Bavarian Royalty. She was the daughter of Duke Maximilian Joseph and his wife, Princess Ludovika; therefore, a sister of Empress Elisabeth of Austria. After many proposals of marriage and refusal by her parents, in 1868 she settled upon Prince Ferdinand, Duke of Alençon. Her husband was related to Queen Victoria of England through his mother, Princess Victoire of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. A happy match, she had two children, Princess Louise Victoire Marie Amélie Sophie, and Prince Emmanuel, Duke of Vendôme. Sensing from a premonition, she wrote her last will and testament on October 4, 1896. On May 4, 1897, she was at the Bazar de la Charité in Paris, helping to raise funds for charity, when a fire started, ripping through the bazaar. Refusing to be rescued, she insisted that the girls, visitors and nuns, who were helping at the Duchess's booth, be saved first. A Dominican nun, who had managed to escape the inferno, saw the Duchess kneel in prayer before she was engulfed by the flames. Identifying Sophie Charlotte's remains was not easy as there were several, who were fatally burned. When her personal maid was unable to recognize the body, her dentist, M. Lavaport, was summoned. After two hours of examining the charred remains, she was eventually found on the basis of her gold fillings and her wedding band. Princess Sophie Charlotte became one of the first people whose remains were identified by forensic dentistry. Tragically, a year later, her sister Empress Elisabeth was assassinated.
Bavarian Royalty. She was the daughter of Duke Maximilian Joseph and his wife, Princess Ludovika; therefore, a sister of Empress Elisabeth of Austria. After many proposals of marriage and refusal by her parents, in 1868 she settled upon Prince Ferdinand, Duke of Alençon. Her husband was related to Queen Victoria of England through his mother, Princess Victoire of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. A happy match, she had two children, Princess Louise Victoire Marie Amélie Sophie, and Prince Emmanuel, Duke of Vendôme. Sensing from a premonition, she wrote her last will and testament on October 4, 1896. On May 4, 1897, she was at the Bazar de la Charité in Paris, helping to raise funds for charity, when a fire started, ripping through the bazaar. Refusing to be rescued, she insisted that the girls, visitors and nuns, who were helping at the Duchess's booth, be saved first. A Dominican nun, who had managed to escape the inferno, saw the Duchess kneel in prayer before she was engulfed by the flames. Identifying Sophie Charlotte's remains was not easy as there were several, who were fatally burned. When her personal maid was unable to recognize the body, her dentist, M. Lavaport, was summoned. After two hours of examining the charred remains, she was eventually found on the basis of her gold fillings and her wedding band. Princess Sophie Charlotte became one of the first people whose remains were identified by forensic dentistry. Tragically, a year later, her sister Empress Elisabeth was assassinated.
Bio by: Historian Fanatic
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