Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein source: Wikipedia

Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (Friedrich Christian Karl August) was the husband of Princess Helena, the third daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He was born on January 22, 1831, at Augustenborg Palace in Augustenborg, Denmark, the sixth of seven children of Christian August II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg and his wife, Countess Louise Sophie of Danneskiold-Samsøe.

Christian had six siblings:

While attending the University of Bonn, Christian became close friends with the future German Emperor Friedrich III. This friendship would serve him well in later years, as Friedrich’s wife Victoria, Princess Royal was the elder sister of Christian’s future wife. The German couple would fully support Christian’s marriage to Helena, despite significant opposition from other members of Helena’s family.

 

It was on a visit to Coburg in the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in May 1865 that Christian and Helena’s romance began. Despite the fifteen-year age difference, they were drawn to each other. With the support of, and perhaps some prodding by Queen Victoria, the couple’s engagement was announced in December of the same year. Part of the agreement with Queen Victoria was that the couple would live in the United Kingdom, close to The Queen. As Christian had no specific career or ambitions, this was quickly agreed to. Just before the wedding, The Queen raised Christian’s style to ‘Royal Highness’, although this only applied in the United Kingdom. They married in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle on July 5, 1866, and settled at nearby Frogmore House.

Christian and Helena had five children:

A favorite of Queen Victoria, Christian was created a Knight of the Garter and Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, as well as an Aide-de-Camp to both Queen Victoria and King Edward VII. In 1866, The Queen appointed him Ranger of Windsor Great Park. In 1872, with the impending birth of their fourth child, Christian and his family moved from Frogmore House and took up residence at Cumberland Lodge, the traditional home of the Ranger of Windsor Park. During Queen Victoria’s reign, the family would stay at Buckingham Palace when they needed lodgings in London.

Not having any particular job or military career, Prince Christian was perfectly content being at Queen Victoria’s beck and call. With his wife assuming much of the role of unofficial secretary to Her Majesty, Christian also assisted with paperwork, primarily dealing with the family, and would often be called to read to The Queen or handle any other matters she saw fit to pass along to him. The Queen intended to fully utilize Helena and Christian until Princess Beatrice was old enough to take over the role.

In December 1891, while out on a shoot with his brother-in-law, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, Arthur accidentally shot Christian in the face. One eye was completely shot out, with some minor damage to the other. Christian, in his usual unprepossessing manner, made the best of the situation. He amassed a significant collection of glass eyes in various shades and colors. He would amuse, and sometimes shock, guests by appearing with two different colored eyes, even having some made to appear bloodshot should he need to match his good eye following a late night.

Following Queen Victoria’s death in 1901, Christian and his family were given the former De Vesci House at 77-78 Pall Mall as their London home. Later known as Schomberg House, it would remain in Christian’s family until the late 1940s. Despite his advancing age, he often represented his brother-in-law King Edward VII at foreign functions. Notable amongst these was the silver anniversary celebration of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and Augusta Viktoria, German Empress in 1906. Christian and Helena were aunt and uncle to both of them, as the  Emperor was the son of Helena’s eldest sister and Empress was the daughter of Christian’s brother.

The last few years of Christian’s life saw some major events. In 1916, he and Helena celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, the first in the British royal family since King George III and Queen Charlotte. Then, in July 1917, Christian and his family gave up their German titles, at the request of King George V. While many other relatives lost their Princely titles completely, Christian retained his, simply dropping the ‘of Schleswig-Holstein’ designation.

“Schleswig-Holstein plot at Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore” by Peter symonds – Own work. Licensed under GFDL via Wikimedia Commons.

Just three months later, Prince Christian died on October 28, 1917, at Schomberg House in London, England. Following his funeral at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, his remains were placed in the Royal Crypt there. In 1928, along with the remains of his wife and their son Harald, Christian was re-interred in the newly established Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore in Windsor, England.

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Cindy Ritter

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Messages to her family may be left at her online obituary.
Cynthia Arwood Ritter Obituary

Princess Helena of the United Kingdom, Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Princess Helena of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Helena was the fifth child, and third daughter, of Queen Victoria of The United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. She was born at Buckingham Palace in London, England on May 25, 1846. Two months later, on July 25, 1846 she was christened in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace with the names Helena Augusta Victoria. Her godparents were:

Helena had eight siblings:

Princess Helena and her brother Prince Alfred by Franz Xaver Winterhalter; Credit – Wikipedia

Known within the family as Lenchen, Helena’s childhood was spent at her mother’s various homes, in the care of nurses and nannies. An accomplished artist and pianist from a young age, she was often overshadowed in life by her siblings. She was closest to her brother Alfred, and the two remained so for their entire lives. Helena’s life would change drastically in 1861, with the death of her beloved father. She began helping her sister Alice who became an unofficial secretary to their mother. After Alice’s marriage, Helena would continue in this role, along with her younger sister Louise, before the role was primarily taken by her youngest sister, Beatrice.

Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein; Credit – Wikipedia

Helena had a brief romance with Carl Ruland, who had served as her father’s librarian. Of course, when Queen Victoria discovered her daughter’s interest in one of the servants, Ruland was quickly dispatched back to Germany. Victoria then began a quest to find Helena an appropriate husband. It was in May 1865 while visiting Coburg that Helena met her future husband, Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, the son of Christian August, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, and Countess Louise Sophie af Danneskiold-Samsøe. After receiving formal consent from Queen Victoria and agreeing that they would live in the United Kingdom, their engagement was announced on December 5, 1865. As she had done with her other children, Queen Victoria arranged for Parliament to grant Helena an annuity of £6000 per year and a £30,000 dower. She also personally gave the couple £100,000, which provided them an income of about £4000 per year.

The engagement was not met with unanimous approval within the royal family. The Princess of Wales (formerly Princess Alexandra of Denmark) could not countenance a marriage to someone who, she felt, took the Schleswig and Holstein duchies away from her father King Christian IX of Denmark. The Prince of Wales supported his wife in this. Another of Helena’s sisters, Alice, disapproved as she felt her mother was pushing Helena into this marriage to ensure that Helena would remain near her side. The fact that Christian was fifteen years older than Helena certainly did not help that suggestion. However, Helena was truly in love with Christian and was determined to marry him for her own happiness.

Princess Helena and Prince Christian; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

Despite the misgivings of some of her siblings, Helena had the full support and blessing of her mother and the wedding went on as planned. Helena and Christian married on July 5, 1866, in the Private Chapel in Windsor Castle in Windsor, England. Following a brief stay at Osborne House, they set off on a honeymoon in Paris, Interlaken, and Genoa.

Upon returning from their honeymoon, the couple settled at Frogmore House in Windsor, England, and over the next eleven  years, had five children:

In 1872, Helena and her family moved from Frogmore House to Cumberland Lodge in Windsor Great Park. Cumberland Lodge was the traditional home of the Ranger of Windsor Great Park, a position to which Prince Christian had been appointed in 1867. She took a very active role in royal duties and engagements when this was not nearly as common as it is today. Helena was very involved in charity work, particularly nursing. She served as president of the Royal British Nurses Association and was one of the founding members of the British Red Cross.  She was also the founding president of the Royal School of Needlework.

In the late 1870s, Helena suffered several losses.  Her young son, Prince Harald, died just 8 days old in 1876, and the following year she would give birth to a stillborn son.  The next year, her sister Alice died from diphtheria.  Despite their strained relationship at the time of Helena’s marriage, Helena recognized that Alice was looking out for her happiness, and she was devastated by her death.  Helena later wrote a forward for a book of letters from Alice to Queen Victoria.  The second edition, published in 1885, was titled “Memories of Princess Alice by her Sister, Princess Christian.”

More tragedy would come at the turn of the century.  Her favorite brother Alfred died in July 1900, and in October, her oldest son, Christian Victor, died of malaria in South Africa while serving in the Boer War.  The year 1901 would bring the death of her mother Queen Victoria and eldest sister Victoria, The Dowager German Empress.

Following Queen Victoria’s death, Helena continued to support the monarchy, although she was not very close with her brother King Edward VII. With King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra now residing at Buckingham Palace, Helena needed a new home in London. Unlike many of her siblings, Helena did not have a separate London home and stayed in the Belgian Suite at Buckingham Palace when she was in London. In August 1902, King Edward VII gave her use of the former De Vesci House at 77-78 Pall Mall in London, England, which had recently been given to the Crown. It soon became known as Schomberg House, and Helena would live there for the rest of her life. Schomberg House would then become the home of Helena’s two daughters until 1947.

Princess Helena in 1910; Credit – Wikipedia

Helena and Christian celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1916, the first in the family since King George III and Queen Charlotte in 1811. In July 1917, Helena’s nephew King George V asked his family to relinquish their German titles. Helena’s family dropped the ‘of Schleswig-Holstein’ designation from their titles, and Helena officially became just Princess Christian. Unofficially, she was most often known simply as Princess Helena. Just a few months later, on October 8, 1917, Helena’s husband died at Schomberg House.

Princess Helena died on June 9, 1923, at Schomberg House in London, England at the age of 77. She was survived by three of her children and three of her siblings. Following her funeral on June 15, 1923, held at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor, England,  she was interred in the Royal Crypt at St. George’s Chapel. In 1928, her remains, along with those of her husband and son Harald were moved to the newly established Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore in Windsor, England.

“Schleswig-Holstein plot at Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore” by Peter symonds – Own work. Licensed under GFDL via Wikimedia Commons.

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:

  • Helena: A  Princess Reclaimed – S. Chomet
  • Helena: Queen Victoria’s Third Daughter – John Van der Kiste and Bee Jordaan

Queen Victoria Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Prince Friedrich Karl, Landgrave of Hesse

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Prince Friedrich Karl, Landgrave of Hesse; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Friedrich Karl of Hesse (Friedrich Karl Ludwig Konstantin), husband of Queen Victoria’s granddaughter Princess Margarete of Prussia, was born on May 1, 1869, at his family’s estate Gut Panker, in Plön, Holstein, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. He was the fourth of the six children of Friedrich Wilhelm, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and his second wife Princess Anna of Prussia. Friedrich Wilhelm’s first wife Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna of Russia, the youngest daughter of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia, had died in childbirth at the age of 19 after giving birth to a premature son who also died.

