Author Archives: Susan

Lady Flora Hastings, Lady-in-Waiting to The Duchess of Kent, Queen Victoria’s mother

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Credit – Wikipedia

Lady Flora Hastings was a Lady-in-Waiting to The Duchess of Kent, Queen Victoria’s mother, from 1834 – 1839.

Lady Flora Elizabeth Rawdon-Hastings was born on February 11, 1806, in Edinburgh, Scotland, the eldest of the six children of Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings and Flora Mure-Campbell, 6th Countess of Loudoun.  Lady Flora’s father served in the Irish House of Commons from 1781 – 1783 and was Governor-General of India from 1813 – 1823. He also served with British forces during the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars.

Lady Flora had five younger siblings:

Flora spent most of her childhood at Loudoun Castle in Ayrshire, Scotland, the family estate of her mother, the 6th Countess of Loudoun in her own right. Then the family stayed for some time in London, where in 1834, Lady Flora was appointed to the position of the lady-in-waiting to the Duchess of Kent, the mother of the future Queen Victoria.

Flora was a talented, educated woman who wrote poetry and had a sharp, biting wit. Her talent for stinging remarks caused many people at court to dislike her including Baroness Louise Lehzen, the governess of the future Queen Victoria. As an ally of The Duchess of Kent and her Comptroller Sir John Conroy, Lady Flora participated in their Kensington System, a strict and elaborate set of rules to control and influence Princess Victoria.

After her accession to the throne in June 1837 and her subsequent move to Buckingham Palace, the 18-year-old Queen Victoria, being an unmarried woman, was forced to take her mother and her entire household with her. The Duchess of Kent tried to force Queen Victoria to appoint Lady Flora as one of the maids of honor. Victoria refused to do so, believing that any member of her mother’s household would act as a spy.

Portrait of Lady Flora from Pamphlet – Memoir of Lady Flora Hastings; Credit – Wikipedia

Lady Flora spent Christmas 1838 with her mother in Scotland and traveled back to London in a carriage with Sir John Conroy, unchaperoned, which caused some gossip at court. A short time after returning to London, Flora complained of nausea, pain, and swelling in her lower abdomen and back.

She told her complaints to Sir James Clark, Physician-in-Ordinary to Queen Victoria.  Clark was confused that Flora was still able to do her job if she was really ill.  He tried to examine her under her stays but Lady Flora refused. He then asked her if she was secretly married, intimating that she was pregnant, which Flora strongly denied. Clark insisted that Flora confess to save her reputation.

It appeared that Clark was ignorant of any condition other than pregnancy that could cause a distended stomach.  He prescribed rhubarb pills and a lotion to rub on her stomach. At that same time, some of the Queen’s ladies and Baroness Lehzen noticed that Lady Flora’s abdomen appeared swollen and rumors of pregnancy began swirling around the court.

When Lady Tavistock (later Duchess of Bedford), senior Lady of the Bedchamber, came back to court to serve, she found the other ladies all in a to-do over the situation. She decided to inform Lord Melbourne, the Prime Minister about the situation. Lord Melbourne advised a wait-and-see policy but he did consult with Sir James Clark who said there were reasons for suspicions that Lady Flora was pregnant.

By February 2, 1839, Queen Victoria was involved. On that day, she wrote in her diary that she and Lehzen believed Lady Flora “is – to use plain words – with child!” Suspicions were that Sir John Conroy was the father.

Eventually, Lady Flora agreed to a doctor’s examination and Sir James Clark enlisted Sir Charles Clarke, a specialist in women’s health, to do the examination. A February 17 examination showed that Flora could not be pregnant because she was still a virgin. Queen Victoria apologized to Lady Flora and hoped that the situation was over but it was not. Despite the fact that the news about Flora’s innocence became public, rumors did not stop, and she still attracted attention with her growing belly. Lady Flora felt that she had to defend herself and published her version of events in the form of a letter that appeared in The Examiner, and blamed “a certain foreign lady” (Lehzen) for spreading the rumors.

In June, it became apparent that Lady Flora, still performing her duties at court, was mortally ill. On June 27, 1839, Queen Victoria visited Flora and was horrified by the changes in her appearance. Lady Flora died on July 5, 1839, at the age of 33. An autopsy carried out according to Lady Flora’s last wishes showed that she died from a cancerous liver tumor. Lady Flora’s body was transported to Loudoun Castle where her funeral was attended by about 500 people. She was buried in the cemetery at Loudoun Kirk near Loudoun Castle in Scotland.

Grave of Lady Flora; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Sir John Conroy and George Rawdon-Hastings, 2nd Marquess of Hastings, Flora’s brother, stirred up a press campaign against both Queen Victoria and Sir James Clark which attacked them for insulting and disgracing Lady Flora with false rumors. Some historians blame Queen Victoria for the heartless attitude and harassment of Flora. What happened to Lady Flora remained with Queen Victoria and she had nightmares about the situation for years. This horrible situation taught the young queen a valuable lesson – never listen to gossip and never humiliate others, especially in public.

In the September 1839 issue of the medical journal The Lancet, Dr. John Fisher Murray wrote an article An Autopsy of a Court Doctor, in which he described a number of other diseases, the symptoms of which were shown in Lady Flora, which Sir James Clark did not take into account upon treating her. Despite the fact that Clark was considered incompetent, he remained in royal service until his retirement in 1860.

A pamphlet cover published concerning the circumstances of the death of Lady Flora Hastings; Credit – Wikipedia

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

Recommended Book – Serving Queen Victoria: Life in the Royal Household by Kate Hubbard

Works Cited

  • Baird, Julia. Victoria The Queen. Random House, 2016.
  • Hubbard, Kate. Serving Victoria: Life In The Royal Household. Harper Collins Publishers, 2012.
  • “Lady Flora Hastings”. En.Wikipedia.Org, 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Flora_Hastings. Accessed 13 May 2018.
  • https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%93%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B3%D1%81,_%D0%A4%D0%BB%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B0

Dash, Queen Victoria’s King Charles Spaniel

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Princess Victoria with Dash by George Hayter, 1833: Credit – Wikipedia

Dash was a King Charles Spaniel with a white coat and patches of black and tan owned by Queen Victoria.  Born in 1830, Dash came into the household on January 14, 1833, as a gift from Sir John Conroy to Victoria’s mother The Duchess of Kent. Victoria was 13 years old when Dash came into her mother’s household and because she was largely isolated from other children, the princess soon became attached to Dash. At Christmas 1833, Victoria gave Dash a set of rubber balls and two pieces of gingerbread. Victoria often wrote about Dash in her diary calling him “dear sweet little Dash” and “dear Dashy”.

Dash remained with Victoria after her accession to the throne and along with the Queen, he moved to Buckingham Palace. Victoria was very worried about how Dash would feel in his new environment but the spaniel adjusted well and enjoyed romping in the palace gardens. Upon her return to Buckingham Palace after her coronation on June 28, 1838, Victoria ran to her rooms to give Dash his bath.

A pencil drawing by Princess Victoria showing her beloved King Charles Spaniel Dash. He is shown seated, facing forward. Inscribed below: Dash /our dog./ P.V.del from nature. Jan 11th 1836; Credit – https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/980016-em

Victoria’s love for Dash very quickly became public knowledge and she began to receive different dogs as presents. She accepted all the dogs and Lord Melbourne, her first Prime Minister, joked that Victoria would soon sink into a sea of dogs. Dash, however, remained Victoria’s favorite pet.

