Author Archives: Susan

World War I – Princess Mary’s 1914 Christmas Gift

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2014

Princess Mary of the United Kingdom; Photo Credit – Wikipedia, US Library of Congress Collection

World War I had started in August of 1914, and as the Christmas season approached, 17-year-old Princess Mary, the only daughter of King George V of the United Kingdom, wanted to do something for the British soldiers and sailors. The princess’s original idea was to purchase a gift using her private allowance. When this idea became impractical, the idea of a public fund was developed. The first meeting of The Princess Mary’s Christmas Gift Fund was held on October 14, 1914, at the Ritz Hotel in London. Princess Mary was present and remained personally involved throughout the life of the fund.

The next day, the following letter signed by Princess Mary was released by Buckingham Palace:

“I want you now to help me to send a Christmas present from the whole of the nation to every sailor afloat and every soldier at the front. I am sure that we should all be happier to feel that we had helped to send our little token of love and sympathy on Christmas morning, something that would be useful and of permanent value, and the making of which may be the means of providing employment in trades adversely affected by the war. Could there be anything more likely to hearten them in their struggle than a present received straight from home on Christmas Day?

The response from the public was overwhelming. The gift was an embossed brass box with various provisions inside. The lid was decorated with a portrait of Princess Mary, surrounded by a laurel wreath and with an ‘M’ on both sides. ‘Imperium Britannicum’ was at the top with a sword and scabbard on either side. At the bottom are the words ‘Christmas 1914′ surrounded by battleships.  In the corners are the names of the Allies: Belgium, Japan, Montenegro, and Serbia, with France and Russia on either side.

Princess-Mary-Christmas-Gift-Tin-1914

Photo Credit – www.yorkcastlemuseum.org.uk

The tins were filled with various items, including tobacco, candy, spices, pencils, a Christmas card, and a picture of the princess. Over 426,000 of these tins were distributed on Christmas Day, 1914. However, a shortage of brass meant that many of the tins were delivered on later dates. When the fund closed in 1920, almost £200,000 had been donated and more than two and a half million tins had been delivered.

PM-Gift-Box

Photo Credit – http://harewood.org

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Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood; Credit – Wikipedia

Henry George Charles Lascelles was born on September 9, 1882, in London, England. He was the elder son and the eldest of the three children of Henry Ulrick Lascelles, 5th Earl of Harewood and Lady Florence Bridgeman, daughter of Orlando Bridgeman, 3rd Earl of Bradford. At the time of his birth, Henry was styled The Honourable Henry Lascelles. When his grandfather died in 1892 and his father became the 5th Earl of Harewood, Henry was able to use one of his father’s subsidiary titles and be styled Viscount Lascelles. He became 6th Earl of Harewood upon the death of his father in 1929.

The Earl of Harewood is a Peerage of the United Kingdom and was created in 1812 for Edward Lascelles, 1st Baron Harewood (2nd creation), a wealthy sugar plantation owner and former Member of Parliament. The family seat is Harewood House, near Leeds in Yorkshire, England, which was built 1759 – 1771 for wealthy trader Edwin Lascelles, 1st Baron Harewood (first creation). The Earl of Harewood also holds the subsidiary titles Viscount Lascelles and Baron Harewood.

Henry had a sister and a brother:

  • Lady Margaret Selina Lascelles (1883–1978), married Gustavus Hamilton-Russell, 9th Viscount Boyne, had issue
  • Major Hon. Edward Cecil Lascelles (1887–1935), married Joan Balfour, a granddaughter of George Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll

Henry attended the Royal Military College Sandhurst and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant into the Grenadier Guards on February 12, 1902. He gained the rank of Captain in the service of the Grenadier Guards and fought in World War I where he commanded the 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards. He was mentioned in dispatches and wounded twice. He also served with the Yorkshire Hussars Yeomanry and attained the rank of Major.

Henry married Princess Mary, the only daughter of King George V of the United Kingdom at Westminster Abbey in London, England on February 28, 1922. Despite their fifteen-year age difference and rumors that the marriage was not happy, their elder son George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood said the marriage was a happy one. He wrote in his memoirs that they “got on well together and had a lot of friends and interests in common.”

Photo Credit – Wikipedia, US Library of Congress Prints and Photos

Mary and Henry had two sons:

 

Henry and his wife enjoyed country pursuits. They both regularly rode with the Bramham Moor Hunt where Henry was Master of the Hunt. Henry was a Freemason and served as Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England from 1942-47. Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood died on May 23, 1947, at Harewood House at the age of 67, and was buried at All Saints Church in Harewood, West Yorkshire, England. Princess Mary survived him for 18 years and was buried with her husband.

Grave of Mary, Princess Royal, Countess of Harewood and her husband, George Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood. photo: 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.

Princess Mary, Princess Royal, Countess of Harewood

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Princess Mary, Princess Royal, Countess of Harewood; Credit – Wikipedia

The only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary was born on April 25, 1897, in the year of the Diamond Jubilee of her great-grandmother Queen Victoria, at York Cottage on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England. She was the third of the six children of her parents, the Duke and Duchess of York at the time of her birth. The new baby was named Victoria Alexandra Alice Mary, but was always known as Mary.

Mary was christened on June 7, 1897, at St. Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham. Her godparents were:

 

Princess Mary had five siblings, all brothers:

Princess Mary and her mother during World War I;  Credit: Wikipedia, United States Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

Educated by governesses, Mary also shared some lessons with her brothers. During World War I, when she was a teenager, Mary accompanied her mother Queen Mary on visits to hospitals and other organizations that assisted soldiers and their families. Mary had her own project, Princess Mary’s Christmas Gift Fund, which sent a gift box to British soldiers and sailors for Christmas 1914. In 1918, Princess Mary began a nursing course at the Great Ormond Street Hospital, working two days a week in the Alexandra Ward. Mary actively supported the Voluntary Aid Detachment, the Women’s Land Army, and the Girl Guides. She was the honorary president of the British Girl Guide Association from 1920 until her death.

Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Mary was the first of her siblings to marry. On November 20, 1921, she became engaged to Henry, Viscount Lascelles, the eldest son of Henry Lascelles, 5th Earl of Harewood and Lady Florence Bridgeman, daughter of Orlando Bridgeman, 3rd Earl of Bradford.  Lord Lascelles was staying at York Cottage, the country home of Mary’s family, and it was there that the proposal took place. Queen Mary wrote in her diary for that day, “At 6.30 Mary came to my room to announce to me her engagement to Lord Lascelles! We then told G. (King George V) & then gave Harry L. our blessing. We had to keep it quiet owing to G. having to pass an order in council to give his consent. Of course, everybody guessed what had happened & we were very cheerful & almost uproarious at dinner. We are delighted.”

Princess Mary and Lord Lascelles (Henry) were married at Westminster Abbey on February 28, 1922. The wedding was the first time a child of a monarch had married at Westminster Abbey since 1290, when Margaret of England, daughter of King Edward I, married the future Jean II, Duke of Brabant. It was also the first royal occasion for Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (later wife of Mary’s brother King George VI), a friend of Mary’s and one of her bridesmaids. Despite their fifteen-year age difference and rumors that the marriage was not happy, their elder son, George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood, said the marriage was a happy one. He wrote in his memoirs that they “got on well together and had a lot of friends and interests in common.”

 

 

Mary and Henry had two sons:

In the early years of their marriage, Mary and Henry lived at Chesterfield House in London and Goldsborough Hall in Yorkshire.  In 1929, Henry’s father died, he became the 6th Earl of Harewood, and the family moved to Harewood House near Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. On January 1, 1932, Mary was given the style Princess Royal by her father, a style for the eldest daughter of the sovereign. The previous Princess Royal, Mary’s aunt Louise, had died the previous year.

Mary continued to carry out engagements during the reigns of her brother King George VI and her niece Queen Elizabeth II. Henry, 6th Earl of Harewood died at Harewood House on May 23, 1947. After her husband’s death, Mary lived at Harewood House with her elder son, the 7th Earl of Harewood, and his family.

On March 28, 1965, Mary, her elder son George, and two of her grandsons went for a walk on the grounds of Harewood House. She stumbled and fell, and her son helped her to a seat while his sons ran back to the house to get help. Before help arrived, Mary died peacefully in her son’s arms from a heart attack at the age of 67. Her funeral at All Saints Church in Harewood, West Yorkshire, England, was attended by members of the British Royal Family, including Mary’s niece, Queen Elizabeth II. Mary was buried with her husband at All Saints Church in Harewood, West Yorkshire, England.

Grave of Mary, Princess Royal, Countess of Harewood and her husband, George Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood. photo: 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.