Prince Friedrich Karl, known as Fischy, grew up in a home where his father never recovered from the loss of his first wife and treated his second wife politely, but in a distant manner. Fischy’s mother Anna was intelligent and a classically trained pianist who supported many musicians and composers, including Johannes Brahms, Clara Schumann, and Anton Rubinstein.

Fischy had two brothers and three sisters:

Prince Friedrich Karl, 1892; Credit – Wikipedia

In the summer of 1892, Fischy became engaged to Princess Margarete of Prussia (known as Mossy), the youngest child of Friedrich III, German Emperor and Victoria, Princess Royal. As a younger son, Fischy was not wealthy and did not own property, and it was with great reluctance that Mossy’s brother Wilhelm II, German Emperor gave the marriage his approval, telling his sister that he did so because “she was so unimportant.”

Prince Friedrich Karl and Princess Margarete in 1893; Credit – Wikipedia

Fischy and Mossy were married at the Friedenskirche in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany, on January 25, 1893, the wedding anniversary of Mossy’s parents, which was bittersweet for Mossy’s widowed mother. Fischy and Mossy had six sons, including two sets of twins. Two of their sons were killed in action during World War I, and one was killed in action during World War II.

Hesse-Kassel sons

Hesse-Kassel sons; Photo Credit – pinterest.com

Fischy and Mossy’s marriage was a happy one, and in the early years of their marriage, they lived at Schloss Rumpenheim in Offenbach am Main, Hesse, Germany. Upon the death of her mother in 1901, Mossy inherited Schloss Friedrichshof in Kronberg im Taunus, Hesse, Germany, the home her mother had built between 1889 and 1893 in honor of her late husband Friedrich III, German Emperor. Mossy was committed to retaining her mother’s home, so the family moved to Schloss Friedrichshof. The extensive art collection and the financial resources Mossy inherited along with Schloss Friedrichshof helped with the upkeep of her mother’s home. Today, Schloss Friedrichshof, known as Schlosshotel Kronberg, is a five-star hotel that belongs to the House of Hesse.

Mossy and Fischy’s quiet life was interrupted in 1918. After becoming independent from Russia, the Finnish Parliament elected Fischy King of Finland on October 9, 1918. However, with the end of World War I, because of his German birth and the abdication of his brother-in-law, Wilhelm III, German Emperor, and the ending of the monarchies in Germany, Fischy renounced the throne on December 14, 1918.

On March 16, 1925, Fischy’s brother abdicated as the head of the House of Hesse and was succeeded by Fischy. Even though Germany had done away with royal titles, Fischy was styled as Landgrave of Hesse. Fischy died on May 28, 1940, at the age of 72, and was buried at the family cemetery of the House of Hesse at the Schloss Kronberg (formerly Schloss Friedrichshof) in Taunus, Hesse, Germany. Mossy survived her husband by nearly fourteen years, dying on January 22, 1954, at the age of 81, and was buried beside him.

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Princess Margarete of Prussia, Landgravine of Hesse

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Princess Margarete of Prussia, Landgravine of Hesse; Credit – Wikipedia

A granddaughter of Queen Victoria, Princess Margarete of Prussia (Margarete Beatrice Feodora) was born on April 22, 1872, at the Neues Palais in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany. She was given the name Margarete in honor of one of her godparents, Crown Princess Margherita of Italy, born Margherita of Savoy, the wife of the future King Umberto I of Italy. The youngest of the eight children of Friedrich III, German Emperor and Victoria, Princess Royal, the infant princess’ head was covered with short, moss-like hair, and therefore, her family name was Mossy. Her mother was particularly close to her three youngest daughters and called them “my three sweet girls.” Mossy had four brothers and three sisters.

NPG x95907; Group photo of three sisters of Prussia. Margarete, Victoria and Sophie. by Alexander Bassano

Group photo of three sisters of Prussia. Margarete, Victoria, and Sophie. by Alexander Bassano, half-plate glass negative, circa 1887 NPG x95907 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Mossy’s father died in 1888, and since the marriage of her sister Victoria (Moretta) in 1890, she had been her mother’s constant companion. However, Mossy’s mother would not dream of insisting her youngest daughter and her husband make their home with her as her mother Queen Victoria had insisted her youngest daughter Beatrice do. There was talk of Mossy marrying Tsarevich Nicholas of Russia (the future Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia) and her cousin Prince Eddy (Albert Victor of Wales). At the time of these discussions, Mossy was infatuated with Prince Max of Baden, who did not reciprocate. In the summer of 1892, Mossy became engaged to Prince Friedrich Karl of Hesse (Fischy), the third son of Friedrich Wilhelm of Hesse, Landgrave of Hesse. As the third son, Fischy was not wealthy and did not own property, it was with great reluctance that Mossy’s brother Wilhelm II, German Emperor gave the marriage his approval, telling his sister that he did so because “she was so unimportant.”

Princess Margarete and Prince Friedrich Karl of Hesse in 1893; Credit – Wikipedia

Mossy and Fischy were married at the Friedenskirche in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, on January 25, 1893, on the wedding anniversary of Mossy’s parents, which was bittersweet for Mossy’s widowed mother. Mossy and Fischy had six sons, including two sets of twins. Two of their sons were killed in action during World War I, and one was killed in action during World War II.

