanoverian throne. Their engagement was viewed with varied opinions; Queen Victoria initially dismissed the match as "completely without foundation," criticizing its significance.

Thyra and Ernest Augustus were married on December 28, 1878, at the Chapel Royal of Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen. Following their marriage, they resided in Gmunden, Upper Austria, at Schloss Cumberland, and maintained a townhouse in Vienna. Their marriage produced six children—three sons and three daughters.

Ernest Augustus died on 14 November 1923. Thyra survived her husband by nearly a decade, passing away on 26 February 1933 in Gmunden, Austria.

Her children with Ernest Augustus included:

- (Names and details of the six children are not provided in the original data.)