Category Archives: British Royals

Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha: In 1675, Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg died. Initially, his seven sons collectively governed the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, as set out in their father’s will. In 1680, the seven brothers concluded a treaty of separation, with each brother getting a portion of the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha Altenburg and becoming a Duke. One of the seven new duchies was the Duchy of Saxe-Saalfeld and Johann Ernst, one of the seven sons of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg became the first Duke of Saxe-Saalfeld.  When two of his brothers died without male heirs, Johann Ernst took possession of Coburg (in 1699) and Römhild (in 1714). In 1699, Johann Ernst’s title changed to Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.

In 1825, 145 years after the initial split, another line became extinct and there was another split between three surviving duchies. Ernst III, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld became Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. For more information on the switch, see Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Index.

On November 9, 1918, after the German Empire lost World War I, the Workers’ and Soldiers Council of Gotha, deposed the last Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Charles Edward, a grandson of Queen Victoria.  Five days later, he signed a declaration relinquishing his rights to the throne. The territory that encompassed the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is now in the German states of Bavaria and Thuringia.

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Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha – source: Wikipedia

Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, was the fourth child of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Born at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England on August 6, 1844, Alfred was christened on September 6, 1844, in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle with the names Alfred Ernest Albert. His godparents were:

Alfred had eight siblings:

 

After being educated at home, along with his older brother The Prince of Wales (future King Edward VII), Alfred entered the British Navy at just 14 years old. Rising quickly through the ranks, by February 1866 he had been elevated to the rank of Captain, and the following year was given command of his own ship, HMS Galatea.

During his military career, Alfred found himself potentially taking a throne of his own. After deposing their ruler King Otto, the people of Greece voted to determine the future of the Greek monarchy. Prince Alfred received 95% of the votes. Despite this, under the terms of the London Conference of 1832, members of the ruling families of the Great Powers (Britain, France, and Russia) were prohibited from ascending the Greek throne. In addition, Queen Victoria was adamantly opposed to the idea, as Alfred was already intended to succeed his uncle Ernst as Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Alfred’s father and elder brother had both renounced their rights of succession, leaving Alfred as heir-apparent to his uncle. The Greek throne ended up going to Prince Vilhelm of Denmark, who reigned as King George I of the Hellenes.

Along with his military career, from 1863-1865, Prince Alfred studied at the University of Edinburgh, and the University of Bonn. With his future role as Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in mind, in 1865 Alfred purchased a palace in Coburg, just across the square from Schloss Ehrenburg, the official ducal residence. This palace, known as Palais Edinburg,  would be his residence in Coburg until his accession 28 years later. The following year, in May 1866, he was created Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Ulster, and Earl of Kent. Along with this came a parliamentary allowance of £15,000 per year, and a seat in the House of Lords.

From a young age, Prince Alfred developed a strong interest in stamp collecting. Through the years, he amassed a rather extensive collection, which he later sold to King Edward VII who passed it on to his son, King George V. Today, it forms part of the Royal Philatelic Collection, housed at St James’ Palace in London, England.

On January 24, 1867, Alfred set sail on HMS Galatea for a trip around the world. Following a visit to Cape Town in South Africa, he arrived in Australia on October 31, the first British royal to set foot in the country. On March 12, 1868, while visiting Sydney, Prince Alfred was the victim of an assassination attempt. An Irishman, Henry James O’Farrell, fired at the Prince from behind, striking him just to the side of his spine. Alfred was quickly taken to Government House in Sydney, where he spent several weeks recovering before again assuming command of his ship and returning home in June 1868. In an outpouring of support for the Prince, the people voted for some sort of memorial to be built in his honor. This led to the construction of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney. In addition to being the first British royal in Australia, Prince Alfred was also the first to visit New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong, India, and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in visits over the next several years.

 

On January 24, 1874, at the Winter Palace in St Petersburg, Russia, Alfred married Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna, the only daughter of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia and Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine. The couple settled at Clarence House in London, England, and Eastwell Park in Kent, England which they leased until 1893.

Alfred and Marie had five children:

Over the next nearly twenty years, Alfred’s distinguished naval career saw him serve as Admiral Superintendent of Naval Reserves, Commander-in-Chief of both the Channel Fleet and the Mediterranean Fleet, and  Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth. In June 1893, he was made Admiral of the Fleet, the highest rank in the British Navy.

Prince Alfred (right) with his brothers Edward, Prince of Wales (left) and Arthur, Duke of Connaught. source: Wikipedia

However, Alfred’s Royal Navy career would soon come to an end. On August 23, 1893, Alfred’s uncle Ernst died, and he became the reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. While this had been the plan for many years, Alfred resented having to give up his naval career and his British life. He gave up his British annuity, his seat in the House of Lords, and became the first person to voluntarily resign from the Privy Council. However, he successfully petitioned Parliament to continue the separate funding he received to maintain Clarence House for the rest of his life.

The transition to his new position was not easy. The people were mostly against the idea of a British prince being their Duke even though his father was born a Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. But Alfred managed to build up the people’s confidence in him and soon became quite popular. Leaving most of the governing to the State Ministry, Alfred spent his time traveling, hunting, and following all the latest advances of the Royal Navy which he greatly missed.

Sadly, Alfred’s reign would be rather short. On July 30, 1900, at Schloss Rosenau, in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in Bavaria, Germany, Alfred died from throat cancer at the age of 55. He was buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in the Glockenburg Cemetery in Coburg. He was succeeded by his nephew, Prince Charles Edward, Duke of Albany, son of his late brother Leopold.

The Ducal Mausoleum in the Glockenberg Cemetery. photo: by Störfix – Selbst fotografiert, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4010189

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 Book

  • Dearest Affie: Alfred, Queen Victoria’s Second Son – John Van Der Kiste

Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Queen Victoria Resources at Unofficial Royalty

John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll; source: Wikipedia

John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll, was the husband of Princess Louise, the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He was born John George Edward Henry Douglas Sutherland Campbell, on August 6, 1845, in London,  England, the eldest son of the twelve children of  George Campbell, Marquess of Lorne (later 8th Duke of Argyll) and Lady Elizabeth Sutherland-Leveson-Gower (a daughter of the 2nd Duke of Sutherland). At the time of his birth, he was styled, by courtesy, Earl of Campbell. Less than two years later, his father succeeded his Duke of Argyll, and John was styled Marquess of Lorne.

Lorne (as he was typically known) had eleven younger siblings:

  • Lord Archibald Campbell (1846 – 1913), married Janey Callander, had two children including Niall Campbell, 10th Duke of Argyll
  • Lord Walter Campbell (1848 – 1889),  married  (1) Olivia Milns, no children (2) Lilian Sclater, had two children
  • Lady Edith Campbell (1849 – 1913), married Henry Percy, 7th Duke of Northumberland, had thirteen children
  • Lady Elisabeth Campbell (1852 – 1896), married Lt.-Col. Edward Harrison Clough-Taylor, had one daughter
  • Lord George Granville Campbell (1850 – 1915), married Sybil Lascelles Alexander, had three children
  • Lord Colin Campbell (1853 – 1895), married Gertrude Blood, no children, divorced
  • Lady Victoria Campbell (1854 – 1910), unmarried
  • Lady Evelyn Campbell (1855 – 1940), married James Baillie-Hamilton, no children
  • Lady Frances Campbell (1858 – 1931), married Eustace Balfour, had five children
  • Lady Mary Emma Campbell (1859 – 1947), married The Right Reverand The Honorable Edward Carr Glyn, had three children.
  • Lady Constance Harriett Campbell (1864 – 1922), married Charles Emmott, no children

Lorne attended Edinburgh Academy, Eton College, The University of St. Andrews, and Trinity College, Cambridge. He also studied at the National Art Training School. He served in the House of Commons for several years, representing Argyllshire, beginning in 1868.

Engagement photo of Lorne and Princess Louise; source: Wikipedia

On March 21, 1871, at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, Lorne and Princess Louise were married. The marriage was met with much opposition, as Lorne was not royal. This was the first time a daughter of a British monarch had married a commoner since 1515, when Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, married Mary Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII. However, despite protests from some of Louise’s siblings and the Prussian court, Queen Victoria saw the marriage as an opportunity to “infuse new and healthy blood” into the Royal Family. The Queen offered Lorne a peerage (something she would do many times over the years), with the intent of resolving issues of precedence and giving him a rank closer to that of his wife. Lorne refused for several reasons – he would one day inherit the Argyll dukedom and he did not want to give up his place in the House of Commons.

The couple initially lived at Argyll House in London, England owned by Lorne’s family, and then leased a home in Grosvenor Square in London from Lorne’s uncle, the Duke of Westminster. However, the expense was somewhat beyond Lorne’s reach, and in 1873, Queen Victoria offered them a home at Kensington Palace. Apartment No.1 had been the residence of The Duchess of Inverness, the widow of Queen Victoria’s uncle The Duke of Sussex, who had recently passed away. After extensive renovations, Louise and Lorne took up residence, and this would be their primary residence for the rest of their lives. They later bought a country home, Dornden, in Kent, England. In addition, they had the use of several residences in Scotland owned by the Argyll family.

In 1878, Lorne was appointed Governor-General of Canada, where he served for five years. Lorne and Princess Louise traveled extensively throughout Canada, bringing a royal touch to the country. Although he was not always well-received, he and Louise usually managed to win over the Canadian people wherever they went. While in Canada, he and his wife contributed to the establishment of the Royal Society of Canada, the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, and the National Gallery of Canada. On his return to Britain in 1883, he published a book, Memories of Canada and Scotland.

From 1892 until his death, he was the Governor and Constable of Windsor Castle, appointed by his mother-in-law. Although more of a title than an actual job, Lorne took the position very seriously and ensured that he earned the £12,000 salary that came with the position. Lorne wrote an extensive history of the castle – The Governor’s Guide to Windsor Castle.

In 1895, Lorne and Louise purchased Rosneath Castle in Scotland, from his father. The property had been mostly unused for several years, and his father had attempted several times to sell it. Thanks in part to his wife’s dowry, Lorne was able to purchase it outright, and it would become the couple’s home in Scotland until he succeeded to the Dukedom. After his death, it would become Louise’s dower home as well. Also in 1895, Lorne was again elected to Parliament, serving in the House of Commons representing Manchester South.

On April 24, 1900, Lorne succeeded his father as the 9th Duke of Argyll. Among many other titles, he also became Hereditary Master of the Royal Household in Scotland, Admiral of the Western Coasts and Isles, Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland, and Lord-Lieutenant of Argyllshire. Most important of all, Lorne was now Chief of the Clan Campbell.

 

Despite the huge step up in prominence, Lorne’s financial situation was still quite strained. Facing massive inheritance taxes after his father’s death, the new Duke of Argyll managed to maintain Rosneath and the family seat, Inveraray Castle. When not in residence, he often leased both out to help meet the expense, and the couple lived primarily at Kensington Palace and at Kent Cottage on the grounds of Osborne House.

Lorne published several books through the years. His first was a book of poetry in 1875, Guido and Lita – A Tale of the Riviera, and others included several books about Canada and his family history. After Queen Victoria’s death, he agreed to write a serialized biography of her to be published in monthly installments – V.R.I Queen Victoria, Her Life and Empire.

Argyll Mausoleum attached to St Munn’s Church;  Credit – Wikipedia

Lorne’s later years were spent managing the Argyll estates and fulfilling his role in the House of Lords. The Duke of Argyll died on May 2, 1914, at Kent House on the Isle of Wight. He is buried in the Argyll Mausoleum at St. Munn’s Church in Kilmun, Scotland. His wife survived him by 25 years and is buried in the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore.

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.

Lord Leopold Mountbatten

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Lord Leopold Mountbatten; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Leopold of Battenberg was born at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, on May 21, 1889, three days before his grandmother, Queen Victoria, celebrated her 70th birthday. He was the third of the four children of Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom and Prince Henry of Battenberg. On June 29, 1889, at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, the little prince was christened Leopold Arthur Louis. He was named after his uncle Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany who died from hemophilia complications in 1884, and his three godfathers.

His godparents were:

It is ironic that Leopold was named for his hemophiliac uncle because he had inherited the genetic disorder from his mother. Hemophilia had been a burden to Princess Beatrice for a good part of her life. In childhood, it ruined the fun she could have had with the sibling nearest her age. The illness and death of her brother Leopold haunted her, and now her own child was to be similarly afflicted.

Leopold had two brothers and one sister:

Beatrice and her children in 1900; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Leopold’s hemophilia would have disqualified him from military service if he had wished it, but he desired to serve. In 1909, Leopold joined the 8th Isle of Wight Rifles (Princess Beatrice’s) Battalion.  He wrote to Colonel Seely, Regimental Commandant of the Isle of Wight Volunteer Regiment, “I wanted to thank you so much for your kindness in getting me my regular commission. I am more than grateful, as I have always wanted to be able to soldier seriously and never thought I should be able to do so.” In 1912, Leopold joined the King’s Royal Rifle Corps.  When World War I started in August 1914, the King’s Royal Rifle Corps, also the regiment of Leopold’s brother Maurice, as well as the Grenadier Guards, his brother Alexander’s regiment, was under deployment orders. Leopold’s activities were restricted to a non-combat staff appointment. A little more than two months after the war started, Leopold’s brother Maurice was killed in action on October 27, 1914.

NPG x197402; 'T.H. The Princes of Battenberg. For King and Country' by Bassano Ltd, published by Rotary Photographic Co Ltd

‘T.H. The Princes of Battenberg. For King and Country’ by Bassano Ltd, published by Rotary Photographic Co Ltd, postcard print, published circa 1914 NPG x197402 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Due to anti-German sentiment during World War I, King George V issued Letters Patents on July 17, 1917 “declaring that the name Windsor is to be borne by his royal house and family and relinquishing the use of all German titles and dignities.” Leopold and his brother Alexander relinquished their German styles and titles and anglicized their name to Mountbatten. Leopold was granted the rank and precedence of the younger son of a marquess, becoming Lord Leopold Mountbatten. As the eldest surviving brother, Alexander was created Marquess of Carisbrooke.

At the end of World War I, Leopold returned to London and lived with his mother at Kensington Palace.   On April 22, 1922, Leopold had hip surgery at Kensington Palace. He appeared to be making a normal recovery but had a relapse, and died on April 23, 1922, at the age of 32.  He was buried at the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in Windsor, England.

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Irene Mountbatten, Marchioness of Carisbrooke

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Irene Mountbatten, Marchioness of Carisbrooke; Credit -Wikipedia

Lady Irene Francis Adza Denison was born on July 4, 1890, in London, England. While not royal, Lady Irene came from an aristocratic background. She was the only daughter and the eldest of the three children of William Francis Henry Denison, 2nd Earl of Londesborough and Lady Grace Adelaide Fane, the daughter of Francis Fane, 12th Earl of Westmorland and Lady Adelaide Ida Curzon, daughter of Richard Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl Howe and Lady Harriet Brudenell, second daughter of Robert Brudenell, 6th Earl of Cardigan.

Lady Irene had two brothers:

  • George Francis William Henry Denison, 3rd Earl of Londesborough (July 17, 1892 – September 12, 1920), unmarried
  • Hugo William Cecil Denison, 4th Earl of Londesborough (November 13, 1894 – April 17, 1937), married Marigold Rosemary Joyce Lubbock, had one daughter, earldom extinct upon his death

Lady Irene’s family was well-connected. For her 18th birthday, a party was held at St. Dunstan’s Lodge in Regents Park, London, and The Duke and Duchess of Connaught attended along with their daughter Margaret, Crown Princess of Sweden, and her husband, the Crown Prince (the future King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden). Lady Irene was a debutante in 1908, the same year as her 18th birthday party. A periodical from the time called Lady Irene an interesting debutante and said that she is “fond of sport…shares her parents’ interest in the drama” and “…acted from childhood.” During World War I, Lady Irene volunteered at the Countess of Lytton’s Hospital, where wounded soldiers received care.

On July 19, 1917, at the Chapel Royal at St. James’ Palace in London, Lady Irene married Alexander Mountbatten, Marquess of Carisbrooke, the eldest son of Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom and Prince Henry of Battenberg. Because the wedding was during World War I, there were no bridesmaids or formal reception. The photo below shows a crowd observing the arrival of the guests at the wedding.

 

Alexander and Irene had one daughter:

NPG x151240; Lady Iris Victoria Beatrice Grace Kemp (nÈe Mountbatten) by Bassano

Lady Iris Victoria Beatrice Grace Kemp (née Mountbatten) by Bassano Ltd, whole-plate film negative, 26 November 1934 NPG x151240 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Irene and Alexander lived at King’s Cottage, overlooking Kew Gardens, one of the grace and favor houses at the disposal of the Sovereign. They spent their last years living in apartments at Kensington Palace.

 

Irene died July 16, 1956, at the age of 66 in London, England. Her ashes were interred at St. Mildred’s Church in Whippingham, Isle of Wight, England.  Alexander died less than four years later from a cerebral hemorrhage at Kensington Palace on February 23, 1960, at the age of 73. His ashes were also interred at St. Mildred’s Church, where his parents married and where they were buried.

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Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2015

Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke;  Credit – Wikipedia

A grandson of Queen Victoria, Prince Alexander of Battenberg was born at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England on November 23, 1886. He was the eldest of the four children of Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom and Prince Henry of Battenberg. The infant prince was christened Alexander Albert Victor (known in the family as Drino) on December 18, 1886, at the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle.

His godparents were:

NPG Ax5554; Princess Beatrice of Battenberg; Alexander Albert Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke by W. & D. Downey

Princess Beatrice of Battenberg; Alexander Albert Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke by W. & D. Downey, albumen cabinet card, circa 1890 NPG Ax5554 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Alexander had two brothers and one sister.

Beatrice and her children in 1900; Credit – Wikipedia

Alexander was educated at Stubbington House School, known as “the cradle of the Navy,” in Stubbington, Hampshire, England.  The school was located about one mile from The Solent, the strait separates the Isle of Wight from the mainland of England, so it was close to one of his grandmother’s favorite homes, Osborne House, on the Isle of Wight.  After finishing at Stubbington, Alexander attended Wellington College in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England. Alexander’s grandmother Queen Victoria laid the foundation stone in 1856 and inaugurated Wellington College’s opening in 1859.

Prince Alexander served in the Royal Navy from 1902-1908. In 1911, he joined the British Army and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Grenadier Guards. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1913, and in 1915, he was promoted to captain. When World War I started in August of 1914, Alexander’s regiment was under deployment orders, as was the 60th Rifles, the regiment of his brothers Leopold and Maurice. A little more than two months after the war started, Maurice was killed in action on October 27, 1914.

NPG x197402; 'T.H. The Princes of Battenberg. For King and Country' by Bassano Ltd, published by Rotary Photographic Co Ltd

‘T.H. The Princes of Battenberg. For King and Country’ by Bassano Ltd, published by Rotary Photographic Co Ltd, postcard print, published circa 1914 NPG x197402 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Due to anti-German sentiment during World War I, King George V issued Letters Patents on July 17, 1917 “declaring that the name Windsor is to be borne by his royal house and family and relinquishing the use of all German titles and dignities.” Alexander and his brother Leopold relinquished their German styles and titles and anglicized their name to Mountbatten. Alexander was created Marquess of Carisbrooke and Leopold was granted the rank and precedence of the younger son of a marquess, becoming Lord Leopold Mountbatten.

On July 19, 1917, at the Chapel Royal at St. James’ Palace in London, Alexander married Lady Irene Denison, the only daughter of William Denison, 2nd Earl of Londesborough and Lady Grace Fane, daughter of Francis Fane, 12th Earl of Westmorland and Lady Adelaide Curzon. Because the wedding was during World War I, there were no bridesmaids or formal reception.

Irene Marchioness of Carisbrooke

Irene, Marchioness of Carisbrooke; Photo Credit – http://theesotericcuriosa.blogspot.com

Alexander and Irene had one daughter:

NPG x151240; Lady Iris Victoria Beatrice Grace Kemp (nÈe Mountbatten) by Bassano

Lady Iris Victoria Beatrice Grace Kemp (née Mountbatten) by Bassano Ltd, whole-plate film negative, 26 November 1934 NPG x151240 © National Portrait Gallery, London

In 1919, Alexander resigned from the British Army and was placed in the General Reserve as a captain.  He began a business career and started work as a clerk in the offices of the bank Lazard Brothers. Alexander also worked for the Metropolitan Housing Corporation which controlled many housing estates for artisans, and Alexander eventually took full charge of the social work connected with the estates. Later he became a director of Lever Brothers and several other companies.

NPG x45408; Alexander Albert Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke by Henry Walter ('H. Walter') Barnett

Alexander Albert Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke by Henry Walter (‘H. Walter’) Barnett, vintage bromide print, 1905-1920 NPG x45408 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Early in World War II, Alexander joined the Royal Air Force and served as a staff officer attached to Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory, a senior commander in the Royal Air Force. After World War II, Alexander lived at King’s Cottage, overlooking Kew Gardens, one of the grace and favor houses at the disposal of the Sovereign. He spent his last years living in apartments at Kensington Palace. Alexander’s wife Irene died in 1956. Her ashes were interred at St. Mildred’s Church in Whippingham, Isle of Wight, England. Alexander died from a cerebral hemorrhage at Kensington Palace in London, England on February 23, 1960, at the age of 73. Alexander’s ashes were placed in the wall above his parents’ tomb at St. Mildred’s Church. The peerage Marquess of Carisbrooke became extinct upon his death. Alexander was the last surviving grandson of Queen Victoria.

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Prince Henry of Battenberg

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Prince Henry of Battenberg; Credit – Wikipedia

The husband of Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Beatrice, Prince Henry of Battenberg (Henry Maurice, German: Heinrich Moritz) was born on October 5, 1858, in Milan, Lombardy–Venetia, Italy. Henry (called Liko) was the fourth of the five children of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine and Countess Julia Hauke. As his parents’ marriage was morganatic, Henry and his siblings took their titles from their mother, who had been created Countess of Battenberg and was later elevated to Princess of Battenberg in 1858. See Unofficial Royalty: Who Are The Battenbergs?

Henry had three brothers and one sister:

Henry received a military education and was commissioned a lieutenant in the 1st Regiment of the Rhenish Hussars of the Prussian Army.  He also served in the Gardes du Corps, the personal bodyguard of the King of Prussia and, after 1871, of the German Emperor.

In 1884, Henry’s brother Louis married Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, the daughter of Queen Victoria’s third child Alice. Of course, Henry attended the wedding and so did the bride’s aunt Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, the youngest child of Queen Victoria. Queen Victoria expected that Beatrice would never marry and remain her personal assistant and secretary. However, during the wedding celebrations, Henry and Beatrice fell in love. When Beatrice told her mother of her desire to marry Henry, Queen Victoria did not speak to Beatrice for seven months. Eventually, the Queen realized that Beatrice would not back down and decided to allow the marriage with several conditions: Henry must renounce his career, nationality, and home and agree to live with Beatrice and the Queen.

On the day before the wedding, Queen Victoria created Henry a Knight of the Garter and granted him the style Royal Highness. This style was in effect only in the United Kingdom and not in the German Empire, where Henry was still considered a Serene Highness. Beatrice and Henry were married on July 23, 1885, at Saint Mildred’s Church in Whippingham, Isle of Wight, England near Queen Victoria’s beloved home Osborne House. On the wedding day, a bill passed in the House of Lords making Henry a naturalized British subject. After the wedding, the couple was styled as Their Royal Highnesses Prince and Princess Henry of Battenberg.

Photo Credit – www.victorian-gothic.co.uk; THE BACK: (L-R): Prince Alexander of Bulgaria, Princess Louise of Wales, Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine, Princess Victoria of Wales, Prince Franz Joseph of Battenberg * THE MIDDLE: (L-R): Princess Maud of Wales, Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, Princesses Marie Louise and Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein * THE FRONT: (L-R): Princesses Victoria Melita, Marie and Alexandra of Edinburgh and bridal couple

Beatrice and Henry had three sons and one daughter. The Spanish Royal Family descends from their marriage.

Queen Victoria with Henry and Beatrice and their three eldest children in 1889; Credit – Wikipedia

Unfortunately, Beatrice was a hemophilia carrier. Henry and Beatrice’s son Leopold was a hemophiliac and their daughter Victoria Eugenie was a carrier. Leopold died after an emergency operation at Kensington Palace when he was almost 23. Victoria Eugenie, known as Ena, brought hemophilia into the Spanish Royal Family. Two of Ena’s sons had hemophilia. Her son Alfonso died in a car accident at age 31 and her son Gonzalo also died as the result of a car accident at age 20.

NPG P1700(21b); Prince Henry Maurice of Battenberg by Walery

Prince Henry Maurice of Battenberg by Walery, albumen print, 1895 NPG P1700(21b) © National Portrait Gallery, London

Beatrice and Henry kept their promise and lived with Queen Victoria and Beatrice remained her full-time confidante and secretary. Henry was often bored by the lack of activity and to give him more to do, Queen Victoria appointed him Governor of Carisbrooke Castle and Captain-General and Governor of the Isle of Wight in 1889, Lieutenant-Colonel in the Army in 1887, Colonel in 1893, and a member of the Privy Council in 1894.

In November 1895, Henry persuaded Queen Victoria to allow him to go to West Africa to fight in the Anglo-Ashanti Wars. Henry arrived in Africa on Christmas Day 1895. By January 10, 1896, Henry was sick with malaria and it was decided to send him back to England. Henry died aboard the ship HMS Blonde off the coast of Sierra Leone on January 20, 1896, at the age of 37. His funeral took place on February 5, 1896, at St. Mildred’s Church on the Isle of Wight where he had been married. He was interred at St. Mildred’s Church in what became known as the Battenberg Chapel.

Beatrice survived Henry by 48 years, dying on October 26, 1944, at the age of 87, the last surviving child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. She was buried with Henry at St. Mildred’s Church.

Tomb of Princess Beatrice and her husband Prince Henry of Battenberg; Credit – Wikipedia

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What’s in a Name? – Princess Charlotte of Cambridge

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s (now The Prince and Princess of Wales) second child, a daughter, was born on May 2, 2015. Her given names are Charlotte Elizabeth Diana and she is styled Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge. (She is now styled Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Wales.) Letters patent issued on December 31, 2012, by Queen Elizabeth II declared that all children of the Prince of Wales’s eldest son are princes or princesses with the style Royal Highness. As with other princes and princesses who are born to royal dukes, the children of the Duke of Cambridge take their territorial designation from their father’s title.

NPG x96002; Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck by Alexander Bassano

Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck by Alexander Bassano, half-plate glass negative, circa 1888 NPG x96002 © National Portrait Gallery, London

The last-born Princess of Cambridge was Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge (1833-1897). Princess Mary Adelaide was the second daughter and the youngest of the three children of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge who was a son of King George III. Princess Mary Adelaide was the first cousin of Queen Victoria and the mother of Queen Mary, the wife of King George V. Therefore, she is the great great great great grandmother of Princess Charlotte of Cambridge. Princess Mary Adelaide weighed approximately 250 pounds and was affectionately known as “Fat Mary.” Her first cousin Queen Victoria wrote of her, “Her size is fearful. It is really a misfortune.” Princess Mary Adelaide, however, was high-spirited and full of life, and was adored by the Victorian public who called her “The People’s Princess.”

NPG 224; Charlotte Sophia of Mecklenburg-Strelitz studio of Allan Ramsay

Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, studio of Allan Ramsay, oil on canvas, (1761-1762) NPG 224 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Princess Charlotte’s first name, a French diminutive of Charles, is most likely a tribute to her paternal grandfather King Charles III and her maternal grandmother Carole Middleton, whose name comes from Carolus, the Latin form of Charles. Charlotte is also the middle name of the princess’ maternal aunt Pippa Middleton. However, there is a history of the name Charlotte in the British Royal Family. King James II and his second wife Mary of Modena had a daughter named Charlotte (1682), but she lived for only two months. Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1744-1818) was the wife of King George III. Queen Charlotte is noted for giving birth to 15 children with all but two surviving childhood. She was a patroness of the arts and an amateur botanist, who helped expand Kew Gardens in London.

Photo of Charlotte, Princess Royal; Credit – Wikipedia

King George III and Queen Charlotte named their eldest daughter Charlotte (1766-1828). In 1789, she was created Princess Royal, a style that can be awarded by a British monarch to his or her eldest daughter. The living conditions of King George III’s daughters came to be known as “the Nunnery.” None of the daughters was allowed to marry at the age when most princesses would marry. Charlotte was the only one of her sisters to escape the “the Nunnery” relatively early. At the age of 29, Charlotte married Hereditary Prince Friedrich of Württemberg, later King of Württemberg. The couple had one child, a stillborn daughter born in 1798.

NPG 206; Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales by Richard Woodman

Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales, by Richard Woodman, watercolour, circa 1816 NPG 206 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Queen Charlotte also had two granddaughters named Charlotte. Princess Charlotte of Wales (1796-1817) was the only child of George, Prince of Wales, the future King George IV. Had Charlotte survived her grandfather King George III and her father King George IV, she would have become Queen of the United Kingdom. During her lifetime, Charlotte was second in the line of succession to the British throne after her father. On May 2, 1816, Charlotte married the handsome Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saafeld (after 1826, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and in 1831, elected Leopold I, King of the Belgians).

On November 6, 1817, a great tragedy struck the British Royal Family. After a labor of over 50 hours, Charlotte delivered a stillborn son. Several hours later, twenty-one-year-old Princess Charlotte, the only child of George, Prince of Wales, and King George III’s only legitimate grandchild, died of postpartum hemorrhage. Charlotte was mourned by the British people in a manner similar to the mourning of Diana, Princess of Wales. She was buried in the Royal Tomb House at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle with her stillborn son at her feet. Charlotte’s pregnancy and delivery had been grossly mismanaged and the doctor in charge later committed suicide. The death of Charlotte of Wales caused a succession crisis. See Unofficial Royalty: Death of Princess Charlotte of Wales in childbirth and its impact on the succession to the British throne.

