Category Archives: German Royals

Princess Marie “May” of Hesse and by Rhine

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

photo: Wikipedia

Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine

Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine (Marie Viktoria Feodore Leopoldine) was the youngest of seven children of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom and Grand Duke Ludwig IV of Hesse and by Rhine. Known as ‘May’, she was born on May 24, 1874, at the Neues Palace, in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in the German state of Hesse.

May was described as “enchanting” by her mother and was closest to her sister Alix, the next youngest child. The two were inseparable, sharing a nursery and often being dressed identically.

May had six siblings:

Princess Marie (center front) with her siblings, 1878. photo: Wikipedia

In November 1878, the Grand Ducal Family of Hesse and by Rhine began to fall ill with diphtheria. Her father Ludwig and his children Victoria, Irene, Ernst Ludwig, Alix, and Marie all came down with diphtheria. Elisabeth, known as Ella, was the only member of the family to remain unaffected. May’s mother Alice quickly slipped into her role as caregiver, nursing her husband and children. May fell ill with diphtheria on November 12, 1878, and sadly was the only one of the children not to recover. She died on the morning of November 16, 1878. May was interred in Neues Mausoleum at Rosenhöhe Park in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany. May’s death devastated her brother Ernst Ludwig. It was their mother Alice’s efforts to console him, with a hug and kiss, which led to her contracting the illness and passing away less than a month later.

Tomb of Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine (She is hugging her daughter Marie on her left side); Photo Credit – findagrave.com

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Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, Alexandra Feodorovna, Empress of All Russia

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Source: Wikipedia

Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia

Queen Victoria’s 23rd grandchild, Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, is perhaps remembered best as Alexandra Feodorovna, the last Empress of Russia. She was born on June 6, 1872, at the Neues Palais in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany, the sixth of seven children of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom and Grand Duke Ludwig IV of Hesse and by Rhine.

She was christened Alix Victoria Helena Luise Beatrice – named for her mother and her four maternal aunts – on July 1, 1872 (her parents’ tenth wedding anniversary) with the following godparents:

Alix had six siblings:

Hesse and by Rhine family in 1876; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Nicknamed Sunny, she was, by all accounts, a happy and beautiful child. She was very close to her brother Ernie and would remain so throughout her life. The family lived a rather simple life, as they were not very wealthy by royal standards. In 1877, Alix’s father became the reigning Grand Duke, but the children’s lives remained mostly unchanged. They spent time with Queen Victoria each year, relishing their visits to ‘Grandmama’ and looking forward to the next one. This relationship would become even closer in the coming years.

In 1878, most of the family became ill with diphtheria. Sadly, Alix’s younger sister, May, succumbed to the illness, followed a few weeks later by their mother, Princess Alice. Queen Victoria stepped in to serve as a surrogate mother to the children, managing nearly every detail of their lives.

In 1884, Alix went to St. Petersburg, Russia to attend the wedding of her sister Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine and Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia.  Also in attendance was the groom’s nephew Tsesarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich, the heir of Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia. It was at this wedding that Alix and Nicholas first met.  The two were second cousins through their mutual great-grandparents, Ludwig II, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and his wife Wilhelmine of Baden. It would be five years later, while Alix was visiting her sister in Russia, that the two would fall in love.

The prospect of marriage was met with much opposition from both Nicholas’ parents of Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia and Empress Maria Feodorovna (born Princess Dagmar of Denmark), and Alix’s grandmother Queen Victoria.  The Emperor and Empress felt that Alix was not suitable enough for their son, in part because of their dislike and distrust for all things German. They also hoped for a ‘higher profile’ bride and future Empress. As for Queen Victoria, she quite liked Nicholas personally. However, the same could not be said for his father, or for Russia itself. She also felt uneasy about another of her granddaughters marrying into the Russian Imperial Family. Queen Victoria had promoted marriage between Alix and her first cousin Prince Albert Victor of Wales, but Alix showed no interest. However, she was quite fond of her granddaughter and eventually gave into Alix’s wishes.

Despite the misgivings of their respective families, the couple became engaged in April 1894, while in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha attending the wedding of Alix’s brother. Nicholas was representing his father at the wedding of Alix’s brother Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine to Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Alix and Nicholas’ mutual first cousin. At first, Alix refused his proposal, as she was a devout Lutheran and was unwilling to convert to Russian Orthodoxy as would be required. However, after some urging from her elder sister who had married into the Romanov family, Alix relented and accepted. The wedding was planned for the spring of 1895.

