While attending Ella’s wedding in 1884, Alix met and fell in love with the Tsarevich Nicholas. Due to objections from both families, and Alix’s scruples about having to convert to Orthodoxy, ten years passed before the couple were married, by which time Nicholas had inherited the throne. Tragically, Alix, too, had inherited the haemophilia gene and her only son, Alexei, suffered from the condition. Despite her deep love for Nicholas and her desire to do all she could to serve the Russian people, Alix was never fully accepted by the aristocracy, and, during the First World War, she and her elder sister, Ella, were falsely accused of being German spies. In the midst of the Russian Revolution, she and all her family were murdered by the Bolsheviks.
Alice’s legacy, however, lived on through the hospitals founded in her honour, her charities, and the lives of her children who inherited her dedication to duty and her desire to serve the poor and the sick. As for Alice herself, as the first anniversary of her father’s death approached, she had comforted herself and her mother with the belief that they would meet again ‘in another home’. It would appear that, as she breathed her last breath, her father had come to take her to that home, where, she had always believed, she would be reunited with her children, Frittie and May, and with ‘beloved Papa’, Prince Albert, whom she had always loved so deeply.
By the same author:
Queen Victoria’s Granddaughters 1860-1918
Most Beautiful Princess – A Novel Based on the Life of Grand Duchess Elizabeth of Russia
Shattered Crowns: The Scapegoats
Shattered Crowns: The Sacrifice
Shattered Crowns: The Betrayal
The Fields Laid Waste
The Counting House
Wonderful Walter
* * *
[a] Since the reign of George III the Kings of Great Britain and Ireland were also Kings of Hanover. As Salic Law prevented a female from inheriting the throne, Ernest, as the eldest surviving son of George III, became King of Hanover on Queen Victoria’s accession in 1837.
[b]HRH Princess Sophia Matilda of Gloucester, a cousin of Victoria’s father.
[c] Queen Victoria’s mother was a widow at the time of her marriage to the Duke of Kent and had two children – Karl, Prince of Leiningen, and Feodore, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. Although they were a good deal older than the Queen, she was fond of both of them, particularly Feodore.
[d] See Chapter 4
[e] See Chapter 5
[f] There were in fact no less than seven attempts on Queen Victoria’s life throughout her sixty-three year reign. The Prince of Wales was shot at in Belgium; and Prince Alfred was shot in the back on a tour of Australia.
[g] The Chartists, adherents of ‘The People’s Charter’ of 1838, were a group of working men demanding political reform.
[h] Queen Victoria had previously visited Leeds – which did not become a city until 1893 – in 1835, two years prior to her accession.
[i] Loiners = people of Leeds
[j] It is hardly surprising that, several decades later, following Alice’s example, one of her daughters, Grand Duchess Elizabeth of Russia, would found an Orthodox order intended to combine the attributes of the Biblical sisters, Martha and Mary, by practical service and meditative contemplation. See Most Beautiful Princess by Christina Croft
[k] At Prince Albert’s invitation, The Yorkshire Choral Union would go on to perform at the Crystal Palace the following year.
[l] The royal yacht Victoria & Albert was launched on Alice’s birthday – 25th April 1843
[m] Sir Edward Bowater did not recover from his illness. He continued on to Cannes, where he died on 14th December 1861.
[n] The crenelated mansion was destroyed by fire in 1960 and subsequently demolished.
[o] Queen Victoria was so impressed by the Grand Duke’s hospitality that in 1865 she awarded him the Order of the Garter. His investiture was carried out in the presence of Alice and her father-in-law.
[p] Interestingly, as family patterns go, Alice’s daughter, Alix, also spent the early weeks of her marriage to Tsar Nicholas II, living with her mother-in-law and found the situation extremely difficult.
[q] It is remarkable how closely Ella’s life came to resemble that of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, who, following the death of her husband, gave away all of her possessions and founded a religious order to care for the poor. Ella was canonised by the Russian Orthodox Church and is recognised as St Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia. See ‘Most Beautiful Princess’ by Christina Croft
[r] Approximately £35,000 in today’s money.
[s] George Eliot, the pen name of Mary Ann Evans, had caused a scandal by openly living with the married philosopher, George Lewes.
[t] Ironically, nearly half a century later, the same charges of being too concerned for the welfare of prisoners-of-war, and secretly working for the enemy would be levelled at two of Alice’s daughters, Ella and Alix, with even more tragic consequences. See ‘Most Beautiful Princess’ by Christina Croft.