King George V of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

King George V of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

King George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert) was born on June 3, 1865, a month early, at Marlborough House in London, England, the second son and the second of the six children of the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and his wife Alexandra of Denmark. His parents, then the Prince and Princess of Wales, wanted to name him George after Prince George, Duke of Cambridge. The baby’s grandmother, Queen Victoria, thought the name George was too modern: “George only came over with the Hanoverian family.” The Prince and Princess of Wales held their ground with the name George but had to agree to add the name Albert, so the baby’s name was George Frederick Ernest Albert. He was called Georgie in the family. At the time of his birth, George was third in the line of succession after his father and his brother Prince Albert Victor (Eddy), and was styled Prince George of Wales. In 1892, George was created Duke of York, and when his father became king in 1901, he automatically became the Duke of Cornwall. He was created Prince of Wales on November 9, 1901.

Prince George was christened at the Private Chapel in Windsor Castle on July 7, 1865. His godparents were:

Prince George in 1870; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

George had five siblings:

George was only seventeen months younger than his brother Eddy. Because of their closeness in age, the two brothers were brought up and educated together. In 1877, Eddy and George joined the Royal Navy’s training ship, HMS Britannia.  The brothers remained aboard the Britannia for nearly two years before embarking on a three-year cruise on the HMS Bacchante.  Always accompanied by their tutor Mr. Dalton, the brothers visited the Mediterranean, the West Indies, South America, South Africa, Australia, China, and Japan.

In 1883, the brothers were separated. Eddy attended Trinity College, and Cambridge University, and George continued in the Royal Navy. While serving in the Royal Navy, George commanded Torpedo Boat 79 in the waters around the United Kingdom and HMS Thrush in the North American waters. His last active service was the command of HMS Melampus in 1891–92.

George wanted to marry his first cousin Princess Marie of Edinburgh, the daughter of his uncle Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh. His grandmother Queen Victoria, his father, and his uncle all approved of the match, but the mothers did not, and Marie was instructed to refuse when George proposed to her. On December 3, 1891, George’s brother Prince Eddy proposed to Princess Mary of Teck whose mother was a first cousin of Queen Victoria, Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, the youngest child of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge (the seventh son and tenth child of King George III and Queen Charlotte). The wedding was set for February 27, 1892, but on January 14, 1892, Eddy died of pneumonia.

After the death of Prince Eddy, Mary and George, now second in the line of succession, spent much time together. As time passed and their common grief eased, there was hope that a marriage might take place between them. George proposed to Mary beside a pond in the garden of his sister Louise’s home, East Sheen Lodge, on April 29, 1893. The engagement was announced on May 3, 1893, with the blessing of Queen Victoria. The couple married on July 6, 1893, at the Chapel Royal at St. James’ Palace in London, England, and eventually became the beloved King George V and Queen Mary.

George and Mary on their wedding day; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

George and Mary had six children:

 

In 1901, after the accession of King Edward VII, George and Mary toured the British Empire, visiting Malta, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. In 1906, they toured India and then traveled to Spain for the wedding of George’s first cousin Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg to King Alfonso XIII of Spain. Soon afterward, George and Mary traveled to Norway for the coronation of King Haakon VII, George’s first cousin, and Queen Maud, George’s sister.

On May 6, 1910, George’s father King Edward VII died and George became King. His coronation was held at Westminster Abbey on June 22, 1911. In December 1911, King George V and Queen Mary traveled to India for the Delhi Durbar where they were presented as Emperor and Empress of India.

 

Certainly, the most difficult period of George V’s reign was the years of World War I when the United Kingdom and its allies were at war with the Central Powers, led by the German Empire. Not only did about 1 million people from the United Kingdom and its colonies die, but the war pitted royal family against royal family. George was the first cousin of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia. He was also the first cousin to both Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, who was overthrown in 1917, and his wife, born Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine. At first, the British government offered asylum to Nicholas and his family, but the offer was later withdrawn. Nicholas and his family remained in Russia and all were executed in 1918. In 1919,  Nicholas II’s mother Maria Feodorovna (George’s maternal aunt, born Dagmar of Denmark) and other members of the extended Russian Imperial Family were rescued from Crimea by British ships.

King George V, on the right, with his first cousin Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia; Credit – Wikipedia

During World War I, on July 17, 1917, King George V issued a proclamation changing the name of the British Royal Family from the German Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the English Windsor, due to the anti-German sentiment. George’s British relatives relinquished their German titles and styles and adopted British-sounding surnames. The king compensated his male relatives by creating them British peers. All this led George’s cousin Kaiser Wilhelm to remark that he would attend a performance of Shakespeare’s “Merry Wives of Saxe-Coburg” at the earliest opportunity.

George’s relationship with his eldest son and heir Edward, Prince of Wales (known as David in the family, the future King Edward VIII) was strained. The king was disappointed in his son’s failure to settle down and appalled by his affairs with married women. However, he was fond of his second son Prince Albert (known as Bertie in the family, the future King George VI). In 1935, King George V prophetically said of his eldest son, “After I am dead, the boy will ruin himself within 12 months”, and of Prince Albert and his elder daughter Elizabeth, “I pray to God my eldest son will never marry and have children, and that nothing will come between Bertie and Lilibet and the throne.”

In his final years, King George had several problems exacerbated by his habit of smoking including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pleurisy. On January 15, 1936, King George V went to bed at Sandringham House complaining of a cold, gradually becoming weaker, and drifting in and out of consciousness. On January 20, when the king was close to death, his doctors issued a bulletin with words that became famous: “The King’s life is moving peacefully towards its close.” As the king lay dying of bronchitis, Bertrand Dawson, 1st Viscount Dawson of Penn, Physician-in-Ordinary to King George V, gave him a lethal injection of cocaine and morphine, thereby hastening the king’s death to ensure that the announcement of the death would appear first in the morning edition of The Times and not in some lesser publication in the afternoon.

King George V lay in state in Westminster Hall in London, England where an estimated 809,000 filed past his casket. As a mark of respect to their father, the king’s four surviving sons, King Edward VIII, Prince Albert, Duke of York, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, and Prince George, Duke of Kent, took the positions of the guards around the catafalque. Known as the Vigil of the Princes, it was repeated in 2002 when the casket of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother lay in state in Westminster Hall. Her four grandsons Charles, Prince of Wales, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley took the place of the guards. It was then repeated again in 2022 when Queen Elizabeth II’s four children King Charles III, The Princess Royal, The Duke of York, and The Earl of Wessex stood vigil at her coffin. In addition, Queen Elizabeth II’s eight grandchildren, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Sussex, Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor, and Viscount Severn, held a vigil around the coffin of their grandmother. The funeral for King George V was held at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle where he was also interred.

 

King Edward VIII abdicated less than a year later and his brother Prince Albert, Duke of York ascended the throne, taking the regnal name George VI. King George VI was followed on the throne by his daughter Queen Elizabeth II, the Lilibet her grandfather hoped would become queen.

 

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

  • King George V – Kenneth Rose
  • King George V: His Life and Reign – Harold Nicolson

House of Windsor Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Maud of Wales, Queen of Norway

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Maud of Wales, Queen of Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

Queen Maud of Norway was born Princess Maud of Wales on November 26, 1869, at Marlborough House in London, England. She was the third and youngest daughter and the fifth of the six children of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Alexandra of Denmark.

The infant princess was christened Maud Charlotte Mary Victoria at Marlborough House, her parents’ London home, on December 24, 1869. Her godparents were:

Princess Maud had five siblings:

 

Growing up, Maud was the most exuberant of the three sisters and was known as Harry in the family. She developed a one-sided romance with Prince Francis of Teck, the brother of her future sister-in-law Mary of Teck. Maud and Francis exchanged a couple of letters, but it was soon apparent that Francis was not interested in Maud.

Because Maud’s mother was a Danish princess, Maud visited her Danish relatives often and was familiar with her first cousin Prince Carl of Denmark (later King Haakon VII of Norway), the second son of King Frederik VIII of Denmark, who was three years younger than Maud. On October 29, 1895, the couple’s engagement was announced. The Prince of Wales (future King Edward VII) gave his daughter Appleton House on the Sandringham Estate for Maud to use on her visits to England.

Maud and Carl were married in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace on July 22, 1896. The bride wore a dress of white satin with a belt of silver embroidery and a wedding veil of old lace, a present from her grandmother Queen Victoria. The couple spent their honeymoon at Appleton House. Maud was so reluctant to leave England, that the couple was still at Appleton House five months after the wedding.

Painting by Laurits Tuxen; Credit – Wikipedia

Maud and Carl finally left for Denmark in December 1896 and took up residence at Bernstorff Palace in Gentofte near Copenhagen, Denmark. Because Maud found the cold Danish winters so difficult to bear, she visited England as often as possible. Maud and Carl had one child, a son:

Maud with her husband and son; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1905, upon the dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway, the Norwegian government began searching for candidates to become King of Norway. Because of his descent from prior Norwegian monarchs, as well as his wife’s British connections, Carl was the overwhelming favorite. Before accepting, Carl insisted that the voices of the Norwegian people be heard regarding retaining a monarchy. Following a referendum with a 79% majority in favor, Prince Carl was formally offered and accepted the throne. He sailed for Norway, arriving on November 25, 1905, and took the oath as King two days later. Carl took the name Haakon VII and his son two-year-old son was renamed Olav and became Crown Prince of Norway. Maud and Carl were crowned in Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway on June 22, 1906.

