Yearly Archives: 2014

King George V of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

King George V of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

King George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert) was born on June 3, 1865, a month early, at Marlborough House in London, England, the second son and the second of the six children of the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and his wife Alexandra of Denmark. His parents, then the Prince and Princess of Wales, wanted to name him George after Prince George, Duke of Cambridge. The baby’s grandmother, Queen Victoria, thought the name George was too modern: “George only came over with the Hanoverian family.” The Prince and Princess of Wales held their ground with the name George but had to agree to add the name Albert, so the baby’s name was George Frederick Ernest Albert. He was called Georgie in the family. At the time of his birth, George was third in the line of succession after his father and his brother Prince Albert Victor (Eddy), and was styled Prince George of Wales. In 1892, George was created Duke of York, and when his father became king in 1901, he automatically became the Duke of Cornwall. He was created Prince of Wales on November 9, 1901.

Prince George was christened at the Private Chapel in Windsor Castle on July 7, 1865. His godparents were:

Prince George in 1870; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

George had five siblings:

George was only seventeen months younger than his brother Eddy. Because of their closeness in age, the two brothers were brought up and educated together. In 1877, Eddy and George joined the Royal Navy’s training ship, HMS Britannia.  The brothers remained aboard the Britannia for nearly two years before embarking on a three-year cruise on the HMS Bacchante.  Always accompanied by their tutor Mr. Dalton, the brothers visited the Mediterranean, the West Indies, South America, South Africa, Australia, China, and Japan.

In 1883, the brothers were separated. Eddy attended Trinity College, and Cambridge University, and George continued in the Royal Navy. While serving in the Royal Navy, George commanded Torpedo Boat 79 in the waters around the United Kingdom and HMS Thrush in the North American waters. His last active service was the command of HMS Melampus in 1891–92.

George wanted to marry his first cousin Princess Marie of Edinburgh, the daughter of his uncle Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh. His grandmother Queen Victoria, his father, and his uncle all approved of the match, but the mothers did not, and Marie was instructed to refuse when George proposed to her. On December 3, 1891, George’s brother Prince Eddy proposed to Princess Mary of Teck whose mother was a first cousin of Queen Victoria, Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, the youngest child of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge (the seventh son and tenth child of King George III and Queen Charlotte). The wedding was set for February 27, 1892, but on January 14, 1892, Eddy died of pneumonia.

After the death of Prince Eddy, Mary and George, now second in the line of succession, spent much time together. As time passed and their common grief eased, there was hope that a marriage might take place between them. George proposed to Mary beside a pond in the garden of his sister Louise’s home, East Sheen Lodge, on April 29, 1893. The engagement was announced on May 3, 1893, with the blessing of Queen Victoria. The couple married on July 6, 1893, at the Chapel Royal at St. James’ Palace in London, England, and eventually became the beloved King George V and Queen Mary.

George and Mary on their wedding day; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

George and Mary had six children:

 

In 1901, after the accession of King Edward VII, George and Mary toured the British Empire, visiting Malta, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. In 1906, they toured India and then traveled to Spain for the wedding of George’s first cousin Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg to King Alfonso XIII of Spain. Soon afterward, George and Mary traveled to Norway for the coronation of King Haakon VII, George’s first cousin, and Queen Maud, George’s sister.

On May 6, 1910, George’s father King Edward VII died and George became King. His coronation was held at Westminster Abbey on June 22, 1911. In December 1911, King George V and Queen Mary traveled to India for the Delhi Durbar where they were presented as Emperor and Empress of India.

 

Certainly, the most difficult period of George V’s reign was the years of World War I when the United Kingdom and its allies were at war with the Central Powers, led by the German Empire. Not only did about 1 million people from the United Kingdom and its colonies die, but the war pitted royal family against royal family. George was the first cousin of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia. He was also the first cousin to both Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, who was overthrown in 1917, and his wife, born Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine. At first, the British government offered asylum to Nicholas and his family, but the offer was later withdrawn. Nicholas and his family remained in Russia and all were executed in 1918. In 1919,  Nicholas II’s mother Maria Feodorovna (George’s maternal aunt, born Dagmar of Denmark) and other members of the extended Russian Imperial Family were rescued from Crimea by British ships.

King George V, on the right, with his first cousin Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia; Credit – Wikipedia

During World War I, on July 17, 1917, King George V issued a proclamation changing the name of the British Royal Family from the German Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the English Windsor, due to the anti-German sentiment. George’s British relatives relinquished their German titles and styles and adopted British-sounding surnames. The king compensated his male relatives by creating them British peers. All this led George’s cousin Kaiser Wilhelm to remark that he would attend a performance of Shakespeare’s “Merry Wives of Saxe-Coburg” at the earliest opportunity.

