Remembering the Wedding of Princess Louise and Marquess of Lorne

The wedding of Princess Louise and Marquess of Lorne.
Image: gogmsite.net

On this day in 1871, Princess Louise, Queen Victoria's third daughter and sixth child, married John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne. Princess Louise was born in 1848, while the Marquess of Lorne in 1845.

They were engaged in 1870 to the sorrow of Queen Victoria for the "thought of losing her" daughter, and to the surprise of her family. However, Queen Victoria, in a letter to her in-law, Queen Augusta of Prussia, she said that poor German princelings were highly unpopular in Britain. Lord Lorne, meanwhile, is the heir not just to his father's title, but also to his vast estates, making him "really no lower in rank than minor German Royalty."

Meanwhile, the Britons thought it was time that one of their princesses marry a local. In 1878, Lord Lorne was appointed Governor-General of Canada and so the couple sailed for Ottawa, where they proved to be very popular among the Canadians.

In 1900, Lorne succeeded as the 9th Duke of Argyll. While their marriage had their shares of ups and downs,  Louise took care of her husband during his illness on the last of his life. He died in 1914. Louise survived her until her own death in 1939. Until then, she remained an active member of the royal family and supported various causes and charities.