The Forgotten Victims of Mayerling

From last year, my article on Stéphanie of Belgium, who should have been Empress of Austria-Hungary, and her daughter Elisabeth Marie, at Lost in the Myths of History. It is a shame that Crown Prince Rudolf's mistress, Marie Vetsera, is better known than his wife. It is also a pity that the Belgian princesses who have become the consorts of foreign monarchs or their heirs have tended to meet with such frustration and tragedy. Not only Stéphanie, but also Charlotte and Marie-José, entered into the duties of their difficult new positions in alien environments with good will and dedication. Each, however, proved powerless to prevent her husband's downfall.