| Princess Marie Gasparine | |
| Full Name: | de|Marie Gasparine Amalie Antoinette Karoline Elisabeth Luise |
| Succession: | Princess consort of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen |
| Reign: | 17 July 1880 - 28 March 1909 |
| Consort: | yes |
| Spouse: | Charles Gonthier, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen |
| House: | House of Saxe-Altenburg (by birth) House of Schwarzburg (by marriage) |
| Father: | Prince Eduard of Saxe-Altenburg |
| Mother: | Princess Louise Caroline Reuss of Greiz |
| Birth Date: | 28 June 1845 |
| Birth Place: | Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria |
| Death Place: | Sondershausen, Weimar Republic |
Princess Marie Gasparine of Saxe-Altenburg (Marie Gasparine Amalie Antoinette Karoline Elisabeth Luise; 28 June 1845 - 5 July 1930) was a daughter of Prince Eduard of Saxe-Altenburg and his wife Princess Louise Caroline Reuss of Greiz.[1] She was the consort of Charles Gonthier, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen.
Marie was considered as a potential spouse for Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, the eldest son and heir of Queen Victoria. A London newspaper speculated (supposedly from "authentic sources") that the prince's choices were limited to seven women, who were all of sufficient royal blood, followers of a Protestant religion, and his age or younger.[2] Some of the other candidates included Marie of the Netherlands, Elisabeth of Wied, Anna of Hesse-Darmstadt, Alexandrine of Prussia, Alexandra of Denmark, Wilhelmine of Württemberg, Catherine of Oldenburg and Augusta of Schleswig-Holstein. Marie was eliminated from this list however, as she was considered "shockingly dressed and always with her most disagreeable mother,"[3] and the Prince of Wales ultimately married Alexandra of Denmark in 1863.
On 12 June 1869, Marie married Charles Gonthier, Hereditary Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen in Altenburg.[1] Charles succeeded his father on 17 July 1880, and Marie became the Princess of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. Their failure to have children meant the end of the House of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. Charles' cousin Günther Victor succeeded him in 1909.
Marie Gasparine died on 5 July 1930 in Sondershausen, Weimar Republic.[1]
