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Before Marie Henriette even hit 18, she was handed a husband and a one-way ticket to becoming Queen of Belgium—neither of which she actually cared about. She was boxed into a cold, loveless marriage, then quietly refused to play the perfect royal, skipping plenty of the duties everyone expected her to embrace with a smile. Instead, she kept her distance, disappeared into her own interests, and built a life that had far more to do with herself than with the crown...
Marie Henriette, Erzherzogin von Österreich 1836 - 1902, Wikimedia Commons
1. She Spent Her Childhood There
Born into nobility in 1836, Marie Henriette was the fifth child of Duchess Maria Dorothea of Württemberg and Joseph, Palatine of Hungary. Given her father’s position, Marie’s younger years were largely spent in Hungary, and it took no time at all for her to fall in love with the country.
Unfortunately, she experienced her first terrible tragedy early in life.
The original uploader was Marie Valerie at German Wikipedia., Wikimedia Commons
2. She Lost Someone
When Marie Henriette was 10 years old, she had to give up some of the happiest days of her life spent at the Buda Castle in Hungary, but that wasn’t the worst part. The reason she had to relocate was that, in 1847, her father passed due to intestinal issues, leaving her in the care of Archduke John of Austria and forcing her to move to Vienna.
Still, she tried her best to enjoy her life while she could.
Anton Einsle, Wikimedia Commons
3. She Was A Tomboy
In what little time Marie was able to spend with her parents, they quickly realized what kind of person she was going to grow into, and her mother was happy to encourage it. Many would recount that the Duchess raised her "as a boy," and as the years passed, Marie became a more enthusiastic, fierce, and self-reliant person.
While she enjoyed this freedom for a while, her life was about to change once again, and not for the better.
4. She Was Set To Marry
Although she seemingly couldn’t care less about such things, Marie Henriette was a descendant of the Habsburg line through her father’s side of the family, which made her highly sought-after as a potential wife. As such, King Leopold I of Belgium believed she would be the best fit for his son, also named Leopold, as it would help bolster the power of the Belgian Monarchy.
Needless to say, this was far from how she wanted to spend the rest of her life.
Franz Xaver Winterhalter, Wikimedia Commons
5. She Had No Say In It
While arranged marriages had been common among the nobility of most nations for centuries, others in Marie’s shoes would have at least known about it beforehand. However, when John of Austria received a proposition from the Belgian king, they worked out the arrangement and finalized it all without mentioning anything to Marie.
Unsurprisingly, this wasn’t the end of their tactless and insensitive behavior.
Leopold Kupelwieser, Wikimedia Commons
6. They Sprung It On Her
John of Austria and the King of Belgium had already gone behind Marie’s back to set her up with Prince Leopold, but they could have at least broken the news to her gently and in private. Instead, they waited until both she and Leopold were at the Imperial court ball in 1853, where they introduced the two and told them about their marriage in the same breath.
Of course, Marie had a few things to say about this plan.
Nicaise de Keyser, Wikimedia Commons
7. They Didn’t Like Each Other
To Marie’s shock and outrage, she learned that her guardian had given her away to marry someone she not only hadn’t met before, but also had quickly come to dislike. After her introduction to Leopold, it took only a few moments for him to leave a bad taste in her mouth, and she pleaded with the Archduke to change his mind. However, he wouldn’t budge, and after some discussion with her mother, Marie resigned herself to the marriage.
Nonetheless, it became obvious that it would never truly work between them.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
8. They Were Too Different
Marie Henriette and Prince Leopold were relatively close in age, and as he also had no say in the arrangement, they had gained a shared struggle. These similarities weren’t enough, though, and just as Marie immediately disliked Leopold, so too did he find himself put off by her. Although they barely knew each other, it was clear that they simply had no common interests and little to talk about.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t enough to stop what was already in motion.
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9. They Went Through With It
Like Marie, her new fiancé had also protested the marriage, only to succumb to parental pressure and eventually agree to it. So, with both bride and groom dragged kicking and screaming to the altar, the wedding proceeded in August 1853, and Marie gave up any claim she had to the Austrian crown—along with even more of her freedom.
Suddenly, her life was once again uprooted completely.
