Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone
| Princess Alice | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Countess of Athlone | |||||
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| Burial | |||||
| Spouse | Alexander, Earl of Athlone | ||||
| Issue | Lady May Abel Smith Rupert, Viscount Trematon Prince Maurice of Teck | ||||
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| House | House of Windsor House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha | ||||
| Father | Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany | ||||
| Mother | Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont | ||||
Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (Alice Mary Victoria Augusta Pauline; née Princess Alice of Albany; 25 February 1883 – 3 January 1981) was a member of the British Royal Family, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. She has the distinction of remaining the longest living Princess of the Blood Royal of the British Royal Family by birth and last surviving grandchild of Queen Victoria. She also held the titles of Princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Duchess in Saxony from birth as well as a Princess of Teck by marriage until 1917 when she was commanded to relinqush them by the Letters Patent of George V.
Early life
Princess Alice was born on 25 February 1883 at Windsor Castle. Her father was Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, the youngest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Her mother was Princess Helena of Waldeck-Pyrmont. She had one brother, Prince Charles, Duke of Albany, 1884-1954 and later reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1900-1918). As the granddaughter of the Sovereign, through the male line, she was a Princess of the United Kingdom and a Royal Highness. As the daughter of the Duke of Albany, she was, therefore, styled Her Royal Highness Princess Alice of Albany. She was baptised in the Private Chapel of Windsor Castle on 26 March 1883 and her godparents were Queen Victoria, the Empress and Crown Princess of Germany, the Princess of Waldeck-Pyrmont, the Duchess of Cambridge, the Hereditary Princess of Bentheim, the Prince of Wales, the King of the Netherlands, the Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and Prince Wilhelm of Württemberg.
Marriage & Issue
On 10 February 1904, Princess Alice of Albany married her second cousin once removed, Prince Alexander of Teck, the brother of Queen Mary, in St George's Chapel, Windsor. Upon marriage Princess Alice was styled HRH Princess Alexander of Teck.
Prince and Princess Alexander of Teck had three children:
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lady May Cambridge | 23 January 1906 | 29 May 1994 | Married 1931 to Henry Abel Smith; had issue |
| Rupert Cambridge, Viscount Trematon | 24 April 1907 | 15 April 1928 | Died in a car crash |
| Prince Maurice of Teck | 29 March 1910 | 14 September 1910 |
Like her grandmother Queen Victoria, Princess Alice was also a carrier of haemophilia, which she had inherited from her father who himself was a sufferer. Her eldest son Rupert inherited the disease from her and this led to his early death in a car accident.
1917
When the British royal family abandoned all Germanic titles by Letters Patent issued by King George V in June 1917, Prince Alexander of Teck adopted the surname Cambridge, became (briefly) Sir Alexander Cambridge, then the Earl of Athlone, relinquishing the title "Prince of Teck" in the Kingdom of Württemberg and the style Serene Highness. As such, the two surviving children lost their Württemberg princely titles. Princess Alice relinquished her titles of Princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Duchess of Saxony, whilst her brother Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who held a commission in the German army, was stripped of his British titles. Alice remained, however, a Princess of Great Britain and Ireland and a Royal Highness in her own right, as a male-line granddaughter of Queen Victoria. From June 1917 until her death, she was styled Her Royal Highness Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone.
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Canada and South Africa
Princess Alice accompanied her husband to Canada where he served as Governor General from 1940-1946. He had also served as Governor-General of South Africa from 1924-1931. During their time in South Africa, Lord and Lady Athlone had a coastal beach house constructed at Muizenberg, which still stands today and is one of South Africa's national monuments. The Cape Town Suburb of Athlone was named in honour of the Governor-General, and together with the beach house, it is also the only physical reminder of the Athlones' residence at the Cape.
Royal duties
In her lifetime, Princess Alice carried out many royal duties. She attended the coronations of four monarchs: Edward VII, George V, George VI, and Elizabeth II. She was also the Colonel in Chief of two British army units and one Rhodesian army unit. In 1950, she became the first Chancellor of the University of the West Indies (then the University College of the West Indies).
Later life
The Earl of Athlone died in 1957 at Kensington Palace in London. Princess Alice lived on there until 1981, when she herself died at age 97 years and 312 days. At her death she was the longest-lived British Princess of the Blood Royal and the oldest surviving granddaughter of Queen Victoria. However The Queen Mother later became the longest-lived member of the British Royal Family by marriage until her sister-in-law Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester broke the record, living even longer beyond her 100th birthday.
Her funeral took place in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle attended by all members of the Royal Family. She is buried alongside her husband and son in the private British royal burial grounds at Frogmore, directly behind the mausoleum of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, in Windsor Great Park. Her daughter and son-in-law are also buried closely nearby.
Titles, styles, honours and arms
Titles
- 1883-1904: Her Royal Highness Princess Alice of Albany
- 1904-1917: Her Royal Highness Princess Alexander of Teck
- 1917: Her Royal Highness Princess Alice, Lady Cambridge
- 1917-1981: Her Royal Highness Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone
| Styles of Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone | |
|---|---|
| File:Princess Alice of Albany Standard.GIF | |
| Reference style | Her Royal Highness |
| Spoken style | Your Royal Highness |
| Alternative style | Ma'am |
Honours
- GCVO: Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
- GBE: Dame Grand Cross of the British Empire
- VA: Lady of the Order of Victoria and Albert
- Royal Family Order of King Edward VII
- Royal Family Order of King George V
- Royal Family Order of King George VI
- Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II
Arms
Trivia
She was the godmother of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.
In 1953 when visiting Eastbourne, she was conveyed around in a Rolls Royce owned by suspected serial killer John Bodkin Adams.[1]
External link
References
- ^ Surtees, John "The Strange case of Dr John Bodkin Adams, 2000
- 1883 births
- 1981 deaths
- Canadian viceregal consorts
- Dames Grand Cross of the Order of St John
- Dames Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
- Dames Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
- English and British princesses
- Grandchildren of Victoria and Albert
- House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
- Ladies of the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert