Duchess Helene of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Helene Luise Elisabeth, Duchess of Mecklenburg [- Schwerin ], French Hélène de Mecklembourg -Schwerin, duchesse d' Orléans ( born January 24, 1814 Ludwig Lust, † May 17 1858 in Richmond, England), was a German princess and by marriage Duchess of Orléans and Chartres.
Life
Helene Louise was the daughter of Crown Prince Friedrich Ludwig (1778-1819) and his wife Princess Karoline Luise of Saxe- Weimar -Eisenach (1786-1816), third daughter of the Grand Duke Carl August and Princess Louise of Hesse -Darmstadt.
On May 30, 1837 married Princess Helene Luise at Château de Fontainebleau, Fontainebleau heir to the throne Ferdinand Philippe d' Orléans, duc de Chartres ( 1810-1842 ), eldest son of the last French king Louis Philippe and his wife Princess Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily. From the couple's marriage had two sons:
- Louis Philippe Albert (1838-1894), comte de Paris ∞ 1864 Princess Maria Isabella d' Orléans - Montpensier ( 1848-1919 )
- Robert Philippe Louis Eugène Ferdinand (1840-1910), duc de Chartres ∞ 1863 Princess Françoise d' Orléans ( 1844-1925 )
On July 13, 1842 her husband died as a result of a riding accident. This death sparked a controversy within the royal family, which involved the establishment of a regency council. These plans were unavoidable due to the high age of the king. Main opponents were his widow and his brother, Louis d' Orléans, duc de Nemours, who then prevailed. However, the regency was not to bear due to the further development.
After the unsuccessful attempt by their appearance before the French National Assembly on February 24, 1848 the throne for her older son, Louis Philippe Albert d' Orléans, comte de Paris erstreiten, they fled and settled in Eisenach, where they 1851 the honorary citizenship obtained. At times, they also stayed in England with the family of Louis Philippe.
Helene duchesse d' Orléans, died on 17 May 1858 the consequences of a protracted flu in Richmond and was buried in Weybridge. In 1876, her body in the Chapelle Royale Saint Louis was reburied to Dreux.