Queen Marie The Queen Mother

Marie (Marie Franziska Olga Christiana; born October 3, 1968) is the Queen dowager of Autelia, the widow of King Henri IV.

Born Princess Marie of Schaumburg-Lippe, she married Prince Henri of Autelia in 1986, having met at social functions. The couple were married for 29 years and had four children together: Elisabeth, Désirée, Joseph and Amélie.

The Queen Mother resides at her home near Lafontaine with her youngest daughter, Princess Amélie.

Biography

Princess Marie Franziska Olga Christiana of Schaumburg-Lippe was born on October 3, 1968 in Bonn, Germany. Her mother, Princess Helena of Greece and Denmark, is the daughter of Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark and Princesse Françoise of Orléans, thus a granddaughter of King George I of Greece and Queen Olga. Marie was named for her paternal aunt, Princess Marie of Schaumburg-Lippe, Her maternal grandmother Princess Françoise of Orleans, her maternal great-grandmother, Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna of Russia, and Christiana, the feminine form of her paternal grandfather's name, Prince Christian of Schaumburg-Lippe.

Marie has four sisters: Princess Elisabeth (b. 1961), Princess Adelaide (b. 1963), Princess Sophie (b. 1964), Princess Katharina (b. 1967) and one brother: Prince Friedrich Wilhelm (b. 1974). Her parents divorced in 1981, and she moved with her mother and two eldest sisters to Lyon, France, whilst her three younger siblings remained in Germany with their father. Her mother eventually remarried in 1986 to Prince Adhémar of Orléans-Braganza, and had another daughter with him, Princess Ghislaine of Orléans-Braganza (b. 1987). Her father remarried to Princess Beatrix of Hannover in 1984, although they have no children together.

Marie met her future husband, Prince Henri of Autelia, at a social gathering in Paris, celebrating an anniversary. After a short courtship and approval from the Autelian Parliament, the couple were wed on March 8, 1986. Their first daughter, Elisabeth was born the following year.

The family lived a relatively normal life, carrying out duties and living in Lafontaine. The couple's second child, Désirée was born in 1992, and their son Joseph was born in 1996. The couple's youngest child, Amélie, was born in 2000. Tragedy struck the family in 1998 when Prince Joseph was diagnosed with leukaemia. The family managed to keep the illness quiet for a short while, until they made an announcement in 2000. Joseph died in 2001, and there was a large outpouring of national grief.

Marie became Queen Consort of Autelia on July 15, 2013, when her husband ascended the throne after his mother's abdication. The family moved to Cavaillon and upped the amount of duties they undertook. Henri died in 2015 after a short battle with lung cancer, and Marie decided to move back to Lafontaine with Princess Amélie. She does not make many public appearances currently, however she is scheduled to be increasing her presence slowly over the coming few years.

She officially began using the title of Queen Mother in September 2015.

Titles and Styles

3 October 1968 - 8 March 1986: Her Serene Highness Princess Marie of Schaumburg-Lippe 8 March 1986 - 15 July 2013: Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess of Autelia 15 July 2013 - 14 February 2015: Her Majesty the Queen of Autelia 14 February 2015 - 18 September 2015: Her Majesty Queen Marie of Autelia 18 September 2015 - present: Her Majesty Queen Marie The Queen Mother