Amalia, daughter of Duke Charles Bernard of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and Ida of Saxe-Meiningen, was born in Ghent in 1830. The young princess met Prince Henry of the Netherlands in Madeira. They married in 1853. Prince Henri, who was appointed Lieutenant-Representative for Luxembourg by his brother King William III, King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg, lived at Walferdange Castle.
When his young wife moved to the castle some time later, the local inhabitants gave her a warm welcome. The couple was very much appreciated by the people of Walferdange, Princess Amélie showing great charity.
In 1872, the Princess made her last public appearance at the inauguration of the Pescatore Museum in the Luxembourg City Hall. A few months later, on 1 May 1872, suffering from pneumonia, Princess Amélie died at the age of 42. She is buried in Delft Cathedral. The couple remained childless.
A public memorial, the first in the city of Luxembourg, is dedicated to her in the city park. The epigraph on the base, 'Princess Henry of the Netherlands', is typical of the position of women at that time. As the wife of the regent, Amalia was mainly involved in charity work and did not interfere in her husband's political activities. She was revered as the mother of the nation, a position later taken over by Grand Duchess Charlotte.