Patricia of Connaught

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Patricia of Connaught, 1912

Princess Victoria Patricia Helena Elizabeth of Connaught and Strathearn (born March 17, 1886 in Buckingham Palace , London , † January 12, 1974 in Windlesham , Surrey ) was a member of the British royal family from the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha .

Life

She was born on March 17, 1886, St. Patrick's Day . Hence her name. Patricia was the youngest daughter of Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (1850-1942), and his wife Princess Luise Margareta of Prussia (1860-1917), daughter of Field Marshal Prince Friedrich Karl and Princess Maria Anna of Anhalt-Dessau . Her paternal grandparents were the British Queen Victoria and her Prince Consort Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha .

The princess was baptized on May 1, 1886 in the private chapel at Bagshot Park by the Archbishop of Canterbury , Archibald Campbell Tait. Queen Victoria, Princess Helena of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg , Grand Duchess Elisabeth of Oldenburg , Prince and later Emperor Wilhelm II of Prussia , Duke Ernst II of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Prince Albrecht of Prussia acted as godparents . As the granddaughter of an English monarch in the male line, she was born the title Her Royal Highness Princess Patricia of Connaught . Within the family she was called Patsy .

Princess Patricia of Connaught and Strathearn, circa 1900

Her childhood revolved around perfect behavior and social representation. She was taught exclusively at home by governesses and tutors with the help of her father's library . In addition to geography , history , mathematics , art , dance and music - Patricia also learned French and German . She and her siblings accompanied their parents abroad from an early age; either to visit relatives or through her father's military obligations. From 1911 to 1916 Patricia accompanied her parents to Canada , where her father was appointed Governor General of Canada . There she acted as a hostess at Rideau Hall in Ottawa due to her mother's health complaints , including banquets , dance balls , garden parties, dinners , dance evenings and costume parties . Together with her mother, she supported several charitable organizations, including the British Red Cross, and filled the social columns of the newspapers.

John Singer Sargent : Princess Patricia, oil on canvas, around 1905

Over the years there has been much speculation about whom Princess Pat , as she was called by the press, would marry. Among the candidates were the future kings Emanuel II of Portugal and Alfonso XIII. of Spain , the later Grand Duke Adolf Friedrich VI. von Mecklenburg-Strelitz and the Russian Grand Duke Michail Alexandrowitsch Romanow . In the end, however, she chose a Scottish aristocrat . On February 27, 1919 Princess Patricia married in Westminster Abbey , London, the Commander and later Admiral of the Royal Navy Sir Alexander Robert Maule Ramsay (1881-1972), the youngest son of John Ramsay, 13th Earl of Dalhousie , and the Lady Ida Louisa Bennet. After her wedding, Princess Patricia gave up the title of Princess of Great Britain and Ireland and, in connection with this, voluntarily gave up the title Her Royal Highness and from now on called herself Lady Patricia Ramsay . The marriage, which all reports said was a happy one, had a son, Alexander (1919–2000).

The couple lived at Clarence House for the first few years of their marriage and after the death of their aunt, Louise, Duchess of Argyll , they lived in her house at Ribsden Holt in Windlesham. Lady Patricia was a gifted painter and exhibited her works regularly. She left behind around 600 works by her death in 1974. Because of her work, she was elected a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colors . She was buried next to her husband in the Royal Burial Ground on the grounds of Windsor Castle .

Title, medal and coat of arms

Princess Patricia coat of arms

title

  • 1886–1919: Her Royal Highness Princess Patricia of Connaught; Princess of Great Britain and Ireland
  • 1919-1974: Lady Patricia Ramsay

Orders and awards

coat of arms

Upon their marriage in 1919, Princess Patricia was permitted to bear the coat of arms of the United Kingdom , the male granddaughter of Queen Victoria . As is usual with women, it was not designed as a shield, but as a diamond ("lady's shield").

Web links

Commons : Princess Patricia of Connaught  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Heraldica - British Royalty cadency
personal data
SURNAME Patricia of Connaught
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Victoria Patricia Helena Elizabeth of Connaught and Strathearn; Ramsay, Patricia
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Member of the British royal family from the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
DATE OF BIRTH March 17, 1886
PLACE OF BIRTH Buckingham Palace , London
DATE OF DEATH January 12, 1974
Place of death Windlesham , Surrey