Maud and Carl on the coronation day; Credit – Wikipedia

Recognizing the people’s need to feel that their royal family was Norwegian, Maud and Haakon were photographed in Norwegian folk costumes and enjoying winter sports such as skiing. They ensured their son was raised as a Norwegian, although Maud never became fluent in Norwegian. Maud never gave up her love for her native country and visited often, usually staying at Appleton House. However, she fulfilled her duties as Queen of Norway. Maud became active in women’s rights and the welfare of unmarried women. During World War I, she founded Dronningens Hjelpekomité (the Queen’s Relief Committee) to assist people in difficult circumstances due to the war. Maud was renowned for using clothes and jewelry to give a regal appearance, perhaps something she had learned from her mother.

Maud skiing; Credit – Wikipedia

Maud’s last public appearance in the United Kingdom was in 1937 at the coronation of her nephew King George VI. She rode with her sister-in-law Queen Mary in the glass coach and sat with her in Westminster Abbey. In October 1938, Maud came to England, staying at Appleton House and then at a London hotel. While at the hotel, Maud became ill and was taken to a nursing home where abdominal surgery was performed. She survived the surgery, but died on November 20, 1938, six days before her 69th birthday, from heart failure. Her remains were taken to the chapel at Marlborough House in London, where she had been born and christened. Her casket was then taken by gun carriage to Victoria Station to travel by railroad to Portsmouth and then to travel by sea to Oslo, Norway. Upon arrival in Oslo, the casket was taken to a small church before burial in the royal mausoleum at Akershus Fortress in Oslo. Maud was the last surviving child of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. Her husband King Haakon VII survived her for 19 years. He died on September 21, 1957, at the age of 85, and was buried with Maud in the white sarcophagus in the Royal Mausoleum at Akershus Fortress.

White tomb of King Haakon VII and Queen Maud on the left and green tomb of their son King Olav V and his wife Princess Märtha of Sweden, Crown Princess of Norway on the right; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

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 Norway Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Victoria was born on July 6, 1868, at Marlborough House, near Buckingham Palace, in London, England, the second daughter and the fourth of the six children of the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and his wife Alexandra of Denmark. Her full name was Victoria Alexandra Olga Mary and she was known as Toria in the family. At the time of her birth, she was styled Princess Victoria of Wales, as her father was Prince of Wales. When her father became king, she was then styled Her Royal Highness The Princess Victoria.

When Toria was christened on August 6, 1868, at Marlborough House, her parents’ London home, she had a large and impressive group of godparents, most of whom had a proxy standing in for them:

Toria had five siblings:

 

Toria was brought up with her elder sister Louise and her younger sister Maud. None of the sisters had inherited the good looks of their mother and as a result, the three sisters were very shy. Their mother Alexandra was extremely possessive, demanded complete devotion from her children, and insisted that they call her Motherdear. Louise and Maud escaped into marriage, leaving Toria at home as her mother’s constant companion. Toria had several suitors including Prince Adolphus of Teck, Sir Arthur Davidson, one of her father’s equerries, and Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery. Lord Rosebery was a former Prime Minister who had been widowed, and both he and Toria would have liked to have married. However, Toria’s mother actively discouraged her from marrying anyone. Instead, Toria remained a companion to her mother, Queen Alexandra, whom she lived with until the Queen died in 1925. Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna, Toria’s first cousin, described her as little more than “a glorified maid.”

 

When her mother died, Toria was 57 and was able to live her own life at last. She purchased a country home, Coppins, in Iver, Buckinghamshire, England. Toria became active in the village life of Iver and was the honorary president of the Iver Horticultural Society. When she died, she left Coppins to her nephew Prince George, Duke of Kent and it was sold by his elder son in 1972.

Toria’s last years were plagued with health issues and she suffered from neuralgia, migraines, indigestion, depression, colds, and influenza. Princess Victoria died at her home Coppins on December 3, 1935. Initially interred at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, she was buried on January 8, 1936, at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore near Windsor Castle. Her brother King George V, who was very close to his sister, wrote in his diary, “No one ever had a sister like her.” Her brother did not survive her long. He died on January 20, 1936.

