Alice, Duchess of Gloucester
HRH Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester (nee Lady Alice Christabel Montagu-Douglas-Scott) GCB CI GCVO GBE (born December 25, 1901 in London ; † October 29, 2004 ibid), was the wife of Henry, 1st Duke of Gloucester , the son of King George V and Queen Mary . She was the sister-in-law of King George VI. and King Edward VIII , later Duke of Windsor, and the mother of Prince Richard, 2nd Duke of Gloucester , current holder of the title. She was the aunt of Queen Elizabeth II through marriage to Prince Henry, an uncle of the Queen's paternal side.
youth
Lady Alice was born the third daughter of John Montagu-Douglas-Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch, 9th Duke of Queensberry and his wife, the former Lady Margaret Bridgeman, at Montagu House , London . She is descended from James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth and Buccleuch , an illegitimate son of King Charles II. Lady Alice spent most of her childhood on the country estates of the Dukes of Buccleuch, Boughton House in Northamptonshire , Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfries and Galloway and Bowhill House in the Scottish Borders . She attended St. James's Boarding School in West Malvern, Worcestershire , and later traveled to France and Kenya .
marriage
In August 1935, Lady Alice's engagement to Prince Henry, 1st Duke of Gloucester , third son of King George V, was announced. The wedding took place in private in the chapel of Buckingham Palace on November 6th of the same year.
The couple then moved into York House in St. James's Palace in London, and in 1938 acquired Barnwell Manor in Northamptonshire. The couple had two sons, Prince William of Gloucester (1941–1972) and Prince Richard (* 1944).
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester traveled extensively in order to perform their royal duties. During World War II , the Duchess worked for the International Red Cross , and in 1940 she became chairwoman of the Women's Royal Air Force. From 1945 to 1947 the Duke and Duchess lived in Canberra , where the Duke was Governor General of Australia .
Title change
On June 10, 1974, Prince Henry died and his second son, Prince Richard, became the Duke of Gloucester. (The couple's older son had died in a plane crash in 1972). The Duke's widow asked her niece, the Queen, for permission to assume the title "HRH Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester" rather than HRH the Dowager Duchess of Gloucester. The Queen allowed her to do so, in part to avoid confusion with Birgitte , Alice's daughter-in-law and the new Duchess of Gloucester. Princess Alice wanted to follow the example of her sister-in-law, Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent . Princess Marina was a princess from birth (from Greece and Denmark). Under British law, however, Alice was only Princess Henry and not Princess Alice as the wife of a prince, and she was never officially named a princess of Great Britain and Northern Ireland suo jure. The Queen allowed her aunt to use the title out of politeness.
Later years
In 1981 Princess Alice published her memoir under the title The Memoirs of Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester . In 1991 she published a revised edition under the title Memoirs of Ninety Years .
In 1994 Gloucesters had to give up Barnwell Manor for financial reasons and Princess Alice moved to Kensington Palace with her son and daughter-in-law . In 1999, the Duke of Gloucester issued a press release announcing that Princess Alice would no longer make public appearances outside of Kensington Palace. In December 2001, the Royal Family held a celebration to mark the 100th birthday of Princess Alice. It was the last public appearance of Princess Alice and also of Princess Margaret , the Queen's sister.
Princess Alice died at Kensington Palace on October 29, 2004, at the age of 102. No other member of any royal family grew older. The memorial service took place on November 5, 2004 at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle . She was buried next to her husband in the royal cemetery at Frogmore House .
Honors
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Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (1975) - Grand Cross of the Order of the Queen of Sheba , Ethiopia (1958)
- Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II, 2nd Class (1952)
- Grand Cordon of the Kemal Order of Women , Egypt (1950)
-
Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (1948) - Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Romania , Romania (1938)
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Companion of the Order of the Crown of India (1937) -
Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (1937) - Royal Family Order of George VI, 2nd Class (1937)
- Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St. John (1936)
- Royal Family Order of George V, 2nd Class (1935)
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Fonts
- Memories of Ninety Years. Collins & Brown, 1992, ISBN 978-1855850484 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Donald Spoto: The Windsors; Story of a family. Heyne, 1995, ISBN 3-453-09743-2 , p. 299.
- ↑ s. Fonts
- ↑ Information on www.royal.gov.uk (English)
- ↑ The London Gazette : No. 34406 (Supplement), p. 3729 , June 8, 1937.
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Alice, Duchess of Gloucester |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Gloucester, Princess Alice Duchess of (full name); Montagu-Douglas-Scott, Alice Christabel (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British noblewoman, aunt of Queen Elizabeth II |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 25, 1901 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | London |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 29, 2004 |
| Place of death | London |