Princess Beatrice of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duchess of Galliera

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Beatrice of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duchess of Galliera; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Beatrice (Beatrice Leopoldine Victoria) was the youngest child of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (the second son of Queen Victoria) and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia (the daughter of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia). She was born Beatrice Leopoldine Victoria on April 20, 1884, at Eastwell Park in Kent, England, her parents leased country home.

Beatrice was christened at Eastwell House on May 17, 1884. Her godparents were:

Beatrice had four siblings:

Beatrice (on her mother’s lap), with her mother and siblings. source: Wikipedia

Due to her father’s military career, as well as his future role in Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Beatrice grew up in England, Malta and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The youngest child in the family, she was perhaps more doted upon than her elder sisters and was known as ‘Baby’ or ‘Baby-Bee’. In July 1893, Beatrice was one of the bridesmaids at the wedding of her first cousin The Duke of York, to Princess Victoria Mary of Teck (later King George V and Queen Mary). The following month, her father became the reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha upon the death of his uncle. The family moved permanently to Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in the German state of Bavaria, taking up residence at Schloss Ehrenburg in Coburg. During their years in Coburg, Beatrice’s sisters were all married, and her brother survived an attempted suicide but died in a sanitorium a month later.

Following her father’s death in 1900, Beatrice remained with her mother in Coburg, living at the Palais Edinburg (which her father had purchased in the mid-1880s) and Schloss Rosenau. In 1902, she became involved in a relationship with her first cousin, Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia. However, the Russian Orthodox Church forbade marriages between first cousins, and Michael’s brother Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia refused to allow an exception. Michael ended the relationship the following year.

In 1906, Beatrice’s cousin, Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, married King Alfonso XIII of Spain in Madrid. It was at the wedding that Beatrice met her future husband, Alfonso XIII’s first cousin Infante Alfonso of Spain, son of Infante Antonio, Duke of Galliera, and Infanta Eulalia of Spain.

The couple was married on July 15, 1909, in Coburg. A civil ceremony was held at Schloss Rosenau, followed by a Catholic Ceremony at St. Augustine’s Church, and a Lutheran ceremony at Schloss Callenberg. Unlike her cousin, Victoria Eugenie, Beatrice chose not to convert to Catholicism before her marriage. She did later convert in 1913.

Because of the difference in religion, there was dissent within the Spanish government. While King Alfonso XIII of Spain personally encouraged and supported the marriage, the government would not allow him to give formal consent. Therefore, upon marriage, the couple was banished from Spain, and Alfonso was stripped of his honors and titles, including that of Infante of Spain. They settled in Coburg until 1912 when they were permitted to return to Spain, and Alfonso’s titles and honors were restored. Beatrice and Alfonso had three sons:

  • Infante Alvaro (1910-1997) – married Carla Parodi-Delfino, had issue
  • Infante Alonso (1912-1936) – killed in action during the Spanish Civil War, unmarried, no issue
  • Infante Ataúlfo (1913-1974) – unmarried, no issue

Beatrice with her three sons, c. 1913. source: Wikipedia

In 1916, the couple was sent to Switzerland. Under the guise of an official mission, rumors quickly spread that it was due to either Beatrice’s influence on Queen Victoria Eugenie or because she had rebuffed the romantic advances of King Alfonso XIII, a notorious womanizer. After some time in Switzerland, the couple moved to England where their sons were educated at Winchester College. Eight years later, they were finally permitted to return to Spain.

In the following years, the Spanish monarchy was overthrown and the country was thrown into Civil War. Beatrice’s second son Alonso was killed in action, and the family lost their properties. Initially exiled to England, they eventually returned to Spain in 1937, and settled at a new estate, El Botánico, in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, where they would live for the rest of their lives. Beatrice died on July 13, 1966, at El Botánico. She is buried with her husband at the Convent of Capuchin Fathers in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain.

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