Category Archives: British Royals

Guts and Glory: Edward VII’s Appendix and the Coronation that Never Was

by Emily McMahon © Unofficial Royalty 2013

I have recently found myself with a bit more free time on my hands due to an attack of acute appendicitis and a consequent appendectomy. In these days appendectomies are typically quick, routine surgeries that involve fairly easy recoveries for most patients (as mine has been). However, surgery to relieve appendicitis is a relatively new treatment that has been practiced regularly for only about the past 100 years – previous sufferers of appendicitis typically died of sepsis.

One of the most famous (and at the time controversial) surgeries for appendicitis occurred in the United Kingdom in 1902. After spending more than 59 years as the Prince of Wales, Albert Edward, the eldest son of Queen Victoria, would be beginning his own rule as Edward VII. What occurred a few months into Edward’s reign changed the course of medical and legal history in surprising ways.

Edward had been king for a few months when a brilliant coronation ceremony was meticulously planned for June 26, 1902, at Westminster Abbey. Having spent nearly sixty years in pursuit of the finer things in life, Edward had had plenty of time to consider exactly how large of a celebration his coronation would entail. Several thousand pounds of fowl were ordered for the banquet, viewing stands were constructed along the parade route, and numerous hotels were built to accommodate the influx of expected guests to London.

While Edward was focused on the details of his coronation, his body had other plans. In the two weeks preceding the coronation, Edward had recurrent abdominal pain accompanied by a fever. After being examined by several members of his medical staff, Frederick Treves (once a physician for Joseph Merrick, otherwise known as the Elephant Man), Edward’s accomplished and newly-appointed Sergeant-Surgeon was summoned for his opinion.

Photo credit: Wikipedia

Dr. Frederick Treves. Photo credit: Wikipedia

By the time Treves first examined Edward on June 18, Edward was running a constant fever and had developed a mass in the lower right quadrant of his abdomen. For his part, Edward was eager to resume his activities and was annoyed at the thought of rumors of his illness circulating. Edward’s private secretary, Sir Francis Knollys, quickly issued a report denying any problems with Edward’s health.

Although Edward was feeling well enough to attend a lavish banquet on June 23, he was confined to bed the following day with a high fever and intense pain. After another examination of the King, the medical team concluded that Edward was suffering from appendicitis and required immediate surgery.

The regrettable timing aside, Edward was incredibly fortunate to have appendicitis while in the care of Dr. Treves. Although not the first to perform an appendectomy, Treves first did surgery on a patient with recurrent appendicitis in 1888. After the successful surgery, Treves authored a paper presented to the Royal Medical and Surgical Society a few months later recommending the removal of appendices in similar cases. Although his recommendation was not well-received by the medical community, by the turn of the 20th century he had removed more than one thousand appendices.

Insisting on fulfilling his duty, Edward rejected his doctors’ planned course of action. He continued to refuse surgery until Treves bluntly pointed out that Edward would be dead before the coronation took place. This approach seemed to work on Edward as he finally agreed to the surgery – and the coronation was officially postponed until further notice.

Shortly after noon on June 24, the abscess in Edward’s abdomen was drained, irrigated, packed with gauze, and fitted with rubber tubing to allow additional pus to escape. The operation took about an hour and a half. Edward started to choke during the operation, but the team managed to get the King to breathe again by pulling on his beard, thus opening his mouth.

Edward’s appendix was actually not removed, but the draining and cleaning of the abscess prevented further illness. On the following day, Edward was able to sit up in bed and smoke a cigar and within two weeks, it was clear that the King would make a full recovery. The medical team (including Treves) was awarded knighthoods for their actions and authored numerous articles that described the King’s illness and treatment.

Most rejoiced at the King’s miraculous recovery, particularly those in the East End poorhouses who received the thousands of chickens, quails, and game hens intended for the coronation banquet. However, the canceled coronation took its toll on those contracted to provide supplies, services, and payment for venues booked. A number of so-called “coronation cases” were decided in the British courts surrounding the contracts broken due to the cancellation.

Most of these contracts were voided as the arrangements were typically made with the sole purpose of celebrating the coronation. However, in the case of Herne Bay Steamboat Company vs. Hutton, it was ruled that a river cruise could be booked and enjoyed regardless of whether the coronation was held. Mr. Hutton was one of the few coronation case plaintiffs who was ordered to provide full payment as agreed by contract.

A more scaled-down coronation for Edward was held on August 9. While the practice of surgical intervention for appendicitis gained acceptance from one of its most famous patients, its adoption was not universal nor were the symptoms of appendicitis yet fully recognized. Shortly before Edward’s operation, Treves’ own daughter Hattie died of a ruptured appendix. Edward’s nephew Christian of Hanover had died from appendicitis that was incorrectly diagnosed a few months before. And in a final twist of irony, Frederick Treves himself died of peritonitis in Switzerland in 1923. An autopsy was not performed, but the culprit was assumed to be a ruptured appendix.

There is no word yet on the new date for my coronation.

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Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton, Hereditary Princess of Monaco

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton, Hereditary Princess of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

Besides having an American mother, Prince Albert II of Monaco has a Scottish great-grandmother on his father’s side.  Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton was born on December 11, 1850, at Hamilton Palace in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.  Her father was William Alexander Anthony Archibald Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton.  The Duke of Hamilton is the Premier Peer of Scotland and head of both the House of Hamilton and the House of Douglas.  Her mother was Princess Marie Amelie of Baden.  Through her mother, Lady Mary Victoria was a third cousin of Emperor Napoléon III of France and first cousin of Queen Carola of Saxony, Queen Stephanie of Portugal, King Carol I of Romania, and Countess Marie of Flanders (mother of King Albert I of the Belgians).

Lady Mary Victoria had two elder brothers:

Mary Victoria and Albert shortly after their wedding; Credit – Wikipedia

Lady Mary Victoria and the future Prince Albert I of Monaco first met in August 1869 at a ball in Paris given by Emperor Napoléon III and Empress Eugénie.   Emperor Napoléon III suggested a match between Prince Albert and Lady Mary Victoria to Albert’s grandmother Caroline, the wife of Prince Florestan I of Monaco.  Lady Mary Victoria’s family was old, noble, and wealthy, and connected to several European royal families through Lady Mary Victoria’s mother.  Although Monaco was no larger in area than the lands held by the Duke of Hamilton, the Hamiltons were impressed by Monaco’s status as an independent country.  The couple was married on September 21, 1869, a month after their first meeting, at the Château de Marchais in Champagne, France, still owned by the Princely Family of Monaco.

Having been more or less forced into marriage, Mary Victoria and Albert were less than compatible.   Albert thought that his new wife was empty-headed and although Mary Victoria thought her husband handsome, she did not particularly like him.  Additionally, Mary Victoria did not like Monaco and the Mediterranean, so unlike her native Scotland.  19-year-old, pregnant Mary Victoria left Monaco with her mother and headed to her mother’s family home in the Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Germany.   It was in Baden that Mary Victoria gave birth to the future Prince Louis II of Monaco on July 12, 1870.

Mary Victoria and Albert never reconciled.  Their marriage was annulled by the Roman Catholic Church in 1880 and civilly dissolved the same year by Prince Charles III of Monaco.  Their son Prince Louis was raised in Baden by his maternal grandmother and did not see his father until he was 11 years old, when he returned to Monaco to be trained for his future royal duties.  He succeeded his father as Prince Louis II in 1922 and is the grandfather of Prince Rainier III of Monaco and the great-grandfather of Prince Albert II of Monaco.

Mary Victoria’s second husband Count Tassilo Festetics de Tolna; Credit – Wikipedia

Mary Victoria married a second time in 1880 to Count Tassilo Festetics de Tolna, a Hungarian noble. The couple had four children.  Through this marriage, Mary Victoria is the great-grandmother of fashion designer Prince Egon von Fürstenberg, socialite and actress Princess Ira von Fürstenberg, and the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Karel Schwarzenberg.

  • Countess Mária Matild Georgina Festetics de Tolna (1881 – 1953, married Prince Karl Emil von Fürstenberg
  • Prince György Tasziló József Festetics de Tolna (1882 – 1941), married Countess Marie Franziska von Haugwitz.
  • Countess Alexandra Olga Eugénia Festetics de Tolna (1884 – 1963), married  (1) Prince Karl von Windisch-Grätz  (2) Prince Erwin zu Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst
  • Countess Karola Friderika Mária Festetics de Tolna (1888 – 1951), married Baron Oskar Gautsch von Frankenthurn

Mary Victoria’s second marriage was a happy one and lasted over 40 years.  During that time, she busied herself with the enlargement and improvement of her husband’s ancestral home, Festetics Palace and its gardens, in Keszthely, Hungary.  In 1911, Count Tasziló Festetics de Tolna was made a Prince with the style Serene Highness by Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. Mary Victoria died on May 14, 1922, at the age of 71 in Budapest, Hungary, and was buried with her second husband in the family mausoleum on the grounds of the Festetics Palace.

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.

King Edward VII of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

King Edward VII of the United Kingdom; Wikipedia

The eldest son and second of nine children of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, King Edward VII was born on November 9, 1841, at Buckingham Palace in London, England.  He was given the names Albert Edward in honor of his father and his maternal grandfather Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and was called Bertie by his family. The infant prince was christened at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, on January 25, 1842, by William Howley, Archbishop of Canterbury.