George’s relationship with his eldest son and heir Edward, Prince of Wales (known as David in the family, the future King Edward VIII) was strained. The king was disappointed in his son’s failure to settle down and appalled by his affairs with married women. However, he was fond of his second son Prince Albert (known as Bertie in the family, the future King George VI). In 1935, King George V prophetically said of his eldest son, “After I am dead, the boy will ruin himself within 12 months”, and of Prince Albert and his elder daughter Elizabeth, “I pray to God my eldest son will never marry and have children, and that nothing will come between Bertie and Lilibet and the throne.”

In his final years, King George had several problems exacerbated by his habit of smoking including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pleurisy. On January 15, 1936, King George V went to bed at Sandringham House complaining of a cold, gradually becoming weaker, and drifting in and out of consciousness. On January 20, when the king was close to death, his doctors issued a bulletin with words that became famous: “The King’s life is moving peacefully towards its close.” As the king lay dying of bronchitis, Bertrand Dawson, 1st Viscount Dawson of Penn, Physician-in-Ordinary to King George V, gave him a lethal injection of cocaine and morphine, thereby hastening the king’s death to ensure that the announcement of the death would appear first in the morning edition of The Times and not in some lesser publication in the afternoon.

King George V lay in state in Westminster Hall in London, England where an estimated 809,000 filed past his casket. As a mark of respect to their father, the king’s four surviving sons, King Edward VIII, Prince Albert, Duke of York, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, and Prince George, Duke of Kent, took the positions of the guards around the catafalque. Known as the Vigil of the Princes, it was repeated in 2002 when the casket of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother lay in state in Westminster Hall. Her four grandsons Charles, Prince of Wales, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley took the place of the guards. It was then repeated again in 2022 when Queen Elizabeth II’s four children King Charles III, The Princess Royal, The Duke of York, and The Earl of Wessex stood vigil at her coffin. In addition, Queen Elizabeth II’s eight grandchildren, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Sussex, Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor, and Viscount Severn, held a vigil around the coffin of their grandmother. The funeral for King George V was held at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle where he was also interred.

 

King Edward VIII abdicated less than a year later and his brother Prince Albert, Duke of York ascended the throne, taking the regnal name George VI. King George VI was followed on the throne by his daughter Queen Elizabeth II, the Lilibet her grandfather hoped would become queen.

 

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Recommended Books

  • King George V – Kenneth Rose
  • King George V: His Life and Reign – Harold Nicolson

House of Windsor Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Maud of Wales, Queen of Norway

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Maud of Wales, Queen of Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

Queen Maud of Norway was born Princess Maud of Wales on November 26, 1869, at Marlborough House in London, England. She was the third and youngest daughter and the fifth of the six children of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Alexandra of Denmark.

The infant princess was christened Maud Charlotte Mary Victoria at Marlborough House, her parents’ London home, on December 24, 1869. Her godparents were:

Princess Maud had five siblings:

 

Growing up, Maud was the most exuberant of the three sisters and was known as Harry in the family. She developed a one-sided romance with Prince Francis of Teck, the brother of her future sister-in-law Mary of Teck. Maud and Francis exchanged a couple of letters, but it was soon apparent that Francis was not interested in Maud.

Because Maud’s mother was a Danish princess, Maud visited her Danish relatives often and was familiar with her first cousin Prince Carl of Denmark (later King Haakon VII of Norway), the second son of King Frederik VIII of Denmark, who was three years younger than Maud. On October 29, 1895, the couple’s engagement was announced. The Prince of Wales (future King Edward VII) gave his daughter Appleton House on the Sandringham Estate for Maud to use on her visits to England.

Maud and Carl were married in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace on July 22, 1896. The bride wore a dress of white satin with a belt of silver embroidery and a wedding veil of old lace, a present from her grandmother Queen Victoria. The couple spent their honeymoon at Appleton House. Maud was so reluctant to leave England, that the couple was still at Appleton House five months after the wedding.

Painting by Laurits Tuxen; Credit – Wikipedia

Maud and Carl finally left for Denmark in December 1896 and took up residence at Bernstorff Palace in Gentofte near Copenhagen, Denmark. Because Maud found the cold Danish winters so difficult to bear, she visited England as often as possible. Maud and Carl had one child, a son:

Maud with her husband and son; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1905, upon the dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway, the Norwegian government began searching for candidates to become King of Norway. Because of his descent from prior Norwegian monarchs, as well as his wife’s British connections, Carl was the overwhelming favorite. Before accepting, Carl insisted that the voices of the Norwegian people be heard regarding retaining a monarchy. Following a referendum with a 79% majority in favor, Prince Carl was formally offered and accepted the throne. He sailed for Norway, arriving on November 25, 1905, and took the oath as King two days later. Carl took the name Haakon VII and his son two-year-old son was renamed Olav and became Crown Prince of Norway. Maud and Carl were crowned in Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway on June 22, 1906.