Grave of Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom; Credit – www.findagrave.com

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Princess Maud, Countess of Southesk

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Princess Maud, Countess of Southesk; Credit – Wikipedia

Maud Alexandra Victoria Georgina Bertha was born at East Sheen Lodge in Richmond, London, England on April 3, 1893. She was the youngest child of Princess Louise, Princess Royal and Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife, and a grandchild of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom.  As a female-line great-granddaughter of the British sovereign, (Queen Victoria) at birth, Maud was not entitled to the title of Princess or the style Royal Highness. Instead, she was styled Lady Maud Duff, the style of the daughters of a Duke.  Through their father, Maud and her sister Alexandra were descendants of King William IV of the United Kingdom. He had no legitimate children but had ten illegitimate children with actress Dorothea Jordan.

Maud had one older sister:

Maud, on her mother’s lap, with her sister; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1900, when it became apparent that the Duke and Duchess of Fife were unlikely to have a son to inherit the title, Queen Victoria issued the Duke of Fife a new Letters Patent as Duke of Fife and Earl of Macduff in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. This Letters Patent gave the second dukedom of Fife a special remainder that allowed the dukedom to pass to the daughters of the 1st Duke of Fife if he had no son, and then to the male heirs of his daughters. Therefore, Alexandra became heir to her father’s dukedom, and Maud was second in line.

Maud’s mother was the eldest daughter of King Edward VII and was created Princess Royal during her father’s reign, in 1905.  At the same time, Alexandra and Maud were granted the title of Princess with the style of “Highness” and received precedence immediately after all members of the royal family bearing the style of “Royal Highness.” This act was unprecedented, and when the College of Arms told King Edward VII it could not be done, the King simply said, “Do it!” Alexandra and Maud’s maternal uncle, the future King George V, was greatly disturbed by this act.  Maud was then styled Her Highness Princess Maud.

Maud and her husband Charles Carnegie; Credit – Wikipedia

On November 13, 1923, Maud married Charles Alexander Bannerman Carnegie, the eldest son of Charles Noel Carnegie, 10th Earl of Southesk, at the Royal Military Chapel at the Wellington Barracks in London, England. After her marriage, Maud stopped using ‘Her Highness Princess Maud’ and was known as Lady Carnegie. In 1941, upon his father’s death, Maud’s husband became the 11th Earl of Southesk, and Maud titled Countess of Southesk.

The couple had one child:

On December 14, 1945, Maud, aged 52, died of bronchitis at a nursing home in London, England, on the 84th anniversary of the death of her great-grandfather Prince Albert. She was buried at the home of the Carnegie family, the Earls of Southesk, Kinnaird Castle in Brechin, Angus, Scotland. Her husband survived her, remarried, and died in 1992 at the age of 98.  In 1959, Maud’s son James Carnegie succeeded his maternal aunt, Princess Arthur of Connaught, 2nd Duchess of Fife, as the 3rd Duke of Fife, because her only child, Alastair, 2nd Duke of Connaught, had predeceased her. James also succeeded his father upon his death in 1992 as the 12th Earl of Southesk and as Chief of the Clan Carnegie. James Carnegie, 3rd Duke of Fife died in 2012, and his son David Carnegie became the 4th Duke of Fife.

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.

Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife, Princess Arthur of Connaught

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife; Credit – Wikipedia

Alexandra Victoria Alberta Edwina Louise was born on May 17, 1891, at East Sheen Lodge in Richmond, London, England. She was the eldest surviving child of Princess Louise, Princess Royal and Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife and a grandchild of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom.  As a female-line great-granddaughter of the British sovereign, (Queen Victoria) at birth, Alexandra was not entitled to the title of Princess or the style Royal Highness. Instead, she was styled Lady Alexandra Duff, the style of daughters of a Duke.  Through their father, Alexandra and her sister Maud were descendants of King William IV of the United Kingdom, who had no legitimate children but had ten illegitimate children with actress Dorothea Jordan.

Alexandra had one sister:

Alexandra on the right with her mother and sister; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

In 1900, when it became apparent that the Duke and Duchess of Fife were unlikely to have a son to inherit the title, Queen Victoria issued the Duke of Fife a new Letters Patent as Duke of Fife and Earl of Macduff in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. This Letters Patent gave the second dukedom of Fife a special remainder that allowed the dukedom to pass to the daughters of the 1st Duke of Fife, if he had no son, and then to the male heirs of his daughters. Therefore, Alexandra became heir to her father’s dukedom.