Engagement photo of Alix and Nicholas, 1894. Source: Wikipedia

Sadly, in the fall of 1894, Nicholas’ father fell ill. Sensing that there was not much time left, Alexander III instructed Nicholas to send for Alix, who arrived on October 22nd. Despite his ailing health, Emperor Alexander III insisted on greeting her in full uniform and gave her his blessing. Alexander III died just ten days later, leaving the 26-year-old Nicholas as the new Emperor of All Russia. The following day, Alix was received into the Orthodox Church, taking the name Grand Duchess Alexandra Feodorovna. Nicholas initially wanted to marry immediately, even before his father’s funeral, in a private ceremony. However, he was convinced that as Emperor, he should marry in St. Petersburg with at least some of the pomp and ceremony that was traditional in the Russian Imperial Family.

The wedding of Nicholas and Alexandra, painting by Laurits Tuxen. Source: Wikipedia

Emperor Alexander III died on November 1, 1894, leaving Nicholas as the new Emperor Nicholas II. The following day, Alix was received into the Russian Orthodox Church and was given the name Grand Duchess Alexandra Feodorovna. Although originally planning to marry the following spring, the wedding was quickly arranged and the couple married on November 26, 1894, in the Grand Church of the Winter Palace. The young princess from Darmstadt was now Empress of All the Russians. Over the next ten years, the couple had five children:

Alexandra found it very difficult to relate to the Russian people and was perceived as being very haughty and aloof. Those who knew her attribute this to her extreme shyness. This was magnified by the drastic difference in the personality of her mother-in-law, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, who was very outgoing and greatly loved. Alix was also met with distrust by the Russian people, due to her German roots. This would be greatly magnified in years to come, during World War I.

Anna Alexandrovna Vyrubova became started as a maid of honor at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg in 1903, serving various female members of the Romanov family. In 1905, Anna was summoned to Tsarskoye Selo, the town containing residences of the Imperial Family located 15 miles south of St. Petersburg, to fill in for a lady-in-waiting to Alexandra who became ill. Thus began her longtime relationship with Alexandra.  Anna became a close friend of Alexandra, was close to the Imperial Family for many years, accompanied them on many trips, and attended private family events. Anna wrote about her experiences in her memoir, Memoirs of the Russian Court, published in 1923 and still available.

Having had four daughters, Alexandra felt great pressure to provide an heir. Finally, in 1904, she gave birth to a son, Alexei. However, it would soon become apparent that she was a carrier of hemophilia, and her young son was a sufferer. This would cause great pain to the Empress, and great measures were taken to protect him from harm and to hide the illness from the people. When it eventually became public knowledge, it led to more dislike for the Empress, with many of the Russian people blaming her for the heir’s illness.  See Unofficial Royalty: Hemophilia in Queen Victoria’s Descendants.

After working with many physicians to help Alexei, the Empress turned to mystics and faith healers. This led to her close, and disastrous, relationship with Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin. Several times he appeared to have brought the Tsarevich back from the brink of death, which further cemented Alexandra’s reliance. To many historians and experts, this relationship would contribute greatly to the fall of the Russian monarchy.  In December 1916, Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, the first cousin of Nicholas II, was one of the conspirators in the murder of Rasputin.  For more information see Unofficial Royalty: Murder of Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin.

 

During World War I, in March 1917, Nicholas was forced to abdicate. The family was held under house arrest first at the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoe Selo and later in Tobolsk in Siberia. Following the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, they were moved to the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg. It was here on the morning of July 17, 1918, that the family was brought to a room in the basement and assassinated. Their bodies were initially thrown down a mine, then retrieved and hastily buried.

In 1979, a mass grave was discovered, believed to include the remains of the Imperial Family. They were exhumed in 1991, and in 1998, through DNA testing, it was announced that the remains were of Nicholas, Alexandra, and three of their daughters. On July 17, 1998 – 80 years to the day of their murders – the remains were interred in St. Catherine Chapel at the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg. The remains of the last two children were found in a nearby grave in 2007 and positively identified the following year. These remains have not yet been buried. The Russian Orthodox Church has questioned whether the remains are authentic and blocked the burial.  For more information see July 17, 1918 – Execution of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia and His Family

St Catherine Chapel at the Peter and Paul Cathedral where the Imperial Family is interred; Source: Wikipedia

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Romanov Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Prince Friedrich “Frittie” of Hesse and by Rhine

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

photo: Wikipedia

Prince Friedrich of Hesse and by Rhine

Born on October 7, 1870, at the Neues Palais in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in the German state of Hesse, Prince Friedrich Wilhelm August Viktor Leopold Ludwig of Hesse (known as ‘Frittie’) was the fifth child, and youngest son of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom and Grand Duke Ludwig IV of Hesse and by Rhine. One of his given names was Leopold, in honor of his uncle, Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany.

