A distraught Alice wrote to Queen Victoria that the "pain is beyond words". With her husband, daughter and son-in-law, Princess Alice represented the King at the 1937 wedding of Juliana of the Netherlands to Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. Although the amount was considered generous at the time, Prince Albert remarked that "she will not be able to do great things with it" in the little realm of Hesse, compared to the riches that her sister Victoria would inherit as future Queen of Prussia and German Empress. [58] Alice used her new role to reform the social conditions of Darmstadt, but found the responsibility of being Landesmutter (mother of her people) strenuous. ... Princess Alice engaged in charity work with Greek refugees, before converting to the Greek Orthodox Church in 1928. She was also the Colonel-in-Chief of two British Army units and one Rhodesian Army unit. [1] She died almost 115 years after her cousin Prince Sigismund of Prussia, the first of Queen Victoria's grandchildren to die. [69] Writing in her journal on the day of Alice's death, Queen Victoria referred to the recent sufferings of the family: "This terrible day come round again! The question of Alice's residence became an issue after her arrival, with the Grand Duke unwilling to fund a residence befitting a daughter of Queen Victoria with the low Hessian funds. He journeyed to Windsor Castle so that Queen Victoria could look him over in person, but he proved unpalatable to Alice. [19][20][21] Their nephew Lord Frederick Cambridge accompanied them on the visits. Her search produced only two suitable candidates: the Prince of Orange; and Prince Albert of Prussia, cousin to Victoria's husband Frederick. She was the longest-lived British princess of the blood royal, and was the last surviving grandchild of Queen Victoria. [4], Alice's birth prompted her parents to find a larger family home. During his final illness, Alice remained at his bedside. Although she was interred in the royal crypt in Windsor Castle, her remains were transferred, per … [48] The child suffered from haemophilia, and although he regained consciousness, the internal bleeding could not be stopped. Alice was born in 1843 and was the third child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Your letters are so dear and kind – but so empty and bare – I feel myself through them that I have less to say to you than any other person. Through her passed the Queen's official papers to and from her government ministers, while the Queen secluded herself from all public life. [36], In 1866, Austria called for Prussia to hand over administration of Schleswig-Holstein, which had until that point been jointly administered by the two powers, to the Duke of Augustenberg. As it's depicted on The Crown season 3, in 1967 Princess Alice left her longtime home in Greece—where she founded an order of nuns called the Christian Sisterhood of Martha and Mary—to live at London's Buckingham Palace at the request of her son and Queen Elizabeth II. Alice died at thirty-five from an epidemic of diphtheria that swept the palace affecting all but one of her children. Both were invited to Windsor Castle in 1860, ostensibly so they could watch the Ascot Races in the company of the royal family, but in reality, the visit was a chance for the Queen to inspect her potential son-in-law. Alice performed various royal duties on this trip and visited her mother at Osborne before returning to the New Palace at Darmstadt in late 1878. Alice died at Buckingham Palace on December 5, 1969. Rented from the King's Daughter's Guild of Ottawa, the cabin featured 60 beds, a separate cookhouse and dining pavilion. Moral worth is far more important than high position". Alice died at Buckingham Palace on December 5, 1969. [66] Just after 8:30 am, she died. Alice was the first of Queen Victoria's nine children to die, and one of three to be outlived by their mother, who died in 1901. [8] In 1854, during the Crimean War, the eleven-year-old Alice toured London hospitals for wounded soldiers with her mother and her eldest sister. "[50] On 3 October 1876, she wrote another despairing letter to Louis: I longed for real companionship, for apart from that life had nothing to offer me in Darmstadt...So naturally I am bitterly disappointed with myself when I look back, and see that in spite of great ambitions, good intentions, and real effort, my hopes have nevertheless been completely ship-wrecked...You say, darling, that you would never have caused me hardship intentionally...I only regret the lack of any intention or desire – or rather insight – to be more to me, and that does not mean spending all your time with me, without wishing to share anything with me at the same time. This provoked war between Austria and Prussia, with Hesse siding with the Austrians, technically making Alice and her sister Victoria enemies. [39], Alice and Louis communicated extensively during the war, with Alice urging Louis not to take too many risks, and Louis urging her not to worry. [50] She maintained active correspondence with the social reformer Octavia Hill. [32] After being introduced to town officials, they took a train to Mainz, where they had breakfast, before taking a steamer along the Rhine to Gustavsburg. Princess Alice was the sister of Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Empress Victoria of Germany (wife of Frederick III), mother of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia (wife of Nicholas II), maternal grandmother of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (the last Viceroy of India), and maternal great-grandmother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (consort of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom). Raising a British subject to royalty, however high their rank, was politically objectionable, and also wasted any opportunity for a useful