His godparents were:

The Prince of Wales in a sailor suit, watercolor, painted by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1846

Bertie had eight siblings:

Albert, Victoria and their nine children, 1857. Left to right: Alice, Arthur, Albert, Edward, Leopold, Louise, Victoria with Beatrice, Alfred, Victoria, and Helena; Credit – Wikipedia

As the eldest son of the British monarch, he was automatically Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay at birth. Through his father Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, he was also Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Duke of Saxony. When Bertie was one month old, he was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester.  Bertie’s parents were determined to give him an education that would prepare him for his future role, but he did not have the aptitude for studies.  Instead, his strengths were his social skills.

 Bertie in 1860

Bertie’s father, Prince Albert, died on December 14, 1861.  The month before, Prince Albert had been informed of rumors that Bertie was having an affair with an Irish actress while doing army service in Ireland.  Already feeling ill, Prince Albert went to Ireland to discuss the affair with his son. For the rest of her life, Queen Victoria blamed Bertie for his father’s death.

Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her husband Prince Albert had been seeking a bride for their eldest son, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, known in the family as Bertie. Victoria and Albert’s eldest daughter Victoria, Princess Royal, Crown Princess of Prussia, known as Vicky in the family, was enlisted to help with the search. Princess Alexandra of Denmark, the daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark and Louise of Hesse-Kassel, had originally been fifth on the list of potential brides. However, Vicky thought Alix, as she was called in her family, would be the perfect match for Bertie and she sent back glowing reports of her to Victoria and Albert. Prince Albert concluded that Alix was “the only one to be chosen”. Vicky then arranged the first meeting between Alix and Bertie in Speyer Cathedral, then in the Kingdom of Prussia, now in Germany, on September 24, 1861. On September 9, 1862, after the death of his father in December 1861, Bertie proposed to Alix at the Royal Palace of Laeken, the home of his great-uncle King Leopold I of the Belgians.  The couple was married at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on March 10, 1863. Queen Victoria, in perpetual mourning for Prince Albert, watched the ceremony from Catherine of Aragon’s Closet overlooking the left side of the altar. 

Bertie and Alix on their wedding day, photographed by John Jabez Edwin Mayall, March 10, 1863; Credit – Wikipedia

Bertie and Alix had six children:

 

The Prince and Princess of Wales, Bertie and Alix, made their homes at Marlborough House near Buckingham Palace in London and Sandringham House in Norfolk, England, purchased by Queen Victoria for Bertie and Alix. It is still a privately owned residence of the British monarch.

Sandringham House; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

During his marriage, Bertie had quite many mistresses. Apparently, Alix knew about many of them and accepted them. Among the women, Bertie socialized with were: the actress Lillie Langtry; Lady Randolph Churchill (born Jennie Jerome in the USA, was the mother of Winston Churchill); Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick; actress Sarah Bernhardt; and Alice Keppel, the great-grandmother of Queen Camilla.

Alice Keppel; Credit – Wikipedia

After waiting 59 years, Bertie became king upon the death of his mother on January 22, 1901. The coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra was held at Westminster Abbey on August 9, 1902.  Originally scheduled for June 26, it had to be postponed because the new king developed appendicitis.  Bertie and Alix began the practice of the royal family’s public appearances as we now know them during Queen Victoria’s withdrawal after her husband’s death, and they continued this during Bertie’s reign.  The king had royal palaces repaired and reintroduced traditional ceremonies, such as the State Opening of Parliament, that Queen Victoria had not attended.

 Alix and Bertie on their Coronation Day

King Edward VII was known as “the Uncle of Europe” because he was related to many other royals:

 Alix and Bertie in 1909

Bertie’s habits did not keep him in the best of health.  He ate too much and usually smoked twenty cigarettes and twelve cigars a day.  He began to suffer from chronic bronchitis.  In March 1910 while vacationing in Biarritz, France, Bertie collapsed and remained in Biarritz to recuperate. On April 27, 1910, he returned to Buckingham Palace.  Queen Alexandra had also been away but started her return trip home as soon as she knew about her husband’s condition and arrived in London on May 5.

On May 6, 1910, Bertie insisted that his valet dress him in his frock coat and formal clothes before he received his private secretary Francis Knollys and his good friend Ernest Cassel.  During the afternoon, the king suffered a series of heart attacks, but he refused to be put into bed, sitting instead in a chair.  Alix sent for Alice Keppel, Bertie’s mistress, and arranged for her to see the king during one of his periods of consciousness.  His son George, soon to be king, told him that his horse, Witch of the Air, had won at Kempton Park that afternoon. The king replied, “I am very glad,” his last words. After waiting 59 years to become king and reigning for nine years, King Edward VII lapsed into a coma and died peaceably just before midnight on May 6, 1910, at the age of 68.

King Edward VII was buried at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, on May 20, 1910.  Barbara Tuchman opens The Guns of August, her great book about World War I, a war that would cause the extinction of many European monarchies, with a description of Edward VII’s funeral:

“So gorgeous was the spectacle in the May morning of 1910 when nine kings rode in the funeral of Edward VII of England that the crowd, waiting in hushed and black-clad awe, could not keep back gasps of admiration.  In scarlet and blue and green and purple, three by three the sovereigns rode through the palace gates, with plumed helmets, gold braid, crimson sashes, and jeweled orders flashing in the sun.  After them came five heirs apparent, seven queens – four dowagers and three regnant – and a scattering of special ambassadors from uncrowned countries.  Together they represented seventy nations in the greatest assemblage of royalty and rank ever gathered in one place and, of its kind, the last.”

Tomb of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor; Photo Credit – https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/606282/tomb-of-king-edward-vii-and-queen-alexandra

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

  • Edward and Alexandra: Their Private and Public Lives – Richard Alexander Hough
  • Edward VII: The Last Victorian King – Christopher Hibbert
  • King Edward VII – Philip Magnus
  • Queen Alexandra – Georgina Battiscombe
  • The Heir Apparent: A Life of Edward VII, The Playboy Prince – Jane Ridley
  • The Marlborough Set – Anita Leslie

Queen Victoria Resources at Unofficial Royalty

House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Margaret of Connaught, Crown Princess of Sweden

by Emily McMahon and Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Margaret of Connaught, Crown Princess of Sweden; Credit: Wikipedia

Born on January 15, 1882, at Bagshot Park in Surrey, England, Margaret was the eldest of the three children of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught (third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert) and Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia. She grew up at her parents’ homes at Bagshot Park and Clarence House in London, England, and was known in the family as Daisy.  Margaret had a younger brother and sister:

NPG x36196; The Duke and Duchess of Connaught with their children by Hughes & Mullins

The Duke and Duchess of Connaught with their children by Hughes & Mullins, albumen cabinet card, 1893 NPG x36196 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Margaret was christened on March 11, 1882, in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle and given the names Margaret Victoria Augusta Charlotte Norah.  She had an impressive set of godparents:

Along with her sister Patricia, Margaret was known as a great beauty and their uncle King Edward VII expected them to marry a European king or crown prince. In January 1905, both sisters and their parents visited Portugal where Margaret and Patricia were entertained by the two sons of King Carlos I.  The Portuguese expected that one of the sisters would become their future queen.  The trip continued to Cairo, where Margaret met and fell in love with Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Skåne, the eldest son of Crown Prince Gustaf of Sweden. Gustaf Adolf proposed to Margaret at a dinner held at the British Consulate in Egypt, and she accepted. The couple married at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on June 15, 1905. Margaret was given a tiara from the Khedive of Egypt as a wedding gift as a symbol of the courtship that started there. It is known as the Khedive Tiara, was worn by several of Margaret’s descendants at their weddings, and is now in the possession of her granddaughter Queen Anne-Marie of Greece.

Wedding of the future King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden and Princess Margaret of Connaught; Credit – Wikipedia

Margaret and Gustaf Adolf had four sons and one daughter:

Margaret and Gustaf Adolf with their four eldest children; Credit – Wikipedia

Margaret was eager to learn the Swedish language and history, endearing her to the Swedish public. During World War I in neutral Sweden, Margaret organized supply drives and acted as a go-between for her relatives whose Allied and Axis countries were divided by the war. She was also interested in gardening, taking great care of the gardens at the family home of Sofiero Castle.  In 1907, when Gustaf Adolf’s grandfather King Oscar II died and his father became King Gustaf V, Gustaf Adolf and Margaret became the Crown Prince and Princess of Sweden.

Margaret was eight months pregnant with her sixth child in 1920 when she underwent mastoid surgery. An infection set in, killing Margaret, at the age of 38, and her unborn child on May 1, 1920, her father’s 70th birthday. Her family along with the Swedish and British public mourned her death greatly.

Margaret left written, specific instructions for her burial. She requested to be buried wearing her wedding dress and veil, holding a crucifix in a simple coffin made from English oak and covered with British and Swedish flags.  Initially, Margaret was buried at the Storkyrkan (The Great Church) next to the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden.  In 1922, Margaret’s remains were transferred to the Royal Cemetery in Haga Park in Solna Municipality in Stockholm, Sweden in a burial site she and her husband had chosen for themselves.  She was the first person to be buried at the Royal Cemetery in Haga Park.

