Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone
Princess Alice | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Countess of Athlone | |||||
Born | Princess Alice of Albany 25 February 1883 Windsor Castle, Berkshire, England | ||||
Died | 3 January 1981 Kensington Palace, London, England | (aged 97)||||
Burial | 8 January 1981 | ||||
Spouse | |||||
Issue | Lady May Abel Smith Rupert Cambridge, Viscount Trematon Prince Maurice of Teck | ||||
| |||||
House | Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (until 1917) Windsor (from 1917) | ||||
Father | Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany | ||||
Mother | Princess Helen of Waldeck and Pyrmont | ||||
Signature |
Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone
Early life
Princess Alice was born on 25 February 1883 at
She was baptised in the Private Chapel of Windsor Castle on 26 March 1883, and named Alice after her late paternal aunt Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse. Her godparents were: Queen Victoria (her paternal grandmother); the German Empress, for whom Alice's paternal aunt Princess Beatrice stood proxy; the King of the Netherlands (her maternal uncle), for whom the Dutch Ambassador Count Charles van Bylandt stood proxy; the Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine (her paternal uncle), represented by his brother-in-law Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh; the Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont (her maternal grandmother); the Prince of Wales (her paternal uncle); the Princess Royal (the German Crown Princess - her paternal aunt) represented by her sister-in-law the Princess of Wales; Prince Wilhelm of Württemberg (her maternal uncle), represented by his cousin the Duke of Teck; the Hereditary Princess of Bentheim and Steinfurt (her maternal aunt), for whom her paternal aunt Princess Christian stood proxy; and the Duchess of Cambridge (her grandmother's aunt), represented by her daughter the Duchess of Teck.[2] She was confirmed at the Royal Memorial Church of St George, Cannes, in 1898 with Queen Victoria present.[3]
Princess Alice was one of the carriers of the gene for haemophilia which originated with Queen Victoria. Princess Alice inherited the gene from her father, who died from the disease when she was one year old.[4]
Marriage and family
On 10 February 1904, at
- Princess May of Teck, later Lady May Cambridge (23 January 1906 – 29 May 1994); married Sir Henry Abel Smith in 1931, had issue.
- Prince Rupert of Teck, later Viscount Trematon (24 August 1907 – 15 April 1928); died in a car accident.
- Prince Maurice Francis George of Teck (29 March 1910 – 14 September 1910); died at five months old.
Her husband was granted the
Princess Alice was godmother to Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, who is the granddaughter of her first cousin on her mother's side, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands.[7]
South Africa, Canada and Second World War
The Earl was appointed Governor-General of the Union of South Africa, and served from 1924–31.[8] Princess Alice accompanied him and was the Vicereine during that period. Lord Athlone and Princess Alice had a coastal beach house constructed at Muizenberg, which still stands today and is one of South Africa's national monuments.[9] The Cape Town suburb of Athlone was named in honour of the Governor-General; apart from the beach house and the preserved Class GL Garratt steam locomotive Princess Alice in the Outeniqua Transport Museum, it is the only physical reminder of the Athlones' residence at the Cape.
On the sudden death of the popular
Princess Alice accompanied her husband to Canada where he served as Governor General from 1940 to 1946, residing primarily at Rideau Hall in Ottawa. Their three grandchildren, Anne, Richard, and Elizabeth, lived with them in Canada for the duration of the war.[10]
Upon taking up his post, The Earl immediately made himself active in the support of the war effort, travelling across the country and focusing much of his attention on the troops, either those training at military facilities or those injured and in hospital. Viewing his position as governor general as a link between Canadians and their monarch, Athlone also communicated in speeches that the King stood with them in their fight against Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime.[11]
As vicereine of Canada, Princess Alice also supported the war effort by serving as Honorary Commandant of the
In 1944, the Princess Alice Barracks Cabin at Britannia Bay provided a summer retreat for Royal Canadian Air Force Women's Division personnel based in Ottawa. The cabin was located near the Britannia Boating Club's facilities for tennis, dancing and boating. Rented from the King's Daughter's Guild of Ottawa, the cabin featured 60 beds, a separate cookhouse and dining pavilion. The cabin had served previously as a Fresh Air Cottage for mothers and undernourished children.[13]
The war was brought close to home for the Athlones also because many of those belonging to displaced European royal families sought refuge in Canada, and resided at or near the royal and viceroyal residence, Rideau Hall. Among the royal guests were
The viceregal couple also played host at
It was at these meetings that the four men discussed the Allied strategies that would eventually lead to victory over Nazi Germany and Japan. When Germany fell on 8 May 1945 and Japan on 15 August of the same year, Athlone led the national celebrations held on Parliament Hill and elsewhere. He thereafter spoke in speeches about Canada's future being marked not by war but by a strong role in reconstruction and reconciliation.[11]
During their time in Canada, the Athlones also supported various charitable and social events, and mounted a number of tobogganing parties and skating lessons on the grounds of Rideau Hall, as well as skiing in Gatineau Park. Before the couple departed from Canada at the end of Athlone's time as the King's representative, he left as a legacy the Athlone-Vanier Engineering Fellowship, awarded by the Engineering Institute of Canada.[11]
Public life
In her lifetime, Princess Alice carried out many engagements and took part in many of the activities the royal family were involved in. Apart from her normal duties as vicereine of South Africa and then Canada, she attended the coronations of four British monarchs:
From the 1930s to the 1960s she was Chair of the Council (governing body) of
The princess and her husband visited
In 1966, Princess Alice published her memoirs, For My Grandchildren.[18][24]
Later life and death
At the end of the
The Earl of Athlone died in 1957 at Kensington Palace in London.[22] Princess Alice lived there until her death, dying in her sleep on 3 January 1981, aged 97 years and 313 days.[1] As of 2024[update], she remains the oldest living Princess of the Blood Royal and is fourth on the list of longest-living members of the British royal family, just ahead of Queen Elizabeth II and surpassed only by the Queen's aunt, mother and husband, all of whom married into the royal family.