Queen Charlotte’s other namesake granddaughter was Princess Charlotte of Clarence, the daughter of Prince William, Duke of Clarence, the future King William IV. Little Charlotte was born on March 27, 1819, and died the same day, a few hours after being baptized. Had Charlotte of Clarence lived, she would have been Queen instead of her cousin Victoria.

Queen Elizabeth II; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Charlotte’s second name is Elizabeth, and of course, it is in honor of her great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II. Elizabeth is also the middle name of her mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, and her maternal grandmother, Carole Middleton. It was also the name of Princess Charlotte’s great great grandmother Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. The name of Elizabeth has been used over the years in the British Royal Family.

 

Princess Charlotte’s third name Diana is in honor of her late paternal grandmother Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997). Diana was born The Honourable (later Lady) Diana Frances Spencer, youngest daughter of John Spencer, Viscount Althorp (later 8th Earl Spencer) and his wife, formerly the Honourable Frances Burke Roche, at Park House, on the Queen’s Sandringham Estate. She married Charles, Prince of Wales on July 29, 1981, at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. The Prince and Princess of Wales had two sons – Prince William and Prince Harry. The couple divorced in 1996 and Diana’s style became Diana, Princess of Wales. While she lost her HRH status, she remained, officially, a member of the Royal Family.

At 4 AM (Paris time) Sunday, August 31, 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales died in the hospital after being involved in a car crash that instantly killed Dodi Fayed and the driver of the car. Diana’s car was being chased by photographers on motorbikes at high speeds when the crash happened in a tunnel. Investigation of the accident also brought to light that the driver of the car was more than three times over the (French) alcohol limit.

The Prince of Wales, (now King Charles III) along with Diana’s two sisters, flew to Paris to accompany Diana’s coffin back to Britain. Draped with the Royal Standard, the coffin was taken to the Chapel Royal at St. James’ Palace. The funeral was held on Saturday, September 6, 1997, in Westminster Abbey, following a procession from Kensington Palace. After the service, Diana’s coffin was taken to Althorp, the ancestral home of the Earls Spencer, where she was buried privately on an island in the center of a lake on the grounds.

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Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, Princess Henry of Battenberg

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Beatrice was born on April 14, 1857, at Buckingham Palace in London, England. She was the youngest of the nine children of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Her christening was held on June 16, 1857, at the private chapel at Buckingham Palace. The princess was named Beatrice Mary Victoria Feodore. Mary was for Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester, the last surviving child of King George III, who had died two weeks after Beatrice was born. Feodore was for Queen Victoria’s half-sister, Feodora, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.

Princess Beatrice’s godparents were:

Beatrice had four brothers and four sisters:

Beatrice’s parents realized that she would be their last child, and she was treated differently than her siblings. Prince Albert described her as “an extremely attractive, pretty, intelligent child – indeed the most amusing baby we have had.” Known as Baby in the family, Beatrice filled a void for her parents when her eldest sister Victoria, Princess Royal married less than a year after her birth and left to live in Prussia with her new husband. By the time Beatrice was three years old, she was an aunt twice over from that marriage.

Beatrice and her mother; Credit – Wikipedia

On December 14, 1861, Prince Albert died at the age of 42. Beatrice was only four and a half and had lost one of her principal role models. Queen Victoria was grief-stricken. The night Prince Albert died, Queen Victoria went into the nursery and carried the sleeping Beatrice to her own bed, where she lay unable to sleep, hugging Beatrice while wrapped in the bedclothes of her deceased husband. Because of her mother’s prolonged grief and mourning, Beatrice’s life would forever be shaped by her father’s death. She became a great solace to her mother, and as the years progressed Queen Victoria hoped that Beatrice would always be her constant companion.

Beatrice (center) and her sisters mourning their father; Credit – Wikipedia

Despite her father’s death, Beatrice’s education proceeded according to the plan Prince Albert had devised for all his children. She received lessons in French and German and a hands-on history education by visiting historical sites. Unlike her mother, Beatrice eventually had clear and legible handwriting and was an accurate speller. By the age of fifteen, Beatrice was writing letters on behalf of Queen Victoria, and she was developing into the quiet, attentive, and devoted helper the Queen wanted. When the last of her sisters married and left home, Beatrice took on the job of her mother’s full-time personal assistant.

Beatrice in 1868; Credit – Wikipedia

At the age of six, Beatrice declared, “I don’t like weddings at all. I shall never be married. I shall stay with mother.” Queen Victoria said of Beatrice, “She is my constant companion and hope and trust will never leave me while I live.” Nevertheless, Beatrice did have suitors. During the 1870s there was talk of Beatrice marrying Louis Napoleon, the only child of the exiled French Emperor, Napoleon III, and his wife Eugénie who had settled in England. However, in 1879 Louis Napoleon died in the Anglo-Zulu War. After the death of their sister Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine from diphtheria in 1878, Beatrice’s eldest brother, the Prince of Wales (Bertie), suggested that Beatrice marry Alice’s widower Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine. However, it was illegal for Beatrice to marry her sister’s widower. The Prince of Wales supported a bill in Parliament that would allow such marriages. The bill passed in the House of Commons, but failed in the House of Lords. While attending the wedding of her niece Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine and Prince Louis of Battenberg in 1884, Princess Beatrice fell in love.

Beatrice_Victoria

Beatrice and Queen Victoria 1880s; Photo Collection of Susan Flantzer

The man who won Beatrice’s heart was Prince Henry of Battenberg, the brother of the groom. Henry was the third of the four children of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine and Countess Julia Hauke. As his parents’ marriage was morganatic, Henry and his siblings took their titles from their mother, who had been created Countess of Battenberg (later elevated to Princess of Battenberg in 1858). Henry’s older brothers Alexander (Sandro) and Louis, who was ultimately the husband of Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, had shown interest in Beatrice in the past but were unsuccessful.

Beatrice told her mother that she wanted to marry Henry. Queen Victoria reacted with silence. For seven months, from May to November 1884, Queen Victoria and Beatrice lived together, and the Queen did not speak to Beatrice, instead, the Queen communicated with Beatrice by notes. Members of the family including the Prince and Princess of Wales (Bertie and Alexandra), Alice’s widower Ludwig, and Beatrice’s eldest sister (Vicky) tried to persuade the Queen to agree to Beatrice’s marriage. Queen Victoria finally realized that Beatrice would not back down and offered her some conditions that must be met. Henry must renounce his career, nationality, and home and agree to live with Beatrice and the Queen. By the end of 1884, Queen Victoria and Beatrice were reconciled and a wedding was being planned.

