| Victoria Adelaide | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Victoria Adelaide in 1905 | |||||
| Duchess consort of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | |||||
| Tenure | 11 October 1905 – 14 November 1918 | ||||
| Born | (1885-12-31)31 December 1885 Gut Grünholz (Thumby,Schleswig-Holstein,Kingdom of Prussia,German Empire) | ||||
| Died | 3 October 1970(1970-10-03) (aged 84) Greinburg, Austria | ||||
| Spouse | |||||
| Issue | |||||
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| House | Glücksburg | ||||
| Father | Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein | ||||
| Mother | Princess Karoline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg | ||||
Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (German:Viktoria Adelheid Helene Luise Marie Friederike; 31 December 1885 – 3 October 1970) wasDuchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha as the consort ofDuke Charles Edward from their marriage on 11 October 1905 until his abdication on 14 November 1918.
Victoria Adelaide's marriage to Charles Edward was arranged by German emperor,Wilhelm II. She was chosen for her perceived political loyalty to the Imperial German government and her symbolic significance as a German wife for the British-born duke. She was seen as unpretentious and gained popularity among the people of the Duchy. After his forced abdication in 1918, Charles Edward became an enthusiastic supporter of Nazism. Sources differ on how enthusiastically Victoria Adelaide supported these beliefs.
Princess Victoria Adelaide was born on 31 December 1885 at Castle Grünholz,Thumby,Schleswig-Holstein, Prussia as the eldest daughter ofFrederick Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and his wifePrincess Karoline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg.
Victoria Adelaide's mother was a sister ofAugusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, German Empress by marriage toWilhelm II. Also, Victoria Adelaide's father was the eldest son ofFriedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and a nephew ofChristian IX of Denmark.
One month before the birth of Victoria Adelaide, Friedrich Ferdinand had succeeded to the headship of theHouse of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and the title ofduke upon the death of his father on 27 November 1885.[1]
A report in theAlcester Chronicle, a British local newspaper, published in 1909, commented that Victoria Adelaide and her sisters had been allowed by their father to learn a women's occupation in case they ever needed to support themselves. According to the report, Victoria Adelaide had gained a qualification from the "Berlin Royal School of Cookery".[2]
On 11 October 1905, atGlücksburg Castle,Schleswig, she marriedCharles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Charles Edward was the only son ofPrince Leopold, Duke of Albany by his wifePrincess Helena of Waldeck and a grandson ofQueen Victoria. Five years before the marriage, he had succeeded to the duchy ofSaxe-Coburg and Gotha upon the death of his uncleAlfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1900.[3][4] As Charles Edward was considered to have an "ambiguous" attitude towards women, according to historian Karena Urbach, his family decided he needed anarranged marriage at a young age. Victoria Adelaide was chosen by her uncleWilhelm II, theGerman Emperor, as the bride of Charles Edward. She was believed to be well-adjusted and loyal toWilhelm's royal house.[5]
She lacked any non-German or Jewish ancestry which was seen as important as her new husband was British-born. The local newspaper commented that the people of the Duchy "will always prefer to welcome a princess born into their own tribe as mother of the country [Duchess] than a stranger"[6]
Victoria Adelaide was described, in her grandson's memoirs, as the leading part of the marriage and the Duke would initially come to her for advice.[citation needed] Victoria Adelaide was well-liked and seen as open to ordinary people. She often walked around her husband's territories talking to people and knew many members of the local population.[7][5] She and her husband had five children born between 1906 and 1918:Prince Johann Leopold (1906—1972),Princess Sibylla (1908—1972),Prince Hubertus (1909—1943), Princess Caroline Mathilde (1912—1983), andPrince Friedrich Josias (1918—1998).[8] As was the norm among families of their social class at the time, caring for the children was mainly delegated to domestic servants. The family often spoke English at home.[7]
In 1918, the Duke was forced to abdicate his ducal throne, following the end ofWorld War I, forcing the family to become private citizens.[9] Charles Edward was an early and fervent supporter ofAdolf Hitler.[10] At a 1929 local election in Coburg, Victoria Adelaide attended Nazi party campaign events alongside her husband.[5] According to some accounts, she initially shared her husband's enthusiasm and patriotism but came to loathe theNazi Party following theNazi seizure of power. She defied her husband by supporting theGerman Evangelical Church Confederation against the antisemiticGerman Christians.[10] However, Urbach describes this version of events as a "family myth". She states that Victoria Adelaide's views aligned with her husband's and the former duchess maintained her support for Nazism into the postwar period.[5] In an interview shortly after the war ended she said her husband had been motivated by patriotism and "stumbled on his own idealism".[7] A report in the local newspaper, marking Victoria Adelaide's 80th birthday in 1965, described her warmly commenting that
It will never be forgotten that the Duchess — a niece of the German Empress Augusta Viktoria — was never afraid to go shopping for herself and others at the market with a handle basket, or after 1945 to go shopping by bicycle from Callenberg Castle... [to] Coburg. Because of this self-evident simplicity, the Coburgers count her among their own. They never forget what they owe to their former duchess.[11]
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johann Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | 2 August 1906 | 4 May 1972 | married (1; unequally, renouncing his rights to the headship of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha), 9 March 1932, Feodora, Baronessvon der Horst; divorced 1962; had issue (2), 5 May 1963, Maria Theresa Reindl; no issue[3] |
| Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | 18 January 1908 | 28 November 1972 | married, 20 October 1932,Prince Gustav Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten; had issue, inc.Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden[3] |
| Prince Hubertus of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | 24 August 1909 | 26 November 1943 | childless, died during the Second World War[3] |
| Princess Caroline Mathilde of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | 22 June 1912 | 5 September 1983 | married (1), 14 December 1931, Friedrich Wolfgang Otto, Count ofCastell-Rüdenhausen; divorced 2 May 1938; had issue (2), 22 June 1938, Captain Max Schnirring; he died 1944; had issue (3), 23 December 1946, Karl Otto "Jim" Andrée; divorced 1949; no issue[3] |
| Prince Friedrich Josias of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | 29 November 1918 | 23 January 1998 | married (1), 25 January 1942,Countess Viktoria-Luise of Solms-Baruth; divorced 19 September 1947; had issue (2), 14 February 1948, Denyse Henriettede Muralt; divorced 17 September 1964; had issue (3), 30 October 1964, Katherine Bremme; no issue[3] |
Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein Cadet branch of theHouse of Oldenburg Born: 31 December 1885 Died: 3 October 1970 | ||
| German nobility | ||
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| Vacant Title last held by Maria Alexandrovna of Russia | Duchess consort of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha 11 October 1905 – 14 November 1918 | Monarchy abolished |
| Titles in pretence | ||
| Preceded by None | — TITULAR — Duchess consort of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha 14 November 1918 – 6 March 1954 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