Dash died on December 24, 1840, which greatly upset Victoria. He was buried at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor Home Park. Over Dash’s grave, a marble effigy was erected with the inscription:

Here lies
DASH
The favourite spaniel of Her Majesty Queen Victoria
In his 10th year
His attachment was without selfishness
His playfulness without malice
His fidelity without deceit
READER
If you would be beloved and die regretted
Profit by the example of
DASH

Dash (left) with Lory (parrot), Nero (greyhound) and Hector (Scottish deerhound) by Edwin Henry Landseer, 1838; Credit – Wikipedia

Queen Victoria and her family had many pets, including:

  • Alma – a Shetland pony given by King Victor Emmanuel
  • Dandie – a Skye terrier
  • Dash – a King Charles spaniel
  • Eos – a greyhound that Prince Albert brought from Germany
  • Flora – a Shetland pony given by King Victor Emmanuel
  • Goats –  Upon her accession to the throne, Queen Victoria was presented with a pair of Tibetan goats by the Shah of Iran. From these two goats, a royal goat herd was established at Windsor and then goats from this herd were then used as regimental mascots by the British Army.
  • Nero – a greyhound
  • Islay – a Skye terrier who died after losing a fight with a cat
  • Jacquot – a donkey
  • Unknown name – a lory, a medium-sized parrot
  • Marco –  the first of Queen Victoria’s many Pomeranians.
  • Hector – a deerhound
  • Noble – Queen Victoria’s favorite collie.  Her daughter Princess Louise, who was a talented sculptor, created a statue of Noble which is in Osborne House.
  • Picco – a Sardinian pony
  • Sharp – a collie
  • Turi – a Pomeranian who lay on Queen Victoria’s deathbed at her request
  • Coco – an African grey parrot

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.

October 1918 – Royalty and World War I

by Susan Flantzer

  • 2nd Lieutenant The Honorable Richard Gerald Ava Bingham
  • Lieutenant-Colonel The Honorable Harold Ritchie
  • Timeline: October 1, 1918 – October 31, 1918
  • A Note About German Titles
  • October 1918 – Royals/Nobles/Peers/Sons of Peers Who Died In Action

**************

2nd Lieutenant The Honorable Richard Gerald Ava Bingham

Embed from Getty Images
Royal Air Force planes in a “100” formation over Buckingham Palace celebrating the centenary of the Royal Air Force on July 10, 2018

As I gather my thoughts in July 2018 to write about a member of the Royal Air Force, I recall that earlier in the month the centenary of the Royal Air Force was celebrated in London with a service at Westminster Abbey, a parade down the Mall, and a fly-past over Buckingham Palace of 100 historic planes, all attended by members of the British royal family.

2nd Lieutenant The Honorable Richard Gerald Ava Bingham, a pilot in the 209th Squadron of the Royal Air Force, was the youngest of the ten children of John Bingham, 5th Baron Clanmorris and Matilda Catherine Maude Ward.

Richard had nine older siblings:

All of Richard’s five surviving brothers also fought in World War I. His brother Edward, who was in the Royal Navy and was in command of a destroyer division, was awarded the Victoria Cross for naval bravery in the 1916 Battle of Jutland. When his ship sunk, Edward was picked up by a German destroyer and remained a prisoner of war until the end of the war. He later attained the rank of Rear-Admiral and was Naval Aide-de-Camp to King George V. Richard’s brother George was taken a prisoner of war by the Germans in May 1915 and later also served in World War II.

Bangor Castle; Credit – By MartinRobinson at the English language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6786410

Richard was on March 8, 1896, at the family home, Bangor Castle in Bangor, Northern Ireland. He was educated at Cheltenham College in Cheltenham, Gloucester, England and joined the Royal Air Force in 1917. On October 8, 1918, near Bourlon in northern France, 22-year-old Richard was flying a Sopwith Camel during an air battle and collided with another Sopwith Camel flown by Captain Dudley Allen. Both men were killed and were buried with 88 other fallen men at the Triangle Cemetery in Inchy-En-Artois, France.

Triangle Cemetery; Credit – https://www.ww1cemeteries.com/triangle-cemetery.html

***************

Lieutenant-Colonel The Honorable Harold Ritchie

Credit – https://www.winchestercollegeatwar.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/H-Ritchie-E-1890-1894-700×912.jpg

Lieutenant-Colonel The Honorable Harold Ritchie was born in Dundee, Scotland on October 30, 1876, the youngest of the ten children of Charles Thomson Ritchie, 1st Baron Ritchie of Dundee and Margaret Ower. The 1st Baron Ritchie of Dundee was a businessman and Conservative Member of Parliament from 1874 until 1905 when he was created a peer. He served as Home Secretary from 1900 to 1902 and as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1902 to 1903.

Harold had seven older sisters and two older brothers:

Harold was educated at Bradfield College in Bradfield, Berkshire, England and then he attended Winchester College in Winchester, Hampshire, England. While Harold was at Winchester College he was a House Prefect and was on the rowing team.

On January 29, 1907, Harold married Ella Priestley, daughter of Robert Chambers Priestley. The couple had four children:

  • Major Ian Charles Ritchie (1908 – 1982), married (1) Ann Dundas Whigham, had one son and one daughter, divorced 1946 (2) Pamela Eveleen Elizabeth Vickers
  • Jean Ritchie (1910 – ?), married Captain John Buller Edward Hall
  • William Nigel Ritchie (1914 – 1996), married Sibylla Baronin von Hirschberg, had one daughter and two sons
  • Pamela Helen Ritchie (1915 – ?), married Major James Dunbar Whatman

In October 1914, Harold joined the 11th Battalion Scottish Rifles and went to France in September 1915. In November 1915, Harold was ordered to Salonica, Greece where he served with distinction and received the Distinguished Service Order.  He was twice wounded twice in September 1918 was awarded a Bar to his Distinguished Service Order for gallantry in the field.

Harold returned to France in June 1918 and served with the 1st Battalion of the Cameronians, eventually becoming the commander of the battalion. In October 1918, he was transferred to the command of the 1st Battalion Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regiment. On October 22, 1918, the battalion moved into position in preparation for an attack near Le Cateau, France. Harold was wounded by machine gun fire when he was on a reconnoitering mission on October 23, 1918, and died on October 28, 1918, two days before his 42nd birthday. He was buried at the Awoingt British Cemetery in Cambrai, France.

Awoingt British Cemetery; Credit – Wikipedia

***************

Timeline: October 1, 1918 – October 31, 1918

Liberation of Bruges, Belgium following the Battle of Courtrai: Admiral Roger Keyes and Brigadier-General Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone, in the entourage of King Albert I of the Belgians and his wife Queen Elisabeth on the occasion of his entry into Bruges, 25 October 1918; Credit – Wikipedia

***************

A Note About German Titles

Many German royals and nobles died in World War I. The German Empire consisted of 27 constituent states, most of them ruled by royal families. Scroll down to German Empire here to see what constituent states made up the German Empire. The constituent states retained their own governments but had limited sovereignty. Some had their own armies, but the military forces of the smaller ones were put under Prussian control. In wartime, armies of all the constituent states would be controlled by the Prussian Army and the combined forces were known as the Imperial German Army.  German titles may be used in Royals Who Died In Action below. Refer to Unofficial Royalty: Glossary of German Noble and Royal Titles.

24 British peers were also killed in World War I and they will be included in the list of those who died in action. In addition, more than 100 sons of peers also lost their lives, and those that can be verified will also be included.

***************

October 1918 – Royals/Nobles/Peers/Sons of Peers Who Died In Action

The list is in chronological order and does contain some who would be considered noble instead of royal. The links in the last bullet for each person is that person’s genealogical information from Leo’s Genealogics Website or to The Peerage website. If a person has a Wikipedia page or a website page with biographical information, their name will be linked to that page.

2nd Lieutenant The Honorable Richard Gerald Ava Bingham (see above)

***************

Prince Heinrich XLIV Reuss

***************

Lieutenant-Colonel The Honorable Harold Ritchie (see above)

***************

Baroness Louise Lehzen, Queen Victoria’s Governess, Adviser, and Companion

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Baroness Louise Lehzen; Credit – Wikipedia

From 1824 – 1842, Baroness Louise Lehzen was the governess and then adviser and companion to Queen Victoria who called her Lehzen.

Johanna Clara Louise Lehzen was born on October 3, 1784, in Hanover (Germany), the youngest of the two sons and seven daughters of Joachim Friedrich Lehzen, a Lutheran pastor, and his wife Marie Catharina Melusine Palm, a pastor’s daughter. Joachim Lehzen had spent some time as a pastor at a German church in London and was fluent in English. While in London, he served as the tutor for the sons of several English families. When he returned to Hanover, Joachim ran a boys’ boarding school focusing on learning the English language. When he had his own children, Joachim taught them English.

Due to family circumstances, Lehzen had to work at an early age and she had excellent references from her employer, the aristocratic von Marenholtz family. Along with those references and the influence of Augustus Frederic Christopher Kollmanns, a composer, musical theorist, and organist from Hanover who lived in London and was the Organist, Clerk, and Chapel Keeper of His Majesty’s German Lutheran Chapel at St. James’s Palace, Lehzen obtained a position in the household of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, son of King George III.