Maud and Carl on the coronation day; Credit – Wikipedia

Recognizing the people’s need to feel that their royal family was Norwegian, Maud and Haakon were photographed in Norwegian folk costumes and enjoying winter sports such as skiing. They ensured their son was raised as a Norwegian, although Maud never became fluent in Norwegian. Maud never gave up her love for her native country and visited often, usually staying at Appleton House. However, she fulfilled her duties as Queen of Norway. Maud became active in women’s rights and the welfare of unmarried women. During World War I, she founded Dronningens Hjelpekomité (the Queen’s Relief Committee) to assist people in difficult circumstances due to the war. Maud was renowned for using clothes and jewelry to give a regal appearance, perhaps something she had learned from her mother.

Maud skiing; Credit – Wikipedia

Maud’s last public appearance in the United Kingdom was in 1937 at the coronation of her nephew King George VI. She rode with her sister-in-law Queen Mary in the glass coach and sat with her in Westminster Abbey. In October 1938, Maud came to England, staying at Appleton House and then at a London hotel. While at the hotel, Maud became ill and was taken to a nursing home where abdominal surgery was performed. She survived the surgery, but died on November 20, 1938, six days before her 69th birthday, from heart failure. Her remains were taken to the chapel at Marlborough House in London, where she had been born and christened. Her casket was then taken by gun carriage to Victoria Station to travel by railroad to Portsmouth and then to travel by sea to Oslo, Norway. Upon arrival in Oslo, the casket was taken to a small church before burial in the royal mausoleum at Akershus Fortress in Oslo. Maud was the last surviving child of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. Her husband King Haakon VII survived her for 19 years. He died on September 21, 1957, at the age of 85, and was buried with Maud in the white sarcophagus in the Royal Mausoleum at Akershus Fortress.

White tomb of King Haakon VII and Queen Maud on the left and green tomb of their son King Olav V and his wife Princess Märtha of Sweden, Crown Princess of Norway on the right; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Norway Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Princess Marina of Greece, Duchess of Kent

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Princess Marina of Greece, Duchess of Kent; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent was the wife of Prince George, Duke of Kent (the fourth son of King George V and Queen Mary). She was born Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, on December 13, 1906, in Athens, Greece. Her parents were Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark (a son of King George I of the Hellenes) and Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna (a granddaughter of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia). Through her father, she was a first cousin of Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh.

Her christening took place shortly after birth, with the following godparents:

Marina had two elder sisters:

1913 brought the family’s idyllic life to an end. Marina’s grandfather, King George I, was assassinated. After several years of upheaval, the monarchy was overthrown in 1924, and Prince Nicholas and his family settled in Paris.

by Bassano Ltd 12 x 10 inch glass plate negative, 29 November 1934 NPG x95788 © National Portrait Gallery, London

photo: by Bassano Ltd; 12 x 10 inch glass plate negative, 29 November 1934; NPG x95788; 
© National Portrait Gallery, London

In August 1934, she became engaged to Prince George, Duke of Kent. The two were second cousins, through their mutual descent from King Christian IX of Denmark. They married on November 29, 1934, at Westminster Abbey in London, England, followed by a Greek Orthodox ceremony in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace. Marina was now officially styled HRH The Duchess of Kent. This would be the last marriage of a foreign princess into the British Royal Family. They settled into a home at No.3 Belgrave Square, in London, and Coppins, a country home in Buckinghamshire that Prince George inherited from his aunt, Princess Victoria.

The couple had three children:

Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent and her husband Prince George, Duke of Kent; photo: Wikipedia

Sadly, just six weeks after the birth of their youngest child, Prince George was killed when his military plane crashed in Scotland on August 25, 1942. At the time, there were no financial provisions made for a Royal Duke’s widow. The Duke’s Civil List payments stopped upon his death, leaving Marina and her children with no income. Fortunately, her brother-in-law, King George VI, and her mother-in-law, Queen Mary, stepped in to help.

 

Marina threw herself into her royal duties and her support of World War II efforts. She trained as a nurse and joined the civil nurse reserve. She also supported numerous charities and military groups. From 1940 until her death, she served as Chief Commandant of the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS). From 1963 until her death, she served as the first Chancellor of the University of Kent at Canterbury.  She also held several honorary military positions, including:

  • Colonel-in-Chief, The Kent Regiment
  • Colonel-in-Chief, The Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment
  • Colonel-in-Chief, The Dorset Regiment
  • Colonel-in-Chief, The Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment
  • Colonel-in-Chief, The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment
  • Colonel-in-Chief, The Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
  • Colonel-in-Chief, The Queen’s Regiment (Allied)
  • Honorary Commandant, The Women’s Royal Australian Naval Service

In 1955, Marina and her children moved into Apartment No.1 at Kensington Palace in London. At the time, the former apartments of Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, were split into two apartments, No.1 and No.1A. She remained a very active, and highly popular, member of the Royal Family. Marina is perhaps best known for her 26 years serving as President of the All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, a position previously held by her husband. In this role, she was seen each year handing out the trophies to the winners of Wimbledon. After her death, her son, The Duke of Kent, took on the role of President.

