- 1856-1889: Princess-consort of Monaco
Antoinette Ghislaine de Merode Grimaldi of Monaco was born 28 September 1828 in Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium to Werner Jean Baptiste de Merode (1797-1840) and Victorie von Spangen (1797-1845) and died 10 February 1864 Lyons-la-Foret, Eure, France of unspecified causes. She married Charles III of Monaco (1818-1889) 28 September 1846 in Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium.
Biography
Antoinette was born in Brussels as the daughter of Count Werner de Merode (1797-1840) and his spouse, Countess Victoire de Spangen d'Uyternesse (1797–1845). She was the sister of Louise de Mérode and maternal aunt of Maria Vittoria dal Pozzo, for three years Queen of Spain.
On her eighteenth birthday on 28 September 1846 in Brussels, she married Charles III, Prince of Monaco. It was a double wedding with her older sister, Louise. Thanks to her generous dowry, Prince Charles III was able to finance the embellishment of Monte Carlo in order to attract wealthy tourists to the principality.
The couple was given an official welcome in Monaco after the wedding, but preferred to live in France, where Antoinette acquired for herself the Château de Marchais, where the couple preferred to live rather than in Monaco.[1] On 13 November 1848, she gave birth in Paris to Albert I of Monaco (1848-1922). The marriage was described as a happy one, and Charles referred to her as an angel.[2] Known by the title Duchess de Valentinois in Paris, she became a popular member of the high society life of Second French Empire.[3]
She often attended the French Imperial court, where she was introduced to the Empress Eugenie by Princess Maria Caroline, her mother-in-law. She was present at French court during the state visit of Victoria of the United Kingdom (1819-1901) in 1855, during which she and her mother-in-law reportedly decided to arrange a marriage between her son Albert and a member of the British royal house, plans which eventually lead to the marriage between Albert and Lady Mary Victoria Douglas-Hamilton.
From 1856 until her death in 1864, she was the Princess consort of Monaco. During the reign of her spouse, she reportedly worked hard to support her husband, who progressed further in to blindness, and her aging mother-in-law, who also supported her son as his political adviser.[4] In 1862, she was diagnosed with cancer, and was advised by the doctors not to leave her home in Marchais in France.[5]
Antoinette de Merode died on 10 February 1864 in Paris (aged 35) and was interred in the Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate, Monaco.
House of Grimaldi
Great coat of arms of the House of Grimaldi.
The Grimaldi Family, with few exceptions for enemy occupations, have been primary rulers of Monaco since the 13th Century. Their family ancestry can be easily traced to many of the great noble families of Europe. See Also:
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Albert I of Monaco (1848-1922) | 13 November 1848 Paris, Ile-de-France, France | 26 June 1922 Crequy, Pas-de-Calais, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France | Mary Victoria Douglas-Hamilton (1850-1922) Marie Alice Heine (1857-1925) |
Siblings
Residences
See Also
- Antoinette Merode
- Merode Family
- Merode in Brussels
- Merode in Monaco
- Grimaldi in Monaco
External Links
- wikipedia:en:Antoinette de Mérode
- Antoinette de Mérode at thePeerage
- Antoinette de Mérode, Geni.com, https://www.geni.com/people/Antoinette-de-M%C3%A9rode-Westerloo/5294493014970050473, retrieved 01 May 2023
Royal Succession Charts
Monegasque royalty
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|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Maria Caroline Gibert de Lametz |
Princess consort of Monaco 1856–1864 |
Vacant Title next held by Alice Heine
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References
- ^ Anne Edwards, The Grimaldis of Monaco, 1992
- ^ Anne Edwards, The Grimaldis of Monaco, 1992
- ^ Saige, Gustave (1897). Monaco: Ses Origines et Son Histoire. Imprimerie de Monaco. https://archive.org/details/monaco00saiggoog. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- ^ Anne Edwards, The Grimaldis of Monaco, 1992
- ^ Anne Edwards, The Grimaldis of Monaco, 1992