Margaret’s husband married again, in 1923 to Lady Louise Mountbatten, formerly Princess Louise of Battenberg.  The couple had no children.  In 1950, upon the death of his father, 67-year-old Gustaf Adolf became King.  He reigned until his death at age 90 in 1973, having survived both his wives.  King Gustaf VI Adolf was succeeded by his and Margaret’s grandson, King Carl XVI Gustaf.

Grave of Margaret, her husband, and his second wife; Photo 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.

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Mary of the United Kingdom, the fourth daughter and eleventh of fifteen children of King George III of the United Kingdom and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, was born on April 25, 1776, at the Queen’s House (now Buckingham Palace) in London. Mary was christened on May 19, 1776, in the Great Council Chamber at St. James’s Palace, by Frederick Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury.  Her godparents were:

Princess Mary at age six by Thomas Gainsborough, 1782; Credit – Wikipedia

Mary had fourteen siblings:

Queen Charlotte painted by Benjamin West in 1779 with her 13 eldest children; Credit – Wikipedia

The three younger sisters, Mary, Sophia, and Amelia were educated together, spending much time with Charlotte de Montmollin, their French governess, who taught the sisters not only French but exquisite needlework. Jane Gomm joined the sisters in 1786 as an English teacher and then supervised the remainder of their education. Mary, Sophia, and Amelia lived much of the time apart from their parents sometimes with the younger brothers at Kew Palace, but most often at Lower Lodge (now called Royal Lodge) at Windsor. The three younger sisters were much less disciplined than the three elder sisters. The artist John Singleton Copley discovered this when he painted Mary, Sophia, and Amelia with the family pets in 1785. The children, the dogs, and the parrots would not cooperate. Somehow Copley managed to finish the painting, but he then returned to historical painting and never painted another portrait. The Copley painting is below.

Mary at left, age nine, with her two younger sisters Sophia and Amelia by John Singleton Copley, 1785; Credit – Wikipedia

Mary’s childhood was very sheltered. The living conditions of King George’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. Perhaps this over-protection of King George III’s daughters was due to what happened to his sister Caroline Matilda when she married King Christian VII of Denmark. Christian’s mental illness led to Caroline Matilda having an affair, being caught, the execution of her lover, her exile, and her early death from scarlet fever at age 23. The story was told in several novels including Per Olov Enquist’s The Visit of the Royal Physician (1999) and in the Danish film A Royal Affair (2012). Stella Tillyard also covers Caroline Matilda’s affair in her nonfiction book A Royal Affair: George III and His Scandalous Siblings (2006). Despite what happened to their aunt, the sisters longed to escape from “the Nunnery.”

Princess Mary by William Beechey, 1797; Credit – Wikipedia

Around 1796, Mary fell in love with her second cousin Prince Frederick of Orange-Nassau, the youngest son of King George III’s first cousin William V, Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, when his family lived in exile in London. There was no marriage because King George III mandated that his oldest daughters be married first. In 1799 Prince Frederick died of an infection while serving in the army and Mary was allowed to go into mourning for him.

Prince Frederick of Orange-Nassau, Mary’s would-be bridegroom, circa 1790; Credit – Wikipedia

Before King George’s first bout with what probably was porphyria in 1788, he had told his daughters that he would take them to Hanover and to find them husbands. Further bouts occurred in 1801 and 1804 and prevented talk of marriage for his daughters. Queen Charlotte feared that the subject of marriage, which had always bothered her husband, would push him back into insanity. She was stressed by her husband’s illness and wanted her daughters to remain close to her. The sisters – Charlotte, Augusta, Elizabeth, Mary, Sophia, and Amelia – continued to be over-protected and isolated which restricted them from meeting eligible suitors of their own age.

Mary had a very close relationship with her youngest sibling Princess Amelia and jokingly called her “Mama’s Tool” because she was so obedient to her mother. By 1810, Amelia was fatally ill with pulmonary tuberculosis. She then developed erysipelas, an acute skin infection. Before the advent of antibiotics, erysipelas frequently resulted in death. Amelia’s case of erysipelas was particularly severe with the rash literally from her head to her toes. Mary nursed her sister through her last illness and was at Amelia’s bedside when she died on November 2, 1810, at the age of 27. Mary deeply mourned Amelia’s premature death for many years.

Princess Amelia by Andrew Robertson, 1807; Credit – Wikipedia

Eventually, three of the six sisters married, and one of them was Mary. Charlotte, Princess Royal married at age 29 which was a rather late age for marriage, but Elizabeth was 48 and Mary was 40 at the time of their marriages. On July 22, 1816, at the Chapel Royal in St James’s Palace, Princess Mary married her paternal first cousin, Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh, the son of King George III’s brother, Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh. Prince William was six months older than Mary and had become Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh upon his father’s death in 1805. William had been encouraged to remain single so that there might be a suitable match for Princess Charlotte of Wales, the heiress to the throne, in case no foreign prince proved suitable. However, ten weeks earlier, Princess Charlotte had married Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. As a great-grandson of King George II, William was styled His Highness Prince William of Great Britain. On the day of his marriage, Mary’s brother, The Prince Regent (the future King George IV), granted William the style of His Royal Highness.

Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince William attended Trinity College (University of Cambridge) and was granted a Master of Arts degree in 1790. From 1811 until his death, he was Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. He entered the British Army at the age of thirteen in 1789 and quickly ascended the ranks: Major-General in 1796, Lieutenant-General in 1799, General in 1808 and Field-Marshal in 1816. In 1799, he participated in the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland as a Major-General of the British Army, under the command of his cousin Prince Frederick, Duke of York.

Mary and William’s marriage was childless, and the couple lived at Gloucester House in Piccadilly, London and Bagshot Park, now the home of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh.  Although William wanted to marry Mary, he often treated her unkindly. Mary’s meddling sister-in-law Princess Sophia Matilda of Gloucester made her situation even more difficult.

William died after eighteen years of marriage at the age of 58 on November 30, 1834, at Bagshot Park. Mary was a great favorite with all the members of the royal family, particularly her niece Queen Victoria. She was renowned for her charm and kindness. Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh died at age 81, the longest-lived and the last survivor of her parents’ fifteen children, on April 30, 1857, at Gloucester House in London. She also has the distinction of being the only child of King George III to be photographed (see below). Princess Mary was buried with her husband in the Gloucester Vault at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.

Princess Mary at age 80 on the right with her niece Queen Victoria and two of Victoria’s children, Princess Alice and the Prince of Wales (future Edward VII); 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.

Works Cited
Fraser, Flora. Princesses: The Six Daughters of George III. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004. Print.
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“Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Jan. 2017. Web. 16 Feb. 2017.
“Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 14 Feb. 2017. Web. 16 Feb.
Van Der Kiste, John. The Georgian Princesses. Phoenix Mill: Sutton Publishing, 2000. Print.
Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Wedding of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont

by Emily McMahon and Susan Flantzer, revised May 2020
© Unofficial Royalty 2013

Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, aged 29, and 21-year-old Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont were married on April 27, 1882, at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England. Sadly, Leopold and Helena’s marriage lasted only two years. The couple’s daughter Alice was born in 1883. Helena was pregnant with their second child when Leopold died on March 28, 1884,  following a fall, apparently of a cerebral hemorrhage, the injuries having been exacerbated by his hemophilia. Their son Charles Edward was born several months after Leopold died in 1884.  Charles Edward is the grandfather of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.

Leopold’s Early Life

Prince Leopold at the University of Oxford in 1875; Credit – Wikipedia

Leopold was the eighth of the nine children and the fourth and youngest son of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. It became apparent that Leopold suffered from the genetic disease hemophilia and was the first of the nine hemophiliacs among Queen Victoria’s descendants. 

Naturally, Leopold’s childhood activities were curtailed due to his hemophilia. He was perhaps Queen Victoria’s most intellectual child and had the artistic tastes of his father Prince Albert. Leopold somehow managed to convince his mother to allow him to spend four years (1872-1876) at Christ Church College, University of Oxford and he received an honorary doctorate in civil law in 1876. After Oxford, Leopold was involved in the patronage of various charitable organizations and also served as a secretary and advisor to his mother.

Helena’s Early Life

Princess Helena, circa 1880; Credit – Wikipedia

Helena was the fifth of six daughters and the fifth of the seven children of Georg Victor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont and Helena of Nassau. Through both of her parents, Helena was a descendant of Anne, Princess Royal, the eldest daughter of King George II of Great Britain. Helena’s sister Princess Marie married Prince Wilhelm of Württemberg, later King Wilhelm II of Württemberg, but died in childbirth. Another sister, Princess Emma, married King Willem III of the Netherlands and had one child Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands.

Helena’s family lived mostly at Arolsen Castle, a Baroque-style home built during 1713-1728, in Arolsen, Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont, now in Hesse, Germany. The Scottish philosopher, historian, and writer Thomas Carlyle was a great friend of Helena’s mother and a frequent visitor to Arolsen Castle. Carlyle described life at Arolsen Castle as a “pumpernickel court.” Helena had a Lutheran education from a very liberal-minded pastor.

The Engagement

Prince Leopold and Princess Helena in 1882; Credit – Wikipedia

Leopold saw marriage as a way to become independent from Queen Victoria, his overbearing mother. Besides having hemophilia, Leopold also had mild epilepsy.  Although hemophilia had more serious consequences, it was a disease that was not completely understood at the time, and it was Leopold’s epilepsy that caused him problems while seeking a bride.  Epilepsy was considered a social stigma and many families hid away their epileptic relatives.

After Leopold was rejected by several potential royal brides, Queen Victoria and her eldest daughter Victoria, Crown Princess of Prussia stepped in and made arrangements for Leopold and Helena to meet in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine in September 1881 where Leopold was staying with Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, the widower of Leopold’s sister Alice. The two liked one another immediately, and after being briefed on Leopold’s health, the Waldeck-Pyrmont family had no objections to the marriage.

During a visit to Arolsen Castle, Helena’s home, Leopold and Helena became engaged on November 17, 1881.  Leopold was ecstatic when he wrote of the news to his brother-in-law Ludwig, widower of his sister Alice: “…we became engaged this afternoon…Oh, my dear brother, I am so overjoyed, and you, who have known this happiness, you will be pleased for me, won’t you?… You only know Helena a little as yet – when you really know her, then you will understand why I’m mad with joy today.”

The Wedding Site

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The wedding was planned for April 27, 1882, at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England. St. George’s Chapel was begun in 1475 by King Edward IV and completed by King Henry VIII in 1528.  It is a separate building, located in the Lower Ward of Windsor Castle. The chapel seats about 800 people and has been the location of many royal ceremonies, weddings, funerals, and burials. Members of the Order of the Garter meet at Windsor Castle every June for the annual Garter Service which is held at St. George’s Chapel.

There had been no royal weddings at St. George’s Chapel until 1863 when Queen Victoria’s eldest son, the future King Edward VII, married Princess Alexandra of Denmark. Three other children of Victoria were also married at St. George’s Chapel: Princess Louise in 1871, Prince Arthur in 1879, and Prince Leopold in 1882.

Wedding Guests

CLICK TO ENLARGE The Marriage of the Duke of Albany, 27th April 1882 by Sir James Dromgole Linton; Credit – Royal Collection Trust https://www.rct.uk/collection/404481/the-marriage-of-the-duke-of-albany-27th-april-1882

About the above painting from Royal Collection Trust: The Marriage of the Duke of Albany, 27th April 1882: Leopold, Duke of Albany (1853-1884), was the eighth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He married Princess Helen of Waldeck and Pyrmont in St George’s Chapel, Windsor, in 1882. In the painting the bride and groom stand in front of the altar after their marriage. Queen Victoria stands on the right. She stated in her Journal that she wore for the first time ‘my own wedding lace over black satin, & my own wedding veil, which I had not worn since my wedding day in 1840, surmounted by my small diamond crown’. Sir Frederick Leighton was asked if he could suggest a rising young artist to paint a small picture of the wedding for Queen Victoria. She wanted ‘a simple representation of the group at the altar’. Leighton put forward Linton. Progress on the painting was slow, mainly because the artist had difficulty obtaining access to the dresses and uniforms worn by the participants. It was nearing completion in early 1884 when the Duke of Albany died of a brain haemorrhage and the painting that had begun as a celebration became a memorial. In December of that year the Queen described it as ‘not nearly finished, but promising to be good’, although she found the artist had been ‘very slow & tiresome’. The painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1885. Signed and dated: JD Linton. 1885.

Special trains for the guests left Paddington Station in London for Windsor at 10:35 AM and returned from Windsor at 3:10 PM and 4:30 PM, and after the State Banquet at 11:00 PM.  When the guests arrived at the Windsor train station, they proceeded in carriages to the South Entrance of St. George’s Chapel and were shown to the seats reserved for them by Her Majesty’s Gentlemen Ushers.

Royal Guests – The Groom’s Family

  • Queen Victoria, mother of the groom
  • The Prince of Wales, brother of the groom
  • The Princess of Wales (Alexandra of Denmark), sister-in-law of the groom
  • Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, brother of the groom
  • The Duchess of Edinburgh (Marie Alexandrovna of Russia), sister-in-law of the groom
  • Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, brother of the groom
  • The Duchess of Connaught (Louise Margaret of Prussia) sister-in-law of the groom
  • Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (Princess Helena), sister of the groom
  • Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, brother-in-law of the groom
  • Princess Louise, Marchioness of Lome, sister of the groom
  • Princess Beatrice, sister of the groom
  • Princess Louise of Wales, niece of the groom
  • Princess Victoria of Wales, niece of the groom
  • Princess Maud of Wales, niece of the groom
  • Prince George, Duke of Cambridge, first cousin once removed of the groom
  • The Duchess of Teck (Mary Adelaide of Cambridge), first cousin once removed of the groom
  • The Duke of Teck, husband of Mary Adelaide of Cambridge
  • Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, brother-in-law of the groom
  • Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, niece of the groom
  • Ernst Leopold, 4th Prince of Leiningen, half-first cousin of the groom
  • Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Augusta of Cambridge), first cousin once removed of the groom
  • Friedrich Wilhelm, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, husband of Augusta of Cambridge

Royal Guests – The Bride’s Family

  • Georg Victor, Reigning Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, father of the bride
  • Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont (Helena of Nassau), mother of the bride
  • Princess Elisabeth of Waldeck and Pyrmont, sister of the bride
  • Friedrich,  Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, brother of the bride
  • King Willem III of the Netherlands, brother-in-law of the bride
  • Queen Emma of the Netherlands (Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont), sister of the bride

Other Royal Guests

  • Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar
  • Maharajah Duleep Singh
  • Maharanee Bamba, wife of Maharajah Duleep Singh
  • Prince Philip of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
  • Princess Philip of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Louise of Belgium), wife of Prince Philip
  • Alexis, Hereditary Prince of Bentheim

Other Guests

  • Charles Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond and Frances Gordon-Lennox, Duchess of Richmond
  • William Beauclerk, 10th Duke of St. Albans and Grace Beauclerk, Duchess of St. Albans
  • Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford
  • George Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll and Amelia Campbell, Duchess of Argyll
  • William Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland
  • Arthur Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington and Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington
  • Countess of Dornburg, morganatic wife of Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar
  • Countess Laura Gleichen, widow of the groom’s half first-cousin Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and her children Countess Feodora Gleichen and Count Edward Gleichen
  • Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquis of Salisbury and Georgina Gascoyne-Cecil, Marchioness of Salisbury
  • Francis Seymour, 5th Marquis of Hertford and Emily Seymour, Marchioness of Hertford
  • John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquis of Bute and Gwendolen Crichton-Stuart, Marchioness of Bute
  • Caroline Loftus, Dowager Marchioness of Ely
  • Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 6th Marquis of Londonderry and TheresaVane-Tempest-Stewart, Marchioness of Londonderry
  • Henry Francis Conyngham, 4th Marquis Conyngham and Jane Conyngham, Marchioness Conyngham and Lady Jane Seymour Conyngham, sister of the 4th Marquis Conyngham
  • Frances Butler, Dowager Marchioness of Ormond
  • James Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford and Emily Lindsay, Countess of Crawford
  • Alma Campbell, Countess of Breadalbane
  • Katrine Cowper, Countess Cowper
  • Robert St Clair-Erskine, 4th Earl of Rosslyn and Blanche St Clair-Erskine, Countess of Rosslyn
  • Thomas Anson, 3rd Earl of Lichfield and Mildred Anson, Countess of Lichfield
  • Charlotte Spencer, Countess Spencer
  • Gertrude Browne, Countess of Kenmare
  • George Greville, 4th Earl of Warwick and Anns Greville, Countess of Warwick and their daughter Lady Eva Greville
  • Charles Yorke, 5th Earl of Hardwicke and Sophia Yorke, Countess of Hardwicke
  • Nina Leveson-Gower, Countess Granville
  • Florence Wodehouse, Countess of Kimberley
  • Emily Townshend, Countess Sydney
  • Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Earl of Lathom and Alice Bootle-Wilbraham, Countess of Lathom
  • Lord Charles Fitzroy
  • Lord Archibald Campbell
  • Lord Ronald Leveson Gower
  • Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Bridport
  • Hugo Charteris, Lord Elcho and Mary Constance Charteris, Lady Elcho
  • Lady Marion Alford
  • William Elphinstone, 15th Lord Elphinstone
  • Lady Agneta Montagu, wife of Rear-Admiral The Honorable Victor Montagu
  •  Emily Cavendish, Lady Waterpark
  • Colonel George Harris, 4th Baron Harris
  • Paul Methuen, 3rd Baron Methuen
  • Charles Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington and Mary Cochrane-Baillie, Lady Lamington
  • Montagu Corry, 1st Baron Rowton
  • Baron Franz von Roggenbach, Grand Duchy of Baden politician
  • The Honorable Sidney Herbert (later 14th Earl of Pembroke) and Lady Beatrix Herbert
  • Admiral of the Fleet The Honorable Sir Henry Keppel
  • The Honorable Mrs. Charles Grey and Miss Grey
  • Sir Stafford Northcote (later 1st Earl of Iddesleigh) and Lady Northcote.
  • Sir R. A. Cross (later 1st Viscount Cross)
  • General Sir William Knollys
  • The Honorable Mrs. Gerald Wellesley, wife of The Honourable and Very Reverend Gerald Wellesley, Dean of Windsor
  • Colonel The Honorable A. Liddell
  • The Honorable Lady Petty
  • The Honorable Lady Biddulph
  • The Honorable Lady Ponsonby and Miss Ponsonby, wife and daughter of Major-General Sir Henry Frederick Ponsonby, Private Secretary to Queen Victoria
  • Sir Rainald Knightley, 3rd Baronet and Lady Knightley
  • Sir Coutts Lindsay of Balcarres and Lady Lindsay of Balcarres
  • Sir William Jenner, Baronet, M.D., Physician-in-Ordinary to Queen Victoria
  • Sir James Paget, Baronet, Surgeon Extraordinary to Queen Victoria
  • Sir Archibald Campbell of Blythswood, 1st Baronet and The Honorable Lady Campbell of Blythswood
  • General Sir Patrick Grant
  • Sir Theodore Martin, K.C.B.
  • General Sir Edward Shelby Smyth
  • Lady Harcourt
  • Colonel George Ashley Maude, Crown Equerry of the Royal Mews
  • Mr. Frederick Gibbs, former tutor to The Prince of Wales and Prince Alfred
  • Colonel W. G. Stirling.
  • Mr. Francis Knollys, Private Secretary to The Prince of Wales
  • Captain Binkes, Royal Netherlands Navy.
  • Captain Thomson, Royal Navy
  • Captain Welch, Royal Navy
  • Staff Captain Alfred Balliston
  • Captain A. G. Perceval
  • Henry Liddell, Dean of Christchurch, Oxford, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University and Mrs. Liddell
  • Richard Chenevix Trench, Dean of Westminster
  • Reverend Henry Mildred Birch, Chaplain to The Prince of Wales
  • Reverend Canon G. H. Connor, Chaplain in Ordinary to The Queen
  • Reverend A. Campbell, Vicar of Crathie Church near Balmoral in Scotland
  • Reverend Canon Robinson Duckworth, former tutor to Prince Leopold
  • Reverend Canon Richard Gee, Chaplain in Ordinary to The Queen
  • Reverend William Rowe Jolley, former tutor to Prince Alfred
  • Reverend Canon George Prothero, Rector of Whippingham and Chaplain in Ordinary to The Queen
  • Reverend John Tulloch, The Queen’s Chaplain for Scotland
  • Dr. Henry Wentworth Acland, Physician in Ordinary to The Queen
  • Mrs. Collins
  • Mrs. Childers
  • Mr. Walter Campbell of Blythswood
  • Madame de Arcos, friend of Empress Eugenie of France
  • Dr. Wilson Fox, Physician Extraordinary to The Queen
  • Mrs. Gladstone, wife of Prime Minister William Gladstone
  • Mr. R. R. Holmes, Librarian at Windsor Castle
  • Mr. Holzmann
  • Mr. and Mrs. Coleridge Kennard
  • Dr. Wickham Legg, Medical Attendant to Prince Leopold
  • Mr. Augustus Savile Lumley, The Queen’s Queen Assistant Master of Ceremonies
  • Miss Mackworth
  • Mr. Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford
  • Mr. F. Myers
  • Mr. Whyte-Melville
  • Mademoiselle Norelle, former French tutor to Queen Victoria’s children
  • Dr. George Poore, former physician to The Prince of Wales
  • Mrs. A. Royle
  • Mr. Hermann Sahl, Librarian and German Secretary to Queen Victoria
  • Mrs. Waller, British actress
  • Mr. Arnold White, British journalist
  • Sir Joseph Devereux, Mayor of Windsor

