Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine (Irene Maria Anna) (11 July 1866-11 November 1953) was the third child and third daughter of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom and Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine. Her maternal grandparents were Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Her paternal grandparents were Prince Charles of Hesse and by Rhine and Princess Elizabeth of Prussia.
Her younger sister, Alix, become the empress consort of Nicholas II of Russia, and her younger brother Ernst became Grand Duke of Hesse.
On 24 May 1888, Irene married Prince Albert Wilhelm Heinrich of Prussia, the third child and second son of German Emperor Friedrich III and Princess Victoria, Princess Royal. As their mothers were sisters, Irene and Heinrich were first cousins. This marriage produced three children:
- Prince Waldemar Wilhelm Ludwig Friedrich Viktor Heinrich of Prussia (20 March 1889 - 2 May 1945)
- Prince Wilhelm Viktor Karl August Heinrich Sigismund of Prussia (27 November 1896 - 14 November 1978)
- Prince Heinrich Viktor Ludwig Friedrich of Prussia (9 January 1900 - 26 February 1904)
Irene, like her younger sister Alix, was a carrier of haemophilia, inherited from Queen Victoria through their mother, Princess Alice. Irene transmitted the disease to her elder and younger sons, Waldemar and Heinrich.