Upon her son’s marriage in 1961, Marina’s official style became HRH Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent. Having been born a Princess in her own right, Queen Elizabeth II gave her permission to use that style, instead of being styled The Dowager Duchess.

In July 1968, Princess Marina spent several days in the hospital, where it was discovered that she was suffering from an inoperable brain tumor. Sadly, her condition diminished very quickly. At 11:40 am, on August 27, 1968, Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home at Kensington Palace, surrounded by her children, and her sister Olga.

Marina’s funeral was held at St George’s Chapel, Windsor. The previous day, her husband’s remains were removed from the Royal Vault at St George’s Chapel and buried at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore. Marina was then laid to rest beside him. Ironically, she died almost 26 years to the day of her husband’s death. See Unofficial Royalty: Tragedy in the British Royal Family at the End of August (scroll down).

 

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Prince George, Duke of Kent

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Prince George, Duke of Kent – photo: Wikipedia

Prince George, Duke of Kent (born George Edward Alexander Edmund of Wales) was the fifth of six children of the future King George V of the United Kingdom and Queen Mary, born Princess Victoria Mary of Teck. He was born on December 20, 1902, at York Cottage on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England. He had five siblings:

Prince George was christened on January 26, 1903, in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle. His godparents were:

Prince George (front, right) with his siblings, 1910. Wikipedia

George’s education began privately at home, and then he attended St Peter’s Court Preparatory School in Kent. He then attended the Royal Naval College at Osborne, and later at Dartmouth, and served in the Royal Navy until 1929. He then became the first member of the British Royal Family to work as a civil servant, taking up positions in the Foreign Office and then the Home Office.

 

In August 1934, Buckingham Palace announced the engagement of Prince George to his second cousin, Princess Marina of Greece (both were great-grandchildren of King Christian IX of Denmark). They married at Westminster Abbey on November 29, 1934, followed by a Greek Orthodox service in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace. This would be the last time a foreign princess married into the British Royal Family. The month before the wedding, Prince George was created Duke of Kent, Earl of St Andrews, and Baron Downpatrick.

The couple had three children:

 

In 1937, George was given a commission as a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force (RAF). In 1938, he was appointed to become the next Governor-General of Australia, beginning in November 1939. However, the appointment was postponed due to the outbreak of World War II. The Duke of Kent returned to active military service, working briefly in the Intelligence Division of the Admiralty. In 1940, he transferred to the RAF. By then he’d been elevated to the rank of Air Vice-Marshal, but voluntarily relinquished the rank and reverted to Group Captain so as not to outrank more experienced officers. He worked as a Welfare Officer, part of the Inspector General’s staff. In this role, he traveled extensively, visiting troops and facilities to help boost morale.

It was on one of these trips, that Prince George’s life would come to an end. On August 25, 1942, just six weeks after the birth of his youngest child, George boarded an RAF flying boat in Scotland, headed for Iceland. Sadly, the plane crashed near Dunbeath, Caithness in Scotland, killing all except for one person aboard. The Duke of Kent was just 39 years old. There is much speculation as to the nature of this trip. While officially it was a standard visit to troops in Iceland, there are allegations and suggestions that it was a “secret mission”. The Duke’s body was found with a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist, full of 100 kroner notes. These had no value in Iceland at the time. The Duchess of Kent met several times with the lone survivor over the years, allegedly trying to find out why her husband had died. See Unofficial Royalty: Tragedy in the British Royal Family at the End of August (scroll down).

The Duke of Kent’s funeral was held at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, and his remains were placed in the Royal Vault there. Following his wife’s death, almost exactly 26 years later, his remains were moved to the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore in Windsor, England, where his beloved Marina was then buried by his side.

 

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Victoria was born on July 6, 1868, at Marlborough House, near Buckingham Palace, in London, England, the second daughter and the fourth of the six children of the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and his wife Alexandra of Denmark. Her full name was Victoria Alexandra Olga Mary and she was known as Toria in the family. At the time of her birth, she was styled Princess Victoria of Wales, as her father was Prince of Wales. When her father became king, she was then styled Her Royal Highness The Princess Victoria.

When Toria was christened on August 6, 1868, at Marlborough House, her parents’ London home, she had a large and impressive group of godparents, most of whom had a proxy standing in for them:

Toria had five siblings:

 

Toria was brought up with her elder sister Louise and her younger sister Maud. None of the sisters had inherited the good looks of their mother and as a result, the three sisters were very shy. Their mother Alexandra was extremely possessive, demanded complete devotion from her children, and insisted that they call her Motherdear. Louise and Maud escaped into marriage, leaving Toria at home as her mother’s constant companion. Toria had several suitors including Prince Adolphus of Teck, Sir Arthur Davidson, one of her father’s equerries, and Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery. Lord Rosebery was a former Prime Minister who had been widowed, and both he and Toria would have liked to have married. However, Toria’s mother actively discouraged her from marrying anyone. Instead, Toria remained a companion to her mother, Queen Alexandra, whom she lived with until the Queen died in 1925. Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna, Toria’s first cousin, described her as little more than “a glorified maid.”