Frittie had six siblings:

Hesse and by Rhine family in 1876; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Following a cut to his ear in February 1873, it was discovered that Frittie suffered from hemophilia when the wound took days to stop bleeding. Ironically, it was the same disease suffered by his uncle and godfather, Prince Leopold. Frittie’s sisters Irene and Alix had sons who also suffered from hemophilia.

In May 1873, Frittie and his brother Ernst Ludwig were playing in their mother’s bedroom at the Neues Palais. Ernst went into another room to look through the window (which was at an angle to the window in Alice’s bedroom). While Alice was out of the room to get Ernst, Frittie climbed up to the window in the bedroom to try and see Ernst. From all accounts, the chair he had climbed on tipped over and Frittie fell from the window to the ground below.

Due to his hemophilia, Prince Friedrich died from a brain hemorrhage on May 29, 1873, at the Neues Palais in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany. He is buried in the Neues Mausoleum at Rosenhöhe Park in Darmstadt where his parents and younger sister Marie were buried.

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Princess Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

photo: Wikipedia

Princess Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine

Princess Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich was the second wife of Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, a grandson of Queen Victoria. She was born Eleonore Marie Ernestine on September 17, 1871, in Lich, Principality of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich, now in the German state of Hesse, the fourth of seven children of Hermann, The Prince of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich and Countess Agnes of Stolberg-Wernigerode.

Eleonore had six siblings:

  • Karl, Prince of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich (1866-1920), married Princess Emma zu Stolberg-Wernigerode, had four children
  • Reinhard Ludwig (1867-1951) married Countess Marka zu Solms-Sonnenwalde, had six children
  • Anna Elizabeth (1868-1950) married Count Johannes zu Lynar, had two children
  • Marie Mathilde (1873-1953) married Prince Richard zu Dohna-Schlobitten, had five children
  • Karoline (1877-1958) married Chlodwig, Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld, had five children
  • Dorothea (1883-1942) married Prince Hermann of Stolberg-Wernigerode, had one child

Eleonore (known affectionately as Onor) married Ernst Ludwig on February 2, 1905, in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in the German state of Hesse. He was the son of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom and Grand Duke Ludwig IV of Hesse and by Rhine. The couple had two sons:

Onor quickly became popular with the people of Hesse and was known for her down-to-earth and approachable manner. It was partially due to this that they were treated rather well at the end of World War I. While many of Ernie’s counterparts were stripped of their possessions, and in some cases, exiled from their homelands, Ernie and Onor remained much loved by the Hessian people. They lived out the rest of their lives at Wolfsgarten and the New Palace in Darmstadt.

She was widowed on October 9, 1937, when her beloved Ernie passed away. Just weeks later, on November 16, 1937, she boarded a plane bound for London accompanied by her elder son Georg Donatus, his wife, and their two sons. The group was heading to London for the wedding of Onor’s younger son, Ludwig. Tragically, the plane crashed in Ostend, Belgium, and all were killed.

The last Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine was buried alongside her husband in the burial ground in Rosenhöhe Park, Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany. Around them are the graves of their children and grandchildren.

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Hesse and by Rhine Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine: The House of Hesse-Darmstadt was one of several branches of the House of Hesse. After the fall of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt was raised to the Grand Duchy of Hesse, and Ludwig X, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt became the first Grand Duke, Ludwig I.  Several years later, at the Congress of Vienna, Ludwig was forced to cede his Westphalian territories but in return was given the Rheinhessen region and the Grand Duchy of Hesse became the Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine. Ernst Ludwig, a grandson of Queen Victoria, was the last Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine. With the fall of the German states, Ernst Ludwig refused to abdicate but still lost his throne on November 9, 1918. Today the territory that encompassed the Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine is in the German state of Hesse.

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photo: Wikipedia

Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine

Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine was the fourth child of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom and Grand Duke Ludwig IV of Hesse and by Rhine. He was born Ernst Ludwig Karl Albrecht Wilhelm (known as Ernie), on November 25, 1868 in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany. He had six siblings:

In 1874, his younger brother Frittie died after falling from a window while the two were playing. A hemophiliac, Frittie succumbed to a brain hemorrhage. Ernie was distraught and developed what would become a lifelong fear of death, particularly of dying alone. This fear would soon be reinforced by the deaths of his mother and youngest sister. In late 1878, most of the family fell ill with diphtheria. Sadly, Ernie’s youngest sister, Princess May, did not recover and died in November. While consoling Ernie, Alice gave him a hug and kiss, thus exposing herself to the illness. Due to her weakened state, she quickly fell ill herself and died on December 14, 1878.