Gustave Janet / Hippolyte Constant Dutheil / Leo von Elliot, Wikimedia Commons
10. They Lived With His Family
In marrying Leopold, who held the Duchy of Brabant, Marie Henriette became his Duchess and again had to make a home for herself in an unfamiliar land. Taking up residence with him in Belgium’s Palace of Laeken, she at least wasn’t alone with her new and much-disliked husband, as it was also the home of his father and two younger siblings.
Still, she intended to keep her independence—even in her unfortunate situation.
Chemical Engineer, Wikimedia Commons
11. She Had Her Own Space
It seemed that the Belgian royal family wasn’t ignorant of how both Marie and Leopold felt about each other, and so had no issue with giving them as much space as possible. This meant that Marie received her own household, residing there with the comtesse de Mérode, who previously served Leopold’s late mother as her principal lady-in-waiting.
Thankfully, Marie was able to find someone there she didn’t absolutely despise.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
12. She Made A Friend
Prince Leopold’s mother had passed a few years prior, so the only other royal family members around Marie Henriette were male, such as the King—whom she already disliked—and the younger prince, Phillipe. However, this was with the notable exception of Leopold’s younger sister, Charlotte, and since Marie herself was still only 17, the two got along famously.
Not to mention, she otherwise had everything she could ask for.
Biblioteca Rector Machado y Nuñez, Wikimedia Commons
13. She Had Her Interests
Despite being far away from her home and family, and forced into a marriage she wanted no part of, Marie wasn’t going to let her situation stop her from doing the things she loved. During this time, she began engaging the arts more and more, developing a love for painting, training her voice, and learning to play the harp and piano.
Even aside from these hobbies, there was a passion much closer to her heart that she managed to indulge in.
14. She Loved Animals
Throwing herself into anything that might take her mind off the royal family she had loathed to join, Marie especially found a passion for animals, eventually owning a sizeable menagerie. While these included more mundane pets, such as fish and dogs, she also owned several exotic animals, like monkeys and parrots.
However, there was one creature she loved above all others.
non mechanical, Wikimedia Commons
15. She Was A Horse Girl
Since her days in Hungary, Marie Henriette had felt a profound love for horses and spent much of her childhood out riding for hours on end. Even now that she was older and in another country, she insisted on having her own stable of Hungarian horses. This made her stand out even more in contemporary society, as she tended to her horses and oversaw their breeding herself, which was unheard of for women of royalty.
That wasn’t the only thing that made her unusual to the rest of Belgium.
DEA / BIBLIOTECA AMBROSIANA, Getty Images
16. She Was Even More Abnormal
While Marie enjoyed riding in general, one specific place she loved to visit was Beverloo Camp in eastern Belgium, so much so that she even named her horse Beverloo. This was because she had become especially interested in the intricate workings of Belgium’s army, another uncommon aspect among royal women at the time.
Still, she couldn’t avoid her duties as Duchess forever.
17. She Went With Him
Claiming that some time away from the palace might help both of their well-being, Leopold suggested to Marie that they travel together somewhere far off and sunny. She agreed, and in 1855, they embarked on a lengthy tour, visiting Greece, Egypt, and even the Paris Exposition.
As it turned out, however, this wasn’t the relaxing vacation either expected.
Eduard Spelterini, Wikimedia Commons
18. They Continued To Butt Heads
Others may have thought that Marie Henriette and Leopold would eventually overcome their differences and get along, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Traveling can bring out the worst in people, and their trip only served to highlight the things they hated about each other. Marie continued to be energetic with a desire to see and try new things, but Leopold remained a more reserved and solemn person, causing no shortage of disagreements.
These issues weren’t behind closed doors either—and were perfect for gossip.
W. & D. Downey, Wikimedia Commons
19. She Called It Like It Was
Since they had protested their marriage from the very beginning, both Marie and Leopold were unwilling to pretend in any way that they were a happy couple. As such, it was easy for any of the nobles who met them to see how unpleasant their match was. In fact, the socialite Pauline de Metternich once compared their relationship to one “between a stable boy and a nun,” clarifying that Leopold was the nun in this scenario.
She wasn’t the only one who spoke about them—and there were more personal accounts.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
20. She Wrote About Them
Marie Henriette and Leopold wanted little to do with each other, but in Marie’s case, this manifested in her spending as much time as she could away from her husband. Leopold wasn’t as indifferent, and according to their daughter, Princess Louise, he could be downright cruel. As she wrote in her memoirs, “I cannot recall a single act of kindness or tenderness on his part towards my mother that I especially noticed in my youth”.