Alexandra’s mother was the eldest daughter of King Edward VII and was created Princess Royal during her father’s reign, in 1905.  At the same time, Alexandra and Maud were granted the title of Princess with the style of “Highness” and received precedence immediately after all members of the royal family bearing the style of “Royal Highness.” This act was unprecedented and when the College of Arms told King Edward VII it could not be done, the King simply said, “Do it!” Alexandra and Maud’s maternal uncle, the future King George V, was greatly disturbed by this act.

Prince Arthur of Connaught and Princess Alexandra on their wedding day; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 15, 1913, at the Chapel Royal of St. James’ Palace in London, England, Alexandra married her first cousin once removed, Prince Arthur of Connaught, the only son of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught who was a son of Queen Victoria. Because Alexandra’s father had died the year before, King George V, her uncle, gave her away. After her marriage, Alexandra was styled Her Royal Highness Princess Arthur of Connaught, Duchess of Fife.

Alexandra and Arthur with their son Alastair in 1920; Credit – Wikipedia

Alexandra and Arthur had one son Alastair Arthur, born on August 9, 1914, at his parents’ home at 54 Mount Street, in Mayfair, London, England. As a great-grandchild of Queen Victoria through the male line, Alastair was styled His Highness Prince Alastair of Connaught until he was three years old.  At that time King George V restricted the titles of Prince/Princess and the style of Royal Highness to the children of the sovereign, the children of the sovereign’s sons, and the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales. Alastair was then styled Alastair Windsor with the courtesy title Earl of Macduff, his mother’s secondary title.

Alexandra at a women’s exhibition in 1915; Credit – Wikipedia

Alexandra and her husband carried out engagements on behalf of King George V and King George VI. Alexandra served as a nurse at St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London, England during World War I. From 1920-1924, Prince Arthur served as Governor-General of South Africa and Alexandra accompanied him there. When the couple returned to the United Kingdom, they continued their royal duties.

Alastair Windsor, 2nd Duke of Connaught; Credit – Wikipedia

On September 12, 1938, Prince Arthur died of stomach cancer at the age of 55. He was buried at the Royal Burial Ground in Frogmore, Windsor, England. As Prince Arthur predeceased his father The Duke of Connaught, Arthur’s son Alastair became heir to the dukedom. In 1942, upon the death of his paternal grandfather Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, Alastair succeeded him as the 2nd Duke of Connaught. On April 26, 1943, while on active duty with the British Army in Ottawa, Canada, the 28-year-old Alastair fell asleep or passed out in front of an open window while inebriated, fell out the window, and died of hypothermia during the night. On his death, his titles became extinct.

Alexandra died at her home in London on February 26, 1959, at the age of 67. She is buried in the private chapel in the mausoleum of Mar Lodge in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, Scotland where her parents are buried. Alexandra’s nephew, James Carnegie, the only child of her sister Maud, succeeded her as the 3rd Duke of Fife.

Alexandra’s grave; Credit – Wikipedia

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Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife; Credit – Wikipedia

Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife, was the husband of Princess Louise, Princess Royal, the eldest daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. Alexander William George Duff was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on November 10, 1849. He was the only son of James Duff, 5th Earl Fife and Lady Agnes Hay, daughter of William Hay, 18th Earl of Erroll and Lady Elizabeth FitzClarence, one of the ten children of King William IV and his mistress Dorothea Jordan. When Duff’s father became 5th Earl Fife in 1857, he was able to use the courtesy title Viscount Macduff, and Macduff became his nickname. Duff was educated at Eton College.

Duff had five sisters:

  • Lady Anne Duff (1847 – 1925), married John Townshend, 5th Marquess Townshend, had issue
  • Lady Ida Duff (died 1918), married (1) Adrian Hope, had issue (2)  William Wilson, no issue
  • Lady Alexina Duff (1851 – 1882), married Henry Coventry, no issue
  • Lady Agnes Duff (1852 – 1925), married (1) George Hay-Drummond, no issue  (2) Herbert Flower, no issue (3)  Alfred Cooper, had issue; David Cameron, the former British prime minister, is a descendant of this third marriage
  • Lady Mary Duff (born and died 1854)

In 1874, Duff was elected to Parliament as a Liberal Party member for the Scottish constituency Elginshire and Nairnshire. He remained in Parliament until his father’s death in 1879 when he became the 6th Earl Fife and then had a seat in the House of Lords. In the House of Lords, Duff served as the Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms.  He was
Lord-Lieutenant of Elginshire from 1872 – 1902 and one of the founders of the Chartered Company of South Africa.

