As a young girl, sixteen-year-old Elisabeth was considered as a possible bride for Albert Edward,

Prince of Wales (the future Edward VII of the United Kingdom, known as Bertie). His mother Queen
Victoria strongly favored her as a prospective daughter-in-law, and urged her daughter Princess
Vicky to look further into her.[1] Elisabeth was spending the social season at the Berlin court, where
her family hoped she would be tamed into a docile, marriageable princess. Vicky responded, "I do
not think her at all distingue looking - certainly the opposite to Bertie's usual taste", whereas the tall
and slender Alexandra of Denmark was "just the style Bertie admires".[1] Bertie was also shown
photographs of Elisabeth, but professed himself unmoved and declined to give them a second
glance.[2] In the end, Alexandra was selected for Bertie.[citation needed]
She first met Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen in Berlin in 1861. In 1869, Karl, who was now
Prince Carol of Romania, traveled to Germany in search of a suitable consort. He was reunited with
Elisabeth, and the two were married on 15 November 1869 in Neuwied. Their only child, a
daughter, Maria, died in 1874 at age three an event from which Elisabeth never recovered. She
was crowned Queen of Romania in 1881 after Romania was proclaimed a kingdom. In the RussoTurkish War of 1877-1878 she devoted herself to the care of the wounded, and founded the Order of
Elizabeth (a gold cross on a blue ribbon) to reward distinguished service in such work. She fostered
the higher education of women in Romania, and established societies for various charitable objects.
She was the 835th Dame of the Royal Order of Queen Maria Luisa. She died at Curtea de Arge or
Bucharest.[citation needed]