User:PeterSymonds/Princess Alice of the United Kingdom
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Princess Alice | |
|---|---|
| Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine | |
 |
|
| Consort | 13 June 1877 – 14 December 1878 |
| Consort to | Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse |
| Issue | |
| Victoria, Marchioness of Milford Haven Grand Duchess Elizabeth Fyodorovna Princess Irene, Princess Henry of Prussia Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse Prince Friedrich Tsaritsa Alexandra Fyodorovna, Empress of Russia Princess Marie |
|
| Full name | |
| Alice Maud Mary | |
| Titles and styles | |
| HRH The Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine HRH Princess Louis of Hesse HRH The Princess Alice |
|
| Royal house | House of Hesse House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha |
| Father | Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha |
| Mother | Victoria |
| Born | 25 April 1843 Buckingham Palace, London |
| Baptised | 2 June 1843 Buckingham Palace, London |
| Died | 14 December 1878 (aged 35) New Palace, Darmstadt |
| Burial | Rosenhöhe, Darmstadt |
The Princess Alice (Alice Maud Mary: Princess Louis and Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine by marriage; 25 April 1843 – 14 December 1878) was a member of the British Royal Family, the third child and second daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Alice was born on 25 April 1843 at Buckingham Palace, London.[1] She was the second daughter and third child of the reigning British monarch, Queen Victoria, and her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The name Alice was to honour Victoria's first Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne, who was still a passionate admirer of the Queen and who had once commented that the name “Alice” was his favourite female name.[2] Maud, the Anglo-Saxon name for Matilda, was chosen in honour of one of Alice's godparents, Princess Sophia Matilda of Gloucester, a niece of King George III. Mary was chosen because Alice was born on the same day as her great-aunt, Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester.[3] Alice was christened in the private chapel at Buckingham Palace by William Howley, the Archbishop of Canterbury, on 3 June 1843. Her gender was greeted with a mixture of feeling from the public, and even the Privy Council sent a message to Albert expressing its “congratulation and condolence” on the birth of a second daughter.[2] The godparents selected by the Queen were Ernest I, King of Hanover, for whom Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge stood proxy; Feodora, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, for whom Princess Victoria, Duchess of Kent stood proxy; Ernest II, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. for whom Georg, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz stood proxy; and Princess Sophia Matilda of Gloucester.[4]
[edit] Childhood
Alice's birth prompted her parents to find a bigger family home. Buckingham Palace was not equipped with the private apartments that Victoria's growing family needed, including suitable nurseries. Therefore, in 1844, Victoria and Albert purchased Osborne House on the Isle of Wight as a family holiday home. Alice's education was devised by her father and his close friend, Baron Stockmar. At Osborne, Alice and her other siblings were taught practical skills such as housekeeping, cooking, gardening and carpentry.[5] Victoria and Albert favoured a monarchy based on family values, and Alice and her siblings, who wore middle class clothing on a daily basis, slept in sparsely furnished bedrooms with little heating.[6] Alice was fascinated with the world outside the Royal Household, and at Balmoral, where she seemed happiest, she visited the tenants living and working on the estate. 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.[7] In 1854, during the Crimean War, the eleven-year old Alice toured London hospitals for wounded soldiers with her mother and eldest sister.[8] She was the most emotionally sensitive of her siblings and was sympathetic to other people's burdens, which was matched by a sharp tongue and an easily triggered temper.[9]
In her childhood, Alice formed a close relationship with her brother, the Prince of Wales, and her eldest sister, Victoria, the Princess Royal. Although Alice shared a close companionship with her sister, and was upset when she married Prince Frederick of Prussia in 1858, she was closest to the Prince of Wales, with whom she held a tight and intimate bond.[10]
[edit] Family caregiver
Alice's compassion with other people's suffering established her role as the family caregiver in the year 1861. Her grandmother Victoria, Duchess of Kent, Queen Victoria's mother, died at Frogmore on March 16, 1861. Alice had spent much of her time at her grandmother's side, often played the piano for her in Frogmore's drawing room, and nursed her through the final illness.[11] Following her mother's death, the Queen broke down with grief and relied heavily on Alice, to whom Albert had given the instruction: “Go and comfort Mama.”[11] she wrote to her uncle, King Leopold of Belgium, that “dear good Alice was full of intense tenderness, affection and distress for me”.[12]
Only a few months later, on 14 December 1861, Albert died at Windsor Castle. During his final illness, Alice remained at his bedside. 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.[13] The Queen was distraught by her husband's death, and the court entered a period of intense mourning.[14] Alice became her mother's unofficial secretary, and through her passed the Queen's official papers to and from her government ministers.[15] Alice was aided in this task by her younger sister Princess Louise. Although Princess Helena, Louise's elder sister, would normally have been selected, her inability to go long without crying made her an inappropriate choice.[16]
[edit] Marriage
[edit] Suitors
[edit] Engagement and wedding
[edit] Grand Duchess of Hesse
[edit] Later life
[edit] Legacy
[edit] Titles, styles, honours and arms
[edit] Titles and styles
- 25 April 1843 – 1 July 1862: Her Royal Highness The Princess Alice
- 1 July 1862 – 13 June 1877: Her Royal Highness Princess Louis of Hesse and by Rhine
- 13 June 1877 – 14 December 1878: Her Royal Highness The Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine
[edit] Honours
[edit] Arms
In 1858, Alice and her three younger sisters were granted use of the royal arms, with an inescutcheon of the shield of Saxony, and differenced by a label argent of three points. On Alice's arms, the outer points were ermine, and the centre bore a rose gules. [17]
[edit] Ancestors
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[edit] References
- ^ Packard, p. 25
- ^ a b Packard, p. 26
- ^ Princess Christian, p. 13
- ^ London Gazette: no. 20231, page 1889, 6 June 1843. Retrieved on 2008-03-31.
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 22
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 23
- ^ Packard, p. 64
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 28
- ^ Packard, p. 50
- ^ Packard, p. 51
- ^ a b Packard, p. 87
- ^ Benson, p. 66
- ^ Magnus, p. 52
- ^ Zeepvat, p. 42
- ^ Packard, p. 102
- ^ Packard, 102
- ^ Heraldica – British Royalty Cadency
[edit] External links
Alexander Palace Time Machine - Princess Alice of Hesse and by Rhine
