Marie Henriette of Austria
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Marie Henriette of Austria was Queen of the Belgians as the wife of King Leopold II. The marriage was arranged against the will of both Marie Henriette and Leopold and became unhappy due to their dissimilarity, and after 1872 the couple lived separate lives, though they continued to appear together in public. Queen Marie Henriette was described as an energetic and intelligent horsewoman, foremost devoted to her animals. In 1895, she openly retired from public life and lived her last seven years in the city of Spa, where she became known as "The Queen of Spa".
The Queen in 1875
Archduchess Marie Henriette of Austria, 1850s
Marie Henriette and Leopold II of Belgium
The Queen consort of the Belgians by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, circa 1865
Leopold II of Belgium
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Leopold II was the second King of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909, and the founder and sole owner of the Congo Free State from 1885 to 1908.
Royal portrait, c. 1900
Leopold as a child. Painting by Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1844)
Leopold as a younger man in the uniform of the Grenadiers (Portrait by Nicaise de Keyser)
A political cartoon pillorying Leopold's affair with Caroline Lacroix. The Abbot: Oh! Sire, at your age? The King: You should try it for yourself!