Princess Helena of Nassau

Helena of Nassau
Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Helena, Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Spouse	George Victor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Issue
Sophie Nikoline Pauline, Princess of Bentheim and Steinfurt Marie, Princess William of Württemberg Emma, Queen of the Netherlands Helena, Duchess of Albany Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont Elisabeth, Princess of Erbach-Schönberg
Full name
Helena Wilhelmina Henriette Pauline Marianne
House	House of Nassau-Weilburg House of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Father	William, Duke of Nassau
Mother	Princess Pauline of Württemberg
Born	18 August 1831(1831-08-18) Wiesbaden, Duchy of Nassau
Died	28 October 1888(1888-10-28) (aged 57) Pyrmont, Waldeck and Pyrmont

Princess Helena of Nassau (German: Prinzessin Helene Wilhelmine Henriette Pauline Marianne von Nassau-Weilburg; 18 August 1831 – 28 October 1888) was daughter of William, Duke of Nassau (that is, the German state or region referred to as Nassau), and consort of George Victor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont.

Early life

Helena was born at Wiesbaden, Duchy of Nassau. She was the ninth child of William, Duke of Nassau (1792–1839), by his second wife Princess Pauline of Württemberg (1810–1856), daughter of Prince Paul of Württemberg. She was the half-sister of Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (then Hereditary Prince of Nassau). She was distantly related with the British Royal Family through her father and mother, both were descendants of King George II of Great Britain.

Marriage and family

Princess Helena married on 26 September 1853 in Wiesbaden to George Victor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, son of George II, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont.^[1]

Children

They had seven children:

• Princess Sophie Nikoline (27 July 1854 – 5 August 1869); died of tuberculosis at fifteen.
• Princess Pauline (19 October 1855 – 3 July 1925) married Alexis, Prince of Bentheim and Steinfurt.
• Princess Marie (23 May 1857 – 30 April 1882) who married King William II of Württemberg.
• Princess Emma (2 August 1858 – 20 March 1934) who married King William III of the Netherlands. The present Dutch royal family descends from this marriage.
• Princess Helena (17 February 1861 – 1 September 1922) who married British Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany.
• Prince Friedrich (20 January 1865 – 26 May 1946), last reigning prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, married Princess Bathildis of Schaumburg-Lippe
• Princess Elisabeth (6 September 1873 – 23 November 1961) married Alexander, Prince of Erbach-Schönberg.

Grandchildren

Among her grandchildren were:

• Pauline, Princess of Wied (1877–1965), last senior member of the House of Württemberg.
• Wilhelmina of the Netherlands (1880–1962), queen regnant of the Netherlands.
• Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (1883–1981)
• Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1884–1954), last reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
• Josias, Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1896–1967)
• George Louis, Prince of Erbach-Schönberg (1903–1971)

Titles and styles

• 18 August 1831 – 26 September 1853: Her Ducal Serene Highness Princess Helena of Nassau
• 26 September 1853 – 28 October 1888: Her Ducal Serene Highness The Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont

Ancestry

Notes and sources

• thePeerage.com - Helene Wilhelmine Henriette Pauline Marianne Prinzessin von Nassau-Weilburg
• Genealogics - Leo van de Pas - Princess Helene von Nassau
• The Royal House of Stuart, London, 1969, 1971, 1976 , Addington, A. C., Reference: vol II page 337/347
• For My Grandchildren London, 1966. , Athlone, HRH Princess Alice, Countess of, Reference: Page 41 part of biographical notes

v t e Princesses of Nassau by birth The generations are numbered from the ascension of William as Duke of Nassau in 1816. 1st generation Princess Auguste Duchess Therese of Oldenburg Princess Marie Marie, Princess of Wied Helena, Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont Sophia, Queen of Sweden and Norway 2nd generation Princess Marie Bathildis Hilda, Grand Duchess of Baden* 3rd generation Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde* Grand Duchess Charlotte* Hilda, Princess of Schwarzenberg* Antoinette, Crown Princess of Bavaria* Princess Elisabeth of Thurn and Taxis* Princess Sophie of Saxony* 4th generation Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Hohenberg*^ Marie-Adélaïde, Countess of Donnersmarck*^ Marie Gabriele, Countess of Holstein-Ledreborg*^ Alix, Princess of Ligne*^ 5th generation Archduchess Marie-Astrid of Austria*^ Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein*^ Princess Charlotte 6th generation Princess Alexandra* Princess Marie-Gabrielle Princess Charlotte 7th generation none * also a princess of Luxembourg by birth ^also a princess of Bourbon-Parma by birth