In 1818, the Duke of Kent married Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, the widow of Emich Carl, 2nd Prince of Leiningen. The new Duchess of Kent had two children, 14-year-old Karl, 3rd Prince of Leiningen and 11-year-old Princess Feodora of Leinigen. The Duke of Kent thought that Feodora needed a governess and so Lehzen was hired. On May 24, 1819, the Duke and Duchess of Kent had their only child, Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent, the future Queen Victoria. The Duke and Duchess of Kent’s marriage was short as the Duke died on January 23, 1820.

The Duchess of Kent and her daughter Princess Victoria holding a miniature of her deceased father; Credit – Wikipedia

As Feodora grew older, she no longer needed a governess and in 1824, Lehzen became governess to the 5-year-old Victoria. Because of Victoria’s unique position – she was third in the line of succession after her childless uncles Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Prince William, Duke of Clarence (the future King William IV), Victoria needed to be well-educated. Lehzen gave Victoria a very solid early education. When Victoria turned eight, she began to receive lessons from tutors in French, German, writing, mathematics, drawing, dancing, music, and singing.

The Duchess of Kent developed a very close relationship with Sir John Conroy, her Comptroller and Private Secretary, who wanted to use his position with the mother of the future queen to obtain power and influence. Conroy and the Duchess tried to control and influence Victoria with their Kensington System, a strict and elaborate set of rules. Lehzen was strongly protective of Victoria and encouraged Victoria to become strong, informed, and independent from her mother’s and Conroy’s influence, causing friction between the two and Lehzen. The Duchess of Kent’s relationship with her daughter Victoria suffered greatly and did not normalize until Victoria herself had children.

Because of this conflict with her mother and Conroy, the young Victoria trusted only one person – Lehzen. Lehzen dedicated her life to ensuring that if Victoria became Queen, she would be intelligent and strong-minded. Lehzen was often criticized for her influence over Victoria but she was the only person who truly had only Victoria’s interests at heart. Victoria wrote in her diary about Lehzen, “the most affectionate, devoted, attached and disinterested friend I have.”

The Duke of York died in 1827 and now the Duke of Clarence was the heir presumptive and Victoria was second-in-line to the throne. Conroy complained that Victoria should not be surrounded by commoners and King George IV, also King of Hanover, created Lehzen a baroness of the Kingdom of Hanover. Shortly before, Victoria’s uncle the Duke of Clarence became king, Lehzen inserted a genealogical table in Victoria’s history book. Victoria carefully looked at it and said, “I see I am nearer to the throne than I thought,” and burst into tears. After she composed herself, Victoria said her famous remark, “I will be good.” When her uncle King George IV died in 1830 and the Duke of Clarence succeeded to the throne as King William IV, Victoria became the heir presumptive.

Victoria in 1833 with her dog Dash; Credit – Wikipedia

On May 24, 1837, Victoria turned 18 years old and it would not be necessary for the Duchess of Kent to serve as regent, much to the relief of Victoria’s uncle King William IV who intensely disliked the Duchess. Less than a month later, on June 20, 1837, King William IV died and Victoria acceded to the British throne. On the day Victoria became queen, she demonstrated her determination to free herself from her mother’s influence by ordering her bed to be removed from the room she and her mother had always shared. Victoria also immediately dismissed Conroy from her household but she could not dismiss him from her mother’s household. However, she sent both her mother and Conroy off to a distant wing of Buckingham Palace and cut off personal contact with them.

Lehzen continued to serve Victoria after she became Queen. She did not have an official position but was called, at her request, “lady attendant.” She had the Queen’s ear and her absolute confidence. Lehzen helped look after Victoria’s clothes and jewels, acted as an unofficial secretary, and was responsible for Victoria’s personal expenses. No bill for personal expenses was paid unless Lehzen had signed it. A door was installed between Queen Victoria’s bedroom and Lehzen’s bedroom.

Queen Victoria’s marriage to her first cousin Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1840 caused significant changes in the household. Naturally, Albert began to influence Victoria, overshadowing Lehzen whose instincts were to protect Victoria. Albert and Lehzen soon developed a dislike for each other. In an effort to protect Victoria, Lehzen attempted to thwart Albert’s will. Albert found Lehzen repugnant and unworthy of befriending the Queen. To Albert, Lehzen was a servant who had risen above her place in life and he wanted Victoria to rely only on him, as her husband.

This conflict came to a head in January 1842 when Victoria, Princess Royal (Vicky), the 14-month-old eldest child of Victoria and Albert became ill. When Vicky was born on November 21, 1840, Queen Victoria trusted Lehzen to make the arrangements for the nursery staff. Lehzen put the nursery in the charge of two nursemaids, Mrs. Southey and Mrs. Roberts, and Sir James Clark who was Physician-in-Ordinary to the Queen. Albert had objected to Clark due to his terrible mishandling of the Lady Flora Hastings affair in 1839. Clark diagnosed Vicky’s illness as a minor ailment and, incorrectly as it turned out, prescribed calomel, a laxative and then, a common medicine. Unknown at that time, calomel, which contained mercury chloride, was toxic. Vicky did not become better but rather became seriously ill. Albert confronted Victoria on the incompetence of the staff selected by Lehzen. There was a very heated quarrel, after which Albert declared that he would leave the affair in her queenly hands, and it would be on her head if Vicky died.

Vicky recovered but Albert had enough of Lehzen and on July 25, 1842, without consulting Victoria, he dismissed Lehzen. Albert told Victoria that Lehzen wanted to go back to Hanover due to her ill health. Always protecting Victoria, Lehzen went along with Albert’s plan. In preparation for her departure from the household, Lehzen taught Victoria’s dresser Marianne Skerrett some of her duties. On the morning of September 30, 1842, Lehzen slipped away, leaving a letter for Queen Victoria rather than saying goodbye in person.

Lehzen was granted a generous annual pension of £800 and the gift of a carriage. She went to live with her sister in Bückeburg, then in the Principality of Schaumberg-Lippe, now in Lower Saxony, Germany but her sister died a few months later. Queen Victoria and Lehzen kept in touch via letters and Victoria even visited her several times. When Lehzen became infirm, Victoria gave her a gift of a “wheeled chair.” On September 9, 1870, Baroness Louise Lehzen died in Bückeburg at the age of 85. She was buried in the Jetenburger Cemetery in Bückeburg where Queen Victoria had a memorial to her erected.

Grave of Baroness Louise Lehzen; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com by Dieter Birkenmaier

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

Recommended Book – Serving Queen Victoria: Life in the Royal Household by Kate Hubbard

Works Cited

  • Baird, Julia. Victoria The Queen. Random House, 2016.
  • Hubbard, Kate. Serving Victoria: Life In The Royal Household. Harper Collins Publishers, 2012.
  • “Louise Lehzen”. De.Wikipedia.Org, 2018, https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Lehzen. Accessed 13 May 2018.
  • “Louise Lehzen”. En.Wikipedia.Org, 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Lehzen. Accessed 13 May 2018.

Sir John Conroy, 1st Baronet of Llanbrynmair, Comptroller and Private Secretary to Queen Victoria’s mother The Duchess of Kent

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Sir John Conroy, 1st Baronet of Llanbrynmair; Credit – Wikipedia

Sir John Conroy, 1st Baronet of Llanbrynmair was Equerry to Queen Victoria’s father Prince Edward, The Duke of Kent from 1817 – 1820, and Comptroller and Private Secretary to Queen Victoria’s mother The Duchess of Kent from 1820 – 1839.

John Ponsonby Conroy was born on October 21, 1786, in Maes-y-Castell, Caerhun, Caernarvonshire, Wales, one of six children of John Ponsonby Conroy, a barrister, and Margaret Wilson. Both of Conroy’s parents came from Ireland. Conroy was privately educated by tutors.

When he was 17 years old, Conroy was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery and was soon promoted to First Lieutenant. In 1805, he enrolled in the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, a military academy for the training of commissioned officers of the Royal Artillery. Conroy served in the British army during the Napoleonic Wars. However, he had a knack for avoiding battle, causing him to lose the respect of the other officers.

