Princess Anna of Hesse and by Rhine


Princess Anna of Hesse and by Rhine was the consort and second wife of Friedrich Franz II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

Early life

Anna, the third child and only daughter of Prince Charles of Hesse and by Rhine, and Princess Elizabeth of Prussia, was born at Bessungen, Grand Duchy of Hesse. Her paternal grandfather was Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse. Her mother was the granddaughter of King Frederick William II of Prussia.
Her eldest brother, Louis, married in 1862 to Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, third child and second daughter of Queen Victoria.

Marriage

As a young girl, Anna was considered as a possible bride for the future Edward VII. While his mother, Victoria, was in favor of Anna, Bertie's elder sister was opposed to the match, as she believed Anna had a "disturbing twitch". As time went by however, Victoria grew increasingly impatient, and tried to ignore her daughter's hints that Anna was not suitable, declaring, "I am much pleased with the account of Princess Anna, ". In the end, Alexandra of Denmark was chosen instead.
On 4 July 1864 in Darmstadt, Anna married Frederick Francis son of Paul Frederick, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, who was her second cousin. Together, they had one daughter:
Her niece wrote about her and her daughter:
They had only one little girl, Annchen, who died at 16. This was a very delicate and nervous child. We used to play with her when she paid her yearly visit to my grandparents but we were so much more robust than she and so wild that my grandmother used always to forbid us exciting her.

Death

Anna died of puerperal fever a week after giving birth to her only child. She was buried at the Schwerin Cathedral. Her husband remarried to Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt.