| Princess Alice | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Countess of Athlone | |||||
 Princess Alice in 1911 | |||||
| Born | Princess Alice of Albany (1883-02-25)25 February 1883 Windsor Castle,Berkshire, England | ||||
| Died | 3 January 1981(1981-01-03) (aged 97) Kensington Palace, London, England | ||||
| Burial | 8 January 1981 | ||||
| Spouse | |||||
| Issue | Lady May Abel Smith Rupert Cambridge, Viscount Trematon Prince Maurice of Teck | ||||
| |||||
| House | Saxe-Coburg and Gotha(until 1917) Windsor(from 1917) | ||||
| Father | Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany | ||||
| Mother | Princess Helen of Waldeck and Pyrmont | ||||
| Signature |  | ||||
| Viceregal consort of Canada | |||||
| In role 21 June 1940 – 12 April 1946 | |||||
Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (Alice Mary Victoria Augusta Pauline; 25 February 1883 – 3 January 1981), was a member of theBritish royal family. She was the longest-livedprincess of the blood royal, and one of thelongest-lived British royals. Princess Alice was the last surviving grandchild ofQueen Victoria, the sister-in-law ofQueen Mary, and the cousin of Mary's husband, KingGeorge V.
Princess Alice was born on 25 February 1883 atWindsor Castle, the only daughter ofPrince Leopold, Duke of Albany (the youngest of the four sons ofQueen Victoria andAlbert, Prince Consort) and his wifePrincess Helen of Waldeck and Pyrmont.[1] Her younger brother and only sibling,Prince Charles Edward (later Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha), was born on 19 July 1884.
She wasbaptised in the Private Chapel of Windsor Castle on 26 March 1883, and named Alice after her late paternal auntPrincess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse. Her godparents were: Queen Victoria (her paternal grandmother); theGerman Empress, for whom Alice's paternal auntPrincess Beatrice stood proxy; theKing of the Netherlands (her maternal uncle), for whom the Dutch Ambassador Count Charles van Bylandt stood proxy; theGrand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine (her paternal uncle), represented by his brother-in-lawAlfred, Duke of Edinburgh; thePrincess of Waldeck and Pyrmont (her maternal grandmother); thePrince of Wales (her paternal uncle); thePrincess Royal (the German Crown Princess – her paternal aunt) represented by her sister-in-law thePrincess of Wales;Prince Wilhelm of Württemberg (her maternal uncle), represented by his cousin theDuke of Teck; theHereditary Princess of Bentheim and Steinfurt (her maternal aunt), for whom her paternal auntPrincess Christian stood proxy; and theDuchess of Cambridge (her grandmother's aunt), represented by her daughter theDuchess of Teck.[citation needed] She was confirmed at theRoyal Memorial Church of St George,Cannes, in 1898 with Queen Victoria present.[2]
When she was four years old, a burglar broke into Clarence House through Princess Alice's bedroom window on the first floor, having used a ladder from a nearby farmhouse. He was followed by two accomplices, but a scream from Princess Alice's nanny alerted everyone and made them flee.Princess Alice's mother tried to calm her by telling her it had beenFather Christmas.[3]
Princess Alice was one of the carriers of the gene forhaemophilia which originated with Queen Victoria. Princess Alice inherited the gene from her father, who died from the disease when she was one year old.[4]
On 10 February 1904, atSt George's Chapel, Windsor, Princess Alice of Albany married hersecond cousin once removedPrince Alexander of Teck, the brother-in-law of the Prince of Wales (laterGeorge V).[1][5] Alice was attended by five bridesmaids, all cousins: PrincessesMargaret andPatricia of Connaught,Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont,Princess Mary of Wales andPrincess Mary of Teck (the latter two also the groom's nieces). Alice and her husband were both descended from King George III. They had three children:
King George V granted her husband theEarldom of Athlone in 1917, during theFirst World War, following the royal family's relinquishing of German titles. Following the Earl's retirement from military service after the war, the couple moved to Clock House withinKensington Palace, thegrace and favour apartment that had previously been occupied by Alice's mother;[1] in 1923 they also acquired a country house,Brantridge Park inWest Sussex.[6]
Princess Alice was godmother to QueenBeatrix of the Netherlands, who is the granddaughter of her first cousin on her mother's side, QueenWilhelmina of the Netherlands.[7]
The Earl was appointed Governor-General of theUnion of South Africa, and served from 1924 to 1931.[8] Princess Alice accompanied him and was the Vicereine during that period. Lord Athlone and Princess Alice had a coastal beach house constructed atMuizenberg, which still stands today and is one of South Africa's national monuments.[9] TheCape Town suburb of Athlone was named in honour of the Governor-General; apart from the beach house and the preservedClass GLGarratt steam locomotivePrincess Alice in theOuteniqua Transport Museum, it is the only physical reminder of the Athlones' residence at the Cape.
On the sudden death of the popularLord Tweedsmuir in 1940, Canada found itself without a Governor General in time of war. Despite the longstanding intention of Canadian governments to appoint Canadian nationals as governors general—Australia had already appointed an Australian national, SirIsaac Isaacs, as its governor general in 1931—the royal family had garnered vast public support during theroyal tour of 1939. As Queen Mary's brother and a former governor general of another Dominion, Lord Athlone seemed a satisfactory candidate, and the Canadian prime minister (W. L. Mackenzie King) advisedthe King to appoint him.
Princess Alice accompanied her husband to Canada where he served asGovernor General from 1940 to 1946, residing primarily atRideau Hall inOttawa. Their three grandchildren, Anne, Richard, and Elizabeth, lived with them in Canada for the duration of the war.[10]
Upon taking up his post, The Earl immediately made himself active in the support of the war effort, travelling across the country and focusing much of his attention on the troops, either those training at military facilities or those injured and in hospital. Viewing his position as governor general as a link between Canadians and their monarch, Athlone also communicated in speeches that the King stood with them in their fight againstAdolf Hitler and theNazi regime.[11]
As vicereine of Canada, Princess Alice also supported the war effort by serving as Honorary Commandant of theWomen's Royal Canadian Naval Service, Honorary Air Commandant of theRoyal Canadian Air Force Women's Division and president of the nursing division of theSt John Ambulance Brigade.[12]
In 1944, thePrincess Alice Barracks Cabin atBritannia Bay provided a summer retreat for Royal Canadian Air Force Women's Division personnel based in Ottawa. The cabin was located near theBritannia Boating Club's facilities for tennis, dancing and boating. Rented from the King's Daughter's Guild of Ottawa, the cabin featured 60 beds, a separatecookhouse and dining pavilion. The cabin had served previously as a Fresh Air Cottage for mothers and undernourished children.[13]
The war was brought close to home for the Athlones also because many of those belonging to displaced European royal families sought refuge in Canada, and resided at or near the royal and viceroyal residence, Rideau Hall. Among the royal guests wereCrown Prince Olav andCrown Princess Märtha ofNorway;Grand Duchess Charlotte andPrince Felix ofLuxembourg;King Peter ofYugoslavia;King George ofGreece; EmpressZita of Bourbon-Parma (Austria) and her daughters; as well asQueen Wilhelmina and her daughter,Princess Juliana.[14] Further, in December 1941, British prime ministerWinston Churchill arrived at Rideau Hall, where he presided overBritish Cabinet meetings via telephone from his bed.[15]
The viceregal couple also played host atQuebec City to prime minister Mackenzie King, as well as Churchill andUnited States presidentFranklin D. Roosevelt, who all gathered to take part in what would become known as the Quebec Conferences, withthe first taking place between 17 and 24 August 1943 at the viceregal residence inLa Citadelle, andthe second occurring from 12 to 16 September 1944 at theChâteau Frontenac. Photos of the Earl withRoosevelt,Churchill and Mackenzie King on the ramparts of the Citadel during the Quebec Conference were widely published at the time.
It was at these meetings that the four men discussed the Allied strategies that would eventually lead to victory over Nazi Germany andJapan. When Germany fell on 8 May 1945 and Japan on 15 August of the same year, Athlone led the national celebrations held onParliament Hill and elsewhere. He thereafter spoke in speeches about Canada's future being marked not by war but by a strong role in reconstruction and reconciliation.[11]
During their time in Canada, the Athlones also supported various charitable and social events, and mounted a number of tobogganing parties and skating lessons on the grounds of Rideau Hall, as well as skiing inGatineau Park. Before the couple departed from Canada at the end of Athlone's time as the King's representative, he left as a legacy the Athlone-Vanier Engineering Fellowship, awarded by theEngineering Institute of Canada.[11]
In her lifetime, Princess Alice carried out many engagements and took part in many of the activities the royal family were involved in. Apart from her normal duties as vicereine of South Africa and then Canada, she attended the coronations of four British monarchs:Edward VII,George V,George VI andElizabeth II, as well as the investiture of the Dutch queenJuliana. She was also the Colonel-in-Chief of two British Army units and oneRhodesian Army unit. During the Second World War, she was Honorary Air Commandant of theRoyal Canadian Air Force Women's Division. In 1950, she became the first Chancellor of theUniversity of the West Indies (then the University College of the West Indies).[16] As Chancellor, she visited the university every year, staying as a guest of SirKenneth Blackburne, Governor-General of Jamaica, and his wife.