Having a front row seat to their dysfunction, she had much more to say.
Othmar von Türk, Wikimedia Commons
21. She Wasn’t Interested
Marie may have become invested in Belgium's militaristic goals, but that didn’t mean she kept up with the day-to-day dealings of the country’s politics. This also came up in Princess Louise’s memoirs, as she distinctly recalled her mother having no involvement in Leopold’s politics, likely because it would mean having to work with him more.
To be fair, this wasn’t to say that she never had an opinion on his decisions.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
22. She Thought He Was Stupid
One issue that Marie seemed to be more vocal about was Leopold’s plans to colonize the Congo in Central Africa, and it wasn’t out of respect or admiration. In her view, she couldn’t understand why Leopold continued the endeavor, seeing it as an impractical waste of time and even comparing it to the failed Mexican Empire.
At the same time, at least one person saw her situation in a positive light.
François Maréchal, Wikimedia Commons
23. He Thought They Were Better Off
Receiving a visit from her cousin, Archduke Maximilian, in 1856, Marie Henriette was at an even worse place in her and Leopold’s relationship than when they first married. This wasn’t how Maximillian saw it, though, and he wrote that her superior intelligence and vibrant attitude were a much-needed addition to the comparatively austere Belgian royal family.
Unfortunately, the couple soon had something else that drove them further apart.
24. They Were Disappointed
It wasn’t until 1858 that Marie and Leopold welcomed their first child, but to the Prince and his family, this was no cause for celebration. They had been hoping for an immediate heir to the throne, but Marie instead gave birth to Princess Louise, only frustrating her already miserable husband.
Suddenly, he wanted to be around her even less than before.
25. He Left Her Behind
Leopold’s disappointment with Marie Henriette lessened a bit by the following year when they welcomed their son, also named Leopold, and he finally had his heir. Still, this didn’t stop him from leaving again in 1860 and 1864 on trips to aid his health, both times abandoning Marie to care for their children at home. To make matters worse, she endured two more pregnancies, both of which he just happened to miss while on these trips.
Nonetheless, the time came when they had to perform their duties together.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
26. They Took The Throne
Despite wanting almost nothing to do with each other, Marie and Leopold had to at least appear as a royal couple when, in 1865, his father passed. According to records, although she may have resented him at one point, Marie was the one holding the King’s hand in his last moments. Not long after, both she and her husband stepped up and succeeded to the throne as Queen Marie Henriette and King Leopold II.
Even at this point, though, he couldn’t stop himself from humiliating her.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
27. He Refused Her
Seeing as Marie Henriette was taking the throne as Queen just as much as Leopold was succeeding as King, it would have been customary for her to participate in the coronation. However, the nature of their relationship complicated this, and when questioned, Leopold decided not to involve her. Instead, he ordered that she would simply sit with the rest of the spectators as he received the crown.
As a result, they became little more than strangers to each other.
Ghémar Frères studio, Wikimedia Commons
28. They Grew Further Away
As they had just become Belgium’s new monarchs, Marie and Leopold felt it necessary to live together as husband and wife, which they did for a shocking seven years. This didn’t mean their relationship had improved at all, but they weren’t even fighting all that much, only becoming colder and more distant from each other.
Luckily, she had a lively social life to get her out of the house.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
29. She Was Able To Get Away
Since Marie enjoyed doing most things away from the King and outside of the palace, she had cultivated a strong circle of friends that she often escaped to. While she loved many forms of art, she and her friends had a special fondness for theatre, and frequently used the royal box at the Royal Theatre of La Monnaie.
Unfortunately, one of the first friends she made in Belgium soon found themselves in quite the crisis.
Philippe De Gobert, Wikimedia Commons
30. She Went To Bring Her Home
Marie’s sister-in-law, Charlotte, had already gone through her own marriage by this point, but found herself in a serious predicament in 1867. Declared mentally unstable by her own in-laws, Charlotte ended up incarcerated, and Leopold wasn’t happy about it. Due to the friendship between his sister and his wife, the King tasked Marie with working out Charlotte’s release into their care.