On December 26, 1808, Conroy married Elizabeth Fisher, the daughter of Major-General Benjamin Fisher. The couple had six children:

  • Sir Edward Conroy, 2nd Baronet (1809 – 1869), married Lady Alice Parsons; their only child was the analytical chemist Sir John Conroy, 3rd Baronet
  • Elizabeth Conroy (1811 – 1855)
  • Arthur Conroy (1813 – 1817)
  • Stephen Conroy (1815 – 1841)
  • Henry Conroy (1817 – 1890)
  • Victoria Conroy, known as Victoire (1819 – 1866), married Sir Wyndham Edward Hanmer, 4th Baronet

Conroy served under his father-in-law, performing various administrative duties, and was promoted to Captain in 1817. Through the influence of his wife’s uncle Dr. John Fisher, Bishop of Salisbury who had served as a tutor for King George III’s son Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, Conroy was appointed the Duke of Kent’s Equerry in 1817. In 1818, the Duke of Kent, along with several of his brothers, married in an attempt to provide an heir to the throne after the death in childbirth of Princess Charlotte of Wales, King George III’s only legitimate grandchild. The Duke of Kent’s bride was Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, the widow of Emich Karl, 2nd Prince of Leiningen.

After their marriage, the Duke and Duchess of Kent moved to Germany, where the cost of living was cheaper. Victoria became pregnant and the Duke and Duchess were determined to have their child born in England. The very efficient John Conroy arranged for the Duke and Duchess’ speedy return to England in time for the birth of their first and only child, Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent, the future Queen Victoria, on May 24, 1819, at Kensington Palace in London.

In early January 1820, the Duke of Kent caught a cold but insisted on taking a walk in the chilly weather. Within days, the cold worsened, and he became feverish and delirious and developed pneumonia. His condition was aggravated by bloodletting and cupping. The Duke became increasingly weaker and died on January 23, 1820, just six days before his father King George III died. With the death of her father and her grandfather, little Drina, as she was called, was third in the line of succession after her uncles, Frederick, Duke of York (who would die in 1827) and William, Duke of Clarence (who would succeed his brother King George IV as King William IV. His niece Victoria would eventually succeed him.)

The Duke of Kent died deep in debt. Conroy had been named the executor of the Duke of Kent’s will. With the Duke of Kent’s death, Conroy would lose his position as Equerry. He needed to find another source of income so he offered his services as comptroller to the widowed Duchess of Kent and her daughter. The Duchess of Kent developed a very close relationship with Conroy who wanted to use his position with the mother of the future queen to obtain power and influence. Conroy and the Duchess tried to control and influence Victoria with their Kensington System, a strict and elaborate set of rules. The Duchess’ relationship with her daughter Victoria suffered greatly and did not normalize until Victoria herself had children.

Conroy’s children were among the few companions Princess Victoria was allowed. His youngest daughter Victoire, a few months younger than Victoria, often spent time with Princess Victoria. Princess Victoria was aware of Victoire’s inferior social rank and disliked her. She suspected that Victoire reported her activities to her father. Victoria was also aware that Conroy intended her to reward Victoire and her sister Jane with positions once she became queen.

In 1827, Frederick, Duke of York died making Princess Victoria the second in the line of succession after her uncle William, Duke of Clarence. Three years, later King George IV died and was succeeded by his brother King William IV. Victoria was now the heir presumptive. King William IV intensely disliked the Duchess of Kent and Conroy and vowed to live until Victoria was 18 years old to avoid a regency.

In 1835, Victoria became seriously ill with typhoid fever. While she was ill, the Duchess of Kent and Conroy unsuccessfully tried to force her into signing a document that would have appointed Conroy her personal secretary upon her accession to the throne. This incident motivated Victoria to become even more self-reliant. On May 24, 1837, Victoria turned 18 years old and it would not be necessary for the Duchess of Kent to serve as regent, much to the relief of Victoria’s uncle King William IV. Less than a month later, on June 20, 1837, King William IV died and Victoria acceded to the British throne.

When Victoria became Queen, she immediately dismissed Conroy from her household but she could not dismiss him from her mother’s household. However, she sent her mother and Conroy off to a distant wing of the palace and cut off personal contact with them. On July 7, 1837, Queen Victoria created Conroy the 1st Baronet of Llanbrynmair with the understanding that he would not show himself at court in return. The title became extinct on the death of Sir John Conroy, 3rd Baronet in 1900. Conroy was finally persuaded by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington to leave the Duchess of Kent’s household in 1839.

Arborfield Hall; Credit – Wikipedia

After a stay in continental Europe, Conroy bought Arborfield Hall, near Reading, Berkshire, England in 1842. He became a gentleman farmer and won prizes for pig breeding. On March 2, 1854, Sir John Conroy, 1st Baronet of Llanbrynmair died, aged 67, at his home Arborfield Hall, in substantial debt. After his death, the Duchess of Kent finally agreed to have her financial accounts audited and acknowledged that significant funds were missing. She admitted that Conroy had swindled her and at the same time hurt her relationship with her daughter for his own benefit.

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

Recommended Book – Serving Queen Victoria: Life in the Royal Household by Kate Hubbard

New Series of Articles: Queen Victoria’s Inner Circle

Queen Victoria and her Indian servant Abdul Karim, known as The Munshi, in 1893; Credit – Wikipedia

Starting September 27, 2018, and continuing through January 8, 2019, Unofficial Royalty will be publishing a new series of articles, Queen Victoria’s Inner Circle, about some of the people who served Queen Victoria during her long reign. Articles for some of her relatives who lived during her reign are already linked in the Queen Victoria’s Inner Circle Index. Many of the articles are about people who were seen in the television series Victoria but their true life story may be very different than the story depicted in the series. As the series Victoria progresses, we may add additional articles.

Victoria Season 3 will premiere in the United States on Public Broadcasting Stations (PBS) on January 13, 2019. In the United Kingdom, Victoria Season 3 will be shown on ITV but as of yet, there is no premiere date.

The articles may be accessed at Queen Victoria’s Inner Circle Index

Included in the Queen Victoria’s Inner Circle are articles about:

Royal Household: There were three departments in Queen Victoria’s Royalty Household:

  • The Department of the Lord Steward included the below stairs staff such as servants working in the kitchen, wine and beer cellars, porters, lamplighters, etc.
  • The Department of The Lord Chamberlain included all the ceremonial officers, those in personal attendance on the Queen, such as Ladies of the Bedchamber and Grooms in Waiting, housekeepers, and housemaids.
  • The Department of the Master of the Horse was responsible for the Royal Mews and transportation arrangements for royal trips and visits.

It is the best solution for your libido problem. Check Prices viagra pfizer 25mg Slidenafil, a Phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitor, works by easing the movement of blood run towards the penile organ is less the man eventually turns out to be hard for them to talk about this issue with any one as they can’t accept the fact that they fill your body with chemicals that have a very dysfunction compared to are not to be taken by individuals who consume other nitrates,. viagra on line ordering This is the main issue due to their age issues and other pressures and obviously the wear and tear during the process. 20mg tadalafil sale Let’s discuss some of the reasons which influence you to adopt male enhancement pills over other methods for sexual problems as acquisition de viagra unica-web.com they are attached with side effects.
Mistresses of the Robes: The Mistress of the Robes was always a Duchess and attended Queen Victoria on every State occasion. She had precedence over every lady of the Court and when in residence, presided at the Household table. She looked over and passed on the Queen’s personal bills sent to her from the Robes Office. During Queen Victoria’s reign, the Mistress of the Robes was a political appointment and changed when the political party of the government changed.

Notable Ladies of the Bedchamber: Ladies of the Bedchamber were always wives of peers. Only one Lady of the Bedchamber was in waiting at a time. She was always ready to attend to the Queen. The Lady-in-Waiting attended all State occasions and presided over the Household table when the Mistress of the Robes was not in residence. A Lady of the Bedchamber had two to three waits a year from twelve to thirty days at a time.

Prime Ministers: The Prime Minister was, and still is, the head of the government of the United Kingdom. By long-established practice, the monarch must appoint as Prime Minister the person most likely to command the confidence of the House of Commons. This person is usually the leader of the political party or coalition of political parties that holds the largest number of seats in the House of Commons.

Private Secretaries: Lord Melbourne, Queen Victoria’s first Prime Minister, informally served as Private Secretary while he was Prime Minister 1837 – 1840. Prince Albert then informally served as Private Secretary 1840 – 1861, until his death. The official position of Private Secretary came about because it was realized that the monarch was in need of support because the growth of the government had caused the government ministers to have insufficient time to provide daily advice and support.

September 1918: Royalty and World War I

by Susan Flantzer

  • Lieutenant Colonel Lord Alexander Thynne
  • Timeline: September 1, 1918 – September 30, 1918
  • A Note About German Titles
  • September 1918 – Royals/Nobles/Peers/Sons of Peers Who Died In Action

**************
Lieutenant Colonel Lord Alexander Thynne

Lieutenant Colonel Lord Alexander Thynne; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Born on February 17, 1873, Lord Alexander Thynne was the youngest of the six children and the third of the three sons of John Thynne, 4th Marquess of Bath and The Honorable Frances Vesey, daughter of Thomas Vesey, 3rd Viscount de Vesci.

Known as Alex, he had five older siblings:

Alex joined the Wiltshire Yeomanry Territorials as a second lieutenant in 1897 and served in the Boer War (1899-1902). In 1910 , he was elected an Member of Parliament for Bath and held that position until his death. At the start of World War I, he was in camp with the Wiltshire Yeomanry Territorials as a Major in command of “A” Company and the second in command of the regiment. His first cousin Colonel Ulric Thynne was the commanding officer.

Alex arrived in France in July 1916 during the Battle of the Somme and almost immediately became the commanding officer of the 8th Battalion Gloucester Regiment due to the previous commanding officer’s injury. On July 30, 1916, while urging his men on, Alex was shot in the chest, damaging his right lung and liver. He spent some time in an army hospital in Boulogne, France and returned in mid-August to England to recover. In mid-December, having been declared fit for duty and now attached to the 10th Battalion Worcester Regiment, he returned to France.

In January 1917, Alex received the Distinguished Service Order and the Croix de Guerre. He returned to the Wiltshire Regiment and became the commanding officer of the 6th (Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry) Battalion. The battalion was engaged in heavy fighting in Ypres and Cambrai. In March 1918, the battalion was in Baupaume and suffered heavy casualties. Alex was wounded by a piece of shrapnel that was embedded in his left arm. By the end of March 1918, he was back in England recovering. Despite suffering severe wounds twice, Alex was anxious to return to duty. On the same day he was deemed fit to return to duty, he wrote a letter requesting to return to his original battalion in France. He could have taken a position behind the lines or back in England or he could have returned to his duties in Parliament – Members of Parliament were exempt from military service – but that was not his style.

Alex was back in France by the end of May 1918 and on September 14, 1918, he was killed at the age of 45. The following letter was written by an army chaplain to his next of kin, his brother Thomas Thynne, 5th Marquess of Bath:

“It is with very great regret that I write to offer you my sincere sympathy on the death of your brother Lord Alex. Thynne, in command of this battalion. He was killed while on his way to take over some fresh Head-Quarters. A shell burst right on top of the party whilst they were trying to shelter in a ditch at the side of the road. The doctor was badly wounded, the Signal Officer was killed instantly, and your brother died from the effects of his wounds within a few minutes. The bodies were brought down to our transport lines this morning, and they were buried this evening at 6.00pm. The Senior Chaplain took the service and I helped him. The coffin was carried by four sergeant-majors and the bugler sounded the “Last Post” at the end of the service. The Divisional General was present and a good many others. Your brother’s death will be a great loss to the Battalion, to every man of which he endeared himself. Personally, although I have been only a few months with him, I shall miss him very much.” (Information from Led by Lions: MPs and Sons Who Fell in the First World War by Neil Thornton)

Lieutenant Colonel Lord Alexander Thynne was buried in the Bethune Town Cemetery in Pas de Calais, France.

Grave of Lieutenant Colonel Lord Alexander Thynne: Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

***************

Timeline: September 1, 1918 – September 30, 1918

The Western Front in France in September 1918; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

***************

A Note About German Titles

Many German royals and nobles died in World War I. The German Empire consisted of 27 constituent states, most of them ruled by royal families. Scroll down to German Empire here to see what constituent states made up the German Empire.  The constituent states retained their own governments, but had limited sovereignty. Some had their own armies, but the military forces of the smaller ones were put under Prussian control. In wartime, armies of all the constituent states would be controlled by the Prussian Army and the combined forces were known as the Imperial German Army. German titles may be used in Royals Who Died In Action below. Refer to Unofficial Royalty: Glossary of German Noble and Royal Titles.

24 British peers were also killed in World War I and they will be included in the list of those who died in action. In addition, more than 100 sons of peers also lost their lives, and those that can be verified will also be included.

***************

September 1918 – Royals/Nobles/Peers/Sons of Peers Who Died In Action

The list is in chronological order and does contain some who would be considered noble instead of royal. The links in the last bullet for each person is that person’s genealogical information from Leo’s Genealogics Website or to The Peerage website If a person has a Wikipedia page or a website page with biographical information, their name will be linked to that page.

Wolf Ernst, Graf von Stolberg-Wernigerode

***************

Prince Ferdinand of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich

***************

Prince Albrecht of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

***************

Lieutenant Colonel Lord Alexander George Thynne (see above)

***************

Lieutenant Colonel The Honorable Arthur Reginald Clegg-Hill

***************

Ferdinand-Joseph, Graf von Galen

**************

Ferdinand, Graf von Wolff Metternich zur Gracht

***************

August 1918: Royalty and World War I

by Susan Flantzer

  • Three Sons Gone – Again
  • Timeline: August 1, 1918 – August 31, 1918
  • A Note About German Titles
  • August 1918 – Royals/Nobles/Peers/Sons of Peers Who Died In Action

********************

Three Sons Gone – Again

Memorial to the three Cawley brothers in St Peter and St Paul Church in Eye, Herefordshire, England; Photo Credit – By Philip Halling, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13985232

The further along I got in writing this series of articles (started in August 2014), I have discovered noble families that lost more than one son in World War I. Of course, this did not happen in only British noble families but in families from all over the United Kingdom and in families from all the other countries who participated in the war. How painful it must be to lose a son in a war but to lose multiple sons must be unbearable.

I wonder why surviving sons were allowed to go into combat situations. I think about the film “Saving Private Ryan” in which a group of soldiers searches for Private Ryan, the last surviving brother of four soldiers. “Saving Private Ryan” was loosely based upon four Niland brothers.  It was believed that three brothers had been killed in World War II and the surviving brother was sent back to the United States to complete his service. It was later learned that another surviving brother was in a Japanese prisoner of war camp.

The United States military now has a Sole Survivor Policy, implemented in 1948. The motivation for the policy were the five Sullivan brothers who were all killed when the USS Juneau was sunk during World War II. The policy protects members of a family from the draft or from combat duty if they have already lost family members in military service.

********************

Frederick Cawley, 1st Baron Cawley and his wife Elizabeth Smith had four sons and one daughter. Because Frederick Cawley was created 1st Baron Cawley in January 1918 and Harold and John had already died, they did not have the style “The Honorable”.

  • Robert Cawley, 2nd Baron Cawley (1877 – 1954)
  • Captain Harold Cawley (1878 – 1915)
  • Major John Cawley (1879 – 1914)
  • The Honorable Hilda Mary Cawley (1881 -1956)
  • Captain The Honorable Oswald Cawley (1882 – 1918)

Robert, Cawley, 2nd Baron Cawley, the eldest son and heir, had fought in the Boer War (1899 – 1902) but not in World War I. However, Robert’s third son Captain The Honorable Harold Cawley was killed in action during World War II at the age of 23. The other three sons of Frederick Cawley, 1st Baron Cawley all served in World War I and were all killed in action.

********************

Major John Cawley; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Less than a month after the start of World War I, Major John Cawley was killed in action on September 1, 1914 in Nery, France at the age of 34. A career soldier, John attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst and joined the 20th Hussars in India in 1897. He served in the Boer War (1899 – 1902). In 1913, John was appointed Brigade Major of the 1st Cavalry Brigade and accompanied the brigade to France at the start of World War I.