From the 1930s to the 1960s, she was Chair of the Council (governing body) ofRoyal Holloway College,University of London. With her husband, daughter and son-in-law, Princess Alice represented the King at the 1937 wedding ofJuliana of the Netherlands toPrince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld.[17]
The princess and her husband visitedBahrain andSaudi Arabia in the winter of 1938.[18] She was the first member of the British royal family to visit the country and the only one to meetKing Abdulaziz.[19][20][21] Their nephewLord Frederick Cambridge accompanied them on the visits.[22] In Saudi Arabia Princess Alice visitedRiyadh,Hofuf andDammam, and metNoura bint Abdul Rahman, sister of the King and other members of theSaudi royal family.[23]
In 1966, Princess Alice published her memoirs,For My Grandchildren.[18][24]
At the end of theSecond World War, theAmerican Military Government in Bavaria, under the command of GeneralGeorge S. Patton, arrested and imprisoned Alice's brother,Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (who served as a member of theReichstag from 1937 to 1945), because of his actions as aNazi supporter during the war. Alice, learning of her brother's incarceration, came toGermany with her husband to plead with his American captors for his release. They would not yield, and in 1946 he was sentenced by ade-nazification court, heavily fined and almost bankrupted.[25]
The Earl of Athlone died in 1957 at Kensington Palace in London.[22] Princess Alice lived there until her death, dying in her sleep on 3 January 1981, aged 97 years and 313 days.[1] As of 2025[update], she remains the longest-living princess of the blood royal and is fourth on thelist of longest-living members of the British royal family, just ahead of QueenElizabeth II and surpassed only by the Queen'saunt,mother andhusband, all of whom married into the royal family.
Her funeral inSt George's Chapel at Windsor Castle was attended by all members of the royal family. She is buried alongside her husband and son in theRoyal Burial Ground, Frogmore,[26] directly behind theRoyal Mausoleum containing the remains of her grandparents,Queen Victoria andPrince Albert. Her son, daughter and son-in-law are also buried close by.
At the time of her death she was great-aunt to theKing of Sweden and theQueen of the United Kingdom. She lived through six reigns:[1] those ofVictoria (grandmother),Edward VII (uncle),George V (brother-in-law and cousin),Edward VIII as well asGeorge VI (nephews) and Elizabeth II (grandniece).
Her will was sealed in London after her death in 1981. Her estate was valued at £182,185 (or £567,100 in 2022 when adjusted for inflation).[27]
Member, 1st Class, of theRoyal Order of Victoria and Albert (VA)
1 January 1948: Dame Grand Cross of theRoyal Victorian Order (GCVO)[28]_Ribbon.svg)
11 May 1937: Dame Grand Cross of theMost Excellent Order of the British Empire (GBE)[29]
Dame Grand Cross of theMost Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (GCStJ)
12 May 1937: Recipient of theKing George VI Coronation Medal[30]
2 June 1953: Recipient of theQueen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal[31]
Royal Family Order of George V[32]
Royal Family Order of Elizabeth II[33]
United Kingdom
Commandant-in-Chief,First Aid Nursing Yeomanry[34]As a granddaughter of Queen Victoria in the male line, Princess Alice was entitled to use theRoyal Arms with a 5-point label for difference, the central point bearing a cross gules, the others hearts gules.
 |  | .svg) |  |
|---|---|---|---|
Princess Alice'scoat of arms | Alice's banner of arms, a five-point label, the first, second, fourth and fifth points charged with a red heart, the third point charged with the Cross of St. George | Alice's personal banner of arms in Scotland. | Arms of alliance of Lord Athone, and Princess Alice |
Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone Cadet branch of theHouse of Wettin Born: 25 February 1883 Died: 3 January 1981 | ||
| Honorary titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Viceregal consort of Canada 1940–1946 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Viceregal consort of South Africa 1924–1930 | Succeeded by |
| Academic offices | ||
| New title | Chancellor of the University of the West Indies 1948–1971 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |