Sophie of Wurttemberg, the Queen of The Netherlands on the 3rd June 1877 inside of a royal palace
in The Hague died.
She was 58 years old, and following her death she was shockingly buried in her wedding dress.
She was considered a queen who was rather different as she would separate from her husband,
and their relationship was not good at all.
But Sophie would be buried in her wedding dress for a significant reason, because she
believed that the day she actually died was when she married William III, the King of
The Netherlands.
This is because of how miserable her relationship was, but what is the story of the Day that
the Queen of The Netherlands died?
To support our channel please make sure to subscribe.
Sophie of Wurttemberg had a very close relationship with her father, and she was given a brilliant
education and because of this there were many people who considered her a possible match
and future wife.
But she would be married to her maternal first cousin William who was at the time the future
Prince of Orange and later King of The Netherlands on the 18th June 1839.
The marriage was arranged, and her father although being considered a rather progressive
man wanted his daughters to be married into different dynasties across Europe.
Today this would be deemed a backwards thing, but he wanted his daughters to marry monarchs.
Before the marriage, King Otto of Greece and also Duke William of Brunswick were touted
as possible matches, and suitors for Princess Sophie.
But the engagements came to nothing, and Sophie’s ambitious father in particular had doubts
about the legitimacy and confidence in the newly established Greek Monarchy, which is
why he withdrew support for a marriage with King Otto.
But chance would stop a proposal from the Duke of Brunswick as her father said that
Sophie was already at the time Betrothed.
Sophie herself wanted to marry William of Brusnwick over the match with William of The
Netherlands, and she would voice this concern to her father.
But in the eyes of her father, marrying the future King of The Netherlands was an obvious
choice as his daughter would become a Queen and he would had a significant amount of status
that came with being the father of a Queen over the father of a Duchess.
He disregarded his daughter’s feelings and beliefs and because of this Sophie was forced
to marry the future Dutch King.
Following the wedding, Sophie and William settled in a palace in The Hague.
Sophie did have a good relationship with her father in law the King of The Netherlands
William II.
But she did not get on with her mother in law, and they were never on good terms.
She opposed the marriage but the marriage between the couple did not get off to the
best of starts.
William had in the past fallen in love with Sophie, but Sophie’s efforts to resist the
marriage were in vain.
William would have a number of affairs in his marriage and he also had a number of illegitimate
children.
But Sophie let him know that she thought he was inferior to her and that he would later
be unfit to serve as the King.
She believed that she could do a better job ruling as a regent.
Sophie would also refuse to live with him and she was not devoted to him as she would
rather spent her time inside of her private study learning.
Early on a divorce was debated but this was postponed as it was deemed not right for a
King and a Queen.
But in March 1849 Sophie and William would become the King and Queen, and their relationship
did not get better.
They were continually arguing, and their son Maurice died in 1850 and the parents hired
different doctors to look after him.
But Sophie continued to get pregnant and have royal children, and her third son would be
sent to a boarding school against her wishes.
But Queen Sophie was more intelligent than her husband and she did not fit his sensual
nature.
Sophie would speak to the press about their differences and she would also deem her husband
an unfit King and tell the people of her country this.
But the discussions of a divorce continued, but Sophie and William both wanted this to
happen.
But a divorce was believed to be scandalous as they were ruling regents.
Prince Frederick of the Netherlands tried to mediate, and the couple agreed on a separation
without divorce in 1855, and it was said that the couple would be married in the eyes of
the public, but they would live separate lives.
But the pair would unite for engagements and Sophie would be allowed to live a private
life on her own and do what she pleased.
From 1855 the couple lived in different palaces, William at the Het Loo Palace, and Sophie
at the Huis Ten Bosch Palace.
She would travel Europe and would speak with many different other intellectuals and she
also visited her father regularly.
Sophie was a European diplomat in a sense and she visited Napoleon III and during the
Crimean War she would side with her Russian relatives with her friends.
Sophie would also maintain good relations with other European monarchs including Queen
Victoria.
She continued to be a prominent speaker about the arts and as also supported many charities,
including animal protection and she advocated the creation of public parks for people to
enjoy.
She also advocated the education of the mentally challenged and because of this she was seen
as a brilliant woman of the 19th century.
She was a Queen though who was unusual as she would not like ettiequte but would champion
helping the needy and poor.
However inside of Huis ten Bosch Palace, Sophie would die on the 3rd June 1877.
She was 58 however what was interesting was the fact she was buried inside of the royal
vault of The Netherlands wearing her wedding dress.
She was not embalmed also, and she believed that the day she died was the day she married
William as her life was over with this.
But Sophie’s life within her marriage was a sad one but at least she managed to get
a form of separation which allowed her to live a life that she sort of wanted to live
away from her husband’s grasp.
Thanks for watching
To support our channel please make sure to subscribe
Thanks for watching