Hesse-Kassel sons

Hesse-Kassel sons; Photo Credit – pinterest.com

Mossy, who lived until 1954, had a number of family tragedies to endure:

  • Prince Maximilian of Hesse-Kassel: second child, killed in action during World War I on October 13, 1914.  See Unofficial Royalty: October 1914 – Royalty and World War I
  • Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Hesse-Kassel: eldest child, killed in action during World War I on September 12, 1916.  See Unofficial Royalty: September 1916 – Royalty and World War I
  • Princess Mafalda of Savoy: wife of her son Prince Philipp of Hesse-Kassel, daughter of King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, died in Buchenwald concentration camp on August 27, 1944, during World War II. Philipp was also imprisoned in concentration camps after his fallout with Hitler
  • Prince Christoph of Hesse-Kassel: youngest child, killed in action during World War II on October 7, 1943
  • Princess Marie Alexandra of Baden: wife of her son Prince Wolfgang of Hesse-Kassel, killed during an American air raid on Frankfurt am Main on January 29, 1944, during World War II. Marie Alexandra and seven other women, who were all aid workers, were killed when the cellar, in which they had taken refuge, collapsed under the weight of the building

Mossy and Fischy’s marriage was a happy one, and in the early years of their marriage, they lived at Schloss Rumpenheim in Offenbach am Main, Hesse, Germany. When her mother in 1901, Mossy inherited Schloss Friedrichshof in Kronberg im Taunus, Hesse, Germany, the home her mother had built between 1889 and 1893 in honor of her late husband Friedrich III, German Emperor. Mossy was committed to retaining her mother’s home, so her family moved to Schloss Friedrichshof. The extensive art collection and the financial resources Mossy inherited along with Schloss Friedrichshof helped with the upkeep of her mother’s home. Today, Schloss Friedrichshof, known as Schlosshotel Kronberg, is a five-star hotel that belongs to the House of Hesse.
Official Website: Schlosshotel Kronberg

Schlosshotel Kronberg, 2007; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Mossy and Fischy’s quiet life was interrupted in 1918. After becoming independent from Russia, the Finnish Parliament elected Fischy King of Finland on October 9, 1918. However, with the end of World War I, because of his German birth and the abdication of brother-in-law, Wilhelm III, German Emperor, and the ending of the monarchies in Germany, Fischy renounced the throne on December 14, 1918.

On March 16, 1925, Fischy’s brother abdicated as the head of the House of Hesse and was succeeded by Fischy. Even though Germany had done away with royal titles, Fischy was styled as Landgrave of Hesse, and Mossy was styled as Landgravine of Hesse. Fischy died on May 28, 1940, at the age of 72.

In 1945, at the end of World War II, Schloss Friedrichshof was occupied by American troops, and Mossy took refuge in a cottage on the grounds. Her extensive jewel collection, largely inherited from the mother, had been hidden in Schloss Friedrichshof. The jewels were found and smuggled out of Germany by three American officers. The thieves were not imprisoned until August 1951. Only 10% of the stolen jewels were recovered and returned to the Hesse family.

Mossy died on January 22, 1954, at the age of 81, at her home. She was buried with her husband at the family cemetery of the House of Hesse at the Schloss Kronberg (formerly Schloss Friedrichshof) in Taunus, Hesse, Germany.

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King Constantine I of the Hellenes

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

King Constantine I of the Hellenes; Credit – Wikipedia

King Constantine I of Greece was born on August 2, 1868, in Athens, Greece. Constantine’s birth was met with great joy in Greece as he would be the first Greek-born child of a modern Greek monarch. He was the eldest of the eight children of King George I of the Hellenes and his wife Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia, daughter of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich who was a son of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia. Constantine’s father was born Prince Vilhelm of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and later became a Prince of Denmark when his father succeeded to the Danish throne as King Christian IX. When he was only 17 years old, Prince Vilhelm was elected King by the Greek National Assembly.

Constantine had four brothers and three sisters:

Greek Royal Family around 1890, Credit – Wikipedia

Although Danish-born King George I retained his Lutheran faith, all his children were baptized Greek Orthodox and learned Greek from birth. Constantine was tutored in Greek literature, mathematics, physics, and history by prominent university professors. In 1882, Constantine enrolled in the Hellenic Military Academy, the officer cadet school of the Hellenic Army. After graduation, Constantine received further military education in the German Imperial Army in Berlin. He also attended the University of Heidelberg and the University of Leipzig in Germany where he studied political science and business. In 1890, he returned to Greece and embarked on a military career. With the rank of Major General, Constantine took over the command of the 3rd Army in Athens.

Constantine in the field uniform of a Lieutenant General of the Greek Army in the 1890s; Credit – Wikipedia

During the summer of 1887, many European royals were in England to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. Queen Victoria was pleased to see a relationship developing between her granddaughter Princess Sophie of Prussia and Constantine. Constantine was not very bright, but as Queen Victoria wrote to her eldest child Victoria, Princess Royal, Sophie’s mother, “a good heart and a good character…go far beyond cleverness.” The couple became engaged shortly after the death of Sophie’s father Friedrich III, German Emperor in 1888. Despite having the approval of Queen Victoria and her eldest brother Wilhelm, now the German Emperor, Sophie did not have the wholehearted agreement of her mother. Her mother dreaded sending Sophie so far away, and she thought the stability of the Greek throne was uncertain and the country was considered underdeveloped. Nevertheless, Sophie and Constantine married on October 27, 1889, in Athens, Greece. They had a Greek Orthodox service at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation and then a Lutheran service in the private Lutheran chapel of King George I of Greece.