NPG x32978; Prince Henry Maurice of Battenberg; Princess Beatrice of Battenberg by Unknown photographer

Prince Henry Maurice of Battenberg; Princess Beatrice of Battenberg by Unknown photographer albumen cabinet card, 1880s NPG x32978 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Beatrice and Henry (called Liko) were married on July 23, 1885, at Saint Mildred’s Church in Whippingham, Isle of Wight, England near Queen Victoria’s beloved home Osborne House. Queen Victoria allowed Beatrice to wear the Honiton lace and veil which she had worn on her wedding day, the only one of her daughters allowed to do so. The ten royal bridesmaids were all nieces of Princess Beatrice: Princess Alix and Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine; Princess Alexandra, Princess Marie and Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh; Princess Louise, Princess Maud and Princess Victoria of Wales; Princess Marie Louise and Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein.

Wedding of Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom and Prince Henry of Battenberg (see below for who’s who in the photo); Photo Credit – www.victorian-gothic.co.uk

THE BACK: (L-R): Prince Alexander of Bulgaria, Princess Louise of Wales, Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine, Princess Victoria of Wales, Prince Franz Joseph of Battenberg * THE MIDDLE: (L-R): Princess Maud of Wales, Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, Princesses Marie Louise and Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein * THE FRONT: (L-R): Princesses Victoria Melita, Marie and Alexandra of Edinburgh and the bridal couple.

Beatrice and Henry had three sons and one daughter. The Spanish Royal Family descends from their marriage.

Beatrice and her children in 1900; Credit – Wikipedia

Unfortunately, Beatrice was a hemophilia carrier. Her son Leopold was a hemophiliac and her daughter Victoria Eugenie was a carrier. Leopold died after an emergency operation at Kensington Palace when he was almost 23. Victoria Eugenie, known as Ena, brought hemophilia into the Spanish Royal Family. Two of Ena’s sons had hemophilia. Her son Alfonso died in a car accident at age 31 and her son Gonzalo also died as the result of a car accident at age 20.

Beatrice and Henry kept their promise and lived with Queen Victoria and Beatrice remained her full-time confidante and secretary. Henry was often bored by the lack of activity and to give him more to do, Queen Victoria appointed him Governor of Carisbrooke Castle and Captain-General and Governor of the Isle of Wight in 1889, Lieutenant-Colonel in the Army in 1887, Colonel in 1893 and a member of the Privy Council in 1894. In November 1895, Henry persuaded Queen Victoria to allow him to go to West Africa to fight in the Anglo-Ashanti Wars. Henry arrived in Africa on Christmas Day of 1895. By January 10, 1896, Henry was sick with malaria and it was decided to send him back to England. Henry died aboard the ship HMS Blonde off the coast of Sierra Leone on January 20, 1896, at the age of 37. His funeral took place on February 5, 1896, at St. Mildred’s Church on the Isle of Wight where he had been married. He was interred at St. Mildred’s Church in what became known as the Battenberg Chapel.

NPG P1700(21b); Prince Henry Maurice of Battenberg by Walery

Prince Henry Maurice of Battenberg by Walery, albumen print, 1895 NPG P1700(21b) © National Portrait Gallery, London

Following Henry’s death, Beatrice remained her mother’s companion and secretary. As Queen Victoria aged, she relied more heavily on Beatrice for dealing with correspondence and other matters. The Queen realized that Beatrice needed a place of her own, so she gave Beatrice the Kensington Palace apartments that she and her mother had once occupied. The Queen appointed Beatrice Governor of Carisbrooke Castle and Captain-General and Governor of the Isle of Wight, positions which had been vacated by Henry’s death. For the rest of her life, Beatrice conscientiously undertook the duties related to these positions.

Queen Victoria died on January 22, 1901. Beatrice continued to make public appearances, but her position diminished during the reign of her brother King Edward VII. For 30 years, Beatrice transcribed and edited her mother’s journals, which Victoria had kept since 1831 when she was 12 years-old. Queen Victoria had ordered Beatrice to delete material that might prove hurtful to living people. Two-thirds of the content of the original journals were deleted. These deletions distressed Beatrice’s nephew, King George V and his wife Queen Mary, who could do nothing, and many historians have felt that valuable information had been lost forever. The 111 notebooks that Beatrice copied are kept in the Royal Archives at Windsor Castle.

All three of Beatrice’s sons served during World War I, and sadly Maurice, her youngest son was killed in action. Due to anti-German sentiment during World War I, King George V issued Letters Patents on July 17, 1917 “declaring that the name Windsor is to be borne by his royal house and family and relinquishing the use of all German titles and dignities.” Beatrice’s two surviving sons relinquished their German styles and titles and anglicized their name to Mountbatten. The older son Alexander was created Marquess of Carisbrooke and Leopold was granted the rank and precedence of the younger son of a marquess, becoming Lord Leopold Mountbatten.

An elderly Beatrice; Credit – Wikipedia

As she aged, Beatrice became very infirm with arthritis and needed to use a wheelchair. She translated and edited the memoirs of her great-grandmother Augusta, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, which were published under the title In Napoleonic Times. Beatrice’s last home Brantridge Park in West Sussex, England, was owned by Queen Mary’s brother, Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone, and his wife, Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, who was Beatrice’s niece. At that time, the Athlones were in Canada where the Earl was Governor-General.

It was at Brantridge Park, that Beatrice died on October 26, 1944, at the age of 87, the last surviving child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Beatrice’s funeral was held at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on November 3, 1944. Queen Elizabeth, the wife of King George VI, Beatrice’s great-nephew, led Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain, Beatrice’s daughter, to the open vault in the choir where they both curtsied. Behind them in the choir stalls stood a young woman dressed in black, 18-year-old Princess Elizabeth, the future Queen Elizabeth II. Beatrice’s coffin remained in the Royal Tomb House at St. George’s Chapel until August 28, 1945. At that time, the coffin was taken to St. Mildred’s Church in Whippingham, Isle of Wight, England to be buried with her husband in the Battenberg Chapel.