After Alice’s death, Queen Victoria stepped in as a surrogate mother to the Hessian children, often having them stay with her in her various residences in the United Kingdom. Ernie’s three elder sisters also helped to contribute to his upbringing, and he remained particularly close to both Victoria and Ella.

Ernie was educated privately, and then in 1885 began serving with the First Hessian Infantry Regiment as a sub-lieutenant. He became a first lieutenant in 1889 and then attended the University of Leipzig and the University of Giessen. In 1891, following his father’s example, he was attached to the First Prussian Regiment of Foot Guards at Potsdam. Then, on March 13, 1892, Ernie became the reigning Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine upon his father’s death.

 

On April 9, 1894, in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in the German state of Bavaria, Ernie married his first cousin, Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. She was the daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia. The wedding was attended by Queen Victoria and many of her extended family. It was at this gathering that Ernie’s younger sister, Alix, became engaged to the future Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia. While that marriage turned out to be a happy one, the same could not be said for Ernie and Victoria Melita. Having been pushed into marriage by Queen Victoria, the couple shared little in common and quickly grew to resent each other. Despite this, they had two children:

Queen Victoria, surrounded by her extended family, gathered for Ernie’s wedding, 1894; Credit – Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2022

Disenchanted with each other, Ernie and Victoria Melita wished to divorce, but their grandmother would not allow it. However, following Queen Victoria’s death, they quickly separated and were divorced on December 21, 1901. They shared custody of their daughter, to whom Ernie was particularly close. Victoria Melita went on to marry another first cousin, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia.

The Hesse siblings, October 1903. L-R: Ernie, Alix (with Nicholas), Irene (with Heinrich), Ella (with Serge), Victoria (with Louis). photo: Wikipedia

Following a large family gathering in Darmstadt in October 1903 for the wedding of his niece, Princess Alice of Battenberg, Ernie and his daughter went to visit the Russian Imperial Family at their hunting lodge in Poland. While there, Elisabeth fell ill. At first, it was just believed to be exhaustion from so much playing with her cousins, but her condition quickly worsened. A telegram was sent to her mother, imploring her to come quickly, as it seemed the child would not survive. Unfortunately, the telegram would arrive too late. Princess Elisabeth died on November 16, 1903. Rumors at the time were that she had been poisoned by eating or drinking something which was intended for her uncle Nicholas II. However, it was discovered that she had died from typhoid. Ernie, of course, was distraught. His daughter had been, in his own words, “the sunshine of my life.”

On February 2, 1905, Ernie married Princess Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich, in Darmstadt. Eleonore was the daughter of Hermann, The Prince of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich and Countess Agnes of Stolberg-Wernigerode. This marriage, from all accounts, was a very happy one. The couple had two sons:

Ernie, Eleonore, and their two sons; Credit – Wikipedia

Ernie was well-loved in Hesse and involved himself with maintaining and supporting the arts, particularly music. Sadly, the later years of his life were marred by tragedy. World War I brought the murders of two sisters, Alix and Ella, in Russia, as well as the loss of the Grand Ducal throne. With the fall of the German states, Ernie refused to abdicate but still lost his throne on November 9, 1918. However, unlike many of his counterparts, he was allowed to remain in Hesse and retained several of the family’s properties, including Schloss Wolfsgarten and the New Palace in Darmstadt.

Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine died at Wolfsgarten on October 9, 1937. Tragically, just weeks later, a plane crash in Belgium took the lives of many of his remaining family – his widow, elder son, daughter-in-law, and two grandsons. The plane crash took place on November 16, 1937 – ironically, this was the anniversary of the deaths of both Ernie’s sister May (in 1878) and his daughter Elisabeth (in 1903). Ernie is buried in Rosenhöhe Park in Darmstadt, Germany alongside his wife and family.

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Hesse and by Rhine Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Prince Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Photo Credit –Wikipedia

Prince Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe was the first husband of Princess Viktoria of Prussia (Moretta), a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. He was born on July 20, 1859, at Schloss Bückeburg in Bückeburg, then the capital of the Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe, now in Lower Saxony, Germany. Adolf was the seventh child of the eight children of Adolf I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe and Princess Hermine of Waldeck and Pyrmont.

Prince Adolf had seven siblings:

In 1890, Prince Adolf met Princess Viktoria of Prussia, daughter of Friedrich III, German Emperor and Victoria, Princess Royal, during a visit to Princess Marie of Wied, the mother of Queen Elisabeth of Romania. On November 19, 1890, he married Viktoria, known as Moretta, in Berlin. After an extended honeymoon in Egypt and Greece, the couple took up residence in the Palais Schaumburg in Bonn. Moretta had a miscarriage early in the marriage and the couple remained childless.

