Princess Alice of the United Kingdom
| Alice | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Photograph by Franz Backofen, 1871 | |||||
| Grand Duchess consort of Hesse and by Rhine | |||||
| Tenure | 13 June 1877 – 14 December 1878 | ||||
| Predecessor | Princess Mathilde Caroline of Bavaria | ||||
| Successor | Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | ||||
| Born | 25 April 1843 Buckingham Palace, London, England | ||||
| Died | 14 December 1878 (aged 35) New Palace, Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse, German Empire | ||||
| Spouse | |||||
| Issue | |||||
| |||||
| House | Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | ||||
| Father | Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | ||||
| Mother | Queen Victoria | ||||
| Signature |  | ||||
Princess Alice (25 April 1843 – 14 December 1878) was Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine from 1877 until her death in 1878 as the wife of Grand Duke Louis IV. She was the third child and second daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
She was the sister of Edward VII of the United Kingdom and German Empress Victoria and the mother of Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia.
Biography
[change | change source]Early life
[change | change source]Alice was born on April 25, 1843 as Alice Maud Mary at Buckingham Palace in London.[1]
Alice's birth prompted her parents to find a larger family home. In 1844, her parents purchased Osborne House on the Isle of Wight as a family holiday home.
At Osborne, Alice and her siblings were taught skills such as housekeeping, cooking, gardening and carpentry, as well as daily lessons in learning English, French and German.[2][3]
Alice was said to be fascinated with the world outside at Balmoral, where she visited the tenants living and working on the estate.[4] In 1854, during the Crimean War, Alice visited hospitals in London for wounded soldiers with her mother and her older sister.[5]
Marriage
[change | change source]Alice was engaged to Prince Louis of Hesse on April 30, 1861.[6] On July 1, 1862, Alice and Louis got married in a private ceremony in the dining room of Osborne House.
Illness and death
[change | change source]On December 14, the 17th anniversary of her father's death, Alice became seriously ill with the diphtheria that she caught from her son. She died in the early morning hours, she was 35 years old.[7] Alice was buried on 18 December 1878 at the Grand Ducal mausoleum at Rosenhöhe outside Darmstadt.[8]
Honours
[change | change source]- 1 January 1878: Companion of the Order of the Crown of India[9]
26 June 1871: Cross of Merit for Women and Girls[10]- Dame of the Order of Louise, 1st Division[11]
1864: Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of Saint Catherine
Issue
[change | change source]| Name | Birth | Death | Ref(s). |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria Alberta Elisabeth Mathilde Marie | 5 April 1863 | 24 September 1950 | [12][13] |
| Elisabeth Alexandra Luise Alix | 1 November 1864 | 18 July 1918 † | [13][14] |
| Irene Louise Marie Anne | 11 July 1866 | 11 November 1953 | [13][15] |
| Ernest Louis Charles Albert William | 25 November 1868 | 9 October 1937 | [13] |
| Friedrich William Augustus Victor Leopold Louis | 7 October 1870 | 29 May 1873 | [13][16] |
| Alix Viktoria Helene Luise Beatrix | 6 June 1872 | 17 July 1918 † | [13][17] |
| Marie Victoria Feodore Leopoldine | 24 May 1874 | 16 November 1878 | [13][18] |
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Packard, p. 25
- ↑ Hubbard, Kate (2012). Serving Victoria: Life in the Royal Household. London, UK: Clays. p. 132. ISBN 9780701183684.
- ↑ Van der Kiste, p. 22
- ↑ Packard, p. 64
- ↑ Van der Kiste, p. 28
- ↑ "No. 22507". The London Gazette. 3 May 1861. p. 1889.
- ↑ Packard, p. 167
- ↑ Noel, p. 241
- ↑ "No. 24539". The London Gazette. 4 January 1878. p. 113.
- ↑ "Königlich Preussische Ordensliste", Preussische Ordens-Liste (in German), 3, Berlin: 1255, 1877 – via hathitrust.org
- ↑ "Königlich Preussische Ordensliste", Preussische Ordens-Liste (in German), 1, Berlin: 1028, 1877 – via hathitrust.org
- ↑ Hough, Richard (1984). Louis and Victoria: The Family History of the Mountbattens. Second edition. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. p. 28. ISBN 0-297-78470-6.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 Weintraub, Stanley (1997). Uncrowned King: The Life of Prince Albert. New York, USA: The Free Press. pp. 460. ISBN 0-6848-3486-3.
- ↑ Sell, K. (2014). Alice, Grand Duchess Of Hesse. Wisconsin, USA: Book on Demand Ltd. p. 72. ISBN 978-5-5191-0649-8.
- ↑ Mager, p. 27
- ↑ Mager, pp. 45-46
- ↑ Gelardi, Julia (2007). Born to Rule. London, UK: St Martin's Press. pp. 5. ISBN 978-0-3123-2423-0.
- ↑ Persson, Sheryl (2009). Smallpox, Syphilis and Salvation: Medical Breakthroughs that Changed the World. Wollombi, Australia: Exisle Publishing Ltd. pp. 142. ISBN 978-1-9214-9706-3.