Her funeral in
At the time of her death she was great-aunt to the King of Sweden, Queen of the Netherlands and the Queen of the United Kingdom. She lived through six reigns:[1] those of Victoria (grandmother), Edward VII (uncle), George V (cousin and brother-in-law), Edward VIII and George VI (nephews) and Elizabeth II (grandniece).
Her will was sealed in London after her death in 1981. Her estate was valued at £182,185 (or £567,100 in 2022 when adjusted for inflation).[27]
Honours
- Member, 1st Class, of the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert (VA)
- 1 January 1948: Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO)[28]
- 11 May 1937: Dame Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (GBE)[29]
- Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem(GCStJ)
- Royal Family Order of George V[30]
- Royal Family Order of Elizabeth II[31]
Honorary military appointment
- Commandant-in-Chief, First Aid Nursing Yeomanry[32]
Arms
As a granddaughter of Queen Victoria in the male line, Princess Alice was entitled to use the
Princess Alice's coat of arms
|
Alice's banner of arms, a five-point label, the first, second, fourth and fifth points charged with a red heart, the third point charged with the Cross of St. George
|
Alice's personal banner of arms in Scotland.
|
Ancestry
Ancestors of Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
References
- ^ a b c d e "Princess Alice, at London Home; A Grandchild of Queen Victoria". The New York Times. 4 January 1981. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
- ^ "Yvonne's Royalty Home Page — Royal Christenings". Archived from the original on 6 August 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2010.
- ^ "The Confirmation of Princess Alice of Albany at St George's Church, Cannes". The Illustrated London News. 16 April 1898. pp. 5, 6.
- ^ "HRH Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone". The Times. 5 January 1981. p. 14.
- ^ Stegner, Wallace (January–February 1969). "Discovery! The Story of Aramco Then". Saudi Aramco World. 7.
- ISBN 0304307572. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
- ^ De vijf peetouders van prinses Beatrix. The Memory of the Netherlands. Retrieved on 2008-07-11.
- ^ "Earl of Athlone (1874–1957)". University of Warwick. Archived from the original on 16 April 2009. Retrieved 25 March 2009.
- ^ "Royal Pictures by South African Artist, Jacob Hendrik Pierneef, on Sale at Bonhams in London". artdaily.org. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
- ^ "Life Calls on the Earl of Athlone". Life. Vol. 17, no. 6. 7 August 1944. pp. 94–97. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
- ^ a b c Office of the Governor General of Canada. "Governor General > Former Governors General > Major General The Earl of Athlone". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 11 February 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2009.
- ^ "The Earl of Athlone," Former Governors General, The Governor General of Canada, accessed 22 April 2011.
- ^ the Princess Alice Barracks Cabin at Britannia Bay Ottawa Citizen Jul 10, 1944
- ISBN 978-0-7735-0310-6.
- ^ Hubbard 1977, p. 202
- ^ "PRINCESS ALICE, AT LONDON HOME: A GRANDCHILD OF QUEEN VICTORIA". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 7 October 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
- ISBN 0304307572.
- ^ a b "Sotheby's To Sell An Historic Album Photographs Recording the First British Royal Visit to Saudi Arabia and Bahrain". Art Daily. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ "Audio Slideshow: Princess Alice in Saudi Arabia". BBC. 11 October 2010. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
- ^ Morris, Loveday (30 July 2011). "Alice in Arabia: the first British royal to visit Saudi Arabia". The National.
- ^ "Journey of a Lifetime: The visit of HRH Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia" (PDF). College of Social Sciences and International Studies. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
- ^ a b Morris, Loveday (30 July 2011). "Alice in Arabia: the first British royal to visit Saudi Arabia". The National. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
- ^ "The journey of a lifetime". Geographical. July 2011. Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
- OCLC 654367087.
- ^ Hitler's Favourite Royal (Channel 4 documentary) Dec 2007
- ^ "Royal Burials in the Chapel since 1805". College of St George - Windsor Castle. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
- ^ Evans, Rob; Pegg, David (18 July 2022). "£187m of Windsor family wealth hidden in secret royal wills". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ "No. 38161". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1948. p. 9.
- ^ "No. 34396". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 May 1937. p. 3074.
- ISBN 9781852835101.
- ^ World Orders of Knighthood and Merit: Volume 1. Burke's Peerage & Gentry. 2006. p. 832.
- ^ "History | FANY (PRVC) - Princess Royal's Volunteer Corps". FANY (PRVC) - Princess Royal's Volunteer Corps. Retrieved 22 May 2017.