| Louise | |||||
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 Portrait byW. & D. Downey,c. 1902 | |||||
| Born | Princess Louise of Wales (1867-02-20)20 February 1867 Marlborough House,London, England | ||||
| Died | 4 January 1931(1931-01-04) (aged 63) Portman Square, London, England | ||||
| Burial | 10 January 1931 | ||||
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| House | Windsor(from 1917) Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (until 1917) | ||||
| Father | Edward VII | ||||
| Mother | Alexandra of Denmark | ||||
| Signature |  | ||||
Louise, Princess Royal (Louise Victoria Alexandra Dagmar; 20 February 1867 – 4 January 1931) was the third child and eldest daughter ofKing Edward VII andQueen Alexandra of the United Kingdom. She was a younger sister ofKing George V. Louise was granted the title ofPrincess Royal in 1905. Known for her reserved and quiet nature, she remained a low-profile member of the royal family throughout her life.
_-_Princess_Louise_of_Wales_(1867-1931)_-_RCIN_404995_-_Royal_Collection.jpg)
Louise was born on 20 February 1867 atMarlborough House, the London residence of her parents, thePrince andPrincess of Wales.[2] Louise's father was the eldest son ofQueen Victoria andPrince Albert. Her mother was the eldest daughter ofChristian IX andQueen Louise of Denmark. She was named Louise Victoria Alexandra Dagmar, after her maternal grandmotherQueen Louise; her paternal grandmother,Queen Victoria; her mother,Alexandra, Princess of Wales; and her aunt, theTsesarevna of Russia.[3] From birth, as a male-line granddaughter of the British monarch, she had the titleHer Royal Highness Princess Louise of Wales.[4][5] She wasbaptized at Marlborough House on 10 May byCharles Longley,Archbishop of Canterbury.[a]
Her mother, Alexandra, suffered fromrheumatic fever shortly before Louise's birth, leaving her with a permanent limp. Louise herself was considered a delicate child and was frequently unwell.[6] The Wales children were brought up largely atMarlborough House andSandringham, where they enjoyed a relatively informal and happy childhood.[7][2] In her youth, Louise was described as a very withdrawn girl.[8][9]
Louise and her sisters,Victoria andMaud were educated at home under the supervision of private tutors and studied guitar underCatharina Pratten.[10] They were noted for their spirited and playful behavior, often engaging in pillow fights and other "unladylike pastimes."[11] Their mother's strong influence meant the girls remained close to home.
As a child, Louise accompanied her mother and siblings on several extended family visits toCopenhagen and toBernstorff Palace, where her mother had grown up.[12] Like her sisters, she was a bridesmaid at the wedding of her paternal auntPrincess Beatrice toPrince Henry of Battenberg in 1885.[13]
Louise was an accomplished musician, and sometimes played the organ in services atSt Mary Magdalene Church at Sandringham.[14] She was known asLulu orToots to her close family.[15]
As daughter of the Prince of Wales, Louise was considered a very desirable match as a bride. She was tiring of her over-protective mother and longed to escape, yet without making a 'grand marriage' to a European prince, following her aunt theDuchess of Argyll, who married outside royalty.[16] Louise was introduced toAlexander Duff, 6th Earl of Fife at the wedding of her auntPrincess Beatrice in 1885, who was a regular companion of her father and eighteen years her senior. Four years later, she asked for her grandmother, Queen Victoria's permission to marry the Earl, insisting that if she was not allowed to marry him she would surely die an old maid.[17]
Queen Victoria gave Louise consent, and in June 1889 their engagement was announced.[16] There was criticism at court where it was thought to be wrong for a princess to marry someone not of royal blood.[16]Princess Victoria Mary of Teck expressed to her aunt,Augusta, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz that "for a future Princess Royal to marry a subject seems rather strange."[16]
Despite her mother's attempts to keep her daughters unmarried and by her side, on 27 July 1889, Louise marriedAlexander Duff, 6th Earl Fife, who was eighteen years her senior, at the Private Chapel inBuckingham Palace with theArchbishop of Canterbury officiating at the service.[18] They were third cousins through an illegitimate line, as Alexander was a great-grandchild ofWilliam IV and his mistress,Dorothea Jordan. Her bridesmaids were Princesses Maud and Victoria of Wales, Victoria Mary of Teck,Marie Louise andHelena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein and the CountessesFeodora,Helena andValda Gleichen.[18] “O Perfect Love, all human thought transcending", was written by Dorothy Blomfield for her sister's marriage in 1883, and was intended to be sung to Strength and Stay, in Hymns Ancient & Modern, No. 12. Subsequently, it was set as an anthem by J. Barnby for the marriage of the Duke of Fife with the Princess Louise of Wales that day.The Duchess of Teck wrote soon after the wedding, "They both seem so thoroughly happy and contented that it does one's heart good to see them."[19]