Following the death of Woldemar, Prince of Lippe in 1895, Prince Adolf became the Regent for Woldemar’s successor and brother Alexander who was mentally incapacitated. Adolf served as Regent until 1897 when he was replaced by Count Ernst of Lippe-Biesterfeld.  Prince Adolf served in the Prussian Army and during World War I was the Deputy Commanding General of the 8th Corps in Bonn.

Prince Adolf died on July 9, 1916, in Bonn, Kingdom of Prussia, now in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and was buried in the family mausoleum (link in German) in the Bückeburg Palace Park in Bückeburg, Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe, now in Lower Saxony, Germany.

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Prince Sigismund of Prussia

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Photo Credit – Wikipedia

The first grandchild of Queen Victoria to die, Prince Sigismund of Prussia (Franz Friedrich Sigismund) was born on September 15, 1864, at the Neues Palais in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany. He was the fourth of the eight children of Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia and Victoria, Princess Royal.

Sigismund had seven siblings:

Sigismund’s mother, known in the family as Vicky, felt a special closeness to her fourth child. Vicky’s first three children all had their own difficulties, and she had always felt more intimate with her five younger children. The first three children were not allowed to be breastfed by their mother. On orders from their paternal grandmother Queen Augusta, they were fed by wet nurses. By the time Vicky had her fourth child, she had enough self-confidence to defy her mother-in-law and breastfeed Sigismund. Perhaps it was the experience of breastfeeding Sigismund that fostered that special closeness.

Two months after Sigismund’s birth, Vicky wrote to one of her mother’s ladies-in-waiting, “My little darling has grown so fat! He has not had a single ache or pain…and sleeps like a top. I cannot say how happy I am with him and what a delight nursing is. I really think that I have never been so happy, and I certainly never loved one of the others so much…” As Sigismund became a toddler, Vicky thought him much cleverer and more intelligent than his three elder siblings and believed he would have great potential when he grew up.

On June 4, 1866, Vicky’s husband Fritz was on his way to the front of the Austro-Prussian War.  Even before his father left, Sigismund had been fretful and it was thought to be caused by teething. However, the day after Fritz left, Sigismund was unable to eat or sleep. Twenty-four hours later, he could no longer stand. Because all the doctors normally used by the family had left with the army, Vicky was forced to consult doctors unknown to her who gave her the terrible news that her son had meningitis. At that time, there was no successful treatment for meningitis, and death usually occurred. Sigismund’s convulsions grew increasingly worse until he died in agony on June 18, 1866, only 21 months old. Vicky wrote to her mother Queen Victoria, “Oh to see it suffer so cruelly, to see it die and hear its last piteous cry was an agony I cannot describe, it haunts me night and day!”

Vicky was without her husband to comfort her, and her mother-in-law Queen Augusta personally went to the front to tell Fritz. Fritz’s father gave him permission to come home for the funeral, but Fritz declined. He said, “I am in the service of the fatherland. I would never forgive myself if we were attacked when I was absent from my post.” Understandably, Vicky did not comprehend this and wrote to her husband, “In you, of course, the soldier is uppermost.”

Vicky prepared a small room in the Friedenskirche in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany, with carpets, cushions, pictures, and flowers to receive the tiny coffin. In great shock, Vicky was the only one who attended Sigismund’s funeral who did not cry.

After Sigismund’s father died in 1888, the Kaiser Friedrich Mausoleum was added to the Friedenskirche, and Sigismund and his brother Waldemar, who died of diphtheria when he was eleven years old, were re-interred there.

Tomb of Prince Sigismund; Credit – Wikipedia

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Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine, Princess of Prussia

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

 

Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine was the third daughter of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, and Grand Duke Ludwig IV of Hesse and by Rhine. She is often overlooked, as history tends to focus on two of her sisters – Ella and Alix – who both married into the Russian Imperial Family and tragically lost their lives at the hands of the Bolsheviks in 1918. Irene’s obscurity would likely be satisfying to the Princess, who much preferred living her life out of the spotlight. She was born Princess Irene Luise Maria Anna on July 11, 1866, at the New Palace in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany and had six siblings:

Irene was just 12 years old in 1878 when her mother died, following an outbreak of diphtheria in the family which also took the life of her youngest sister, May. Much of the next years were spent, along with her sisters, under the supervision of their grandmother, Queen Victoria. The Queen had taken a particular interest in the children following Alice’s death, overseeing almost every aspect of their lives. Soon, following the marriages of her two elder sisters in 1884, Irene became the eldest daughter living at home, and thus became her father’s companion and often served as hostess for his official events.