Sophie and Constantine’s engagement photo 1889; Credit – Wikipedia

Sophie and Constantine had six children and there is a 23-year age gap between their eldest and youngest child.

Photo circa 1910, Top left: Constantine holding Irene, Top right: the future George II, Left: Sophia, Center: Helen, Right: the future Alexander I, Front: the future Paul I, Katherine is not yet born; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

On March 18, 1913, Constantine’s father King George I was assassinated and he acceded to the Greek throne as King Constantine I.

Swearing-in ceremony of King Constantine I before the Greek Parliament in 1913; Credit – Wikipedia

At first, Constantine was a popular king because of his success in the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913. Early in World War I, Constantine rejected a request from his brother-in-law Wilhelm II for Greece to join Germany and the Central Powers in the war. Many Greek people thought German-born Sophie, Constantine’s wife and Wilhelm II’s sister, supported Germany, but she was pro-British. Like her father, Sophie had been influenced by her mother, the British-born Victoria, Princess Royal. Greek Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos was strongly pro-Allies, having established an excellent rapport with the British and French, and was convinced that German aggression had caused the war. Constantine had decided upon a policy of neutrality because it seemed the best way to ensure that Greece would emerge from World War I intact and with the substantial territorial gains it had won in the recent Balkan Wars. The disagreement between King Constantine I and Prime Minister Venizelos was called “The National Schism” and would have repercussions in Greek politics until after World War II.

Constantine with Eleftherios Venizelos in 1913; Credit – Wikipedia

Despite the popularity of Venizelos and his clear majority in Parliament for supporting the Allies, Constantine continued to oppose the Prime Minister. In 1913, after the Balkan Wars, Greece signed the Greek–Serbian Alliance which obliged each country to come to the other’s aid should either be attacked. When Austria-Hungary invaded Serbia, Venizelos wanted to mobilize the Greek army and enter the war on the side of the Allies. Constantine, who was popularly considered to be a German sympathizer, refused. In an attempt to force the king’s hand, Venizelos allowed a British-French force to land in Thessaloniki, Greece in 1915 to aid the Serbs, establishing the Salonica Front. Constantine’s constant refusal to allow Greece to fulfill its treaty commitments led to the resignation of Venizelos as Prime Minister in September 1915.

King Constantine I of Greece in the uniform of a German Field Marshal, a rank awarded to him by German Emperor Wilhelm II in 1913; Credit – Wikipedia

Protests began to occur in Greece and threats on Constantine’s life were received. In July 1916, arsonists, possibly at the instigation of the Greek secret police, attempted to kill Constantine and some members of the Greek royal family while they were at Tatoi Palace, the summer palace outside Athens. The forest surrounding the palace was set on fire and due to the hot, dry weather, the fire quickly spread. Tatoi Palace was burned down, sixteen people were killed, and Constantine was injured but managed to escape with his family.

In August 1916, an Allied-supported popular revolt broke out in Thessaloniki. There, the former Prime Minister, Venizelos established a provisional revolutionary government, which declared war on the Central Powers. With Allied support, the revolutionary government of Venizelos gained control of half the country.

In the Royal Palace in Athens, Constantine was basically a prisoner. Only the veto of Russia’s Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia prevented the British and French from deposing Constantine. That changed with the Russian Revolution in March 1917 when Nicholas II abdicated. In May 1917, supporters of Venizelos protested, calling upon the government in Athens to depose Constantine. The government in Athens realized that it was inevitable that this would happen. On June 10, 1917, Allied High Commissioner Charles Jonnart required King Constantine I to abdicate because he had violated his oath to rule as a constitutional monarch. The Allies were opposed to Constantine’s eldest son George becoming the king. George had served in the German army and was viewed as having German sympathies.

At a Crown Council in the Royal Palace, Constantine explained that he would leave because Athens would be a bloodbath if he did not. He named his second son Alexander his successor with the understanding that he would return to Greece after the war. The 23-year-old Alexander was horrified. Constantine told Alexander that he would be holding the throne in trust for him. Neither Constantine nor his son George would sign any renunciation of succession. On June 11, 1917, Constantine left Greece for exile in neutral Switzerland, and on June 30, 1917, Greece officially declared war on the Central Powers

In 1920, King Alexander died of blood poisoning as a result of sepsis from a monkey bite, and the third son Paul was asked to take over the throne. After Paul declined, Constantine was brought back after a change of government and a referendum allowing his return from exile. Constantine was enthusiastically welcomed by the Greek people but their enthusiasm did not last long. After a defeat in a war against Turkey in 1922, Constantine was forced to abdicate a second time and again go into exile. The crown went to his eldest son George, who reigned until 1925 when he was forced to abdicate. He was restored to the throne in 1936 and reigned until his death in 1947 when his younger brother Paul became king. Thus, all three sons of Constantine became Kings of Greece.

 

On January 11, 1923, Constantine died at the age of 54 from a brain hemorrhage in Palermo, Sicily. He was buried in the crypt of the Russian Church of Florence in Italy. With the restoration of the monarchy in 1936, the return of the remains of Greek royals to Greece was permitted. The Greek government sent the battleship Averof Brindisi to pick up the remains of Constantine, his mother Queen Olga, and his wife Queen Sophia, who had also died in exile. The battleship arrived in Piraeus, Greece on November 17, 1936. An official procession transported the remains to the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation in Athens where they lay in state for six days. He was then buried at the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace near Athens, Greece.

Tomb of King Constantine I of Greece; Photo 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.

Greece Resources at Unofficial Royalty

April 1915: Royalty and World War I

by Susan Flantzer


Captain The Honorable Lyon Playfair

Lyon_playfair

Captain The Honorable Lyon Playfair; Photo Credit – Redgrave History

The Honorable Lyon Playfair, a Captain in the Royal Field Artillery, was killed in action at Zonnebeke, Belgium during the Second Battle of Ypres on April 20, 1915 at the age of 26. His death occurred while he was acting as the observing officer for his artillery unit in a trench close to German lines. One of his men wrote of him, “A finer officer or better gentleman it would be hard to find.” He attended the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, was commissioned a Lieutenant in 1908, and promoted to Captain in December 1914. He was in the 31st Battalion of the Royal Field Artillery and had landed in France on August 23, 1914. He was unmarried and the title Baron Playfair became extinct upon the death of his father, the 2nd BaronPlayfair in 1939.

Captain The Honorable Lyon Playfair was the only son of Brigadier General George Playfair, 2nd Baron Playfair and Lady Playfair (born Augusta Mary Hickman) who were residing at Redgrave Hall in Redgrave, Suffolk, England at the time of their son’s death. The captain’s body was never found and he is commemorated with many others on the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing, a war memorial in Ypres, Belgium, dedicated to the British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres battles of World War I and whose graves are unknown. A memorial window was unveiled at the east end of the north aisle of St. Mary’s Church in Redgrave on April 20, 1916, exactly a year after his death. In addition, a memorial tablet to the captain is in the Playfair Aisle of the Parish Church of the Holy Trinity in St Andrews, Scotland.

Playfair_StAndrews16

Captain Playfair’s memorial tablet in the Playfair Aisle of the Parish Church of the Holy Trinity, St Andrews, Scotland

Captain The Honorable Playfair was a grandson of Lyon Playfair, 1st Baron Playfair, the Scottish scientist and Liberal politician. The 1st Baron Playfair was a chemist who held a number of academic positions. He was a special commissioner and a member of the executive committee of the Great Exhibition, a project of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband.  Lord Playfair served as a Gentleman Usher to Prince Albert. In 1868, Playfair was elected Liberal Member of Parliament for the Universities of Edinburgh and St Andrews in Scotland and was then elected as Member of Parliament for Leeds South in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. After leaving the House of Commons in 1892, Playfair was created Baron Playfair of St Andrews in the County of Fife in Scotland.

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Timeline: April 1, 1915 – April 30, 1915

April 5 – May 5: First Battle of Woevre
April 12 – 14: Battle of Shaiba, in present-day Iraq
April 19 – May 17: Ottomans besiege the Armenian city of Van, in present-day Turkey
April 22 – May 25: Second Battle of Ypres, in Belgium, Germany first uses the poison gas
April 22 – 23: Battle of Gravenstafel, first stage of the Second Battle of Ypres
April 24 – May 5: Battle of St Julien, part of the Second Battle of Ypres
April 25: Allied forces land on Gallipoli, located in present-day Turkey, landing at Anzac Cove and Cape Helles
April 26: London Pact between the Triple Entente (France, Russia, United Kingdom) and Italy
April 28: First Battle of Krithia in the Gallipoli Campaign

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A Note About German Titles

Most of the royals who died in action during World War I were German. 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.

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April 1915 – Royals/Nobles/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, their name will be linked to that page.

Captain The Honorable Lyon Playfair

Princess Sophie of Prussia, Queen of Greece

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Princess Sophie of Prussia, Queen of Greece; Credit – Wikipedia

A granddaughter of Queen Victoria, Sophie Dorothea Ulrike Alice was born a Princess of Prussia at the Neues Palais in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia (now in Brandenburg, Germany) on June 14, 1870. Sophie was the seventh of the eight children of Friedrich III, German Emperor and Victoria, Princess Royal (Vicky). Her mother was particularly close to her three youngest daughters and called them “my three sweet girls.” Sophie had four brothers and three sisters.

Sophie around 15 years old; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Sophie grew up at her parents’ two residences, Neues Palais in Potsdam and Kronprinzenpalais in Berlin, both in the Kingdom of Prussia and now in Brandenburg, Germany. As her mother was English, Sophie was raised with a love of all things English and frequently visited her grandmother Queen Victoria. On one of these visits Sophie became acquainted with Crown Prince Constantine of Greece, known as Tino. During the summer of 1887, many European royals were in England to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. Queen Victoria observed a relationship developing between her granddaughter Sophie and Constantine and was pleased.  Constantine was not very bright, but as Queen Victoria wrote to Sophie’s mother, “a good heart and a good character…go far beyond cleverness.”

