Born at the Château de Neuilly, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, soon after the restoration, princess Clémentine became a royal princess following her father's ascension to the French throne in 1830. Never one to lack ambition, she sought a likely future king to marry and was directed towards Prince August of Kohary and of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duke of Saxony (1818-81), whom she married on April 20, 1843 in Saint-Cloud. Her instincts proved to be incorrect in this case as August, one year her junior, would never become a king. They had five children:
Philip, Prince of Kohary (1844-1921), who married his cousin, Princess Louise, daughter of King Léopold II of Belgium;
Prince August of Kohary (1845-1907), who married Princess Leopoldina, younger daughter of Emperor Pedro II of Brazil;
After fleeing France in 1848 following the end of her father's reign, first to Coburg, and then to Vienna, where her husband was an officer with the Austro-Hungarian army. Realising that she would never be Queen, Clémentine turned her efforts to instilling in Ferdinand, her favorite child, the idea that, as a direct descendent not only of Louis-Philippe but of the Sun King, he deserved to be a King. Of which country was not an important matter. As it turned out, that country was Bulgaria and Clémentine actively lobbied for Ferdinand's election as Prince of Bulgaria.
Known for her "shrewd mind and a remarkable understanding of European politics and diplomacy", Clémentine was often sent by Ferdinand as his representative on diplomatic missions around Europe. An extremely wealthy woman, Clémentine made herself popular in her adopted homeland by showering money on Bulgaria, including a donation of four million francs towards the completion of a railway line linking Bulgaria to Europe's rail network.
Increasingly deaf as she aged, Clémentine became dependent on an enormous ear trumpet and on people obligingly raising their voices for her. It became an occupational hazard of the Bulgarian court to be caught in long, loud conversations with Clémentine that she was reluctant to end.
Clementine died in Vienna in 1907, aged 90. Her influence on Ferdinand was so pronounced that people began to predict his downfall. She was buried in Coburg, with an inscription on her memorial reading "King's daughter, no Queen herself, yet King's mother."
References
Aronson, T. (1986) Crowns in conflict: the triumph and the tragedy of European monarchy, 1910-1918, J. Murray, London. ISBN 0719542790
Constant, S. (1979) Foxy Ferdinand, 1861-1948, Tsar of Bulgaria, Sidgwick and Jackson, London. ISBN 0283985151