Wedding of Irene and Heinrich, 1888. photo: Wikipedia

On May 24, 1888, in the chapel of Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg, Irene married her first cousin, Prince Heinrich of Prussia. He was the second son of Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia, and Victoria, Princess Royal of the United Kingdom. Like her own mother, Irene was a carrier of hemophilia and passed it to two of her sons. They were two of the nine descendants of Queen Victoria who suffered from the disease. (Read more here — Unofficial Royalty: Hemophilia in Queen Victoria’s Descendants)

The couple had three children:

  • Waldemar (1889-1945) – married Princess Calixta of Lippe-Biesterfeld, no issue; a hemophiliac who died at age 56 in Tutzing, Bavaria, Germany  due to lack of blood transfusion facilities as the Russians and Americans advanced on Germany at the very end of World War II
  • Sigismund (1896-1978) – married Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Altenburg, had issue
  • Heinrich (1900-1904) – hemophiliac, died at age 4 from a brain hemorrhage due to a fall

Prince Henry with his wife, Princess Irene, and their two surviving sons Waldemar and Sigismund; Credit – Wikipedia

Irene and her husband gained the nickname “The Very Amiables” because of their quiet, unassuming manner. Perfectly happy to stay home and enjoy their family, they were the least royal of the Prussian royals of the time. Heinrich’s primary focus was his military career, and Irene’s was raising her family. In 1894, they bought Hemmelmark, an estate in Eckernförde, in Schleswig-Holstein, KIngdom of Prussia, now in Germany, as it was close to Heinrich’s military base in Kiel. Hemmelmark would become the family’s primary home, with occasional stays in Potsdam and Berlin when royal duty called.

photo: Wikipedia

Irene remained very close to her siblings. She and her sister Victoria often traveled to Russia to visit Ella and Alix, and back to Darmstadt to visit their brother Ernie. The families would all gather for vacations in Hesse, often staying at Schloss Wolfsgarten. The above photo shows the siblings with their spouses, gathered in Darmstadt in 1903 for the wedding of Princess Alice of Battenberg. L-R: Ernie, Alix, Nicholas II, Irene, Heinrich, Ella, Serge, Victoria, and Louis.

Irene and her sisters were separated during World War I, with the others being on opposite sides and, for the most part, unable to communicate with each other. It would not be until the end of the war that Irene would learn of the murders of her sisters Ella and Alix, as well as Alix’s whole family. Meanwhile, in Prussia, her brother-in-law (and first cousin) Kaiser Wilhelm II, was forced to abdicate, bringing an end to the Prussian monarchy. While he was banished from the country, Irene and Heinrich were able to remain and lived the remainder of their days at Hemmelmark.

In 1920, Irene met with Anna Anderson, the woman who claimed to be her niece, Grand Duchess Anastasia. Although Irene surely held hope that one of her nieces had survived the family’s execution, she quickly found Anderson to be a fake. It was a subject that caused great stress to Irene, with her husband banning Anderson’s name from being brought up in his wife’s presence. Some years later, Irene’s son would pose some questions to Anderson about their childhood and found that Anderson answered them all to his satisfaction. Many years later, Anderson’s claim was proven false thanks to DNA evidence.

Following her husband’s death in 1929, Irene continued to live at Hemmelmark. More losses would come in the following years. Her brother Ernie died in 1937, followed just weeks later by the horrific plane crash which took the lives of Ernie’s widow, his elder son, daughter-in-law, and grandsons. Then, World War II broke out, once again separating Irene from her only remaining sibling, her sister Victoria.

Following the war, and her sister’s death in 1950, Irene spent her remaining years quietly, often in the company of her granddaughter Princess Barbara of Prussia. On November 11, 1953, Princess Irene passed away at Hemmelmark with Barbara by her side. She was buried beside her husband and youngest son in the chapel on the grounds of Hemmelmark.

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Prince Heinrich of Prussia

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Prince Heinrich of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Heinrich of Prussia (Albert Wilhelm Heinrich) was Grand Admiral of the German Imperial Navy, a brother of Wilhelm II, German Emperor, and a grandson of Queen Victoria. Heinrich (Albert Wilhelm Heinrich) was born on August 14, 1862, at the Kronprinzenpalais (Crown Prince’s Palace) in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg. He was the third of the eight children of Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia and Victoria, Princess Royal, the eldest child of Queen Victoria.

