| Mary Victoria Hamilton | |
|---|---|
| Hereditary Princess of Monaco | |
| Spouse | Albert I of Monaco Tassilo Festetics von Tolna |
| Issue | |
| Louis II of Monaco
Countess Mária Mathild Festetics de Tolna Prince György Festetics de Tolna Countess Alexandra Festetics de Tolna Countess Karola Friderika Festetics de Tolna |
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| Father | William Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton |
| Mother | Princess Marie of Baden |
| Born | 11 December 1850 Hamilton Palace |
| Died | 14 May 1922 (aged 71) Budapest |
Lady Mary Victoria Douglas-Hamilton, also known as the Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton[1] (11 December 1850 – 14 May 1922) was the Lanarkshire-born, Scottish-German-French great-grandmother of Prince Rainier III of Monaco, the fashion designer Prince Egon von Fürstenberg, the socialite and actress Princess Ira von Fürstenberg and the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Karel Schwarzenberg. She was the daughter of William Alexander Anthony Archibald Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton and of his wife, Princess Marie Amelie Elizabeth Caroline of Baden. Through her maternal grandmother, she was a third cousin of Emperor Napoléon III of France. She was a first cousin of Queen Carola of Saxony, Queen Stephanie of Portugal, King Carol I of Romania, and Countess Marie of Flanders (mother of King Albert I of the Belgians).
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Her first marriage, on 21 September 1869 at Château de Marchais, was to Prince Albert, only child and heir of Charles III, Prince of Monaco. Mary Victoria bore Prince Albert a single son, Louis who would take the throne of Monaco upon his father's death. Their marriage was annulled by the Church on 3 January 1880 (although civilly it was dissolved only on 28 July 1880 by the Order of Prince Charles III).
Her second marriage, on 2 June 1880, was to Count Tassilo Festetics von Tolna. The couple had four children:
During her 40 year marriage to Graf, and later Prince Festetics, Lady Mary oversaw enlargement and improvement of the Festetics' main seat, Festetics Palace, and its gardens, in Keszthely, western Hungary. On numerous occasions, she and her husband would entertain her brother the Duke of Hamilton, and his great friend, Prince of Wales. There are still portraits extant in the Palace of numerous members of her family, including one of her father in full Highland dress. Outside the palace, on either side of the main entrance there are the Armorial bearings of both the Lady Mary and her husband.
Further, the Helikon Library at the Palace contains many works that were brought to Keszthely by the Lady Mary from her father and brother's collections at Hamilton Palace.
The Palace grounds, on the shores of Lake Balaton, contains a Mausoleum to the Festetics and is the final resting place of the Lady Mary and her husband.
| Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton | Father: William Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton |
Paternal Grandfather: Alexander Hamilton, 10th Duke of Hamilton |
Paternal Great-grandfather: Archibald Hamilton, 9th Duke of Hamilton |
| Paternal Great-grandmother: Lady Harriet Stewart |
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| Paternal Grandmother: Susan Beckford |
Paternal Great-grandfather: William Beckford |
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| Paternal Great-grandmother: Lady Margaret Gordon |
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| Mother: Princess Marie of Baden |
Maternal Grandfather: Karl, Grand Duke of Baden |
Maternal Great-grandfather: Karl Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Baden |
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| Maternal Great-grandmother: Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt |
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| Maternal Grandmother: Stéphanie de Beauharnais |
Maternal Great-grandfather: Claude de Beauharnais, 2nd Count des Roches-Baritaud |
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| Maternal Great-grandmother: Claude Françoise de Lezay |