Marie Of Saxe-Altenburg

Marie of Saxe-Altenburg (full German name: Alexandrine Marie Wilhelmine Katharine Charlotte Theresia Henriette Luise Pauline Elisabeth Friederike Georgine; 14 April 1818 – 9 January 1907) was Queen of Hanover from 18 November 1851 to 20 September 1866, as the wife of King George V.

**Early Life**

Marie was born in Hildburghausen and was initially known as Princess of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Her parents were Joseph, the Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Hildburghausen, and Duchess Amelia of Württemberg. In 1826, her family relocated to Altenburg following territorial transfers among the Ernestine Wettin branches, after which she acquired the title Princess of Saxe-Altenburg.

**Marriage and Family**

On 18 February 1843, Marie married her second cousin once removed, George, Crown Prince of Hanover, at Hanover. Their marriage produced three children:

- Prince Ernest Augustus

- Princess Frederica

- Princess Marie

**Queenship and Reign**

Marie became Queen of Hanover upon her husband’s accession as King George V after the death of his father, Ernest Augustus, on 18 November 1851. Between 1858 and 1867, George V commissioned the construction of Marienburg Castle as a birth gift for Marie, naming it after her.

In 1866, the political landscape shifted when Prussia annexed Hanover following the Austro-Prussian War, in which George V supported Austria. George V was expelled from Hanover but did not abdicate. He relocated to Vienna, Austria, while Marie and her daughters remained at Herrenhausen Palace and later moved to Marienburg Castle, which was still under construction at that time. Before departing Hanover, Marie facilitated the smuggling of the kingdom’s crown jewels and other valuables abroad.

Subsequently, the family settled in Gmunden, near Salzburg, Austria, residing in a rented villa before acquiring a property there. On 18 September 1872, Marie served as godmother to Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein, the granddaughter of Queen Victoria and Princess Helena of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg.

**Later Life and Death**

George V died in 1878 during a trip to Paris, where he had tried to revive his Guelphic Legion with the aim of reclaiming his former kingdom. He was interred at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. Marie lived for nearly three decades after her husband's death, passing away at the age of 88 on 9 January 1907 at The Queen’s Villa in Gmunden. She was buried in a mausoleum adjacent to Cumberland Castle, a residence of her eldest son.

**Issue and Ancestry**

Details regarding her children and lineage are documented, with her ancestry tracing back to the royal houses of Saxe-Altenburg and Württemberg.