 

When her mother died, Toria was 57 and was able to live her own life at last. She purchased a country home, Coppins, in Iver, Buckinghamshire, England. Toria became active in the village life of Iver and was the honorary president of the Iver Horticultural Society. When she died, she left Coppins to her nephew Prince George, Duke of Kent and it was sold by his elder son in 1972.

Toria’s last years were plagued with health issues and she suffered from neuralgia, migraines, indigestion, depression, colds, and influenza. Princess Victoria died at her home Coppins on December 3, 1935. Initially interred at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, she was buried on January 8, 1936, at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore near Windsor Castle. Her brother King George V, who was very close to his sister, wrote in his diary, “No one ever had a sister like her.” Her brother did not survive her long. He died on January 20, 1936.

Grave of Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom; Credit – www.findagrave.com

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Princess Maud, Countess of Southesk

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Princess Maud, Countess of Southesk; Credit – Wikipedia

Maud Alexandra Victoria Georgina Bertha was born at East Sheen Lodge in Richmond, London, England on April 3, 1893. She was the youngest child of Princess Louise, Princess Royal and Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife, and a grandchild of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom.  As a female-line great-granddaughter of the British sovereign, (Queen Victoria) at birth, Maud was not entitled to the title of Princess or the style Royal Highness. Instead, she was styled Lady Maud Duff, the style of the daughters of a Duke.  Through their father, Maud and her sister Alexandra were descendants of King William IV of the United Kingdom. He had no legitimate children but had ten illegitimate children with actress Dorothea Jordan.

Maud had one older sister:

Maud, on her mother’s lap, with her sister; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1900, when it became apparent that the Duke and Duchess of Fife were unlikely to have a son to inherit the title, Queen Victoria issued the Duke of Fife a new Letters Patent as Duke of Fife and Earl of Macduff in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. This Letters Patent gave the second dukedom of Fife a special remainder that allowed the dukedom to pass to the daughters of the 1st Duke of Fife if he had no son, and then to the male heirs of his daughters. Therefore, Alexandra became heir to her father’s dukedom, and Maud was second in line.

Maud’s mother was the eldest daughter of King Edward VII and was created Princess Royal during her father’s reign, in 1905.  At the same time, Alexandra and Maud were granted the title of Princess with the style of “Highness” and received precedence immediately after all members of the royal family bearing the style of “Royal Highness.” This act was unprecedented, and when the College of Arms told King Edward VII it could not be done, the King simply said, “Do it!” Alexandra and Maud’s maternal uncle, the future King George V, was greatly disturbed by this act.  Maud was then styled Her Highness Princess Maud.

Maud and her husband Charles Carnegie; Credit – Wikipedia

On November 13, 1923, Maud married Charles Alexander Bannerman Carnegie, the eldest son of Charles Noel Carnegie, 10th Earl of Southesk, at the Royal Military Chapel at the Wellington Barracks in London, England. After her marriage, Maud stopped using ‘Her Highness Princess Maud’ and was known as Lady Carnegie. In 1941, upon his father’s death, Maud’s husband became the 11th Earl of Southesk, and Maud titled Countess of Southesk.

The couple had one child:

On December 14, 1945, Maud, aged 52, died of bronchitis at a nursing home in London, England, on the 84th anniversary of the death of her great-grandfather Prince Albert. She was buried at the home of the Carnegie family, the Earls of Southesk, Kinnaird Castle in Brechin, Angus, Scotland. Her husband survived her, remarried, and died in 1992 at the age of 98.  In 1959, Maud’s son James Carnegie succeeded his maternal aunt, Princess Arthur of Connaught, 2nd Duchess of Fife, as the 3rd Duke of Fife, because her only child, Alastair, 2nd Duke of Connaught, had predeceased her. James also succeeded his father upon his death in 1992 as the 12th Earl of Southesk and as Chief of the Clan Carnegie. James Carnegie, 3rd Duke of Fife died in 2012, and his son David Carnegie became the 4th Duke of Fife.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife, Princess Arthur of Connaught

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife; Credit – Wikipedia

Alexandra Victoria Alberta Edwina Louise was born on May 17, 1891, at East Sheen Lodge in Richmond, London, England. She was the eldest surviving child of Princess Louise, Princess Royal and Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife and a grandchild of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom.  As a female-line great-granddaughter of the British sovereign, (Queen Victoria) at birth, Alexandra was not entitled to the title of Princess or the style Royal Highness. Instead, she was styled Lady Alexandra Duff, the style of daughters of a Duke.  Through their father, Alexandra and her sister Maud were descendants of King William IV of the United Kingdom, who had no legitimate children but had ten illegitimate children with actress Dorothea Jordan.