Princess Louise was the first ofthe Prince of Wales's children to marry; this union, combined with the advent of the 25th birthday of her elder brotherPrince Albert Victor of Wales, prompted a formal request from the Queen to the Prime Minister for financial provision to be made from theCivil list for both Louise and her brother. This ultimately lead to the enactment of thePrince of Wales's Children Act 1889.[20]
Two days after the wedding,Queen Victoria created himDuke of Fife and Marquess of Macduff in thePeerage of the United Kingdom. Theletters patent creating this dukedom contained the standardremainder toheirs maleof the body lawfully begotten.[21] After the birth of their two daughters, on 24 April 1900, Queen Victoria signed letters patent creating a second Dukedom of Fife, along with the Earldom of Macduff in thePeerage of the United Kingdom with a special remainder: in default of a male heir, these peerages would pass to the daughters of the 1st Duke, and then to their male descendants.
The Duke and Duchess of Fife had three children:[8]
Prior to her marriage, Louise's principal artistic pursuits were music and the family hobby of photography.[22] Following her marriage, she developed a previously untapped talent for painting and interior design,[23][24] which she first applied in planning the interior decoration ofFife House. When a plumber's candle accidentally caused a fire that destroyed the original Mar Lodge,[25] the newMar Lodge, comprising one hundred and twenty rooms, was constructed based on a rough sketch drawn by Louise and further elaborated on by their architect.[22]
Though always happiest in the country, when in London Louise was an enthusiastic patron of theatre and the opera, and her opinions were always sought byKing George V and her sister-in-law,Queen Mary.[26] Louise was an accomplished amateur actress in her younger days and on one occasion was coached byEllen Terry.[27]
The Duke and the Duchess made their main home atMar Lodge, a sporting lodge built for them byAlexander Marshall Mackenzie.[28] They ownedFife House inBrighton, sometimes residing there andEast Sheen Lodge inRichmond from 1889 until they sold the Lodge in 1908.[29]
In the lead up to their marriage, Lord Fife purchased the lease of a London townhouse at 15Portman Square, London in July 1889.[30] Louise continued to live at 15 Portman Square following her husband's death in 1912 until her own death in 1931, following which a large auction of the contents of the house was held in February 1932.[31] In December 1933 newspapers reported that Louise's younger daughter, Maud, had agreed to loan the house for an exhibition of English needlework in aid of the Artists' Benevolent Institution, to be held during February and March 1935.[32] The houses at 15 to 18 Portman Square were demolished in 1935,[33] and a large apartment building was constructed in their place by May 1936.[34]
On 9 November 1905, Edward VII created Louise thePrincess Royal,[16] the highest honour bestowed on a female member of the royal family, succeeding her aunt,Victoria, German Empress, who died in 1901.[5][35] At the same time, the King declared that the two daughters of the Princess Royal would be styled as princesses, with the style and attribute of "Highness" and with precedence immediately after all members of the royal family bearing the style of "Royal Highness".[36]
In August 1910, Princess Louise's daughter, Alexandra, secretly became engaged toPrince Christopher of Greece and Denmark. Upon hearing the news, the Duke of Fife disapproved of the match and forbade the union.[4] On 15 October 1913, Alexandra married Louise's first cousin,Prince Arthur of Connaught.[37]
The Princess Royal was noted for her steady involvement in charitable and public-service work throughout her life.[38] She supported a wide range of organisations, taking a particular interest in the activities of theChurch Army and serving as a patron of theAlexandra Girls' Club. In addition to her regular charitable visits and engagements, she held roles in several civic and philanthropic bodies, including serving as President of the London branch of theBritish Red Cross Society and supporting groups such as the Theatrical Ladies' Guild, theGreater London Fund for the Blind, theRSPCA, and theBritish and Foreign Sailors' Society. She also served as patron of the Ladies' Association in aid of Princess Christian's Fund for the Deaf and Dumb, a charitable organisation established under her aunt,Princess Christian. Although known for her generally reserved public profile, she maintained a consistent commitment to charitable causes and undertook various ceremonial duties, including thelaunch ofHMSPrincess Royal in 1911.[39][40]