foreign alliance. "[49] However, the Queen's attention was more focused on the engagement of her son Prince Alfred to the Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia, the only surviving daughter of Tsar Alexander II and his first wife, Empress Marie Alexandrovna. He spoke highly of Alice, saying "[for her] the point of departure always remained a human being who was ill and needed help, and his needs in war and peace. Princess Alice was the chatelaine of Rideau Hall from 1940 until 1946, while her husband, Lord Athlone, served as the governor general of Canada. At Osborne, Alice and her siblings were taught practical skills such as housekeeping, cooking, gardening and carpentry, as well as daily lessons in English, French and German. "[12] The Queen wrote to her uncle, King Leopold of Belgium, that "dear good Alice was full of intense tenderness, affection and distress for me". Her Royal Highness Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark was the third-eldest sister to Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.Her father was the Grand Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and her mother, the Princess Alice of Battenberg.. On 22nd June 1911, she was born at the summer estate of the Greek Royal Family at Tatoi. When her father, Prince Albert, became fatally ill in December 1861, Alice nursed him until his death. [77] Alix, her husband, and her children were killed by the Bolsheviks in the city of Ekaterinburg in the summer of 1918, sixteen months after the February Revolution forced Nicholas to abdicate. When the Queen visited the couple at St Claire, Alice tried not to appear "too happy". [43] Influence came from the Emperor of Russia, who urged the Prussian King to allow the Grand Duke to keep his throne. The funeral of Princess Alice took place in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, attended by all members of the royal family. Lord Athlone and Princess Alice had a coastal beach house constructed at Muizenberg, which still stands today and is one of South Africa's national monuments. The shield is differenced by a label argent of three points, demonstrating that she is the child of a monarch; the outer points bore an ermine spot each, and the centre bore a rose gules, to differentiate her from other members of the royal family. The facts that the Emperor's wife was the Grand Duke's aunt, and Alice's sister being also the Prussian Crown Princess are likely to have influenced Prussia's generosity. Alice was born on 25 April 1843 at Buckingham Palace in London. South Africa, Canada and Second World War, Hereditary Princess of Bentheim and Steinfurt, Royal Canadian Air Force Women's Division, Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, George Victor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Princess Emma of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, "Princess Alice, at London Home; A Grandchild of Queen Victoria", "Yvonne's Royalty Home Page — Royal Christenings", "Royal Pictures by South African Artist, Jacob Hendrik Pierneef, on Sale at Bonhams in London", "Governor General > Former Governors General > Major General The Earl of Athlone". Her favorite brother, Alfred, died in July of 1900, and in October, her oldest son, Christian Victor, died of malaria in South Africa while serving in the Boer War. Viewing his position as governor general as a link between Canadians and their monarch, Athlone also communicated in speeches that the King stood with them in their fight against Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime. Alice nursed her family for over a month before falling ill herself, dying later that year. Anne, Princess Royal, KG, KT, GCVO, GCStJ, QSO, CD (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950) is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.She is 15th in the line of succession to the British throne and has been Princess Royal since 1987.. Born at Clarence House, Anne was educated at Benenden School and began undertaking … [9] The Cape Town suburb of Athlone was named in honour of the Governor-General; apart from the beach house and the preserved Class GL Garratt steam locomotive Princess Alice in the Outeniqua Transport Museum, it is the only physical reminder of the Athlones' residence at the Cape. ... She reunites with her family in 1937 at the funeral for her daughter Cecilie, who died in a plane accident. [64] Alice was buried on 18 December 1878 at the Grand Ducal mausoleum at Rosenhöhe outside Darmstadt, with the Union Flag draped over her coffin. [24] In 1871, she wrote to Alice's younger sister, Princess Louise, who had recently married: "Don't let Alice pump you. Princess Alice died two years later at the age of 84 on December 5, 1969. [16] Alice was aided in this task by her younger sister Princess Louise. [63], Marie became seriously ill on 15 November, and Alice was called to her bedside, but by the time she arrived, Marie had choked to death. The weather at Osborne was dreary, with winds blowing up from the Channel. Alice complained to Louis that the letter "made me cry with anger...I wish I were dead and it probably will not be too long before I give Mama that pleasure. [17], The princess and her husband visited Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in the winter of 1938. In her memoirs first published in 1981 The Memoirs of Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester and revised in 1991 as the Memories of Ninety Years, the Duchess revealed that she never did … In 1877, Alice became Grand Duchess upon the accession of her husband, her increased duties putting further strains on her health. On 1 July 1862, while the court was still at the height of mourning, Alice married the minor German Prince Louis of Hesse, heir to the Grand Duchy of Hesse. m. (2), 2 February 1905, HH Princess Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich (17 