Alexandra had one sister:

Alexandra on the right with her mother and sister; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

In 1900, when it became apparent that the Duke and Duchess of Fife were unlikely to have a son to inherit the title, Queen Victoria issued the Duke of Fife a new Letters Patent as Duke of Fife and Earl of Macduff in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. This Letters Patent gave the second dukedom of Fife a special remainder that allowed the dukedom to pass to the daughters of the 1st Duke of Fife, if he had no son, and then to the male heirs of his daughters. Therefore, Alexandra became heir to her father’s dukedom.

Alexandra’s mother was the eldest daughter of King Edward VII and was created Princess Royal during her father’s reign, in 1905.  At the same time, Alexandra and Maud were granted the title of Princess with the style of “Highness” and received precedence immediately after all members of the royal family bearing the style of “Royal Highness.” This act was unprecedented and when the College of Arms told King Edward VII it could not be done, the King simply said, “Do it!” Alexandra and Maud’s maternal uncle, the future King George V, was greatly disturbed by this act.

Prince Arthur of Connaught and Princess Alexandra on their wedding day; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 15, 1913, at the Chapel Royal of St. James’ Palace in London, England, Alexandra married her first cousin once removed, Prince Arthur of Connaught, the only son of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught who was a son of Queen Victoria. Because Alexandra’s father had died the year before, King George V, her uncle, gave her away. After her marriage, Alexandra was styled Her Royal Highness Princess Arthur of Connaught, Duchess of Fife.

Alexandra and Arthur with their son Alastair in 1920; Credit – Wikipedia

Alexandra and Arthur had one son Alastair Arthur, born on August 9, 1914, at his parents’ home at 54 Mount Street, in Mayfair, London, England. As a great-grandchild of Queen Victoria through the male line, Alastair was styled His Highness Prince Alastair of Connaught until he was three years old.  At that time King George V restricted the titles of Prince/Princess and the style of Royal Highness to the children of the sovereign, the children of the sovereign’s sons, and the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales. Alastair was then styled Alastair Windsor with the courtesy title Earl of Macduff, his mother’s secondary title.

Alexandra at a women’s exhibition in 1915; Credit – Wikipedia

Alexandra and her husband carried out engagements on behalf of King George V and King George VI. Alexandra served as a nurse at St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London, England during World War I. From 1920-1924, Prince Arthur served as Governor-General of South Africa and Alexandra accompanied him there. When the couple returned to the United Kingdom, they continued their royal duties.

Alastair Windsor, 2nd Duke of Connaught; Credit – Wikipedia

On September 12, 1938, Prince Arthur died of stomach cancer at the age of 55. He was buried at the Royal Burial Ground in Frogmore, Windsor, England. As Prince Arthur predeceased his father The Duke of Connaught, Arthur’s son Alastair became heir to the dukedom. In 1942, upon the death of his paternal grandfather Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, Alastair succeeded him as the 2nd Duke of Connaught. On April 26, 1943, while on active duty with the British Army in Ottawa, Canada, the 28-year-old Alastair fell asleep or passed out in front of an open window while inebriated, fell out the window, and died of hypothermia during the night. On his death, his titles became extinct.

Alexandra died at her home in London on February 26, 1959, at the age of 67. She is buried in the private chapel in the mausoleum of Mar Lodge in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, Scotland where her parents are buried. Alexandra’s nephew, James Carnegie, the only child of her sister Maud, succeeded her as the 3rd Duke of Fife.

Alexandra’s grave; Credit – Wikipedia

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Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife; Credit – Wikipedia

Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife, was the husband of Princess Louise, Princess Royal, the eldest daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. Alexander William George Duff was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on November 10, 1849. He was the only son of James Duff, 5th Earl Fife and Lady Agnes Hay, daughter of William Hay, 18th Earl of Erroll and Lady Elizabeth FitzClarence, one of the ten children of King William IV and his mistress Dorothea Jordan. When Duff’s father became 5th Earl Fife in 1857, he was able to use the courtesy title Viscount Macduff, and Macduff became his nickname. Duff was educated at Eton College.

Duff had five sisters:

  • Lady Anne Duff (1847 – 1925), married John Townshend, 5th Marquess Townshend, had issue
  • Lady Ida Duff (died 1918), married (1) Adrian Hope, had issue (2)  William Wilson, no issue
  • Lady Alexina Duff (1851 – 1882), married Henry Coventry, no issue
  • Lady Agnes Duff (1852 – 1925), married (1) George Hay-Drummond, no issue  (2) Herbert Flower, no issue (3)  Alfred Cooper, had issue; David Cameron, the former British prime minister, is a descendant of this third marriage
  • Lady Mary Duff (born and died 1854)

In 1874, Duff was elected to Parliament as a Liberal Party member for the Scottish constituency Elginshire and Nairnshire. He remained in Parliament until his father’s death in 1879 when he became the 6th Earl Fife and then had a seat in the House of Lords. In the House of Lords, Duff served as the Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms.  He was
Lord-Lieutenant of Elginshire from 1872 – 1902 and one of the founders of the Chartered Company of South Africa.

