Marriage
She married the elderly king, William III, in Arolsen on 7 January 1879, two years after the death of his first wife, Princess Sophie of Württemberg. The ageing, licentious king, once described as "the greatest debauchee of the age", had previously been rejected by Emma's sister Pauline and by Princess Thyra of Denmark.
With William, Emma had her only child, the future Queen Wilhelmina, on 31 August 1880. The king also had three sons from his first marriage, William, Maurice, and Alexander, all of whom died before him and without leaving legitimate offspring.
Read more about this topic: Emma Of Waldeck And Pyrmont
Famous quotes containing the word marriage:
“the mother lies down on her marriage bed
and eats up her heart like two eggs.”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)
“In mid-life the man wants to see how irresistible he still is to younger women. How they turn their hearts to stone and more or less commit a murder of their marriage I just don’t know, but they do.”
—Patricia Neal (b. 1926)
“Let a man do what he will by a single woman, the world is encouragingly apt to think Marriage a sufficient amends.”
—Samuel Richardson (1689–1761)