In her youth, Charlotte resembled her mother, and was noted to be a beauty, possessing delicate features.
Combined with her status as the only daughter of King Leopold, she was a desirable bride.

On July 27, 1857, Charlotte married her second cousin Archduke Maximilian of Austria in Brussels, the idealistic younger brother of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria.
Napoleon III gave Charlotte and her husband Maximilian a beautiful bisque bust of Charlotte as a wedding gift.
In the Court of Vienna she was much prized by her mother-in-law, Princess Sophie, who saw in her the perfect example of a wife to an Austrian Archduke.
This contributed to the strained relationship between Charlotte and Empress Elisabeth of Austria, wife of Franz Joseph, whom Sophie treated rather cruelly.
It is said that Charlotte disliked the deep connection that existed between Elisabeth and Maximilian, who were confidantes and shared the same tastes for many things, especially because her sister-in-law was universally admired for her beauty and charms.

Charlotte spent several relatively happy years in Italy as Maximilian's wife while the archduke served as the governor of the Austrian provinces of Lombardy and Venetia.
The position was purely nominal, as power rested in the hand of the Emperor and his officers.

With the loss of Lombardy to the Kingdom of Piedmont in 1859, the unemployed Maximillian and Charlotte began the construction of the castle of Miramare, on the Adriatic coast near Trieste.
Charlotte played a major part in planning the layout and statuary of the extensive gardens, while contributing some of her own paintings to the gallery of the palace.
In her youth, Charlotte resembled her mother, and was noted to be a beauty, possessing delicate features. Combined with her status as the only daughter of King Leopold, she was a desirable bride. 
On July 27, 1857, Charlotte married her second cousin Archduke Maximilian of Austria in Brussels, the idealistic younger brother of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. Napoleon III gave Charlotte and her husband Maximilian a beautiful bisque bust of Charlotte as a wedding gift. In the Court of Vienna she was much prized by her mother-in-law, Princess Sophie, who saw in her the perfect example of a wife to an Austrian Archduke. This contributed to the strained relationship between Charlotte and Empress Elisabeth of Austria, wife of Franz Joseph, whom Sophie treated rather cruelly. It is said that Charlotte disliked the deep connection that existed between Elisabeth and Maximilian, who were confidantes and shared the same tastes for many things, especially because her sister-in-law was universally admired for her beauty and charms.
Charlotte spent several relatively happy years in Italy as Maximilian's wife while the archduke served as the governor of the Austrian provinces of Lombardy and Venetia. The position was purely nominal, as power rested in the hand of the Emperor and his officers.
With the loss of Lombardy to the Kingdom of Piedmont in 1859, the unemployed Maximillian and Charlotte began the construction of the castle of Miramare, on the Adriatic coast near Trieste. Charlotte played a major part in planning the layout and statuary of the extensive gardens, while contributing some of her own paintings to the gallery of the palace.
Carlota of Mexico