Tomb of Princess Beatrice and her husband Prince Henry of Battenberg; Credit – Wikipedia

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

  • The Last Princess: The Devoted Life of Queen Victoria’s Youngest Daughter – Matthew Dennison
  • The Shy Princess – David Duff

Queen Victoria Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Catch Up With The Cambridges

photo: Time, John Stillwell/AFP/Getty Images

The Cambridge family has a new addition, a little sister for Prince George. Catch up with the Cambridges.

Unofficial Royalty: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Children | Forum
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Viktoria Adelheid of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha: In 1675, Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg died. Initially, his seven sons collectively governed the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, as set out in their father’s will. In 1680, the seven brothers concluded a treaty of separation, with each brother getting a portion of the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha Altenburg and becoming a Duke. One of the seven new duchies was the Duchy of Saxe-Saalfeld and Johann Ernst, one of the seven sons of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg became the first Duke of Saxe-Saalfeld.  When two of his brothers died without male heirs, Johann Ernst took possession of Coburg (in 1699) and Römhild (in 1714). In 1699, Johann Ernst’s title changed to Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.

In 1825, 145 years after the initial split, another line became extinct and there was another split between three surviving duchies. Ernst III, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld became Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. For more information on the switch, see Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Index.

On November 9, 1918, after the German Empire lost World War I, the Workers’ and Soldiers Council of Gotha, deposed the last Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Charles Edward, a grandson of Queen Victoria.  Five days later, he signed a declaration relinquishing his rights to the throne. The territory that encompassed the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is now in the German states of Bavaria and Thuringia.

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Viktoria Adelheid of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Viktoria Adelheid of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (Viktoria Adelheid Helene Luise Marie Friederike) was born on December 31, 1885, at Grünholz Manor (link in German) in Thumby, Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein, now in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. She was the eldest of the six children of Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and his wife Princess Karoline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg. Her father was the eldest son of Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and a nephew of King Christian IX of Denmark. Her mother was a granddaughter of Princess Feodora of Leiningen, the half-sister of Queen Victoria from her mother’s first marriage.

Princess Viktoria Adelheid’s birthplace Grünholz Manor; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Viktoria Adelheid had four sisters and one brother:

Viktoria Adelheid and Charles Edward in 1905; Credit – Wikipedia

On February 15, 1905, at a court ball at the Berliner Stadtschloss, the engagement of Viktoria Adelheid and Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was announced. Charles Edward, born a British prince, was the only son of Queen Victoria’s youngest son Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont.  Sadly, Prince Leopold, who had inherited hemophilia from his mother, died following a fall three months before Charles Edward was born.  Charles Edward became Duke of Albany at birth and succeeded his uncle Alfred as the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha at the age of 16.  The wedding was held on October 11, 1905, at Glücksburg Castle.

The couple had five children:

Viktoria Adelheid and her family in 1918; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

After World War I, Charles Edward abdicated from the throne of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. During the period between the two World Wars, Charles Edward became active in the Nazi Party.  In 1932, Princess Sibylla, the daughter of Charles Edward and Viktoria Adelheid, married Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Västerbotten. As Sibylla’s father was a prominent member of the Nazi Party, the wedding almost was a state affair. Adolf Hitler, who would soon become the German Chancellor, wrote a letter to Sibylla’s father congratulating the couple. The civil service was held on October 19, 1932, at Veste Castle in Coburg with the Nazi mayor of Coburg officiating, followed by a large reception, which included a torchlight procession of 4,000 members of the Nazi party. The religious wedding was held the following day at St. Moritz Church in Coburg. During the wedding festivities, numerous swastikas and other Nazi symbols could be seen throughout Coburg. The Nazi connection did not sit well with the Swedish people, and the groom’s grandfather King Gustaf V of Sweden, protesting Coburg’s close relation to the Nazi Party, refused to attend the wedding.

Pre-wedding activities 1932 from left to right: Charles Edward, Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Princess Sibylla (bride), Prince Gustaf Adolf (groom), Crown Princess Louise of Sweden, Viktoria Adelheid; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Three sons of Charles Edward and Viktoria Adelheid served in the German armed forces during World War II and their son Hubertus was killed in action in 1943. After the end of World War II, Charles Edward was placed under house arrest on June 4, 1945, at his residence, the Veste Coburg, because of his Nazi sympathies. Charles Edward and Viktoria Adelheid were housed in a stable cottage on the grounds of the Veste Coburg. Charles Edward’s sister Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone and her husband the 1st Earl of Athlone came to Coburg to plead for his release but were unsuccessful. However, they successfully negotiated for an improvement in the couple’s living conditions. Charles Edward and Viktoria Adelheid were able to move into a part of one of their own houses, close to the market where it was easier for them to do their own shopping.

Several times Charles Edward faced trial for his alleged Nazi activities. His relatives insisted that his support of the Nazis had not been for ideological reasons, but because Charles Edward believed Hitler could save Germany from Communism, and that he had confined himself to the humanitarian activities of the German Red Cross. In 1949, a denazification appeals court classified Charles Edward as a Nazi Follower, Category IV. He was heavily fined and almost bankrupted.

After World War II, some of the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha properties that were in East Germany were seized. The family was left with Schloss Callenberg in Coburg, Bavaria, Germany and Schloss Greinburg an der Donau in Grein, Austria, still owned by the family. Charles Edward spent the last years of his life in seclusion. He died of cancer on March 6, 1954, at the age of 69 in Coburg and was buried in the family cemetery in the forest of Schloss Callenberg.

After her husband’s death, Viktoria Adelheid spent time traveling, often with her sister-in-law, Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone. Viktoria Adelheid was much happier than she had been during the dark days after World War II. She spoke animatedly in broken English or Princess Alice, whose German was excellent, provided a rapid translation.  Viktoria Adelheid died on October 3, 1970, at the age of 84 at Schloss Greinburg in Grein, Austria, and was buried beside her husband in the Waldfriedhof (Forest Cemetery) at Schloss Callenberg.

Cemetery at Schloss Callenberg; Credit – By I, Presse03, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2524640

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.

Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Resources at Unofficial Royalty