September 1871 – 16 November 1937); 2 sons. She also had a traumatic life prior to her last few years in Greece. Who was Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark? In another letter to her mother, she wrote that her duties were "more than she could stand in the long run". No distinct cause has been outlined as to how she died but she was an old woman who had lived in poor conditions for decades. [52] Despite marital problems, Alice remained a strong supporter of her husband, being highly critical when his abilities or talents were not fully recognised. His reaction was even worse than she had anticipated; at first he refused to believe it. She died there in 1969. "[54] Alice took Louis's letter to heart, responding: "I shall certainly say nothing to you about Darmstadt when you come...I have no intention of saying anything unpleasant, least of all to you. [33] Alice did not adapt immediately to her new surroundings. Their three grandchildren, Anne, Richard, and Elizabeth, lived with them in Canada for the duration of the war. Alice sent for the Prince of Wales by telegram, without the knowledge of the Queen, who refused to notify him because she blamed him for Albert's death. Please my darling, don't speak so harshly of it when I come to join you – it would quite spoil my happiness at seeing you again. For the ceremony, Alice wore a simple white dress, with a veil of Honiton lace and a wreath of orange blossom and myrtle, but was required to wear black mourning clothes before and after the ceremony. Princess Alice died on 29 October 2004 in her sleep at Kensington Palace at age 102, 57 days before her 103rd birthday and several years after suffering a stroke. In late 1876, she travelled to England for treatment due to an internal complaint caused by a backward curvature of the womb, and remained at Balmoral while she recovered. She took art lessons from the court painter Paul Weber. Although Queen Victoria expected that a new palace would be built, the people of Darmstadt did not want to meet that expense, and the resulting controversy caused resentment there. [42] Christmas 1877 provided respite for Alice, as all the family gathered together again, and she doted on her youngest daughters Alix and Marie. Her maternal grandmother Victoria, Duchess of Kent, died at Frogmore on 16 March 1861. [59] She was distressed by a rumour that she was once unkind to Louis's aunt, Grand Duchess Mathilde Caroline, and she was hurt by an unkind letter from Queen Victoria. [67] A special monument of Alice and her daughter Marie was erected there by Joseph Boehm. Victoria's marriage to Prince Frederick of Prussia in 1858 greatly upset her. [42], Despite being relieved that war was over, Alice was appalled by the behaviour of Prussian troops in Hesse; Berlin took the grand duchy's railways and telegraph systems, and assessed Hesse for three million florins in indemnity. Alice wrote to her mother, who in turn wrote to Princess Victoria, who responded that there was nothing she could do to relieve the "painful and distressing position darling Alice was in", as it was "one of the unavoidable results of this dreadful war". Before the couple departed from Canada at the end of Athlone's time as the King's representative, he left as a legacy the Athlone-Vanier Engineering Fellowship, awarded by the Engineering Institute of Canada.[11]. However, it seemed to suit Alice well, and she spent as much time in Hesse as possible to familiarise herself with her new surroundings. But […] [53] She was hurt by her reputation in Darmstadt, and she became increasingly bitter towards it; Louis wrote in August 1877 expressing the hope that "bitterness of the salt water will drive away the bitterness that you still feel against Darmstadt. Prince and Princess Alexander of Teck had three children: Her husband was granted the Earldom of Athlone in 1917 following the royal family's relinquishing of German titles. In the The Crown’s latest season, we saw actress Olivia Colman take over the role of Queen Elizabeth II from Claire Foy and Tobias Menzies from actor Matt Smith as Prince Philip. [11], Alice's compassion for other people's suffering established her role as the family caregiver in 1861. The Queen, sitting in an armchair, struggled to hold back her tears, and was shielded from view by the Prince of Wales and Prince Alfred, her second son, who cried throughout the service. [57] However, she found her duties overwhelming, writing to her mother that she "dreaded everything". Buckingham Palace was not equipped with the private apartments that Victoria's growing family needed, including suitable nurseries. He was a controversial figure at the time; in 1835, he published The Life of Jesus, which argued that the miracles of Jesus were nonfactual myths and that the Bible could not be literally interpreted as God's word, a view akin to heresy in orthodox circles. The carts rumbling past could easily be heard through the house's thin walls. But I am wrong to talk of these things. [33] Alice wrote back to her mother that "I believe the people never gave so hearty a welcome",[34] while her sister Helena wrote that "nothing could have been more enthusiastic than her entry into Darmstadt was″. Alice spent her early childhood in the company of her parents and siblings, travelling between the British royal residences. [79] Louis Mountbatten, son of Alice's eldest daughter, Victoria, was the last Viceroy of India. [24] Furthermore, the couple's future home in Darmstadt, the Grand Ducal seat, was uncertain. Rain – fine weather – things that have happened – that is all I ever have to tell you about – so utterly cut off is my real self, my innermost life, from yours...I have tried again and again to talk to you about more serious things, when I felt the need to do so – but we never meet each other – we have developed separately...and that is why I feel true companionship is an impossibility for us – because our thoughts will never meet...I love you too so very much, my darling husband, and that is why it is so sad to feel that our life is nevertheless so incomplete...But you are never intentionally to blame for this – I never think that, never...