Heinrich had seven siblings:

Heinrich’s family; Credit – Wikipedia

As a baby Heinrich was fretful and as a toddler, he was unsteady on his legs, crying to be carried around, or just plain crying. When Heinrich was 3 1/2 years old, his mother sent him off to England to spend the winter with his grandmother Queen Victoria and sent this warning, “You do not know how much trouble we have had with Henry…He never spoke the truth, roared by hours together if the least thing was refused him…bit, kicked and scratched the maids if they did not instantly do what he chose…”

Five-year-old Heinrich started his lessons with Georg Hinzpeter, who was already the tutor of Heinrich’s elder brother Wilhelm. Hinzpeter complained that Heinrich was “very backward and slow.” When Heinrich was eleven years old, his mother wrote to Queen Victoria, ” Henry is so awfully backward in every thing…is hopelessly lazy, drole, and idle about his lessons – but such a good natured boy – everyone likes him…” Eventually, it was decided that the best thing for Heinrich was to put him in the navy.

In 1877, at the age of 15, Heinrich entered the German Imperial Navy.  His training included a two-year voyage around the world (1878 to 1880), the naval officer examination (Seeoffizierhauptprüfung) in October 1880, and attendance at German Imperial Naval Academy (1884 to 1886).

Heinrich held various commands:

In 1899, Heinrich became Commander of the East Asia Squadron and in 1903, he returned to Germany as the Commander of the Baltic Sea Naval Station. From 1906 to 1909, Henry was Commander of the High Seas Fleet. He was promoted to Grand Admiral (Großadmiral) in 1909, the highest rank in the German Imperial Navy.

On May 24, 1888, Heinrich married his first cousin, Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine at the chapel in Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg. Irene was the daughter of Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, Queen Victoria’s second eldest daughter. At the time of the wedding, Heinrich’s father and Irene’s uncle by marriage, Friedrich III, German Emperor (known as Fritz), was suffering from cancer of the larynx and would die in less than a month. To honor his son, Fritz wore one of his full-dress uniforms with the Hessian Order and the Order of the Garter Star, entered the chapel leaning heavily on a cane, and although pale and thin, looked quite dignified. He can be seen in the photo below next to his wife who is to the right of the minister. Among other guests were the Prince of Wales (future King Edward VII) who was the uncle of both the bride and groom, Grand Duke Serge Alexandrovich of Russia and his wife Grand Duchess Elisabeth Feodorovna (born Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine, sister of the bride), and Prince and Princess Louis of Battenberg (the princess was born Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, sister of the bride).

Wedding of Heinrich and Irene; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Unfortunately, Irene was a hemophilia carrier having inherited the gene from her mother Princess Alice who had inherited it from her mother Queen Victoria. Nine of Queen Victoria’s descendants were afflicted with hemophilia and two of them were Heinrich and Irene’s sons.
Unofficial Royalty: Hemophilia in Queen Victoria’s Descendants

  • Prince Waldemar (1889 – 1945) married Princess Calixta of Lippe-Biesterfeld, no issue; a hemophiliac who died at age 56 in Tutzing, Bavaria, Germany due to lack of blood transfusion facilities as the Russians and Americans advanced on Germany at the very end of World War II
  • Prince Sigismund (1896 – 1978) married Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Altenburg, had one son and one daughter
  • Prince Heinrich (1900 – 1904), a hemophiliac, died at age 4 from a brain hemorrhage due to a fall

Prince Henry with his wife, Princess Irene, and their two surviving sons Waldemar and Sigismund; Credit – Wikipedia

At the beginning of World War I, Heinrich was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Baltic Fleet. He was charged with preventing the Russian Navy from attacking the German coast and was successful. At the end of World War I, and with the abdication of his brother Wilhelm as German Emperor and King of Prussia, Heinrich left the navy.

 

After the dissolution of the German monarchies, Heinrich and his family lived at Hemmelmark, an estate in Eckernförde in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Heinrich had bought the estate in 1894 because it was near his residence in the naval port city of Kiel. He continued participating in motorsports and sailing and was successful in sailing regattas even in his old age. Heinrich popularized the Prinz-Heinrich-Mütze (“Prince Henry cap”), still worn by some sailors.

Hemmelmark; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Heinrich died of throat cancer at the age of 66, at his home Hemmelmark on April 20, 1929. He was buried in a Russian-style chapel surrounded by trees, built on a field at Hemmelmark. Princess Irene died in 1953 at the age of 87 and was interred with her husband.

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Prince Louis of Battenberg, Marquess of Milford Haven

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

photo: Wikipedia

Prince Louis of Battenberg, Marquess of Milford Haven

Prince Louis of Battenberg was the husband of Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, daughter of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, and a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Despite his German roots, he became a naturalized British subject at the age of 16 when he joined the British Royal Navy, where he would spend his entire career. In 1917, King George V asked all of his extended family to relinquish their German titles. Louis gave up his Battenberg title and took the surname Mountbatten (the anglicized version of Battenberg). The King then created him Marquess of Milford Haven in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.