Artist’s impression of the last gun of “L” Battery, Royal Horse Artillery, in action at Néry, 1 September 1914; Credit – Wikipedia

John was killed in action during the Action at Nery in Nery, France during the retreat after the Battle of Mons. A fellow soldier gave an account of his death: “Our brigade was attacked soon after dawn at Nery by a force double our number – a Cavalry Division with 12 guns. Owing to thick mist, they managed to het within 600 yards of us; 350 horses of the Bays stampeded and their men went after them, and the L Battery was cut to pieces. The occasion was one which called for personal example, and Major Cawley, by permission of the General, went to help to restore order and get the broken remnants in their places, The situation being met and everyone in his place, he joined the advanced line and was almost immediately killed by a piece of shell. The splendid manner in which he met his death in deliberately facing the awful fire to help others when he really need not have done so, is only what his whole life had led us to expect.” (Account from The Bond of Sacrifice: A Biographical Record of All British Officers who Fell in the Great War, Volume 1 by L. A. Clutterbuck, W. T. Dooner)

Acting alone, the British 1st Cavalry Brigade defeated the German 4th Cavalry Division in the Action at Nery.

Major John Cawley was buried at the Nery Communal Cemetery in Nery, Departement de l’Oise, Picardie, France.

********************

Captain Harold Cawley; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

A little more than a year after the death of John, Captain Harold Cawley was killed in action during the Gallipoli Campaign in the Ottoman Empire (now in Turkey) on September 24, 1915 at the age of 37. Harold attended New College, Oxford, was a barrister and served in the House of Commons from 1910 until his death in 1915.

In 1904, Harold joined a territorial battalion, the 2nd Volunteer Battalion, Manchester Regiment.  At the start of World War I in 1914, he volunteered for active service and was appointed aide de camp to Major-General William Douglas, the commanding officer of the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division.  However, Harold wanted to go to the front lines – “I have always felt rather a brute skulking behind in comparative safety while my friends were being killed.” He left Division Headquarters to rejoin the 2nd Volunteer Battalion, Manchester Regiment at the front at Gallipoli in early September 1915.

On September 20, 1918, a Turkish mine was exploded near the battalion’s position creating a crater. Harold realized that the crater had created a position for an advanced post and set out with four soldiers to take control of it. A fight occurred with the grenades and gunfire being exchanged. One of Harold’s men was shot through the head and killed and another was temporarily blinded and deafened by a grenade explosion but the small group maintained their position. On September 23, the group suspected that the Turks were digging a trench toward the crater. Just after midnight of September 24, 1918, Harold, who was trying to see what the Turks were doing, was shot through the head by a sniper. The crater that Harold fought so hard to hold was officially named Cawley’s Crater and it is still there in Canakkale, Turkey today. (Information from Led by Lions: MPs and Sons Who Fell in the First World War by Neil Thornton)

Cawley’s Crater; Photo Credit – http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com

Harold was buried at Lancashire Landing Cemetery in Gallipoli, Turkey.

Original grave of Captain Harold Cawley; Photo Credit – By National Archives – http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/firstworldwar/battles/p_gall_expedition.htm, OGL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51626484

Before his death, Harold wrote a series of letters to his father, who was a member of the British cabinet at the time, describing the mishandling of the Gallipoli Campaign. Because Harold was a Member of Parliament, his letters were not censored and he was able to write an honest view of the situation. The gist of his criticism was that soldiers were being sacrificed without reason and through sheer stupidity. In 1916, Harold’s father served on the Dardanelles Commission investigating the Gallipoli Campaign and the contents of Harold’s letters no doubt were on his mind.

********************

Captain The Honorable Oswald Cawley; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Less than three months before the end of World War II, Captain The Honorable Oswald Cawley was killed in action near Merville, France on August 22, 1918 at the age of 35. Oswald attended New College, Oxford and after graduation, he worked in his father’s business, the Heaton Mills Bleaching Company.

In May 1914, three months before the start of World War I, Oswald joined the Shropshire Yeomanry. In March 1916, the Shropshire Yeomanry was sent to the Middle East where the participated in fighting in Egypt, Gaza and Palestine. In May 1918, Oswald’s regiment, now designated as the 10th King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, left for the front lines in France. In January 1918, after his father had been created a peer and had to leave the House of Commons, Oswald had been elected to his father’s seat in a by-election. While his regiment was training before going to the front lines, Oswald made a quick trip back to London to officially take his seat in the House of Commons.

On July 10, 1918, Oswald’s regiment took over a part of the front line trench. The regiment was ordered to move forward as part of a general advance on August 22, 1918. According to Major Wood, the regiment’s commanding officer, “Advancing through high standing corn the battalion continued until within a few hundred yards of the concealed enemy, who met them with a devastating fire from carefully concealed positions…a determined counter-attack and severe hand-to-hand fighting took place.”

The regiment was forced to retreat due to heavy causalities but Oswald was not among those retreating. In a letter to Oswald’s parents, Major Wood said, “Your son’s company was on the right…The enemy laid low, until we were right on their line, and then they put down a heavy barrage behind us and had many machine-guns in front. Your son was hit in the arm, which was dressed by his company stretcher-bearers , and then went on and was wounded again the second time in the jaw, and after that we could hear no news, and we had to fall back to our own line.” In early October, Oswald’s body was discovered on the battlefield and he was buried nearby. (Information from Led by Lions: MPs and Sons Who Fell in the First World War by Neil Thornton)

In January 1919, Oswald’s father, who had served in the Cabinet as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and had some influence, requested that Oswald be buried with his brother John at Nery Communal Cemetery. The following month the Imperial War Graves Commission (now the Commonwealth War Graves Commission) informed Lord Cawley that his request was impossible at that time. After an exchange of letters, it was discovered that the reburial was prevented by expense and logistics rather than policy. Lord Cawley then attempted to buy the land where Oswald was buried but could not do so because of French government policy. In August 1919, Oswald’s grave was moved to Chocques Military Cemetery. Again in December 1919, Lord Cawley attempted to persuade the Imperial War Graves Commission to bury his sons together. This could not be done at the time due to the interpretation of French policy but the Imperial War Graves Commission said it would reconsider in the future. This reconsideration took place in March 1920 and in August 1920 Oswald was reburied next to his brother John at Nery Communal Cemetery.

Grave of John and Oswald Cawley; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

In memory of his three sons, Frederick Cawley, 1st Baron Cawley endowed a ward (Cawley Ward) at Ancoats Hospital in Ancoats, north of Manchester, England. All three brothers are commemorated on the Parliamentary War Memorial in Westminster Hall in the Houses of Parliament. Oswald and Harold are among the 22 Members of Parliament who died during World War I and John is included on the memorial as the son of a Member of Parliament.

********************

Timeline: August 1, 1918 – August 31, 1918

The Hundred Days Offensive, August-November 1918 Battle of Amiens. German prisoners guarded by the British soldiers (58th Division). Sailly Laurette, 8 August 1918; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

********************

A Note About German Titles

Many German royals and nobles died in World War I. The German Empire consisted of 27 constituent states, most of them ruled by royal families. Scroll down to German Empire here to see what constituent states made up the German Empire.  The constituent states retained their own governments, but had limited sovereignty. Some had their own armies, but the military forces of the smaller ones were put under Prussian control. In wartime, armies of all the constituent states would be controlled by the Prussian Army and the combined forces were known as the Imperial German Army.  German titles may be used in Royals Who Died In Action below. Refer to Unofficial Royalty: Glossary of German Noble and Royal Titles.

24 British peers were also killed in World War I and they will be included in the list of those who died in action. In addition, more than 100 sons of peers also lost their lives, and those that can be verified will also be included.

********************

August 1918 – Royals/Nobles/Peers/Sons of Peers Who Died In Action

The list is in chronological order and does contain some who would be considered noble instead of royal. The links in the last bullet for each person is that person’s genealogical information from Leo’s Genealogics Website or to The Peerage website If a person has a Wikipedia page or a website page with biographical information, their name will be linked to that page.

Johannes, Graf von Preysing-Lichtenegg-Moos

**********

Captain The Honorable Oswald Cawley (see above)

**********

Lieutenant Colonel Lord Alfred Eden Browne

Grave of Lieutenant Colonel Lord Alfred Eden Browne; Photo Credit – https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/24500220/lord-alfred_eden-browne

**********

Friedrich Johannes, Graf von Brühl

**********

Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia; Credit – Wikipedia

The last Grand Duchess of Russia and the youngest of the six children of Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia and Dagmar of Denmark (Empress Maria Feodorovna), Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia was born at Peterhof Palace on June 13, 1882.

