Louise D'Orleans - The First Queen Of Belgium

Louise Marie Thérèse Charlotte Isabelle d'Orléans was born on 3 April 1812 in Palermo, Sicily and died on 11 October 1850 in Ostend, Belgium. She was a French princess who became the first Queen of the Belgians through her marriage in 1832 to the Belgian King Leopold I.

An ancestor of the Belgian ruling dynasty, Louise is also the ancestor of the current Grand Duke of Luxembourg, the pretender to the throne of Italy, and Prince Napoleon.

A member of the House of Orléans through her father, the French King Louis-Philippe I, Louise grew up in the various royal residences.

Louise received a pious, rigorous and liberal education according to the precepts of her father, except for those related to religion, which were the responsibility of her mother Maria Amalia. In 1832, she married the Belgian king Leopold I. She had three surviving children: Leopold II of Belgium, Philippe and Charlotte. Her voluminous correspondence, particularly with her mother, offers a first-hand account of the European political life of her time.

Louise played a discreet role at the Belgian court, but she quickly became a valuable support for the king, who consulted her because of her informed understanding of political and diplomatic issues. On several occasions, Louise acted as a facilitator in various marriages involving her siblings. Louise was progressive in opposing the death penalty.

Her father's exile after the French revolution of 1848 and his death two years later in Great Britain affected the Queen's declining health, and she died on 11 October 1850 at the age of 38 in Ostend.