On July 27, 1889, in the Private Chapel of Buckingham Palace, Duff married Princess Louise, eldest daughter of the then Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII). Louise and Alexander were third cousins via their mutual descent from King George III. Alexander’s descent was via the future King William IV’s long-time relationship with actress Dorothea Jordan by whom he had ten children who married into the British aristocracy. As with the marriage of Princess Louise’s aunt, another Princess Louise who married the 9th Duke of Argyll, there were grumblings about a member of the royal family marrying into the British aristocracy. However, Queen Victoria approved of the marriage. Two days after the wedding, Queen Victoria created the groom Duke of Fife and Marquess of Macduff in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.  Despite the seventeen-year age difference, the couple was well-matched and settled down to a life of country pursuits with the Duke managing his Scottish estates and Louise becoming an expert at salmon fishing.

Photo Credit – Alexander William George Duff, 1st Duke of Fife; Princess Louise Victoria Alexandra Dagmar, Duchess of Fife by William Downey, for W. & D. Downey. albumen cabinet card, 27 July 1889, NPG x3805. © National Portrait Gallery, London

The couple had three children:

Duke and Duchess of Fife with their daughters; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1900, when it became apparent that the Duke and Duchess of Fife were unlikely to have a son to inherit the title, Queen Victoria issued the Duke of Fife a new Letters Patent as Duke of Fife and Earl of Macduff in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. This Letters Patent gave the second dukedom of Fife a special remainder that allowed the dukedom to pass to the daughters of the 1st Duke of Fife if he had no son, and then to the male heirs of his daughters.

In December 1911, the Duke and Duchess of Fife and their two daughters set off to spend the winter in Egypt and Sudan where the climate was more beneficial to Louise’s health. Their ship went aground near Morocco and then their lifeboat sank. The family was rescued, but the Duke of Fife later developed pneumonia and died in Aswan, Egypt on January 29, 1912. The Duke of Fife was buried at the Private Chapel, Mar Lodge Mausoleum in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Duff grave

Grave of the Duke of Fife; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

The Duke’s elder daughter Alexandra succeeded to the 1900 Dukedom, becoming the 2nd Duchess of Fife and Countess of Macduff in her own right. Her father’s other titles, including the 1889 Dukedom, became extinct. Alexandra’s only son predeceased her, so upon her death, Maud’s son James Carnegie became the 3rd Duke of Fife.

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Infanta Margarita of Spain, Duchess of Soria

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

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Infanta Margarita of Spain, Duchess of Soria, 2nd Duchess of Hernani (Margarita María de la Victoria Esperanza Jacoba Felicidad Perpetua y Todos los Santos de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias) was born in Rome, Italy on March 6, 1939, the third of the four children of Infante Juan of Spain, Count of Barcelona and his wife Princess María Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.  Infanta Margarita has been blind since her birth.

Margarita has three siblings:

 

Because the Spanish monarchy was in exile after the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed and the exile continued after Generalísimo Francisco Franco took power, Margarita spent much of her early life in exile. The family first lived in Cannes, France, and then moved to Rome, Italy. During World War II, the family lived in Lausanne, Switzerland.  In 1946, they settled Estoril, Portugal.

On October 12, 1972, Infanta Margarita married Carlos Zurita y Delgado, a medical doctor, at the Church of San Antonio in Estoril, Portugal, and renounced her succession rights. The couple had two children:

  • Alfonso Juan Carlos Zurita y de Borbón (born 1973), unmarried
  • María Sofía Emilia Carmen Zurita y de Borbón (born 1975), unmarried, mother of a son by artificial insemination

In 1979, when Margarita’s cousin, Manfredo de Borbón, 1st Duke of Hernani died, he willed his ducal title to Margarita. King Juan Carlos granted this request and she became 2nd Duchess of Hernani.  In 1981, King Juan Carlos granted her a higher dukedom for life and she became Duchess of Soria.  Her husband is styled His Excellency The Duke of Soria and Hernani.

Despite her disability, Infanta Margarita is an active woman who loves to be with her family and friends. She is an avid music lover and listens to everything from classical music to heavy metal music. In 1989, with her husband, Infanta Margarita created the Fundación Cultural Duques de Soria (The Duke and Duchess of Soria Cultural Foundation) based in the former Convent of Mercy in Soria, Spain. Margarita is also the honorary president of the Spanish delegation of UNICEF, the Fundación ONCE, the Spanish Heart Foundation, and the Spanish Federation of Hemophilia.

Carlos Zurita, Princess Margarita and Princess Pilar in 2014

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