Olga’s mother was the daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark and among Olga’s maternal first cousins were King Constantine I of Greece, King George V of the United Kingdom, King Christian X of Denmark, and King Haakon VII of Norway.

Olga had five older siblings:

Seated (L to R): Alexander III with Olga, George; standing (L to R): Michael, Maria Feodorovna, Nicholas, and Xenia; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1881, the year before Olga was born, her paternal grandfather Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia was assassinated when a bomb was thrown at his carriage as he rode through St. Petersburg, and Olga’s father became Emperor. Concerned about the security of his family, Alexander III moved his family from the Anichkov Palace in St. Petersburg to Gatchina Palace located 28 miles (45 km) south of St. Petersburg. Gatchina Palace became the family’s prime residence.

Olga as a young girl, Credit – Wikipedia

Like her other siblings, Olga was raised in a relatively simple manner considering her status. She slept in a cot, woke up at 6:00 AM, took cold baths, ate simple, plain meals, and her rooms were furnished with simple furniture. The Imperial children had a large extended family and often visited the families of their British, Danish, and Greek cousins.

Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna believed that their children should spend their spare time in a useful manner and so they learned cooking, woodworking, and how to make puppets for their puppet theater. Alexander III believed that his children should learn about the outdoors, and so they were taught to ride and they gardened and kept animals that they had to look after themselves. Olga’s brother Michael, who was four years older, was her childhood companion and the two would always remain close. They were educated together and played together.

Michael and Olga; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

In 1894, Olga’s father Alexander III unexpectedly died at the age of 49 and her brother Nicholas became Emperor. After her father’s death, Olga’s mother moved back to Anichkov Palace in St. Petersburg with Michael and Olga. Olga’s debut into society was delayed due to the death of her brother George in 1899. After her debut, Olga was escorted to society events by Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg.

Olga with her first husband Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg, a second cousin, was fourteen years older than Olga. He was the only child of Duke Alexander Petrovich of Oldenburg and Eugénie Maximilianovna of Leuchtenberg. Peter’s mother was a granddaughter of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia through Nicholas I’s daughter, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolayevna, and his father was a great-grandson of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia through his paternal grandmother Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna.

It seems that Olga’s mother and Peter’s mother, who were good friends, had arranged a marriage between their two children so that Olga would not have to marry a foreign prince and could always be on call for her mother. Olga told her official biographer, Ian Vorres, “I was just tricked into it.” Olga was brought into a room where Peter stammered through a proposal. Their engagement, announced in May 1901, was unexpected by family and friends, as Peter had shown no prior interest in women and it was assumed he was homosexual. The wedding quickly followed on August 9, 1901. Olga told Vorres, “I shared his roof for fifteen years and never once were we husband and wife.” Obviously, there were no children. Olga and Peter lived in a 200-room mansion in St. Petersburg and their bedrooms were at opposite ends of the building. Peter was always kind and considerate towards her but Olga longed for love, a normal marriage, and children.

Olga and Peter;  Credit – Wikipedia

In April 1903, Olga attended a military review of the Blue Cuirassier Guards. Her brother Michael was one of the commanders. There she saw a tall, handsome man in the uniform of the Blue Cuirassier Guards, and their eyes met. Olga said to Vorres, “It was fate. It was also a shock. I suppose I learned on that day that love at first sight does exist.” Michael arranged for Nikolai Alexandrovich Kulikovsky and Olga to meet. A few days later Olga asked Peter for a divorce. He refused, saying that he would reconsider his decision after seven years.

Nikolai was promoted to captain of the Blue Cuirassier Guards and sent far away to the provinces. Olga and Nikolai regularly corresponded. In 1906, Olga’s husband Peter appointed Nikolai as one of his aides-de-camp. Nikolai was told that his quarters would be in the Oldenburg mansion in St. Petersburg. The living arrangements at the mansion were a well-kept secret and continued until the start of World War I when Olga went to be a nurse at the front and Nikolai went to war with his regiment. Peter did not keep his promise to reconsider a divorce after seven years.

Over the years, Olga had continued to ask her brother Nicholas II for permission to marry Nikolai. Nicholas II always refused because he believed that marriage was for life and that the royalty should only marry royalty. In 1912, when Olga’s brother Michael married a commoner without permission, Nicholas banished him from Russia. Fearing for Nikolai’s safety in the war, Olga pleaded with her brother Nicholas II to transfer him to the relative safety of Kyiv, where she was stationed at a hospital. In 1916, after visiting Olga in Kyiv, Nicholas had a change of heart and he officially annulled her marriage to Peter. On November 16, 1916, Olga and Nikolai were married at the Kievo-Vasilievskaya Church in Kiev. Olga’s mother Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna, her sister’s husband Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich (Sandro), two fellow nurses from the hospital in Kyiv, and four officers of Nikolai’s regiment attended.

Olga and Nikolai Kulikovsky on their wedding day; Credit – Wikipedia

Olga and Nikolai had two sons:

  • Tikhon Nikolaevich Kulikovsky (1917 – 1993), married (1) Agnet Petersen, no children, divorced (2) Libya Sebastian, had one daughter, divorced (3) Olga Nikolaevna Pupynina, no children
  • Guri Nikolaevich Kulikovsky (1919 – 1984), married Ruth Schwartz, had three children, divorced (2) Aze Gagarin, no children

Guri, Olga, Tikhon and, Nikolai, circa 1920; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

The February Revolution was the first of two revolutions that occurred in Russia in 1917. The February Revolution was caused by military defeats during World War I, economic issues, and scandals surrounding the monarchy. The immediate result was the abdication of Olga’s brother Nicholas II, the end of the Romanov dynasty, and the end of the Russian Empire. Later in 1917, the October Revolution occurred, paving the way for the establishment of the Soviet Union.

After Nicholas II abdicated, many members of the Romanov family, including Nicholas, his wife, and their children, were placed under house arrest. In search of safety, Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich (Sandro), and Grand Duchess Olga traveled to the Crimea where they were joined by Olga’s sister (Sandro’s wife) Grand Duchess Xenia. They lived at Sandro’s estate, Ai-Todor, where they were placed under house arrest by the local Bolshevik forces. On August 12, 1917, Olga’s first child Tikhon Nikolaevich was born during their house arrest.

The Romanovs under house arrest at Ai-Todor in the Crimea in 1918. Standing: Colonel Nikolai Kulikovsky (Grand Duchess Olga’s husband), Mr. Fogel, Olga Konstantinovna Vasiljeva, Prince Andrei (Xenia’s son). Seated: Mr. Orbeliani, Prince Nikita (Xenia’s son), Grand Duchess Olga (Xenia’s sister), Grand Duchess Xenia, Empress Maria Feodorovna (Xenia’s mother), Grand Duke Alexander (Xenia’s husband). On the floor: Prince Vasili (Xenia’s son), Prince Rostislav (Xenia’s son), and Prince Dmitri (Xenia’s son); Credit – Wikipedia

Other Romanovs also gathered at their palaces in Crimea. There they witnessed the October Revolution later that year, and then in 1918 came the news of the murder of Nicholas II and his family and their servants. Olga’s younger brother Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich had been murdered along with his secretary the month before Nicholas’ murder. Being in Crimea became precarious due to food shortages, visits to the home by the Bolshevik officials, and the threat of being murdered by the Bolsheviks. On April 11, 1919, Empress Maria Feodorovna, her daughter Xenia, Xenia’s five youngest sons along with Xenia’s daughter Irina and her husband Prince Felix Yusupov left Russia forever aboard the British battleship HMS Marlborough.

Olga and Nikolai refused to leave Russia. One of Empress Maria Feodorovna’s personal bodyguards, Timofei Ksenofontovich Yatchik took Olga, Nikolai, and their son Tikhon to his hometown Novominskaya where Olga gave birth to her second child Guri Nikolaevich in a rented farmhouse on April 23, 1919. As the White Army was pushed back and the Red Army approached, the family set out on their last journey through Russia. Yatchik, the former bodyguard, accompanied Olga and her family as they traveled to Rostov-on-Don and then to Novorossiysk where the Danish consul Thomas Schytte gave them refuge in his home. Finally, they arrived in Copenhagen, Denmark on April 2, 1920, and Olga was reunited with her mother. Yatchik, the former imperial bodyguard, guarded Empress Maria Feodorovna until she died in 1928, and then lived the rest of his life in Denmark.