[51], The following day, Alice wrote a much shorter letter to Louis in which she looked forward to their meeting, and hoped that "my letter did not distress you – but it is better to be quite honest about all one's feelings". [38], Alice, heavily pregnant with her third child, saw Louis depart to command the Hessian cavalry against the Prussians, and sent her children to stay with Queen Victoria in England. In the late 1940s, Princess Alice became a nun. She is buried alongside her husband and son in the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore, directly behind the mausoleum of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, in Windsor Great Park. Princess Alice was reportedly well-looked after, and enjoyed regular visits from friends and family, during her two-odd years at the palace. [46] In 1870, Strauss wanted to dedicate his new work Lectures on Voltaire to Alice, but he was too afraid to ask her; she spared him the need by asking him to dedicate them to her. She was homesick, and could not believe that while she was so far away from England, her father was not still alive and comforting her mother. [78] Alice's second daughter, Elizabeth, who had married Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia, and had become a nun after his assassination in 1905, met a similar fate, being killed by the Bolsheviks the day after the former tsar and tsaritsa. After Frittie's death, Alice attached herself more closely to her only surviving son, Ernest, and her newborn daughter Marie. The move was due to her old age and declining health (she'd been deaf since childhood) in addition to a military dictatorship … Alice and Louis arrived at Bingen on 12 July 1862 and were greeted by cheering crowds gathered in spite of pouring rain. At the time of her death, she had nothing on her as she had given everything away to the ones in need. [23], In 1966, Princess Alice published her memoirs, For My Grandchildren. Princess Alice’s family tree [25] [29] Following her death, the Union Jack flew at half mast at Buckingham Palace. [22], Alice was engaged to Prince Louis of Hesse on 30 April 1861, following the Queen's consent. [11], During their time in Canada the Athlones also supported various charitable and social events, and mounted a number of tobogganing parties and skating lessons on the grounds of Rideau Hall, as well as skiing in Gatineau Park. However, both she and her husband were forbidden from attending the funeral by the Emperor of Germany, who was worried about their safety. Her name was chosen because Lord Melbourne, the former prime minister had expressed to Queen Victoria that it was his favourite name. [71] Princess Victoria expressed her grief to her mother in a 39-page letter, and deeply mourned Alice, the sister to whom she was closest. She was born in Windsor Castle and grew up in the … In the season three episode entitled Moondust, Prince Philip talks about the death of his mother Princess Alice (played by Jane Lapotaire). Princess Alice, the Duchess of Gloucester and the oldest British royal in history, has died in her sleep at the age of 102. Victoria noted the coincidence of the dates of Albert and Alice's deaths as "almost incredible and most mysterious". [83][84], Complete arms of Alice as a princess of the United Kingdom, Shield of Alice as a princess of the United Kingdom. She Met The Love Of Her Life. Princess Alice was born in 1885 at Windsor Castle and is the great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria who was present at the birth, as highlighted in The Crown. As a granddaughter of Queen Victoria in the male line, Princess Alice was entitled to use the Royal Arms with a 5-point label for difference, the central point bearing a cross gules, the others hearts gules. The ceremony—conducted privately and with unrelieved gloom at Osborne House—was described by the Queen as "more of a funeral than a wedding". In the Autumn of 1878, Queen Victoria paid for the Grand Ducal family to holiday in Eastbourne, where they stayed in a house on the Grand Parade. We had gone through so much together..."[74], Alice founded the Alice-Hospital in Darmstadt in 1869, to treat the city's sick and wounded. On one occasion, she escaped from her governess at the chapel at Windsor Castle and sat in a public pew, so she could better understand people who were not strict adherents to royal protocol. She was the third child and second daughter of Queen Victoria and Albert, Prince Consort. He was reunited with Alice after the two met unexpectedly in the street, and they visited the wounded together. Despite this, Alice's displays of romantic bliss made the Queen jealous of her daughter's happiness.[31]. [64] Alice kept the news of Marie's death secret from her children for several weeks, but she finally told Ernest in early December. Princess Alice of the United Kingdom was the third child and second daughter of Queen Victoria and Albert, Prince Consort. [18], With both of the leading candidates now discounted, Princess Victoria suggested Prince Louis of Hesse, a minor German royal, the nephew of the Grand Duke of Hesse. From there, they took a train to Darmstadt, where they were greeted with great enthusiasm. The Earl was appointed Governor-General of the Union of South Africa, and served from 1924-31. Family Tree of Princess Alice. When Princess Alice – Princess Andrew of Greece and the mother of the Duke of Edinburgh – died at Buckingham Palace 50 years ago today, few people knew she was even living there at … Louise Caroline Alberta. Her life had been enwrapped in tragedy since her father's death in 1861.