Guests in The Queen’s Gallery

  • Mr. Doyne C. Bell, author
  • Mr. Edward Henry Corbould, artist, instructor of historical painting to the royal family
  • Dr. Francis Laking, Surgeon-Apothecary in Ordinary  to The Queen
  • Dr. William Ellison, Surgeon-Apothecary to The Queen’s Household
  • Mr. S. Evans
  • Mr. Charles Hallé, pianist and conductor
  • Miss Jessie Ferrari, singer and music teacher
  • Dr. William Hoffmeister, Surgeon-Apothecary to The Queen at Osborne House
  • Dr. John Marshall, Private Physician in Attendance to The Queen
  • Dr. Alexander Profeit, Estate Manager at Balmoral Castle
  • Dr. James Reid, Physician in Ordinary to The Queen

The Queen’s Household – Guests and Participants in the Processions

  • Mistress of the Robes – Elizabeth Russell, Duchess of Bedford
  • Lady of the Bedchamber in Waiting – Susanna Innes-Ker, Dowager Duchess of Roxburghe
  • Maids of Honour in Waiting  – The Honorable Evelyn Paget, The Honorable  Frances Drummond
  • Bedchamber Woman in Waiting – The Honorable Lady Hamilton Gordon
  • Lord Steward – John Townshend, 1st Earl Sydney
  • Lord Chamberlain – Valentine Browne, 4th Earl of Kenmare
  • Master of the Horse – Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster
  • Private Secretary and The Keeper of the Privy Purse – General Sir Henry Ponsonby
  • Treasurer of the Household – Gavin Campbell, 7th Earl of Breadalbane
  •  Comptroller of the Household – William Edwardes, 4th Baron Kensington
  • Vice-Chamberlain – Lord Charles Bruce
  • Gold Stick in Waiting – Field-Marshal Hugh Rose, 1st Baron Strathnairn
  • Captain of the Gentlemen at Arms – Charles Wynn-Carrington, 3rd Baron Carrington
  • Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard – William John Monson, 7th Baron Monson
  • Master of the Buckhounds – Richard Boyle, 9th Earl of Cork
  • Master of the Household – Major-General Sir John Cowell
  • Lord in Waiting – John Ramsay, 13th Earl of Dalhousie
  • Groom in Waiting – Colonel The Honorable. C. H. Lindsay
  • Master of the Ceremonies – General Sir Francis Seymour, Baronet
  • Clerk Marshal – General Lord Alfred Paget.
  • Equerries in Waiting – Colonel The Honorable H. W. J. Byng, Captain A. J. Bigge.
  • Groom of the Robes – Mr. Henry Erskine of Cardross.
  • Silver Stick in Waiting – Lieutenant-Colonel Burnaby
  •  Field Officer in Brigade Waiting – Colonel G. H. Moncrieff
  • Comptroller in the Lord Chamberlain’s Department -The Honorable Ponsonby Fane
  • Pages of Honour – Mr. G. Byng, Mr. A. Ponsonby
  • Gentlemen Ushers in Waiting –  Mr. Algernon West, Mr. E. H. Anson, Captain N. G.Philips, Mr. A. Montgomery, Mr. Wilbraham Taylor
  • Garter King of Arms – Sir Albert W. Woods
  • Lancaster Herald – Mr. George Cokayne
  • Chester Herald – Mr. H. Murray Lane
  • Comptroller of the Household of Prince Leopold – Mr. R.H. Collins
  • Equerries in Waiting to Prince Leopold – The Honorable Alexander Yorke, Captain Stanier Waller, Mr. A. Royle
  • Lady in Attendance on Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont – The Honorable Mrs. Moreton
  • Lord in Waiting to The Queen in Attendance on Princess Helena – George Byng, 7th Viscount Torrington

Guests – Ambassadors

  • His Excellency The Turkish Ambassador and Madameisolle Musurus
  • Count Georg Herbert Münster, His Excellency The German Ambassador and Countess Marie Munster
  • Count Luigi Federico Menabrea, His Excellency The Italian Ambassador and Countess Menabrea
  • Count Alajos Károlyi, His Excellency The Austro-Hungarian Ambassador and Countess Karolyi
  • Prince Aleksey Borisovich Lobanov-Rostovsky, His Excellency The Russian Ambassador
  • Paul-Armand Challemel-Lacour, His Excellency The French Ambassador
  • The Netherlands Minister and Countess de Bylandt
  • The Belgian Minister
  • Luís Pinto de Soveral, The Portuguese Minister
  • Count de Sponneck, Secretary to the Danish Legation
  • Count Piper, The Swedish Minister representing King Oscar II and Queen Sofia of Sweden
  • Count von Seckendorff, representing The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of the German Empire and Prussia, the groom’s brother-in-law and sister

Guests – Government Officials

  • Lord Chancellor – Roundell Palmer, 1st Baron Selborne
  • Lord President of the Council – John Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer
  • Lord Privy Seal – Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue, 1st Baron Carlingford
  • Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer – William Gladstone
  • Secretary of State for the Home Department – Sir William Harcourt
  • Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs – Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville
  • Secretary of State for the Colonies – John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley
  • Secretary of State for War – Hugh C. E. Childers
  • Secretary of State for India – Spencer Cavendish, Marquis of Hartington
  • First Lord of the Admiralty – Thomas Baring, 1st Earl of Northbrook
  • President of the Board of Trade – Joseph Chamberlain
  • Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster –  John Bright
  • President of the Local Government Board –  John Dodson
  • Chief Secretary for Ireland – William Forster
  • Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland – Francis Cowper, 7th Earl Cowper
  • First Commissioner of Works – George Shaw-Lefevre
  • Postmaster-General – Henry Fawcett
  • Paymaster-General – George Glyn, 2nd Baron Wolverton
  • Judge Advocate-General – George Osborne Morgan
  • Vice-President of the Board of Education – A. J. Mundella
  • Adjutant-General – Field Marshal Garnet Joseph Wolseley, 1st Baron Wolseley
  • Quartermaster-General – Lieutenant-General Arthur Herbert
  • Military Secretary – Lieutenant-General Sir Edmund Whitmore,
  • Earl Marshal – Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk
  • Deputy Lord Great Chamberlain – Gilbert Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, 2nd Baron Aveland
  • Speaker of the House of Commons – Henry Brand

Supporters and Bridesmaids

Leopold was supported by his eldest brother The Prince of Wales and his brother-in-law Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, the widower of his sister Alice.

