There’s a famous ghost known as the Black Lady of Darmstadt, said to appear to members of the ruling families of Hesse and Bavaria as a warning of impending death. Like most ghost stories, the details seem to fade and change with each retelling. But what’s the fun in fact-checking a ghost story? Some things are better left to the imagination, like the two haunted tales I’m about to share with you. They’re inspired by the same event and took place within weeks of each other. If they’re true, the Black Lady had her work cut out for her during that long-ago summer of 1854.
I started researching Germany after Grand Duchess Hilda of Baden’s tiara disappeared. I’d mostly researched Britain, France, and Russia before 2017 – so a lot of German history was new to me. But Hilda and her parents were in the thick of it, from the unification of Germany in 1871 to the collapse of that empire in 1918. Here are all the posts I’ve done that touch on German history.
Alexandra Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein: The Kaiser’s Forgotten Daughter-in-Law
As the wife of Kaiser Wilhelm II’s fourth son, she had wealth, privilege, and status – but what she wanted was freedom, happiness, and love. She struggled to make ends meet, but never gave up on herself or her dream.
Charlotte, Princess Royal: Part 2
A woman’s dream forever shattered. A kingdom’s fight for survival. A painful truth that could never be told.
Charlotte, Princess Royal: Part 1
There’s a famous six-word short story often attributed to Ernest Hemingway: “For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn.” If you think about what those words mean, every interpretation is heartbreaking. But one royal woman lived those words. This is her story.
A Grand Duke Falls in Love at First Sight
Let’s eavesdrop on the moment a grand duke first met his future wife…and fell head over heels in love at first sight.
Alexandra of Mecklenburg-Schwerin’s Tiara: Part 3
A robbery, an arrest, another arrest, and the threat of nuclear war. No big deal, right? But that’s exactly what happened to Alix – let’s wrap up the story of her life and find out what happened to her tiara.
Alexandra of Mecklenburg-Schwerin’s Tiara: Part 2
A putsch, a Reich, a war – and the family drama that went on in spite of and because of it. Find out what happened to Alix and her family when they came home without a job or a position after World War I. (Here’s a hint: It wasn’t smooth sailing.)
Alexandra of Mecklenburg-Schwerin’s Tiara: Part 1
This is part one of the story of Alexandra of Mecklenburg-Schwerin’s tiara. It was supposed to be a simple story about a tiara – a pretty hat made of diamonds. I didn’t expect it to take me to the darkest places of the 20th century. From war and betrayal to the Third Reich, Soviet prisons, and nuclear war, this story has it all – including a happy ending.
Marie Louise: The Princess of Nowhere
A wife without a husband. A princess without a country. Meet Princess Marie Louise, a woman who lived life on her own terms.
Secrets of the Gotha: Source Report
A book that promises to give us secrets of the European royal families? I’m in! Find out what juicy tidbits I found…as well as what you won’t find, which surprised me a little. Read more in this post, available exclusively for Patreon supporters.
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