On July 27, 1889, in the Private Chapel of Buckingham Palace, Duff married Princess Louise, eldest daughter of the then Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII). Louise and Alexander were third cousins via their mutual descent from King George III. Alexander’s descent was via the future King William IV’s long-time relationship with actress Dorothea Jordan by whom he had ten children who married into the British aristocracy. As with the marriage of Princess Louise’s aunt, another Princess Louise who married the 9th Duke of Argyll, there were grumblings about a member of the royal family marrying into the British aristocracy. However, Queen Victoria approved of the marriage. Two days after the wedding, Queen Victoria created the groom Duke of Fife and Marquess of Macduff in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.  Despite the seventeen-year age difference, the couple was well-matched and settled down to a life of country pursuits with the Duke managing his Scottish estates and Louise becoming an expert at salmon fishing.

Photo Credit – Alexander William George Duff, 1st Duke of Fife; Princess Louise Victoria Alexandra Dagmar, Duchess of Fife by William Downey, for W. & D. Downey. albumen cabinet card, 27 July 1889, NPG x3805. © National Portrait Gallery, London

The couple had three children:

Duke and Duchess of Fife with their daughters; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1900, when it became apparent that the Duke and Duchess of Fife were unlikely to have a son to inherit the title, Queen Victoria issued the Duke of Fife a new Letters Patent as Duke of Fife and Earl of Macduff in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. This Letters Patent gave the second dukedom of Fife a special remainder that allowed the dukedom to pass to the daughters of the 1st Duke of Fife if he had no son, and then to the male heirs of his daughters.

In December 1911, the Duke and Duchess of Fife and their two daughters set off to spend the winter in Egypt and Sudan where the climate was more beneficial to Louise’s health. Their ship went aground near Morocco and then their lifeboat sank. The family was rescued, but the Duke of Fife later developed pneumonia and died in Aswan, Egypt on January 29, 1912. The Duke of Fife was buried at the Private Chapel, Mar Lodge Mausoleum in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Duff grave

Grave of the Duke of Fife; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

The Duke’s elder daughter Alexandra succeeded to the 1900 Dukedom, becoming the 2nd Duchess of Fife and Countess of Macduff in her own right. Her father’s other titles, including the 1889 Dukedom, became extinct. Alexandra’s only son predeceased her, so upon her death, Maud’s son James Carnegie became the 3rd Duke of Fife.

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Princess Christina of the Netherlands

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

photo: Dutch Royal House, © RVD

Princess Christina of the Netherlands – photo: Dutch Royal House, © RVD

Princess Maria Christina of the Netherlands (nicknamed Marijke) was born February 18, 1947, at Soestijk Palace in Baarn, the Netherlands, the youngest of four daughters of the future Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. Her mother had contracted German measles while pregnant with Christina, resulting in her being born nearly blind. Fortunately, she was able to gain some sight and was able to live a relatively normal life. As a teenager, she chose to be known simply by her middle name, Christina.

Christina had three older sisters:

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Princess Christina being held by her sister Princess Irene with her godfather Winston Churchill and her mother Queen Juliana

Christina was christened on October 9, 1947, at the St. Martin’s Cathedral in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Her godparents were:

Following her primary education, she attended the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and then in 1968 traveled to Canada where she studied classical music in Montreal. A few years later, she moved to New York City, taking a position teaching music in a Montessori school.

While in New York she met her future husband, Jorge Pérez y Guillermo. Once again religious differences came into play with a Dutch royal marriage. Guillermo was Catholic, and many people still remembered the recent marriage of Christina’s elder sister Irene and the scandal it caused. Despite this, the couple was engaged in February 1975.

 

The couple married on June 28, 1975, in a civil ceremony held in Baarn, the Netherlands followed by a religious ceremony at the St. Martin’s Cathedral in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Because she had not received the government’s consent, Princess Christina relinquished her rights to the Dutch throne for herself and her descendants and her position as a member of The Royal House. The couple settled in New York for several years before returning to the Netherlands. They built Villa Eikenhorst, on the De Horsten estate in Wassenaar, and had three children:

    • Bernardo Federico Tomas Guillermo (born 1977), married Eva Prinz-Valdes, had one son and one daughter
    • Nicolás Daniel Mauricio Guillermo  (born 1979), has two children with Leah-Michelle Pilon
    • Juliana Edina Antonia Guillermo (born 1981), has three children with Tao Bodhi

 

Christina and her husband divorced in 1996, and she moved with her children to New York. She later lived in Rome and had a home in The Hague in the Netherlands.  Her marital home, Villa Eikenhorst, later became the home of the future King Willem-Alexander and his family.

