by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2015
Prince Christian Victor of Schleswig-Holstein. source: Wikipedia
Prince Christian Victor of Schleswig-Holstein (Christian Victor Albert Louis Ernst Anton) was the eldest child of Princess Helena of the United Kingdom (the third daughter of Queen Victoria), and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. He was born on April 14, 1867, at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England.
Prince Christian Victor was christened on May 21, 1867, in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle. His godparents were:
- Queen Victoria (his maternal grandmother)
- Christian August II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg (his paternal grandfather)
- The Prince of Wales (his maternal uncle, the future King Edward VII)
- The Crown Princess of Prussia (his maternal aunt, born Victoria, Princess Royal)
- Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (his paternal great-uncle)
- The Dowager Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (his maternal half-great-aunt, born Princess Feodora of Leiningen)
Christian Victor had four siblings:
- Prince Albert, later Duke of Schleswig-Holstein (1869-1931), unmarried, had an illegitimate daughter
- Princess Helena Victoria (1870-1948) – unmarried, no issue
- Princess Marie Louise (1872-1956) – married Prince Aribert of Anhalt (marriage dissolved), no issue
- Prince Harald (born and died 1876) – lived 8 days
Prince Christian Victor of Schleswig-Holstein. source: Wikipedia
“Christle”, as he was known within the family, became the first member of the British Royal Family to attend school, enrolling at Lambrook, Wellington College and Magdalen College at the University of Oxford, before entering the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. He showed a high level of skill at cricket, and served as captain of the cricket teams at Wellington, Magdalen, and Sandhurst, and even played for I Zingari (cricket club) in 1887.
Upon leaving Sandhurst in 1888, he became a subaltern in the King’s Royal Rifles. He participated in the Hazara and Miranzi expeditions in 1891, the Isazi expedition in 1892, and the Ashanti expedition in 1895. Upon his return, he was elevated to the rank of Major and then served under Lord Kitchener in the Battle of Omdurman in 1898. The following year, he saw duty in the Second Boer War, participating in the Relief of Ladysmith under General Sir Redvers Buller and then in Pretoria under Lord Roberts.
“Prince Christian Victor of Schleswig Holstein Church Street Cemetery in Pretoria 056” by PHParsons – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Prince Christian Victor died of enteric fever in Pretoria, South African Republic, also known as the Transvaal Republic, now in South Africa, on October 29, 1900, having also fallen ill with malaria. He was just 33 years old. His death shocked his family, and in particular, his grandmother Queen Victoria, with whom he had been very close. Although preparations were made to return his body to the United Kingdom, he was buried in a soldier’s grave in Pretoria, now in South Africa, at the wishes of his grandmother.
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