The couple became engaged shortly after Sophie’s father died in 1888. Despite having the approval of Queen Victoria and her eldest brother Wilhelm, now the German Emperor, Sophie did not have the wholehearted agreement of her mother. Vicky dreaded sending Sophie so far away, and she thought the stability of the Greek throne was uncertain and the country underdeveloped. Nevertheless, Sophie and Constantine married on October 27, 1889, in Athens, Greece. They had a Greek Orthodox service at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation and then a Lutheran service in the private chapel of King George I of Greece.  Constantine’s father had been Prince William of Denmark before he was elected King by the Greek National Assembly, and had retained his Lutheran faith.

Engagement Photo 1889; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Sophie and Constantine had six children and there was a twenty-three-year age gap between their eldest child and youngest child. The Greek, Romanian, Serbian, and Spanish Royal Families descend from their marriage. Sophie’s granddaughter Princess Sophia of Greece via her son King Paul of Greece was named after her. Sophia married King Juan Carlos of Spain and her name was changed to the more Spanish, Sofia. Queen Sofia of Spain’s younger granddaughter via her son King Felipe VI of Spain is also named Sofia.

Sophie and Constantine’s children:

Photo circa 1910, Top left: Constantine holding Irene, Top right: the future George II, Left: Sophia, Center: Helen, Right: the future Alexander I, Front: the future Paul I, Katherine is not yet born; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

In 1890, Sophie decided to convert to the Greek Orthodox faith. She was summoned by Augusta (known as Dona), the wife of her brother, Wilhelm II, German Emperor, who told Sophie that not only would Wilhelm find her conversion unacceptable, but she would be barred from Germany and her soul would end up in hell. Sophie replied what she did was her own business. Augusta became hysterical and gave birth to a premature son Prince Joachim. After the birth, Wilhelm wrote to his mother saying that if baby Joachim had died, Sophie would have murdered him. On the advice of her mother, Sophie ignored her brother, and gradually, the relationship between the siblings returned to normal.

While Crown Princess and later as Queen, Sophie cared intensely about healthcare, hygiene improvements, the school system, and the creation of employment opportunities for women through the promotion of arts and crafts. On March 18, 1913, Constantine’s father King George I was assassinated and Constantine acceded to the Greek throne as King Constantine I.

At first, Constantine was a popular king because of his success in the war against Turkey and Bulgaria. At the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, Greece remained a neutral nation. However, Greece had signed a treaty with Serbia in 1913 obliging Greece to come to Serbia’s aid if attacked by Bulgaria. Bulgaria did attack Serbia, disagreements arose between King Constantine and the Greek Prime Minister, the King was accused of pro-German sentiments, and he was forced to abdicate in 1917. Constantine, Sophie, and their family went into exile in Switzerland.

Crown Prince George, was also suspected of collaborating with the Germans, so it was the second son Alexander, who succeeded his father on the throne. In 1920, Alexander died of blood poisoning as a result of a monkey bite, and the third son Paul was asked to take over the throne. After Paul declined, Constantine was brought back after a change of government and a referendum allowing his return from exile. Constantine was welcomed enthusiastically by the Greek people but the enthusiasm did not last long. After a defeat in a war against Turkey in 1922, Constantine was forced to abdicate a second time and again go into exile. The crown went to his eldest son George, who reigned until 1925 when he was forced to abdicate. He was restored to the throne in 1936 and reigned until his death in 1947 when his younger brother Paul became king. Thus, all three sons of Sophie became Kings of Greece. Constantine died in 1923 in Palermo, Italy from a brain hemorrhage at the age of 54.

Greek royal family in 1921, From left: Princess Irene, Queen Sophia, King Constantine I of Greece, Princess Helen (later Queen of Romania), Carol, Crown Prince of Romania (Carol II), and Prince Paul of Greece (Paul I); Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Sophie spent her last years at her villa in Florence, Italy. She died at the age of 61, on January 13, 1932, in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, where she had been undergoing treatment for cancer. Sophie was buried alongside her husband in the Greek Orthodox Church in Florence, Italy. In November of 1936, after the restoration of the monarchy, the remains of Sophie and Constantine were transferred to Greece and buried in the mausoleum at the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace near Athens, Greece.

Tomb of Queen Sophie; Photo 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.

Greece Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Princess Marie “May” of Hesse and by Rhine

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine; Credit – Wikipedia

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’s mother described her as “enchanting” by her mother. Sjewas 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; Credit – Wikipedia

In November 1878, the Grand Ducal Family of Hesse and by Rhine began to fall ill with diphtheria. Grand Duke Ludwig and his children Victoria, Irene, Ernst Ludwig, Alix, and Marie all came down with diphtheria. Elisabeth, known as Ella, was the only family member 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, and 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 dying 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

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.

Nicholas II of Russia, Emperor of All Russia

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Nicholas II of Russia, Emperor of All Russia -Credit –  Wikipedia

Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia was born May 18, 1868, at the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo, Russia. He was the eldest son of Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia and Empress Maria Feodorovna (born Princess Dagmar of Denmark). At the time of his birth, he was second in line to the Russian throne, following his father. He had five younger siblings:

 

Nicholas was raised with his brother George who was three years younger. They were raised in a relatively simple manner considering their status. George and Nicholas slept in cots, woke up at 6:00 AM, took cold baths, and ate simple, plain meals. Their rooms were furnished with simple furniture. Both brothers were fluent in Russian, English, French, German, and Danish. The boys enjoyed shooting and fly fishing with their English tutor.

The Imperial Family always attended the graduation performances of the Imperial Ballet School and so in the audience in 1890 was Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia and his family including his son and heir the future Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia. The Imperial Family watched as graduating student Mathilde  Kschessinskaya performed a pas de deux from La Fille Mal Gardée with a male graduating student. Afterward, the graduates were presented to the Imperial Family and Emperor Alexander III told Mathilde told her to “be the glory and adornment of our ballet.” At the post-performance supper, Emperor Alexander III insisted that Mathilde sit next to him and then motioned his son and heir Tsesarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich to sit on her other side – and so the seventeen-year-old Mathilde met the twenty-two-year-old Nicholas for the first time.

Mathilde  Kschessinskaya; Credit – Wikipedia

According to Mathilde’s later recollections, she had a relationship with Nicholas from 1890 – 1894. To facilitate their meetings, the imperial court rented a villa in St. Petersburg. The relationship ended when Nicholas became engaged to Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine in April 1894. Mathilde was generously compensated with the villa that had served as their meeting place and a sum of money. Nicholas II never met her in private after that, but he often watched her performances and financially supported her discreetly whenever she needed it.

In 1884, having recently come of age, Nicholas attended the wedding of his uncle Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich to Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine. It was here that he first met the bride’s younger sister, Princess Alix. 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. 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 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 in to Alix’s wishes.

Nicholas and Alix at the time of their engagement – source: Wikipedia

Despite the misgivings of their respective families, the couple became engaged in April 1894, while in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha during the wedding celebrations of Alix’s brother. Nicholas represented 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 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.

Sadly, in the fall of 1894, Nicholas’ father fell ill. Sensing he had little time left, Alexander III instructed Nicholas to send for Alix, who arrived on October 22nd. Despite his ailing health, Alexander III insisted on greeting her in full uniform and gave her his blessing. Alexander III died 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 traditional pomp and ceremony.

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

On November 26, 1894, in the Grand Church of the Winter Palace, Nicholas and Alix were married in a traditional Orthodox ceremony. Because of the formal mourning for his father, the couple did not take a honeymoon and took up residence temporarily at the Anichkov Palace with his mother. They would soon moved to the Alexander Palace, their primary home for the remainder of their lives.

Over the next ten years, the couple had five children:

Coronation of Nicholas II; Credit – Wikipedia

On May 14, 1896, Nicholas’ coronation was held in the Uspensky Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin. The following day, a large celebration was held in the Khodynka Field outside Moscow. Tragically, over 1,300 people were killed, and another 1,300 were injured when the crowds surged forward toward the food and drinks. That evening, Nicholas was scheduled to attend an event hosted by the French ambassador, which he intended to cancel after the tragedy. However, he was told it would be a huge snub to the host, so he relented and attended. This made him appear indifferent to the suffering of his people. The whole affair would be the first of many events that contributed to the distrust and outright hatred of many Russian people toward their Emperor.

Russian Imperial family (circa 1913-1914); Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Nicholas’ reign would see the first Russian Constitution of 1906 which established a parliament. His reign also saw a steady decline in his popularity and support. His decision to fully mobilize the Russian troops in 1914 led to Russia’s entrance into World War I. By 1917, his authority had diminished, and on March 15, 1917, he was forced from the throne. He formally abdicated for himself and his son, making his younger brother Michael the new Emperor. However, Michael refused to accept until the Russian people could decide to continue the monarchy or establish a republic.

Nicholas at Tsarskoye Selo after his abdication, 1917. source: Wikipedia

The former Emperor returned to the Alexander Palace where he and his family were held in protective custody. A few months later, in August, the family and 45 retainers were moved to the city of Tobolsk, where they lived in the Governor’s Mansion, still under heavy guard. Their final move, in April 1918, was to Yekaterinburg where they were housed in the Ipatiev House – known as the ‘house of special purpose’. It was here, in the early hours of July 17, 1918, that Nicholas, his wife and children, and the few retainers who had remained with them, were killed by the Bolsheviks. Their bodies were initially thrown down a mine, but fearing discovery, they were mutilated and hastily buried beneath some tracks.  For more information see July 17, 1918 – Execution of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia and His Family

For many years, several members of the Imperial Family (including Nicholas’ mother) refused to believe the stories of their deaths. Other members of the family had been killed, and their bodies had been found and identified. But Nicholas’ and his family’s remains were never found, prompting numerous pretenders to come forward claiming to be one of the Grand Duchesses or the Tsarevich.

Finally, in 1979, a mass grave was discovered, believed to include the remains of the Imperial Family. The bodies were exhumed in 1991, and in 1998, through DNA testing, it was formally 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 bodies were interred in St. Catherine Chapel at the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg. The remains of the last two children, Alexei and Marie were found in a nearby grave in 2007 and positively identified the following year.  However, their remains have not yet been buried. The Russian Orthodox Church has questioned whether the remains are authentic and blocked the burial.

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

Romanov Resources at Unofficial Royalty