Being a force in her own right, Marie wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Albert Graefle, Wikimedia Commons
31. She Got Her Out
It’s probably best that Marie Henriette went to negotiate Charlotte’s release instead of Leopold, since between the two of them, she was said to be the much more charming and practical one. Traveling to Vienna, they spent the next two weeks trying to secure her sister-in-law’s freedom, at the end of which she successfully returned to Belgium with Charlotte in tow.
Still, Marie didn’t stop there in helping her sister-in-law get better.
Gustave Janet, Wikimedia Commons
32. She Stayed With Her
Rather than lock the reportedly unstable Charlotte up in a Belgian facility, both Leopold and Marie preferred to keep her close and allowed her to stay in the palace with them. Furthermore, Marie dedicated all of her energy to helping her recover, and allegedly rarely left her side.
Sadly, her compassion would only go so far.
Eugène Disdéri, Wikimedia Commons
33. She Was Fed Up
Under the constant and loving attention of her sister-in-law, Charlotte seemed to be improving, and Marie thought she might make a full recovery. Unfortunately, even the care of Marie wouldn’t be enough, and Charlotte’s state of mind began to deteriorate again. Marie tried to stay sympathetic, but eventually couldn’t see any other option than to send her away in 1869.
However, she and the King were in for something much more horrific.
Unidentified photographer, Wikimedia Commons
34. They Were Devastated
1869 was a horrible year for the royal couple, as, beyond having to send Charlotte away again, an unspeakable tragedy struck their family. Their only son, Prince Leopold—still only nine years old at the time—passed after falling into a pond and contracting pneumonia shortly after. Although Leopold mourned quite publicly, Marie chose to retreat into solitude, taking long trips back to Hungary and Switzerland.
As for the rest of Marie’s children, they barely knew her anymore.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
35. She Abandoned Them
Following the loss of her only son, Marie could hardly bear to look at her other children, and soon became just as detached from them as she was from the King. Instead, several tutors and governesses took Marie’s place as their caretakers, and reportedly were nothing but cruel towards the children, while the Queen remained either ignorant or seemingly approving of their methods.
Meanwhile, she and Leopold had to put their differences aside at least one more time.
Géruzet dead before 1941, Wikimedia Commons
36. They Tried Again
Still reeling from the terrible loss, and now desperate for a new heir, Leopold urged Marie to try again for another son. The Queen became pregnant once again, but when she gave birth in 1872, it turned out to be another daughter—whom they named Clementine. Adding to their ever-growing rift, this caused both Marie and Leopold to live separately till the end of their days.
Just as before, she occupied herself with more important matters than pleasing the King.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
37. She Did Her Part
Although Marie largely tried to stay out of Belgium’s politics, she still had a place in her heart for helping those in need, which became especially evident in the 1870s. Leopold may not have had involvement in the Franco-Prussian conflict, but that didn’t stop Marie from helping any foreign servicemen who came to Belgium seeking medical aid.
Even when things became ugly, she wouldn’t back down.
38. She Put Herself At Risk
In her efforts to help as many wounded servicemen as possible, Marie not only transformed the palace in Brussels into an army hospital, but also got to work patching up men herself. Even beyond the conflict, she helped to treat those suffering from smallpox in Brussels during the 1871 epidemic.
This kind of selfless act from a monarch did not go unnoticed, even in her time.
The U.S. National Archives, Wikimedia Commons
39. They Acknowledged Her Compassion
At this point in their relationship, Leopold could hardly be bothered with most of what Marie got up to, and likely said very little about her efforts to help those in need. Luckily, others were more eager to recognize them, leading King John I of Saxony to grant her the Sidonie Order as a reward for her stunning generosity.
At the same time, Marie was able to retreat to a much more familiar comfort.
Unknown c.1870, Wikimedia Commons
40. She Was Happy To Go Home
While Marie had taken a backseat to parenthood, she became far more invested in who her daughters might marry. Wanting dynastic matches for them specifically, she was more than pleased when her second-oldest, Stephanie, married the Austrian crown prince. However, she likely favored Louise’s marriage to Prince Philipp of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha—a Major in the Hungarian army—since it allowed her a reason to visit her homeland regularly.
Tragically, not all of her children’s relationships would work out.