On 12 December 1911, she attended thecoronation of her brother, King George V.[41] Later that month, while sailing aboard the P&O'sSSDelhi, to Egypt, the Princess Royal and her family were shipwrecked off the coast ofMorocco.[42] Louise and her husband refused to leave until all the women and children had been rescued and were among the last to leave. During the rescue, Louise lost her jewel case and both Alexandra and Maud, and herself were thrown into the sea by a large wave.[43] Although they were otherwise unharmed, the Duke of Fife fell ill withpleurisy, probably contracted as a result of the shipwreck.[2] He died atAssuan, Egypt, in January 1912, and Princess Alexandra succeeded to his dukedom, becoming Duchess of Fife in her own right.[8][44]
After the death of her husband, the Princess Royal led a reclusive life.[45] She spent most of her time inBraemar, Scotland, at theMar Lodge, but frequently made visits to London.[45] In her later years, Princess Louise faced financial difficulties due to the affairs of her family friendLord Farquhar. Farquhar, a close family friend and advisor, had managed or been involved in investments and assets connected to the Fife family. Although generally a shrewd businessman, in his later years he reportedly suffered mental decline and neglected his affairs, and when he died in 1923 his estate was found in chaotic disorder, leaving unpaid debts and legacies. Although Louise was not legally liable, she arranged the sale of part of her art collection, includingRomneys, and some furnishings from her London residence to protect her finances and the family's reputation.[46]
The Princess Royal was taken ill withgastric haemorrhaging, including attacks in April 1925 and October 1929 at Mar Lodge, and was brought back to London to receive nursing care.[35][47] At her house in Portman Square she was given the best nursing and medical attention possible as befitted a king's sister, but all to no avail. She lingered on listlessly for another fifteen months, soothed by the solicitude of her family. Her last letter toQueen Mary talked of going out of a morning, and then back to bed. Spending so much time resting, she was grateful for the regular gifts of flowers, 'which make my room so light.'[48]
On 4 January 1931 at 2:30 pm, Louise died in her sleep at her home at 15Portman Square London, with her two daughters, Alexandra and Maud, at her bedside.[35] She was 63 years old. Per her death certificate, her cause of death was attributed tovalvular heart disease, which then led toheart failure.[35] She was tenth in line to the throne at the time of her death. Her sisterPrincess Victoria saw her passing as a release, and wrote to their sister,Queen Maud; "Louise suffered so terribly these last few months that one can but thank God. She is at peace with her dear ones. But it's sad for us, and the loss of a sister comes very near one's heart."[49]
A simple funeral took place on 10 January 1931 atSt. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, where she was initially interred.[35] Her remains were later removed to thePrivate Chapel, Mar Lodge, Braemar, Aberdeenshire.[5] Her will was sealed and her estate was valued at £46,383 (or £2.2 million in 2022 when adjusted for inflation).[50]
Upon her marriage, Louise was granted a coat of arms, being theRoyal Arms of the United Kingdom with aninescutcheon forSaxony, all differenced with a label argent of five points, the outer pair and centre bearing crosses gules, and the inner pair bearing thistles proper.[54] The inescutcheon was dropped by royal warrant in 1917.
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Princess Louise'scoat of arms until 1917 | Fife Arms Hotel,Braemar: Arms of the Duke and Duchess of Fife |
Demolition of 15–18 Portman Square, Marylebone; known as The Princess Royal's House. Catalogue No: SC_PHL_01_323_B673.
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)Louise, Princess Royal Cadet branch of theHouse of Wettin Born: 20 February 1867 Died: 4 January 1931 | ||
| British royalty | ||
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| Vacant Title last held by Victoria, German Empress | Princess Royal 1905–1931 | Vacant Title next held by Princess Mary, Countess of Harewood |
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