Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

{{Short description|Prince consort of the Netherlands from 1901 to 1934}}

{{Infobox royalty

| consort = yes

| name = Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

| image = Prince Henry of Holland.jpg

| caption = Prince Henry in 1915

| succession = Prince consort of the Netherlands

| reign = 7 February 1901 – {{nowrap|3 July 1934}}

| spouse = {{marriage|Wilhelmina of the Netherlands|1901}}

| issue = Juliana of the Netherlands
Pim Lier (illegitimate)

| full name = Hendrik Wladimir Albrecht Ernst

| house = Mecklenburg-Schwerin

| father = Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg

| mother = Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

| birth_date = {{birth date|1876|4|19|df=y}}

| birth_place = Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany

| death_date = {{death date and age|1934|7|3|1876|4|19|df=y}}

| death_place = Kneuterdijk Palace, The Hague, Netherlands

| burial_date = 11 July 1934

| burial_place = {{lang|nl|Nieuwe Kerk|italic=no}}, Delft, Netherlands

| occupation = Military officer

| signature = Signature of Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.svg

}}

Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin ({{langx|de|link=no|Heinrich Wladimir Albrecht Ernst}}; {{langx|nl|link=no|Hendrik Vladimir Albrecht Ernst}}; 19 April 1876 – 3 July 1934) was Prince of the Netherlands from 7 February 1901 until his death in 1934 as the husband of Queen Wilhelmina. He remains the longest-serving Dutch consort.

Biography

File:Koningin Wilhelmina (1880-1962) en prins Hendrik (1876-1934) tijdens hun verloving in rijkostuum, SFA002013240.jpg

Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was born on 19 April 1876 in Schwerin. He was the youngest son of Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and his third wife, Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt.

On 6 February 1901, Henry was created a Prince of the Netherlands and the next day, 7 February, married Queen Wilhelmina in The Hague. Their only child together, Princess Juliana, was born in 1909. On 4 September 1948, Wilhelmina abdicated as queen of the Netherlands and was succeeded by Juliana.

Henry also fathered at least one illegitimate child, Pim Lier by his mistress Willemina Martina Wenneker (1887-1973). Born in 1918, Lier eventually rose to prominence in post-war Dutch politics as chairman of the extreme-right Centre Party. The birth of a son out of wedlock was likely symptomatic of the duke's increasingly strained relationship with his wife. That became all the more clear at the time of the opening ceremony of the Amsterdam Summer Olympics in 1928. Henry attended and even presided over the festivities, but Wilhelmina stayed away and stated that she was prevented from attending by her personal religious conviction that the type of event should not take place on a Sunday.{{cite book |editor-last1=Findling |editor-first1=John E. |editor-first2=Kimberly D. |editor-last2=Pelle |title=Historical Dictionary of the Modern Olympic Movement |date=1996 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=0313284776| pages=68–74}}

Henry became the 279th Knight Grand Cross of the Portuguese Order of the Tower and Sword, and in 1924, he was appointed as the 1,157th Knight of the Spanish Order of the Golden Fleece.

He died in The Hague, Netherlands, on 3 July 1934, aged 58.Joop W. Koopmans, Arend H. Huussen, Jr., Historical Dictionary of the Netherlands (2007), p, 243

Scouting

Henry successfully merged the two Dutch Boy Scout organisations Nederlandse Padvinders Organisatie (NPO, Netherlands Pathfinder Organisation) and the Nederlandse Padvinders Bond (NPB, Netherlands Pathfinder Federation) on 11 December 1915 to form De Nederlandse Padvinders (NPV, The Netherlands Pathfinders). He became the Royal Commissioner of that organisation and he asked Jean Jacques Rambonnet to become chairman in 1920.{{cite web| url=http://www.kelpin.nl/fred/artikelen/royalnl.pdf| title=Koninklijke Scouts 1. Nederland| publisher=Piet J. Kroonenberg| access-date=2009-07-24| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008213752/http://www.kelpin.nl/fred/artikelen/royalnl.pdf| archive-date=8 October 2007}}

Extramarital relationships

File:-, SFA222007403.jpg

Prince Henry was known to have had numerous extra-marital affairs. It is rumored that he fathered between three and ten illegitimate children; however, firm proof remains elusive, except for Albrecht Willem Lier, known as the above-noted Pim Lier (22 July 1918 – 9 April 2015).{{Cite web|url=http://de-marne.nieuws.nl/nieuws/3027/httpde-marne-nieuws-nlnieuws1309vader-hoekstra-zou-zoon-van-prins-hendrik-zijn/|title=Vader Hoekstra zou zoon van Prins Hendrik zijn|date=10 August 2016}} During her widowhood, Queen Wilhelmina paid monthly allowances to three known ex-mistresses: Julia Cervey in Geneva (two hundred guilders per month); Wilhelmine Steiner in Zurich (five hundred guilders per month); and Mien Lier-Wenneker (1887-1973), in The Hague (five hundred guilders per month).{{Cite web|url=http://www.isgeschiedenis.nl/nieuws/prins_hendrik/|title = Nieuws}} Mien Abbo-Wenneker (later Lier-Wenneker, 1887–1973), gave birth to a total of six children; the older two, sisters Christina Margaretha Abbo & Edith Abbo (later Sheep-Abbo){{cite web |url=https://www.myheritage.com/names/albrecht_wenneker |title=Albrecht Wenneker |publisher=MyHeritage}} were ostensibly the daughters of Mien's first husband, Dhr. Abbo, but strongly rumored to have been fathered by Prince Henry. In 1919, Mien married Lieutenant Jan Derk Lier, a former aide-de-camp to Prince Henry. A grant of one hundred thousand guilders was arranged for Lt. Lier from the State by police chief François van 't Sant, whom Queen Wilhelmina engaged to verify the facts of her husband's extramarital relationships and children. This, plus a monthly allowance to the Lt from the state of one thousand guilders, was in return for his commitment to "the three children of HRH".{{Cite web |url=http://vivanepotista.com/post/50864882336/king-alex-queen-max-and-the-colorful-house-of |title=King Alex, Queen Max, and the Colorful House of Orange |work=Viva Nepotista |access-date=7 February 2017 |archive-date=7 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207113927/http://vivanepotista.com/post/50864882336/king-alex-queen-max-and-the-colorful-house-of |url-status=dead }}

The male parent of the remaining three children was not verified as being either Prince Henry or Lt. Lier. Subsequent to their birth, no additional allowance was settled on the family; in fact, the monthly allowance of one thousand guilders to Lt. Jan Derk Lier was halved by van't Sant after a short period, although the allowance to his wife continued.

Honours and awards

;German decorations[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_IZp4dvZCa04C/page/n71 Grossherzoglich Mecklenburg-Schwerinscher Staatskalendar], 1908, p. 5[https://archive.org/details/staatsalmanakvo00nethgoog/page/n27 Staatsalmanak voor het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden], 1921, "Koninkrijk Huis der Nederlanden" pp. 1–2

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Mecklenburg:
Grand Cross of the Wendish Crown, with Crown in Ore and Collar
Grand Cross of the Griffon
Lifesaving Medal
Memorial Medal for Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III
Commemorative Medal for the Battle of Loigny-Poupry
Bavaria: Knight of St. Hubert, 1912{{citation|title=Hof- und – Staatshandbuch des Königreichs Bayern|year=1914|language=German|chapter=Königliche Orden|location=Munich|publisher=Druck and Verlag|page=10}}
Baden: Knight of the House Order of Fidelity, 1905[https://digital.blb-karlsruhe.de/blbihd/periodical/pageview/1881289 Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden] (1910), "Großherzogliche Orden" p. 41
Brunswick: Grand Cross of the Order of Henry the Lion, 1907Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Herzogtums Braunschweig für das Jahr 1908. Braunschweig 1908. Meyer. p. 9
Oldenburg: Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig, with Collar and Golden Crown
Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach:
Grand Cross of the White Falcon, 1892Staatshandbuch für das Großherzogtum Sachsen / Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach (1900), "Großherzogliche Hausorden" p. [https://zs.thulb.uni-jena.de/rsc/viewer/jportal_derivate_00285421/Staatshandbuch_Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach_1900_0031.tif?logicalDiv=jportal_jpvolume_00097018 17]
Golden Jubilee Medal
Saxony: Knight of the Rue Crown, 1897{{cite book|author=Sachsen|title=Staatshandbuch für das Königreich Sachsen: 1901|year=1901|publisher=Heinrich|chapter=Königliche Orden|page=[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015030492006&view=1up&seq=45&skin=2021 5]|location=Dresden|via=hathitrust.org}}
Lippe-Detmold: Cross of Honour of the House Order of Lippe, 1st Class
Waldeck-Pyrmont: Merit Cross, 1st Class
Württemberg: Grand Cross of the Württemberg Crown, 1901{{citation|title=Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Württemberg|year=1907|chapter=Königliche Orden|page=31|location=Stuttgart|publisher=Landesamt}}
Prussia:
Knight of the Red Eagle, 1st Class, 27 September 1898;{{citation|title=Königlich Preussische Ordensliste|journal = Preussische Ordens-Liste|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015025921423&view=1up&seq=5&skin=2021|pages=[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015025921423&view=1up&seq=613&skin=2021 5], [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015025921423&view=1up&seq=263&skin=2021 9]|language=German|location=Berlin|year=1895|via=hathitrust.org}} Grand Cross
Knight of the Black Eagle, 30 May 1901
Knight of Justice of the Johanniter Order

