May Abel Smith

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Lady May Abel Smith (1975)

Lady May Abel Smith (born Princess May Helen Emma von Teck , born January 23, 1906 in Claremont House , Esher , Surrey , † May 29, 1994 in Forest Borough , Berkshire , England ) was a member of the British royal family . She was a great granddaughter of Queen Victoria and the niece of King George V of Great Britain and his wife Queen Mary . Through her mother, Lady May Abel Smith was also related to the Dutch royal family.

Origin and childhood

Alice, Countess of Athlone with her children May and Rupert

Born Princess May von Teck, was born in January 1906 as the first child and only daughter of Prince Alexander von Teck and Princess Alice of Albany . Her mother was the daughter of Leopold, Duke of Albany , Queen Victoria's youngest son. Prince Leopold died in 1884, so May never met him. Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands was related to her.

Her brother Rupert was born in 1907 and suffered from haemophilia , the hemophilia he inherited from his mother. As a result, he was very limited in playing and running around. Any small injury could cause profuse bleeding. The youngest brother Maurice was born in 1910. However, he died when he was only six months old while visiting Coburg. The little prince found his final resting place on the funeral island of the large pond in Gotha Castle Park .

Due to the anti-German sentiment in England in 1917, King George V made sure that he and all members of the royal family renounce their German titles. The royal house was renamed from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the English name Windsor . This also affected Prince Alexander and his family. He lost the title of Prince of Teck and was named the eighth Earl of Athlone. May, who previously held the title Her Highness Princess May von Teck , called herself Lady May Cambridge from now on. Her brother Rupert was given the courtesy title of Viscount Trematon. Since her mother was a British princess from birth, she was allowed to continue to call herself "Her Royal Highness Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone".

Lady May was the bridesmaid of three weddings at Westminster Abbey . The first time in 1919, at the wedding of Princess Patricia of Connaught with Captain Alexander Ramsay of Mar . 1922, when the Princess Royal Mary married the Viscount Lascelles and a year later with Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon with the Duke of York .

Her brother Rupert died in 1928 of a brain haemorrhage as a result of a car accident in France.

Marriage and offspring

Wedding 1931

She married (Sir) Henry Abel Smith on October 24, 1931 in Balcombe , Sussex near the Brantridge Park residence. Her husband's great grandfather was the 9th Earl of Leven.

Bridesmaids at the wedding included Princess Elisabeth , Alice, Duchess of Gloucester , Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Princess Ingrid of Sweden .

The connection resulted in three children:

  • Anne Mary Sibylla Abel Smith (born July 28, 1932) ⚭ 1957–1981 David Liddell-Grainger
  • Colonel Richard Francis Abel Smith (October 11, 1933 - December 23, 2004) ⚭ 1960–2004 Marcia Kendrew
  • Elizabeth Alice Abel Smith (born September 5, 1936) ⚭ 1965–1975 Peter Wise

Queensland Governor

Henry Abel Smith was named Governor of Queensland in Australia . He held this office from March 18, 1958 to March 18, 1966. May assumed the position of first lady at the time . The two enjoyed great popularity among the population. As a token of their high esteem, people formed a line on the way to the airport in Brisbane on the day of the farewell .

Royal duties and later life

Lady May herself did not have any royal duties and representational duties, as she was only a distant member of the royal family. But she attended larger events such as the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales to Lady Diana Spencer .

From 1975 she and her husband retired to Barton Lodge , Winkfield , Berkshire . After a very happy marriage for more than 60 years, Henry died in January 1993 at the old age of 92. May only survived him by 16 months, she died on May 29, 1994 at the age of 88. She was buried next to her husband in the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore , near Windsor . The funeral took place on June 9, 1994 at St George's Chapel (Windsor). Princess Alexandra of Kent and the Duke of Gloucester paid her their final respects.

title

  • 1906–1917: Your Highness Princess May von Teck
  • July 14 - July 17, 1917: Miss May Cambridge
  • 1917-1931: Lady May Cambridge
  • 1931-1994: Lady May Abel Smith

Web links

Commons : Princess May of Teck  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ May Abel Smith in the Find a Grave database . Retrieved January 8, 2015.
personal data
SURNAME Smith, May Abel
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Smith, Lady May Abel (full name); Von Teck, Princess May Helen Emma (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British member of the royal family
DATE OF BIRTH January 23, 1906
PLACE OF BIRTH Claremont House , Esher , Surrey
DATE OF DEATH May 29, 1994
Place of death Forest Borough , Berkshire , England