Widowhood
Within two years, four of Louise's closest family members died - her father, brother, younger son and mother. Her sister in law Vicky, now the Dowager Empress Frederick, took sympathy on Louise and persuaded her mother, Queen Victoria, to confer the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert, First Class, on her.
Frederick died on 28 September 1907, and their eldest son succeeded as Frederick II. That same year, their only daughter Victoria succeeded as Queen consort of Sweden.
Louise, now Dowager Grand Duchess of Baden, lived to see her duchy become absorbed into the new state of Germany under the Revolution of 1918-19 that took place at the end of World War I. At the time of the revolution, her daughter, Queen Victoria of Sweden, was visiting her. After the abdication of the German emperor, riots broke out in Karlsruhe on 11 November. The son of a courtier led a group of soldiers up to the front of the palace, followed by a great crowd of people, where a few shots were fired. Louise, as well as the rest of the family, left the palace via a backway and fled to the Zwingenberg palace in the Neckar valley. By permission of the new government, they were allowed to stay at the Langenstein Palace, which belonged to a Swedish noble, Count Douglas. During these events, Louise was said to have kept her calm and never uttered a word of complaint. The government gave the order that the former Grand Ducal family was to be protected, and that Langenstein be exempted from housing returning soldiers due to Louise's daughter, the Queen of Sweden being in their company, Baden did not want to do anything to offend Sweden. In 1919, the family requested permission from the government to reside in Mainau. The new German government replied that they were now private citizens and could do as they wished.
The republican government of Germany gave the former Grand Duchess permission to live out the rest of her life in retirement at Baden-Baden, where she died on 24 April 1923. She was the last surviving non-morganatic grandchild of Frederick William III of Prussia.