Helena was supported by her father Georg Victor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont and her brother-in-law Willem III, King of the Netherlands, the husband of Helena’s sister Emma.

Helena’s eight bridesmaids were unmarried daughters of Dukes, Marquises, and Earls:

  • Lady Florence Anson (1860–1946), daughter of Thomas George Anson, 2nd Earl of Lichfield
  • Lady Florence Bootle Wilbraham (died 1944), daughter of Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Earl of Lathom
  • Lady Blanche Butler (1854–1914), daughter of John Butler, 2nd Marquess of Ormonde
  • Lady Mary Campbell (1859 – 1947), daughter of George Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll
  • Lady Anne Lindsay (1858 – 1936), daughter of Alexander Lindsay, 25th Earl of Crawford
  • Lady Ermyntrude Russell (1856–1927), daughter of Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford
  • Lady Alexandrina Vane-Tempest (1863 – 1945), daughter of George Vane-Tempest, 5th Marquess of Londonderry
  • Lady Feodore Yorke (1864 -1934), daughter of Charles Yorke, 5th Earl of Hardwicke

The Wedding Attire

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Leopold wore a Colonel’s uniform and used a cane to assist him in walking. He walked with a slight limp as he had injured his knee a few weeks earlier and his hemophilia had exacerbated the injury.

Helena’s dress, a gift from her sister Queen Emma of the Netherlands, was made by Madame Corbay of Rue Ménar in Paris. The gown was made of white satin, decorated with traditional orange blossom and myrtle and trimmed with fleur-de-lis. The bodice ended in a sharp V–shape and was swathed in tulle and ruched lace with a small bouquet of flowers. The shoulders were bare and on the short drop-sleeves were pinned the Royal Family Order of the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert and the Companion of the Order of the Crown of India. The long tulle veil was held in place by a diamond headdress and a wreath of orange flowers and myrtle. The diamond necklace worn by Helena was a gift from Leopold.

The Wedding Ceremony

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Vintage engraving of the Royal Wedding of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont. Queen Victoria kissing the bride on the cheek. The London Illustrated News, 1882

Officiating Clergy

  • Archibald Campbell Tait, Archbishop of Canterbury
  • John Jackson, Dean of the Chapels Royal, Bishop of London
  • Harold Browne, Prelate of the Order of the Garter, Bishop of Winchester
  •  John Mackarness, Chancellor of the Order of the Garter, Bishop of Oxford
  • Henry Philpott, Clerk of the Closet, Bishop of Worcester
  • The Honourable and Very Reverend Gerald Wellesley, Dean of Windsor, Lord High Almoner, Registrar of the Order of the Garter and Domestic Chaplain

Music

  • Sir George Elvey, composer and the organist of St. George’s Chapel, presided at the organ and directed the orchestra and choir.

The Members of Her Majesty’s Household in Waiting who did not take part in the carriage processions from Windsor Castle, assembled at St. George’s Chapel at 11:30 AM arriving at the South Entrance. The clergy officiating at the wedding service gathered at the Deanery and took their places within the rails of the altar at 11:45 AM while a march was played on the organ.

At 11:45 AM, The Princess of Wales, the Royal Family, and the Royal Guests along with their attendants left the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle in carriages for the West Entrance of St. George’s Chapel. On arrival at the West Entrance, The Princess of Wales, the Royal Family, and the Royal Guests were received by The Lord Steward, John Townshend, 1st Earl Sydney and The Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, Lord Charles Bruce. The processions of The Princess of Wales, the Royal Family, and the Royal Guests made their way down the aisle to march by Sir George Elvey. As each procession moved from the entrance into St. George’s Chapel a Flourish of Trumpets was played by Her Majesty’s State Trumpeters stationed at the West Entrance.

At 12 noon, Queen Victoria accompanied by her youngest daughter Princess Beatrice and her granddaughter Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, along with their attendants, left The Queen’s Entrance of Windsor Castle in carriages for the West Entrance of St. George’s Chapel. On arrival, they were met by The Lord Steward, John Townshend,1st Earl Sydney with The Treasurer of the Household, Gavin Campbell, 7th Earl of Breadalbane, The Comptroller of the Household – William Edwardes, 4th Baron Kensington, and The Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, Lord Charles Bruce. Her Majesty’s procession was conducted down the aisle by The Lord Chamberlain, Valentine Browne, 4th Earl of Kenmare as “Occasional Overture” by George Frederick Handel was played.

At 12:15 PM, the bridegroom Prince Leopold accompanied by his supporters, his eldest brother The Prince of Wales and Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, his brother-in-law, the widower of Leopold’s sister Prince Alice, and their attendants, proceeded in carriages from The Queen’s Entrance of Windsor Castle to the West Entrance of St. George’s Chapel. On arrival, they were received by The Lord Chamberlain Valentine Browne, 4th Earl of Kenmare and The Lord Steward, John Townshend,1st Earl Sydney and their procession was conducted down the aisle as Felix Mendelssohn’s “March”, from Athalie was played. Prince Leopold was conducted to his seat on the right of the altar with his supporters standing next to him.

Immediately after the departure of the bridegroom, the bride Princess Helena accompanied by her supporters, her father Georg Victor, The Reigning Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, and her brother-in-law King Willem III of the Netherlands, and their attendants proceeded in carriages from The Queen’s Entrance of Windsor Castle to the West Entrance of St. George’s Chapel.  On arrival, they were received by The Lord Chamberlain Valentine Browne, 4th Earl of Kenmare, and joined by the eight bridesmaids. The procession moved down the aisle to a “Special March” by French composer Charles Gounod, a friend of Prince Leopold who had asked Gounod to compose a piece of music for his bride’s procession down the aisle. The supporters of the bride stood near her and the bridesmaids stood behind her.

The wedding service was performed by Archibald Campbell Tait, Archbishop of Canterbury and the bride was given away by her father.  At the conclusion of the wedding service,  the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Ludwig Van Beethoven’s oratorio Christ on the Mount of Olives was sung by the choir and a salute was fired in the Long Walk by a battery of artillery. Felix Mendelssohn’s now-famous “Wedding March” from his suite of Incidental Music to A Midsummer Night’s Dream was played as the royalty and their attendants left St. George’s Chapel by the West Door.

The Wedding Luncheon and Celebrations

On their return to Windsor Castle, the bride and groom signed the marriage register in the Green Drawing Room. Queen Victoria then signed the marriage register along with royalty and distinguished persons who had been invited to also do so. Queen Victoria and the bride and groom, accompanied by King Willem III and Queen Emma of the Netherlands, The Prince and Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont and other royalty then proceeded to the State Reception Room to greet the guests who had assembled there.

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Waterloo Gallery at Windsor Castle where the non-royal guests were served a buffet luncheon

Luncheon was privately served for Queen Victoria, the royal family, and the royal guests in the Dining Room. The other guests were served a buffet luncheon in the Waterloo Gallery. The bride and groom left for their honeymoon at 4:00 PM.

The wedding cake of the Duke and Duchess of Albany; Credit – Royal Collection Trust https://www.rct.uk/collection/2905679/the-wedding-cake-of-the-duke-and-duchess-of-albany

The wedding cake was made by Her Majesty’s household confectioner. The cake, created in several layers, each separated by a dense icing for support and stacked upon the other to achieve its six-foot height, was entirely edible. The stacking technique was innovative for its day. Modern wedding cakes still use this method but because of the size of today’s cakes, internal support is added to each layer in the form of dowels.

In the evening, there was a State Banquet in St. George’s Hall presided by The Lord Steward, John Townshend, 1st Earl Sydney.  The guests invited included the royal guests, ambassadors, members of the clergy, members of the government, members of The Queen’s Household, and other guests by special invitation.  After the State Banquet, Queen Victoria and the guests proceeded to the Grand Reception Room where Her Majesty’s Private Band played in the Waterloo Chamber adjoining the Grand Reception Room. Later in the evening, there was a torchlit procession through the grounds of Windsor Castle. The torches made a letter “A” for Albany as Leopold was the Duke of Albany.

Torchlight procession for the marriage of Prince Leopold, 27 April 1882 by Sir Richard Rivington Holmes; Credit – Royal Collection Trust https://www.rct.uk/collection/themes/trails/royal-weddings/torchlight-procession-for-the-marriage-of-prince-leopold-7

The Honeymoon

Claremont House; Credit – By Heathermitch – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28583411

At 4:00 PM, the newlyweds, Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Albany,
attended by The Honorable Mrs. Moreton and The Honorable Alexander Yorke, left Windsor Castle for their honeymoon at Claremont House in Esher in Surrey, England escorted by a traveling escort of the 2nd Life Guards.

In 1816, Claremont House was bought by the British Nation by an Act of Parliament as a wedding present for the future King George IV’s daughter Princess Charlotte of Wales and her husband Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s uncle and the future Leopold I, King of the Belgians. After Princess Charlotte’s death in childbirth, her widower lived there until he became King of the Belgians, when he loaned the house to Queen Victoria. Queen Victoria, in turn, lent Claremont House to the exiled King and Queen of the French, Louis-Philippe and Marie-Amelie, who were the in-laws of King Leopold I via his second wife. Queen Victoria bought Claremont House from her first cousin Leopold II, King of the Belgians as a wedding gift for her son and daughter-in-law Leopold and Helena.

