Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg
Princess Helena Victoria , with full name Victoria Louise Sophia Augusta Amelia Helena of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg VA , GBE , CI , GCStJ (born May 3, 1870 at Frogmore House , Windsor , Berkshire ; † March 13, 1948 in London ) was a member of the British Royal Family and a granddaughter of Queen Victoria.
Life
Childhood and youth
Princess Helena Victoria was the eldest daughter of Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg (1831-1917) and his wife Princess Helena of Great Britain and Ireland (1846-1923), third daughter of Queen Victoria of Great Britain and Ireland and Prince Consort Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha . She was called "Torah" or "Snipe" within the family because of her sharp features.
Helena Victoria grew up in a harmonious family home. She and her siblings grew up at Cumberland Lodge . Together with her younger sister Marie Louise she also stayed at the court of her grandmother Queen Victoria. Although she and Marie Louise had a French governess , her mother made sure that the children were brought up as simply as possible. From the style of clothing to the style of living, everything was very spartan. The girls were encouraged to do simple things themselves and without outside help. For example, the princesses cleaned their rooms and helped with the household. They received German lessons from their father, while the governess taught them French. Princess Helena was a staunch nursing advocate. In this way she brought her daughters closer to the basics of social and medical work. This influenced Princess Helena Victoria for her further life.
In 1885 she was one of the bridesmaids at the wedding of her aunt Beatrice to Prince Heinrich Moritz von Battenberg , as well as in 1893 at that of her cousin George, Duke of York (later George V ) and Princess Maria von Teck .
When the princess was of marriageable age, there were considerations to marry her cousin George (George V), the son of her uncle Edward VII . Her mother made several attempts to bring the two closer together, but it failed. This connection was also ridiculed by the royal family and brought in derision from George's mother Alexandra . Thora, described by friends as particularly intelligent and gentle, remained unmarried for a lifetime.
Adulthood
Princess Helena Victoria stayed with her until her mother's death in 1923. She followed her example and was active in the social and artistic fields. She worked for the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) and “Princess Christian's Sister’s Home” at Windor. During the First World War she founded the YWCA Women's Auxiliary Force. As President of the YWCA, she visited the British troops in France and received permission from War Minister Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener of Khartoum, to organize troop support (e.g. music and dance evenings). Together with her sister Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein, she gave smaller concert evenings in their London apartment, Schomburg House.
During the First World War, the Schomburg House residence became increasingly unsafe. At the invitation of Lady Grace Weigall, Helena Victoria moved to Englemore, near Ascot, and lived there for several years. For the rest of the war she lived with her aunt Beatrice Brantridge Park, the house of her cousin Alice, Countess of Athlone . Schomburg House suffered significant damage during the war and eventually had to be abandoned. She lived in an apartment in Berkeley Square until her death.
She spent the last years of her life quietly and almost apart from the public. Helena Victoria took over the sponsorship of Prince William of Gloucester (1941-1972), the son of Henry and Alice , Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. Most recently she was present at the wedding of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh .
She died at the age of 77 and found her final resting place at the Royal Burial Ground in Frogmore.
Name in different phases of life
- 1870–1917: Her Highness Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein
- 1917–1948: Her Highness Princess Helena Victoria
The First World War fell during the term of office of King George V (1865–1936) . Because of the opposition of the Imperial German Empire and Great Britain in this war, he renamed the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha because of its German name on July 17, 1917 in House Windsor . Since her father gave up his German name, she received the title Her Highness Princess Helena Victoria .
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c d Royal Splendor: The Story of Princess Helena Victoria and Princess Marie Louise — Part 2: Birth of the Princesses. In: royal-splendor.blogspot.de. Retrieved April 8, 2016 .
- ^ Royal Splendor: The Story of Princess Helena Victoria and Princess Marie Louise — Part 3: The Snipe. In: royal-splendor.blogspot.de. Retrieved April 8, 2016 .
- ^ A b Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein. In: Unofficial Royalty. Retrieved April 8, 2016 (American English).
literature
- Ronald Allison and Sarah Riddell: The Royal Encyclopedia. Macmillan, London 1992.
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, Helena Victoria von |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, Princess Victoria Louise Sophia Augusta Amelia Helena von (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Member of the British Royal Family and a granddaughter of Queen Victoria |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 3, 1870 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Frogmore House , Windsor, Berkshire, England |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 13, 1948 |
| Place of death | London , England |