Princess Christina was an accomplished musician, recorded several CDs, and sang at several family events, including the funeral of her mother Queen Juliana. She founded a music foundation in her name and was the chairperson of the Princess Christina Competition, a music competition for young people.

In June 2018 it was announced that Princess Christina was suffering from bone cancer.  Princess Christina died at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands on August 16, 2019, at the age of 72 from bone cancer. Princess Christina’s remains were taken to Fagel’s Garden Pavilion on the grounds of Noordeinde Palace, where close friends and family paid their last respects. The cremation was held in private.

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Princess Christina’s coffin at Fagel’s Garden Pavilion on the grounds of Noordeinde Palace

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Princess Margriet of the Netherlands

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Embed from Getty Images 

Princess Margriet of the Netherlands

Princess Margriet of the Netherlands (Margriet Francisca) is the third daughter of  Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. She is a younger sister of the former Queen Beatrix, and therefore an aunt of the current King Willem-Alexander. She was born on January 19, 1943, at the Ottawa Civic Hospital in Ottawa, Canada. At the time of her birth, she was fourth in line for the Dutch throne. Today, she is eighth, and last, in line. She is the only one of King Willem-Alexander’s aunts who remains a member of the Dutch Royal House. Margriet was named for the marguerite, the flower which symbolized the resistance to Nazi Germany.

Margriet has three sisters:

 

At the time of Margriet’s birth, her family was living in Canada, having fled the Netherlands in 1940 during the German invasion. As Canadian law grants Canadian citizenship to anyone born on Canadian soil, the government temporarily declared the maternity ward to be extraterritorial, meaning it became an international territory. Therefore, Margriet’s birth followed Dutch law, in which citizenship passes from the parents, and she was born solely with Dutch citizenship. She was christened at St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Ottawa, Canada on June 29, 1943. Her godparents included:

After the war, the Dutch royal family sent 10,000 tulip bulbs to the city of Ottawa, as a gesture of thanks for the city’s generosity during the time Juliana and her children were living there, as well as for Canada’s role in the liberation of the Netherlands. The following year, Juliana also sent an additional 20,500 bulbs, requesting that they be planted on the grounds of the hospital where Margriet was born. In addition, Juliana promised to send an additional 10,000 bulbs each year. This led to the creation of the Canadian Tulip Festival in the early 1950s. In 2002, Princess Margriet was the guest of honor at the Festival’s 50th anniversary.

 

Margriet was two years old when the family returned to the Netherlands after the war. She attended De Werkplaats school in Bilthoven, and the Nieuwe Baarnse School in Baarn, and then completed her secondary schooling at the Baarns Lyceum, graduating in 1961. Margriet then attended the University of Montpellier in France – studying French literature, history, and art – and Leiden University, where she studied law. She also trained with the Netherlands Red Cross as a nurse auxiliary.

photo: Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor

While at Leiden University, Princess Margriet met her future husband, Pieter van Vollenhoven. They became engaged in March 1965, and nearly two years later, on January 10, 1967, they married. A civil ceremony was held in the town hall in The Hague, followed by a religious ceremony at the Grote of Sint-Jacobskerk. They took up residence in a wing of Het Loo Palace, and later moved to Huis Het Loo (link in Dutch), a house they had built on the grounds of the palace. It was decided at the time of their marriage that any children would hold the title of Prince/Princess of Orange-Nassau, with the surname van Vollenhoven, and the style of Highness. They have four sons:

Princess Margriet holds a prominent role in the Dutch Royal Family. Unlike her sisters Irene and Christina, she retained her place in the Dutch Royal House. In addition to many official duties, she often represents the royal family at royal events around the world and is usually in attendance at formal events, such as incoming state visits.

 

Since the mid-1960s, she has been very involved with the Red Cross, both in the Netherlands, and the international organization. She served for many years as Vice-President of the Netherlands Red Cross, chaired the Standing Commission for the International Red Cross, and served as a member of the governing board of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. She continues to serve as Honorary Chair of the Netherlands Red Cross. She also served as President of the European Cultural Foundation from 1984-2007, succeeded by Princess Laurentien, the wife of her nephew Prince Constantijn.

Princess Margriet is involved in a larger number of other organizations, including:

  • Patron, National Union of Volunteers
  • Patron, Equestrian Federation for the Disabled
  • Patron, National Rehabilitation Fund
  • Patron, Society of Friends of the Band of the Royal Marines
  • Patron, Netherland-America Foundation
  • Patron, Introdans Modern Ballet Company
  • Patron, Vision 2020 Netherlands
  • Patron, KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation
  • Honorary Chair, The De Lijn Society
  • Member, Honorary Board of the International Paralympic Committee
  • Member, Ronald McDonald House Advisory Committee

 

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