Louis was born Count Ludwig Alexander of Battenberg, on May 24, 1854, in Graz, Austria. He was the eldest son of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine, and Countess Julia Hauke. As his parents’ marriage was morganatic, Louis and his siblings took their titles from their mother, who had been created Countess of Battenberg (later elevated to Princess of Battenberg in 1858). Louis had four siblings:

In October 1868, having been influenced by his cousin’s wife, Princess Alice, and her brother, Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Louis joined the British Royal Navy at just 14 years old. The next year, before his training was finished, the Prince of Wales requested Louis to be aboard his ship, the HMS Ariadne, as he and his wife cruised the Mediterranean and Black Seas, and visited Egypt. Upon his return, he served on several ships before again joining the Prince of Wales, this time on the HMS Serapis, in 1875 for the Prince’s tour of India. He then served under Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh about the HMS Sultan for the next two years. He served aboard the royal yacht HMY Osborne before being posted to the HMS Inconstant from 1880-1882. After some time visiting his brother Alexander, by that point the reigning Prince of Bulgaria, Louis was appointed to the royal yacht HMY Victoria and Albert in 1883.

On April 30, 1884, in Darmstadt, Louis married Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, the daughter of his first cousin, Grand Duke Ludwig IV of Hesse and by Rhine, and Princess Alice of the United Kingdom. The couple had four children:

Louis and Victoria with their two eldest children, c. 1890. Photo: Wikipedia

Louis was much loved by his wife’s grandmother, Queen Victoria, who along with her son the Prince of Wales, often stepped in to help Louis’ career. These gestures, while well-intended, were not always welcomed by the young Louis. However, through his own efforts and accomplishments, he was raised to the rank of Commander in 1885, and then Captain in 1891. In 1892, he invented the Battenberg Course Indicator, a device used to determine course and speed to steer for changes of position between ships.

Captain Louis Battenberg, 1894. Photo: Wikipedia

His rank continued to rise, as did his influence in the Royal Navy. In 1902, he was made Director of Naval Intelligence, and two years later elevated to Rear Admiral. In 1908, he was made Vice-Admiral and Commander-in-Chief of the Atlantic Fleet. Having served aboard for many years, he returned to the Admiralty in 1911, as Second Sea Lord, and was made Admiral in July 1912. Five months later, Prince Louis was made First Sea Lord.

However, in 1914, with war imminent, there was an intense anti-German sentiment in Britain. Louis, despite his exemplary career in the Royal Navy, was still seen by many as just a German prince. There were false accusations in the media of spying for the Germans. In fact, due to his German relations, he was able to learn much about the German military and share that information with the Brits. Despite protests from King George V, Louis was asked to resign his position as First Sea Lord in October 1914. The King appointed him to the Privy Council, in what was deemed to be a public show of support for what he felt was Louis’ mistreatment by the navy. The next few years were spent living quietly at Kent House on the Isle of Wight, England although Louis had been assured that he would be recalled to service after the war.

 

In 1917, King George asked his family to relinquish their German titles. Prince Louis of Battenberg gave up his royal style and took on the surname Mountbatten – the anglicized version of Battenberg. The King offered him a Dukedom, however, Louis declined as he was not able to maintain the lifestyle accustomed to that level of the peerage. He was the only one of the extended family to be offered a dukedom, an indication of the level of respect and esteem the King felt for him. Instead, he was created Marquess of Milford Haven.

In late 1918, Louis was informed that he would not be recalled to service, and he formally retired from the Royal Navy on January 1, 1919, after a career lasting nearly 50 years. Louis and Victoria, now facing reduced income, sold Kent House and Schloss Heiligenberg in Hesse, Germany, which Louis had inherited from his father. They took up residence at Fishponds, a home on the grounds of Netley Castle in Hampshire, England. Netley Castle was owned by Lt. Colonel Crichton, whose wife, Nona, had been a lady-in-waiting and close companion of Louis’ wife Victoria.

Following his retirement, he was promoted to the rank of Admiral of the Fleet on the retired list and was appointed to the Military Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath by the King. In late August 1921, he was invited to board the HMS Repulse, on which his younger son was serving, and spent a week aboard the ship. It would be his last journey. While aboard, he caught a cold which later turned to pneumonia. On September 11, 1921, while staying at the Naval & Military Club in London, England, Louis fell ill. While his wife was out at a pharmacy picking up prescriptions for him, Louis suffered a heart attack and died. He was 67 years old. Several days later, his remains were brought to the Isle of Wight, where he and his wife had enjoyed some of the happiest years living at Kent House. Following a funeral at Westminster Abbey, he was buried in the grounds of St Mildred’s Church in Whippingham, Isle of Wight, England. His wife, who survived him by 29 years, is buried by his side.

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.