Timofei Ksenofontovich Yatchik who assisted Olga and her family in leaving Russia; Credit – Wikipedia

Olga and her family lived with her mother in Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark where her first cousin King Christian X of Denmark was quite inhospitable. Eventually, they moved to Hvidøre, the country house Empress Maria Feodorovna and her sister Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom had purchased together in 1906. Nikolai and Marie Feodorovna did not get along. He was resentful of Olga acting as her mother’s secretary and companion and Marie Feodorovna was distant toward him.

After Maria Feodorovna’s death, Hvidøre was sold and with Olga’s portion of the proceeds, Olga and Nikolai were able to purchase Knudsminde Farm, outside of Copenhagen. The farm became a center for the Russian monarchist and anti-Bolshevik community in Denmark. Olga lived a simple life working in the fields, doing household chores, and painting. She painted throughout her life and her usual subject was scenery and landscape, but she also painted portraits and still life.

Flowers by Olga Alexandrovna; Credit – Wikipedia

After World War II, the Soviet Union notified the Danish government that Olga was accused of conspiracy against the Soviet government. Because she was fearful of an assassination or kidnap attempt, Olga decided to move her family across the Atlantic to the relative safety of rural Canada. On June 2, 1948, Olga, Nikolai, Tikhon, and his Danish-born wife Agnete, Guri, and his Danish-born wife Ruth along with their two children and Olga’s devoted companion and former maid Emilia Tenso (Mimka) started their voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. The family lived in Toronto, Canada until they purchased a 200-acre farm in Halton County, Ontario, Canada near Campbellville. By 1952, Olga and Nikolai’s sons had moved away and the farm became a burden so they sold it and moved to a five-room house at 2130 Camilla Road, Cooksville, Ontario, Canada, a suburb of Toronto.

Nikolai died on August 11, 1958, aged 76. After her husband’s death, Olga became increasingly infirm. Unable to care for herself, Olga stayed in the Toronto apartment of Russian émigré friends, Konstantin and Sinaida Martemianoff. Olga’s sister Xenia died in April 1960. On November 21, 1960, Olga slipped into a coma and the last Grand Duchess of Russia died November 24, 1960, at the age of 78. Olga was buried next to her husband Nikolai at York Cemetery in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Grave of Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna and Nikolai Kulikovsky; Photo Credit – By Alex.ptv – Self-photographed, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38411347

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

  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Peter_Alexandrovich_of_Oldenburg [Accessed 18 Mar. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duchess_Olga_Alexandrovna_of_Russia [Accessed 18 Mar. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Nikolai Kulikovsky. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolai_Kulikovsky [Accessed 18 Mar. 2018].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. (2018). Куликовский, Николай Александрович. [online] Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D1%83%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9,_%D0%9D%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%B9_%D0%90%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87 [Accessed 18 Mar. 2018].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. (2018). Ольденбургский, Пётр Александрович. [online] Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9E%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B1%D1%83%D1%80%D0%B3%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9,_%D0%9F%D1%91%D1%82%D1%80_%D0%90%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87 [Accessed 18 Mar. 2018].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. (2018). Ольга Александровна. [online] Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9E%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%B3%D0%B0_%D0%90%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BD%D0%B0 [Accessed 18 Mar. 2018].
  • Vorres, I. (2018). The Last Grand Duchess. Toronto: Key Porter Books Limited.

Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

The first husband of Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia, Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg (Peter Friedrich Georg) was born on November 21, 1868, at Oldenburg Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia. He was the only child of Duke Alexander Petrovich of Oldenburg and Princess Eugenia Maximilianovna of Leuchtenberg.

Alexander Petrovich’s grandfather had married Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna, daughter of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia, and their children and grandchildren were raised in Russia. Despite his German title, Alexander Petrovich, like his father, had grown up entirely in Russia, served in the Russian military, and was considered part of the Russian Imperial Family.

Peter’s mother Eugenia was the daughter of Maximilian de Beauharnais, 3rd Duke of Leuchtenberg and Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia, a daughter of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia. Although she was a member of the French House of Beauharnais, Eugenia was born and raised in Russia, her mother’s native country. She was a great-granddaughter of Joséphine Tascher de La Pagerie (Empress Joséphine, first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French) through Joséphine’s first marriage to Alexandre de Beauharnais.

Peter’s parents Duke Alexander Petrovich of Oldenburg and Princess Eugenia Maximilianovna of Leuchtenberg; Credit – Wikipedia

Eugenia had a long-standing friendship with Empress Maria Feodorovna (born Dagmar of Denmark), wife of Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia. The two helped arrange the marriage of Eugenia’s son to Maria Feodorovna’s youngest child Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna so that Olga would not have to marry a foreign prince and could always be on call for her mother. Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg, Olga’s second cousin, was fourteen years older than her. After Olga’s society debut in 1899, Peter escorted her to social events.

In the spring of 1901, Peter proposed to Olga. As Olga told her official biographer, Ian Vorres, “I was just tricked into it.” Olga was brought into a room where Peter stammered through a proposal. Their engagement, announced in May 1901, was unexpected by family and friends, as Peter had shown no prior interest in women and it was assumed he was homosexual. The wedding quickly followed on August 9, 1901. Olga told Vorres, “I shared his roof for fifteen years and never once were we husband and wife.” Obviously, there were no children. Olga and Peter lived in a 200-room mansion in St. Petersburg and their bedrooms were at opposite ends of the building. Peter was always kind and considerate towards her but Olga longed for love, a normal marriage, and children.

Olga and Peter; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Two years after their marriage, Olga met Nikolai Kulikovsky, an army officer her own age. Olga said to Vorres, “It was fate. It was also a shock. I suppose I learned on that day that love at first sight does exist.” Olga asked Peter for a divorce, which he refused but said he might reconsider after seven years. Nikolai was promoted to captain of the Blue Cuirassier Guards and sent far away to the provinces. Olga and Nikolai regularly corresponded. In 1906, Peter appointed Nikolai as one of his aides-de-camp. Nikolai was told that his quarters would be in the Oldenburg mansion in St. Petersburg. The living arrangements at the mansion were a well-kept secret and continued until the start of World War I when Olga went to be a nurse at the front and Nikolai went to war with his regiment. Peter did not keep his promise to reconsider a divorce after seven years.

Over the years, Olga continued to ask her brother Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia for permission to marry Nikolai. Nicholas II always refused because he believed that marriage was for life and that royalty should only marry royalty. In 1912, when Olga’s brother Michael married a commoner without permission, Nicholas banished him from Russia. Fearing for Nikolai’s safety in the war, Olga pleaded with her brother Nicholas II to transfer him to the relative safety of Kyiv, where she was stationed at a hospital. In 1916, after visiting Olga in Kyiv, Nicholas had a change of heart and officially annulled her marriage to Peter. On November 16, 1916, Olga and Nikolai were married at the Kievo-Vasilievskaya Church in Kiev.

Since 1880, Peter had a career in the Russian Imperial Army and attained the rank of Major-General. At the time of the February Revolution in 1917, Peter resigned from the army and settled on his estate in the Voronezh province. After the October Revolution in 1917, Peter, his father, and his mother emigrated to France, where he lived in Paris and on a farm near Bayonne, France. In 1922, Peter married Olga Vladimirovna Ratkova-Rognova. Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg died at the age of 55 on March 21, 1924, in Antibes, France, and was buried in the crypt of St. Michael the Archangel Russian Orthodox Church in Cannes, France.  Both of Peter’s parents survived him.

Peter’s tomb; 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

  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Peter_Alexandrovich_of_Oldenburg [Accessed 18 Mar. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duchess_Olga_Alexandrovna_of_Russia [Accessed 18 Mar. 2018].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. (2018). Ольденбургский, Пётр Александрович. [online] Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9E%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B1%D1%83%D1%80%D0%B3%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9,_%D0%9F%D1%91%D1%82%D1%80_%D0%90%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87 [Accessed 18 Mar. 2018].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. (2018). Ольга Александровна. [online] Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9E%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%B3%D0%B0_%D0%90%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BD%D0%B0 [Accessed 18 Mar. 2018].
  • Vorres, I. (2018). The Last Grand Duchess. Toronto: Key Porter Books Limited.