Leopold and Helena arrived in Esher around 6:00 PM, passing through a series of floral arches to a pavilion decorated with flowers. There they were greeted by the Rector of the local church and a group of local people. Leopold told them: “We both feel the greatest satisfaction in the thought that our first days of married life will be spent in the parish of Esher for it is here that we shall hope for the future to centre our local cares and interests.”

Unfortunately, Leopold and Helena’s honeymoon was marked by tragedy. Helena’s sister had married Prince Wilhelm of Württemberg, later King Wilhelm II of Württemberg. Marie was unable to attend the wedding because she was nine months pregnant. On April 24, 1882, Marie gave birth to a stillborn daughter, her third child, and suffered serious complications from childbirth. She died six days later, on April 30, 1882, and Helena went into the required period of mourning which limited her social interactions.

Children

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Helena with her two children

Leopold and Helena had two children:

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.

Works Cited

  • Flantzer, Susan, 2013. Prince Leopold, Duke Of Albany. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/march-28-daily-featured-royal-date/> [Accessed 23 May 2020].
  • Flantzer, S., 2014. Princess Helena Of Waldeck-Pyrmont, Duchess Of Albany. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/february-17-1861-birth-of-princess-helena-of-waldeck-pyrmont-wife-of-prince-leopold-duke-of-albany/> [Accessed 23 May 2020].
  • Google Books. 1882. The Illustrated London News – Wedding Of Prince Leopold.
  • Rct.uk. 2020. Sir James Dromgole Linton (1840-1916) – The Marriage Of The Duke Of Albany, 27Th April 1882. [online] Available at: <https://www.rct.uk/collection/404481/the-marriage-of-the-duke-of-albany-27th-april-1882> [Accessed 23 May 2020].
  • The Gazette. 1882. Prince Leopold Wedding Page 1971 | Issue 25102, 2 May 1882 | London Gazett…. [online] Available at: <https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/25102/page/1971> [Accessed 23 May 2020].
  • Van der Kiste, John, 2011. Queen Victoria’s Children. Stroud: The History Press.
  • Zeepvat, Charlotte, 1999. Prince Leopold. Stroud: Sutton.

Wallis, Duchess of Windsor

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

 

Bessie Wallis Warfield was born on June 19, 1896, in Square Cottage at the Monterey Inn in Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania and grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. She was the only child of  Teackle Wallis Warfield and Alice Montague and was named after her mother’s older sister Bessie Montague Merryman and her father. Teackle’s family had money, but it was “new money,” and the family was looked down upon by the older, established families.  Solomon Warfield, Teackle’s brother, was a self-made millionaire, but Teackle was the least eligible catch of the family.  He was sickly, had been ill with tuberculosis since he was 18-years-old, and had a poor-paying job as a county auctioneer. Wallis’ mother was Alice Montague from a Southern “Old Family”.

The Montague family could not fathom Alice’s decision to marry Teackle.  Only three people attended their wedding: Alice’s sister Bessie and two of Teackle’s friends.  Five months after Wallis’ birth, her father died at the age of 27.  Wallis and her mother were dependent upon the charity of relatives until her mother remarried.  Her uncle Solomon paid for her to attend the most expensive girls’ school in Maryland and she made friends with a number of girls from wealthy families.

Wallis at six months with her mother; Credit – www.findagrave.com

When Wallis was 20, she married Earl Winfield Spencer, a U.S. Navy pilot.  Allegedly, Spencer was abusive and an alcoholic. After several separations, the Spencers divorced in December 1927.  Before her marriage was officially ended, Wallis became involved with Ernest Simpson, a shipping executive, who had been born in the United States but became a British citizen during World War I.  Wallis and Ernest married in 1928.

Earl Winfield Spencer, Jr., Wallis’ first husband; Credit – Wikipedia

Ernest Simpson, Wallis’ second husband; Credit – Wikipedia

Through a friend, Consuelo Thaw, Wallis met Consuelo’s sister Thelma, Viscountess Furness, who was the mistress of Edward, Prince of Wales, the eldest son of King George V of the United Kingdom.  In early 1931, Thelma introduced Wallis to the Prince of Wales.  Over the next several years, the Prince of Wales and the Simpsons attended various house parties and other social events, and Wallis was presented at court.  In January 1934, Wallis became the mistress of the Prince of Wales, known as David in the family.  Wallis eventually divorced her second husband in October 1936.  On May 7, 1937, Wallis legally resumed her maiden name but continued to use the title “Mrs.” so she was Mrs. Wallis Warfield.

Wallis in 1936; Credit – Wikipedia

On January 20, 1936, King George V died and David became King Edward VIII. He showed impatience with court protocol and caused concern with his disregard for established constitutional conventions. He was also completely enthralled by Wallis and was naively convinced that once she was free from her marriage, he would be able to marry her and she would be queen.  At that time, it was unthinkable that the Supreme Governor of the Church of England could marry a person who had been divorced not just once, but twice.  David’s insistence on proceeding with these plans, despite advice to the contrary, provoked a government crisis.

King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson on holiday in Yugoslavia, 1936; Credit – Wikipedia

David informed Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin that he would abdicate if he could not marry Wallis. Baldwin then presented the king with three choices:  (1) give up the idea of marriage  (2) marry against his ministers’ wishes  (3) abdicate. It was evident that David was not prepared to give up Wallis and he knew that if he married against the advice of his ministers, he would cause the government to resign, prompting a constitutional crisis. He chose to abdicate.

King Edward VIII signed the Instrument of Abdication on December 10, 1936, in the presence of his brothers: Prince Albert, Duke of York, the heir to the throne; Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester; and Prince George, Duke of Kent. The next day, the last act of his reign was the royal assent to His Majesty’s Declaration of Abdication Act 1936, necessary because only Parliament can change the succession to the throne. On the evening of December 11, 1936, once again His Royal Highness Prince Edward, the former king gave his famous radio speech in which he said, “I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love.”

On December 12, 1936, at the accession meeting of the Privy Council, the new King George VI announced he would give his brother the title Duke of Windsor with the style of Royal Highness. Letters Patent dated May 27, 1937 re-conferred the “title, style, or attribute of Royal Highness” upon the Duke of Windsor, but specifically stated that “his wife and descendants, if any, shall not hold said title or attribute”.

On June 3, 1937, David married Wallis Simpson at the Château de Candé, near Tours, France. The legality of King George VI’s Letters Patent stating that David’s style Royal Highness could not be extended to his wife or children is doubtful.  As the son of a British monarch, David was entitled to that style which should have automatically reverted to him upon his abdication and automatically extended to his legal wife and any legitimate children. David considered holding back the style Her Royal Highness from his wife unjust, but out of respect for his brother, he never made a public issue.  In their household, the Duchess of Windsor was always addressed as Royal Highness.

 Wedding Day, June 3, 1937

During World War II, David was at first stationed with the British Military Mission to France but after accusations that he held Nazi sympathies, he was appointed Governor of the Bahamas to remove him from Europe during World War II. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor lived the latter part of their lives in Paris, France in a mansion they called Villa Windsor located at 4 Route du Champ d’Entraînement in the Bois de Boulogne, a large park. The house is owned by the city of Paris and was leased to the Windsors at a nominal rent from 1952 to 1986.  During the 1950s and 1960s, the Duke and Duchess were treated as celebrities and were the toast of parties they hosted and attended as guests.  The couple visited Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon at the White House and were popular guests among society around the world.

 The Duke and Duchess of Windsor attend a ball in Paris in 1962

The Duke and Duchess with their beloved pugs.  Photograph in honor of my daughter-in-law’s puggle whose name is Wallis, after the Duchess.

The Duchess was never fully accepted by the British Royal Family. Her mother-in-law Queen Mary refused to formally receive her. Occasionally, the Duke visited his mother and brother King George VI but he did attend his brother’s funeral in 1952 or his mother’s funeral in 1953. He did not attend the coronation of his niece Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. In 1965, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor visited London and they were visited by Duke’s niece Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke’s sister-in-law Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, and the Duke’s sister Mary, Princess Royal, Countess of Harewood. During their visit to London, the Duke’s sister Mary suddenly died and the couple attended her funeral. The funeral of Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent in 1968 was the last royal event the Duke attended. He was invited to the investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales in 1969 but declined the invitation.

The Duke’s health started to decline during the 1960s when he was treated for an aneurysm and detached retina. He was a heavy smoker and in late 1971 was diagnosed with throat cancer. Early in 1972, the Duke underwent surgery for a hernia. On May 18, 1972, Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Prince of Wales, visited the Duke at his Paris home while on a state visit to France. The Duke was too ill to come downstairs to tea, but the Queen spent 15 minutes talking alone with her Uncle David in his sitting room after the Duchess of Windsor hosted tea in the downstairs drawing room.

