Princess Antoinette Of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld

Princess Antoinette Ernestine Amalie of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was born on 28 August 1779 in Coburg, Germany. She was a member of the House of Wettin, a prominent German royal family. Her father was Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and her mother was Countess Augusta Reuss of Ebersdorf. Her maternal grandparents were Heinrich XXIV, Count Reuss of Ebersdorf, and Countess Karoline Ernestine of Erbach-Schönberg. Her paternal grandparents were Ernest Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and Duchess Sophie Antoinette of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.

Antoinette was the second daughter born to her parents. She had siblings, including King Leopold I of Belgium, making her the elder sister of Leopold. Through her family connections, she was also the aunt of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her husband, Prince Albert.

On 17 November 1798, she married Alexander of Württemberg in Coburg. Following their marriage, the couple settled in Russia. Alexander held a military and diplomatic career, partly due to his maternal connections as a nephew of Russian Emperors Alexander I and Nicholas I. Antoinette was recognized for her influence and was awarded the Grand Cross of the Imperial Russian Order of Saint Catherine.

Antoinette died on 14 March 1824 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. She was interred in the Ducal crypt of Schloss Friedenstein in Gotha, where her husband and their children, Paul and Frederick, were also buried.

There are historical accounts suggesting that Antoinette may have had an illegitimate child. Queen Louise of Prussia reportedly made an assertion regarding this possibility, and her brother George mentioned in a letter dated 18 May 1802 that Antoinette was believed to have been with child, with the presumed father being Herr von Höbel, a Canon. According to his account, her relationship with her husband, Alexander, was strained; they did not communicate for two years prior to her pregnancy.

Antoinette and Alexander had several children:

- Duchess Marie of Württemberg (17 September 1799 – 24 September 1860): She remained unmarried until age 33 and married her uncle, Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, on 23 December 1832. She became the stepmother of Prince Albert.

- Duke Paul of Württemberg (1800–1801): He died in infancy at approximately one year old.

- Duke Alexander of Württemberg (20 December 1804 – 28 October 1881): He married Princess Marie d'Orléans on 17 October 1837. They had one son.

- Duke Ernest of Württemberg (11 August 1807 – 26 October 1868): He married Natalie Eschborn on 21 August 1860. They had one daughter, Alexandra von Grünhof (1861–1933). She married Robert von Keudell on 15 September 1883, and they had three children, including Walter, Otto, and Hedwig von Keudell.

- Duke Frederick Wilhelm Ferdinand of Württemberg (29 April 1810 – 25 April 1815): He died at age four.

Antoinette's descendants through her eldest surviving son are considered the ancestors of the current (Catholic) House of Württemberg.