Prince Frederick William of Solms-Braunfels

Who is Prince Frederick William of Solms-Braunfels?

Prince Frederick William of Solms-Braunfels was a Prussian Major General. He was the son of Prince Wilhelm Ernst Ferdinand of Solms-Braunfels and Countess Sophie Christine Wilhelmine of Solms-Laubach.

He became known mainly through his marriage to Princess Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. She was the widow of Prince Louis Charles of Prussia. When she became pregnant in 1798, he married her in order to avoid a scandal. The daughter died soon after birth. Frederick William was alleged to have been strongly inclined to consume alcohol and had to quit military service in 1805 for health reasons. He also lost his income and even his brother advised Frederica to divorce. She was initially against it, but when in 1813, she met Ernest Augustus I of Hanover, she, too, wanted the divorce. Before they got around to it, however, Frederick William died, in 1814 in Sławięcice.