}}

Netherlands:
Grand Cross of the Netherlands Lion
Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau
Knight of the Gold Lion of Nassau
Grand Cross of the House Order of Orange
Grand Master of the Johanniter Order, 30 April 1909Justus Perthes, Almanach de Gotha (1922) [https://archive.org/details/almanachdegotha1922goth/page/70 p. 71]
Cross of Merit of the Dutch Red Cross
Wedding Medal of Queen Wilhelmina and Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, 1901
Austria-Hungary: Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, 1903[http://tornai.com/rendtagok.htm "A Szent István Rend tagjai"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222022855/http://tornai.com/rendtagok.htm|date=22 December 2010}}

;Foreign decorations

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Belgium: Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold
Bulgaria: Grand Cross of St. Alexander
Czechoslovakia: Grand Cross of the White Lion, 5 June 1931
Denmark: Knight of the Elephant, 12 December 1912{{cite book|author=Jørgen Pedersen|title=Riddere af Elefantordenen, 1559–2009|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=glw-AQAAIAAJ|year=2009|publisher=Syddansk Universitetsforlag|language=da|isbn=978-87-7674-434-2|page=466}}
Estonia: Order of the Estonian Red Cross, 1st Class
Finland: Grand Cross of the White Rose, with Collar, 1931{{cite web|url=http://www.ritarikunnat.fi/index.php/fi/64-ritarikunnat/palkitut/216-suomen-valkoisen-ruusun-ritarikunnan-suurristin-ketjuineen-saajat-ulkomaalaiset|title=Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun Suurristi Ketjuineen|website=ritarikunnat.fi|language=fi|access-date=7 May 2020}}
France: Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour
Greece: Grand Cross of the Redeemer
Japan: Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum, 9 June 1905{{cite book|author=刑部芳則|title=明治時代の勲章外交儀礼|url=http://meijiseitoku.org/pdf/f54-5.pdf|year=2017|publisher=明治聖徳記念学会紀要|language=ja|page=150}}
Military Order of Malta: Bailiff Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion
Norway: Grand Cross of St. Olav, with Collar, 25 July 1914{{citation|title=Norges Statskalender|language=Norwegian|year=1922|pages=1173–1174|chapter-url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=umn.31951001416649n&view=1up&seq=635&skin=2021|chapter=Den kongelige norske Sanct Olavs Orden|access-date=17 September 2021|via=hathitrust.org}}
Ottoman Empire: Order of Osmanieh, 1st Class
Poland: Knight of the White Eagle
Portugal:
Grand Cross of the Royal Military Order of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Grand Cross of the Tower and Sword
Romania: Grand Cross of the Star of Romania
Russia:
Knight of St. Andrew
Knight of St. Alexander Nevsky
Knight of the White Eagle
Knight of St. Anna, 1st Class
Knight of St. Stanislaus, 1st Class
Siam:
Knight of the Order of the Royal House of Chakri
Grand Cross of the White Elephant
Spain: Knight of the Golden Fleece, 9 March 1924{{cite web|url=http://www.boe.es/datos/pdfs/BOE/1924/071/A01333-01333.pdf|title=Bolletino Ufficiale di Stato}}
Sweden: Knight of the Seraphim, 30 January 1901{{cite web|title=Sveriges statskalender (1905) p. 441|url=https://runeberg.org/statskal/1905/0465.html|via=runeberg.org|access-date=2018-01-06|language=sv}}
United Kingdom: Honorary Grand Cross of the Bath (civil), 26 February 1907{{cite news|url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/28000/page/1463 |title=The London Gazette, Issue: 28000 Page: 1463|newspaper=The London Gazette|language=en|access-date=7 August 2019}}