 The Duchess curtseying to The Queen when she visited the Duke at his Paris home in May 1972

Ten days later, a statement from Buckingham Palace said: “It is announced with deep regret that His Royal Highness, the Duke of Windsor, has died at his home in Paris at 2:25 A.M., Sunday, May 28, 1972.” The Duke of Windsor died a month before his 78th birthday. The Duke’s body lay in state at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, and an unexpectedly large number of people filed by the casket. At the Duke’s request, a private royal funeral was held at St. George’s Chapel. Excepting the Duke’s only surviving brother, The Duke of Gloucester who was very ill, all other adult members of the Royal Family attended the funeral along with King Olav V of Norway who was the Duke’s first cousin.  The Duke of Windsor was buried near his brother The Duke of Kent at the Royal Burial Ground behind the Royal Mausoleum of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert at Frogmore near Windsor Castle. The Duchess of Windsor attended her husband’s funeral.

 Queen Elizabeth II, The Duchess of Windsor, and The Queen Mother at the Duke of Windsor’s funeral

The Duchess of Windsor survived her husband by fourteen years. Increasingly frail and suffering from dementia, she lived the remainder of her life as a recluse, supported by her husband’s estate and an allowance from Queen Elizabeth II.  She suffered several falls and broke her hip twice. After the Duke of Windsor’s death, the Duchess’s French lawyer, Suzanne Blum, assumed power of attorney. Blum sold items belonging to the Duchess to her friends at lower than market value and was accused of exploiting the Duchess.  In 1980, the Duchess lost her ability to speak. She became bedridden and did not receive any visitors except her doctor and nurses.

The Duchess of Windsor in 1975

The Duchess of Windsor died on April 24, 1986, at the age of 89, at her home in the Bois de Boulogne, Paris, France.  Her funeral was held at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle and was attended by her two surviving sisters-in-law: The Queen Mother and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, and also Queen Elizabeth II, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince and Princess of Wales, Princess Anne, and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.  Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Prince and Princess of Wales also attended the burial. Wallis was buried next to her husband in the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore near Windsor Castle.

Graves of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor at the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore, adjacent to Windsor Castle, Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

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.

Works Cited

  • Birmingham, Stephen. Duchess: The Story Of Wallis Warfield Windsor. 1st ed. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1981. Print.
  • Higham, Charles. The Duchess Of Windsor. 1st ed. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley, 2005. Print.
  • “King Edward VIII, The Duke Of Windsor”. Unofficial Royalty. N.p., 2017. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
  • “Wallis Simpson”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
  • Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Arthur, Prince of Wales

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Arthur, Prince of Wales; Credit: Wikipedia

The first child of King Henry VII of England, the first Tudor monarch, and Elizabeth of York, daughter of King Edward IV, niece of King Richard III,  and sister of King Edward V, was born purposefully in Winchester, England, once the capital of the Kingdom of Wessex, on September 20, 1486.  The name Arthur was chosen in hopes that he would bring a new Arthurian age to the new Tudor dynasty.

Arthur was christened on September 24, 1486, at Winchester Cathedral. His godparents were:

Arthur had six siblings:

Henry VII’s family: At left, Henry VII, with Arthur, Prince of Wales behind him, then Henry (later Henry VIII), and Edmund, who did not survive early childhood. To the right is Elizabeth of York, with Margaret, then Elizabeth who didn’t survive childhood, Mary, and Katherine, who died shortly after her birth; Credit – Wikipedia

Arthur had an education befitting the heir to the throne and a household for him was set up in Ludlow Castle near the Welsh border when he was six years old. His early education covered the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic, which he learned very quickly. In 1491,  John Rede, former Headmaster of Winchester College, became his tutor, followed by the blind poet Bernard André in 1496, and then Thomas Linacre in 1501.

When Arthur was very young, his father began negotiations for him to marry Catherine of Aragon, the youngest child of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. The Treaty of Medina del Campo, ratified by Spain in 1489 and by England in 1490, contained the marriage contract between Catherine and Arthur. Catherine left Spain in 1501, never to return, and on November 14, 1501, the two 15-year-olds, Catherine and Arthur, were married at the Old St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. Catherine was escorted to the cathedral by the 10-year-old Henry, Duke of York, who would eventually become her second husband.

Catherine of Aragon, circa 1502; Credit – Wikipedia

After the marriage, the couple lived at Ludlow Castle in Shropshire, England near the Welsh border, where, as Prince of Wales, Arthur presided over the Council of Wales and the Marches.  It is doubtful that the marriage was consummated, and this question later became vitally important when King Henry VIII sought to annul his marriage to Catherine.  Arthur and Catherine became ill within months of the marriage, probably because of the sweating sickness.  Catherine survived, but she was left a widow as Arthur did not survive. 15-year-old Arthur died on April 2, 1502, and was buried in Worcester Cathedral. Henry VII and his wife Elizabeth were naturally distraught at the death of their eldest son. Their second son succeeded his father as King Henry VIII in 1509, leaving us to ask the question, “What if Arthur had become king?”

Tomb of Arthur, Prince of Wales; Credit – www.geograph.org.uk

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Philippa of Lancaster, Queen of Portugal

by Emily McMahon, revised by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Philippa of Lancaster, Queen of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

Philippa of Lancaster was born on March 31, 1359, at Leicester Castle in Leicestershire, England. She was the eldest of the seven children of John of Gaunt, a son of King Edward III of England, and his first wife Blanche of Lancaster.  Philippa’s brother Henry later became King of England as Henry IV. Philippa was raised with her brother and sister Elizabeth, her only siblings to survive childhood.  When Philippa was nine years old, her mother Blanche died at age 23, possibly of the plague or due to childbirth complications.

Philippa’s six siblings:

Philippa had two half-siblings by her father’s second marriage to Constance of Castile daughter of Pedro I, King of Castile and León:

Philippa also had four half-siblings from her father John of Gaunt’s third marriage to Katherine Swynford, first his mistress and later his wife. The children were legitimized in 1397, and the House of Tudor is descended from their first son John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset

Philippa married King Joáo I of Portugal in the Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady in Porto, Portugal on February 2, 1387, sealing the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance, a treaty that is still in effect. She was a comparatively older bride at 27, as most medieval royal women were married by their late teens. Philippa’s pious, maternal influences were welcomed in a court known for its debauchery and corruption.  She is known as the mother of the “Illustrious Generation” (in Portuguese Ínclita Geração) of infantes (princes) and infantas (princesses).

Philippa and Joáo  had nine children:

The wedding of Philippa and John; Credit – Wikipedia

Philippa was a well-educated woman for the time, and her suggestion of the conquest of Ceuta eventually helped Portugal dominate the African spice trade.  Philippa and Joáo were about to set sail to attack Ceuta when, Philippa died on July 19, 1415, at the age of 55 of the plague.  She was buried at the Monastery of Batalha in  Leiria, Portugal. The monastery was built to thank the Virgin Mary for the Portuguese victory over the Castilians at the Battle of Aljubarrota in 1385, fulfilling a promise of King Joáo I of Portugal.  Her husband survived her by 18 years and was laid to rest next to Philippa when he died in 1433. Their four younger sons are also buried at the Monastery of Batalha.

Tomb of King Joáo I of Portugal and his wife Philippa; By Daniel VILLAFRUELA, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37869378

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.

March 30, 2002 – Death of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2013

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March 30, 2002 – Death of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, wife of George VI, mother of Elizabeth II, at Royal Lodge, Windsor; buried at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle

On Saturday, March 30, 2002, at 3:15 pm, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother died peacefully in her sleep, at her home, Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, at the age of 101. Her daughter Queen Elizabeth II and two of her grandchildren, the children of Princess Margaret, David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon and his sister Lady Sarah Chatto, were with her.

Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was born on August 4, 1900, in London. She was the fourth daughter and the ninth of ten children of Claude Bowes-Lyon, Lord Glamis (who succeeded his father as 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne in 1904), a descendant of King Robert II of Scotland, the first Stewart king, and Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck, a descendant of the Marquess Wellesley (brother of the Duke of Wellington) and the Kings of Ireland. Elizabeth bore the courtesy title of “Honorable” until her father became Earl when she exchanged it for “Lady.”

Lady Elizabeth married the second son of King George V, Prince Albert, Duke of York, on April 26, 1923, at Westminster Abbey, London.  See Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of George VI and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon for detailed information on the wedding.

The couple had two children, Elizabeth (born 1926) who succeeded her father as Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret, who died shortly before her mother (1930-2002).  Upon the abdication of his brother King Edward VIII in 1936, the Duke of York acceded to the throne as King George VI.  During the difficult years of World War II, King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth continually boosted the morale of the British people.  In 1952, King George VI died of lung cancer at the age of 56 and Queen Elizabeth changed her style to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother to avoid confusion with her daughter, now Queen Elizabeth II.

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Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother lay in state in Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster.  At one point, her four grandsons Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, and Viscount Linley exchanged places with the guards as a mark of respect to their grandmother. (See photo above.)  The funeral was held on April 9, 2002, at Westminster Abbey.  The Queen Mother was laid to rest with her husband and the ashes of her younger daughter Princess Margaret in the King George VI Memorial Chapel in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. On September 19, 2022, her elder daughter Queen Elizabeth II was interred in the crypt of the King George VI Memorial Chapel. At the same time, the coffin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who died in 2021, was moved from its temporary place in the Royal Vault beneath St. George’s Chapel and also interred in the crypt of the King George VI Memorial Chapel.

King George VI Memorial Chapel; Credit – The Royal Family Facebook page

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.