Géruzet Frères, Wikimedia Commons
41. They Wouldn’t Listen
Both Marie and Leopold were greatly pleased with Stephanie’s marriage to Prince Rudolf of Austria, but in a staggering turn of events, the relationship fared even worse than their own. Known as the Mayerling incident, both Rudolf and his mistress went to the Imperial hunting lodge in 1889 and took their own lives. Marie and Leopold were so distraught that, despite the Austrian Emperor banning them from entry, they still showed up at the funeral.
In another cruel twist, though, this wasn’t the end to their misery.
Jindřich Eckert, Wikimedia Commons
42. They Lost Someone Else
Princess Clementine’s birth had largely been a disappointment to Leopold, but both he and Marie saw a potential new heir in his nephew, the Crown Prince of Belgium, so long as Clementine married him. However, these hopes were also utterly destroyed when the Crown Prince then perished in 1891.
Following this, Leopold put the final nail in the coffin of their marriage.
43. She Couldn’t Stand Him
The King and Queen had been living in an uneasy tolerance of each other, but after losing a chance at another heir, Leopold couldn’t contain his rage and uttered his most horrendous insult yet. He blamed Marie for their son’s passing, and although she had put up with his cold demeanor before this and even his many affairs, this was way too far. From then on, apart from public appearances as monarchs, she had absolutely nothing to do with him.
As a result, she made herself increasingly scarce as the years passed.
London Stereoscopic and Photographic Company, Wikimedia Commons
44. She Took More Vacations
Marie’s role as Queen had become mostly symbolic, but even then, she often felt claustrophobic from being cooped up in the palace all the time. Taking a note from her husband’s travels while she was pregnant, Marie started taking trips to the city of Spa. Enjoying the relaxing and healing atmosphere of the region, Marie had longer and more frequent stays there, while Princess Clementine represented her back home.
As it turned out, this was the best decision she could have made.
…trialsanderrors, Wikimedia Commons
45. She Felt Like She Was At Home
Even beyond the features in Spa that drew in many visitors seeking rest and rejuvenation, Marie experienced a special bond with the area that she hadn’t felt since her childhood. Walking through the region and being so far away from her problems, she felt as if she were back in Hungary, before everything went wrong.
Meanwhile, someone had to pick up the slack in her absence.
Photochrom Print Collection, Wikimedia Commons
46. She Took The Helm
Understandably, Marie loved being in Spa so much that in 1895, she decided to move there permanently—but this posed a bit of an issue. While in many ways, she was a Queen in name alone, she still had several ceremonial duties as first lady at the Court in Brussels. Still, she had made up her mind, and since Clementine had already been doing much of her mother’s work for her, she officially took the position as well.
This was a wise decision, as Marie clearly had no intention of returning.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
47. She Bought Her Own Place
Some of Marie’s family or others in court may have believed she was just taking a long vacation and would eventually resume her place beside the King. However, anyone under this delusion would have had a rude awakening when, as a final act of separation from Leopold, Marie purchased the Hôtel du Midi as her residence in Spa.
This was the closest she would get to her fairy tale ending.
Jullien Frères Genève, Wikimedia Commons
48. She Was Happier Than Ever
Marie’s love for horses hadn’t diminished over the years, and in fact, had grown even stronger now that she had even more freedom to do what she wanted. She often visited the horse races in the area, installed eighteen horses near her residence, and truly was the most content she had been since before her father passed.
All the while, she continued to help however she could—from the comfort of Spa, of course.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
49. She Still Did Her Work
While Clementine had taken over most of the responsibilities that Marie found particularly boring, she left her mother several other duties she could see to while still living in Spa. As Queen, some of these meant entertaining foreign nobles, but Marie mostly concerned herself with charity work, protecting artists, and helping local schools. Due to her continued actions as ruler, the people started calling her the “Queen of Spa”.
On the flip side, Leopold hardly noticed that she had left in the first place.
Attributed to Louis-Joseph Ghémar / Ghémar Frères studio, Wikimedia Commons
50. He Had Already Moved On
Marie Henriette had the biggest decisions of her life made for her, landing her in a marriage where, ironically, her only thing in common with her husband was a hatred for each other. Still, that never stopped her from enjoying life, and although a heart attack took her in 1902, she perished a happy woman. Meanwhile, Leopold had long since been seeing his mistress, Caroline Delacroix, and married her in 1909—despite breaking Belgian law by doing so.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
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