[u] See Chapter 20
[v] Among the friends she had lost was David Strauss, who had left Darmstadt in 1872 and died in February 1874.
[w] Her appearance suggests that she might have been suffering from hypothyroidism, which could account for her obesity.
[x]In the event, the precautions proved futile. Within months, the epidemic had spread through Prussia, claiming Vicky’s son, eleven-year-old Waldemar, among its victims.
* * *
[1]Notes
Grey, Lieutenant-General, the Hon. C. The Early Years of His Royal Highness, the Prince Consort
[2] Martin, Theodore The Life of the Prince Consort Vol 1 (D. Appleton & Co. 1875)
[3]Grey, Lieutenant-General, the Hon. C. The Early Years of His Royal Highness, the Prince Consort
[4] ibid
[5] Stockmar, Baron E. von, Memoirs of Baron Stockmar Vol II (Longman’s, Green and Co. 1873)
[6] Stockmar, Baron E. von, Memoirs of Baron Stockmar Vol II (Longman’s, Green and Co. 1873)
[7] Lancefield, Richard T. Sixty Years a Queen (G.M. Rose & Sons 1897)
[8] Garrett Fawcett, Millicent Life of Her Majesty Queen Victoria (Roberts Brothers 1895)
[9] Benson, Arthur Christopher, & Esher, Viscount (Edited by) The Letters of Queen Victoria, Vol. II (John Murray 1907) Memorandum by the Prince Albert 3rd March 1850
[10] Gordon Browne E. Queen Victoria (George G. Harrap & Company 1915)
[11] Benson, Arthur Christopher, & Esher, Viscount (Edited by) The Letters of Queen Victoria, Vol. II (John Murray 1907) Letter of Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians 16th May 1843
[12] Benson, Arthur Christopher, & Esher, Viscount (Edited by) The Letters of Queen Victoria, Vol. II (John Murray 1907) Letter of Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians, June 6th 1843
[13] Lyttelton, Baroness Letters from Sarah, Lady Lyttelton 1797-1870 (Spottiswoode & Co. 1873)
[14] Rusk, Rev. John The Beautiful Life & Illustrious Reign of Queen Victoria (Boland 1901)
[15] Stockmar, Baron von E. Memoirs of Baron Stockmar Vol 2 (Longmans, Green & Co. 1897)
[16] Benson, Arthur Christopher, & Esher, Viscount (Edited by) The Letters of Queen Victoria, Vol. II (John Murray 1907) Letter of Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians 4th June 1844
[17] ibid
[18] Lyttelton, Baroness Letters from Sarah, Lady Lyttelton 1797-1870 (Spottiswoode & Co. 1873)
[19] Benson, Arthur Christopher, & Esher, Viscount (Edited by) The Letters of Queen Victoria, Vol. II (John Murray 1907) Letter of Queen Victoria to Viscount Melbourne 3rd April 1845
[20] Lyttelton, Baroness Letters from Sarah, Lady Lyttelton 1797-1870 (Spottiswoode & Co. 1873)
[21] Ball, T. Frederick Queen Victoria, Scenes and Incidents of Her Life and Reign (Watson 1888)
[22] Garrett Fawcett, Millicent Life of Her Majesty Queen Victoria (Roberts Brothers 1895)
[23] Marie, Queen of Roumania The Story of My Life (Saturday Post 1931)
[24] Mo
rris, Charles The Life of Queen Victoria & The Story of Her Reign (1901)
[25] Ball, T. Frederick Queen Victoria, Scenes and Incidents of Her Life and Reign (Watson 1888)
[26] Martin, Theodore The Life of the Prince Consort (D. Appleton & Co. 1877)
[27] Lyttelton, Baroness Letters from Sarah, Lady Lyttelton 1797-1870 (Spottiswoode & Co. 1873)
[28] Lyttelton, Baroness Letters from Sarah, Lady Lyttelton 1797-1870 (Spottiswoode & Co. 1873)
[29] Helena Victoria, Princess (editor) Alice Grand Duchess of Hesse, Biographical Sketch and Letters (John Murray 1884) ibid
[30] Lyttelton, Baroness Letters from Sarah, Lady Lyttelton 1797-1870 (Spottiswoode & Co. 1873)
[31] Louise, Duchess of Baden quoted in: Helena Victoria, Princess (editor) Alice Grand Duchess of Hesse, Biographical Sketch and Letters (John Murray 1884)
[32] Fulford, Roger (Editor) Dearest Child – Letters Between Queen Victoria & The Princess Royal 1858-1861 (Evans Bros 1964)
[33] Knight, Alfred E. Victoria, Her Life and Reign (S.W. Partridge & Co. 1896)
[34] Packard, Jerrold Victoria’s Daughters
[35] Helena Victoria, Princess (editor) Alice Grand Duchess of Hesse, Biographical Sketch and Letters (John Murray 1884)
[36] Hansard 17th December 1878
[37] Helena Victoria, Princess (editor) Alice Grand Duchess of Hesse, Biographical Sketch and Letters (John Murray 1884)
[38] Gordon Browne E. Queen Victoria (George G Harrap & Co 1915)
[39] ibid
[40] Benson, Arthur Christopher, & Esher, Viscount (Edited by) The Letters of Queen Victoria, Vol. II (John Murray 1907) Letter of Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians 3rd May 1851
[41] Helena Victoria, Princess (editor) Alice Grand Duchess of Hesse, Biographical Sketch and Letters (John Murray 1884)
[42] Benson, Arthur Christopher, & Esher, Viscount (Edited by) The Letters of Queen Victoria, Vol. II (John Murray 1907) Letter of Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians 2nd July 1850
[43] Jerrold, Clare The Married Life of Queen Victoria (G. Bell & Sons Ltd. 1913)
[44] Benson, Arthur Christopher, & Esher, Viscount (Edited by) The Letters of Queen Victoria, Vol. II (John Murray 1907)
[45] Benson, Arthur Christopher, & Esher, Viscount (Edited by) The Letters of Queen Victoria, Vol. II (John Murray 1907) Letter of Prince Albert to Lord John Russell 10th April 1848
[46] Parton, James Eminent Women of the Age (1868)
[47] Cook Edward Tyas The Life of Florence Nightingale (Macmillan & Co. 1913)
[48] Holmes, Richard R. Queen Victoria (Boussod, Valadon & Co. 1897)
[49] Benson, Arthur Christopher, & Esher, Viscount (Edited by) The Letters of Queen Victoria, Vol. III (John Murray 1907) Letter of Queen Victoria to Miss Nightingale January 1856
[50] Helena Victoria, Princess (editor) Alice Grand Duchess of Hesse, Biographical Sketch and Letters (John Murray 1884)
[51] Author unknown: The Empress Frederick A Memoir (Dodd, Mead & Company 1913)
[52] ibid
[53] ibid
[54] ibid
[55] Martin, Theodore The Life of the Prince Consort (D. Appleton & Co. 1877)
[56] ibid
[57] Fulford, Roger (Editor) Dearest Child, Letters between Queen Victoria & the Princess Royal 1858-1861 (Evans Brothers 1964)
[58] ibid
[59] ibid
[60] Tytler, Sarah The Life of Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen Vol 2 (G. Virtue. 1885)
[61] Fulford, Roger (Editor) Dearest Child, Letters between Queen Victoria & the Princess Royal 1858-1861 (Evans Brothers 1964)
[62] Gordon Browne E. Queen Victoria (George G Harrap & Co 1915)
[63] Benson, Arthur Christopher, & Esher, Viscount (Edited by) The Letters of Queen Victoria, Vol. II (John Murray 1907) Letter of Queen Victoria to the Duchess of Gloucester 12th December 1850
[64] Fulford, Roger (Editor) Dearest Child, Letters between Queen Victoria & the Princess Royal 1858-1861 (Evans Brothers 1964)
[65] ibid
[66] Martin, Theodore The Life of the Prince Consort (D. Appleton & Co. 1877)
[67] ibid
[68] Fulford, Roger (Editor) Dearest Child, Letters between Queen Victoria & the Princess Royal 1858-1861 (Evans Brothers 1964)
[69] ibid
[70] Fulford, Roger (Editor) Dearest Child, Letters between Queen Victoria & the Princess Royal 1858-1861 (Evans Brothers 1964)
[71] ibid
[72] Martin, Theodore The Life of the Prince Consort Vol 5 (D. Appleton & Co. 1880)
[73] Benson, Arthur Christopher, & Esher, Viscount (Edited by) The Letters of Queen Victoria, Vol. III (John Murray 1907) Letter from Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians 25th April 1860
[74] Fulford, Roger (Editor) Dearest Child, Letters between Queen Victoria & the Princess Royal 1858-1861 (Evans Brothers 1964)
[75] ibid
[76] Martin, Theodore The Life of the Prince Consort Vol 5 (D. Appleton & Co. 1880)
[77] Bennet, Daphne King Without A Crown (William Heinemann Ltd. 1977)
[78] Fulford, Roger (Editor) Dearest Child, Letters between Queen Victoria & the Princess Royal 1858-1861 (Evans Brothers 1964)
[79] Benson, Arthur Christopher, & Esher, Viscount (Edited by) The Letters of Queen Victoria, Vol. III (John Murray 1907) Letter from Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians 31st July 1860
[80] Martin, Theodore The Life of the Prince Consort Vol 5 (D. Appleton & Co. 1880)
[81] ibid
[82] Fulford, Roger (Editor) Dearest Child, Letters between Queen Victoria & the Princess Royal 1858-1861 (Evans Brothers 1964)
[83] ibid
[84] Martin, Theodore The Life of the Prince Consort Vol 5 (D. Appleton & Co. 1880)
[85] ibid
[86] Ball, T. Frederick Queen Victoria, Scenes and Incidents of Her Life and Reign (Watson 1888)
[87] Martin, Theodore The Life of the Prince Consort Vol 4 (D. Appleton & Co. 1880)
[88] Fulford, Roger (Editor) Dearest Child, Letters between Queen Victoria & the Princess Royal 1858-1861 (Evans Brothers 1964)
[89] Martin, Theodore The Life of the Prince Consort Vol 5 (D. Appleton & Co. 1880)
[90] Martin, Theodore The Life of the Prince Consort Vol 5 (D. Appleton & Co. 1880)
[91] Ball, T. Frederick Queen Victoria, Scenes and Incidents of Her Life and Reign (Watson 1888)
[92] Hansard 3rd May 1861
[93] Helena Victoria, Princess (editor) Alice Grand Duchess of Hesse, Biographical Sketch and Letters (John Murray 1884)
[94] Fulford, Roger (Editor) Dearest Child, Letters between Queen Victoria & the Princess Royal 1858-1861 (Evans Brothers 1964)
[95] Martin, Theodore The Life of the Prince Consort Vol 5 (D. Appleton & Co. 1880)
[96] Fulford, Roger (Editor) Dearest Child, Letters between Queen Victoria & the Princess Royal 1858-1861 (Evans Brothers 1964)
[97] Martin, Theodore The Life of the Prince Consort Vol 5 (D. Appleton & Co. 1880)
[98] Fulford, Roger (Editor) Dearest Child, Letters between Queen Victoria & the Princess Royal 1858-1861 (Evans Brothers 1964)
[99] ibid
[100] ibid
[101] Martin, Theodore The Life of the Prince Consort Vol 5 (D. Appleton & Co. 1880)
[102] Benson, Arthur Christopher, & Esher, Viscount (Edited by) The Letters of Queen Victoria, Vol. III (John Murray 1907) Letter from Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians 11th December 1861
[103] Morris, Charles & Halstead, Morat Life and reign of Queen Victoria including the lives of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra (1901)
[104] Benson, Arthur Christopher, & Esher, Viscount (Edited by) The Letters of Queen Victoria, Vol. III (John Murray 1907) Letter from Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians 24th December 1861
[105] Argyll, John Douglas Sutherland Campbell, Duke of The Life of Queen Victoria (George Bell & Sons 1909)
[106] Helena Victoria, Princess (editor) Alice Grand Duchess of Hesse, Biograph
ical Sketch and Letters (John Murray 1884)
[107] ibid
[108] ibid
[109] Knightley, Lady Louisa The Journals of Lady Knightley of Fawsley 1856-1884 (John Murray 1924)
[110] RA VIC/MAIN/QVJ 12 July 1862 (Princess Beatrice's copies). Retrieved July 4th 2013
[111] Helena Victoria, Princess (editor) Alice Grand Duchess of Hesse, Biographical Sketch and Letters (John Murray 1884)
[112] ibid
[113] ibid
[114] Fulford, Roger (Editor) Dearest Child, Letters between Queen Victoria & the Princess Royal 1858-1861 (Evans Brothers 1964)
[115] Knightley, Lady Louisa The Journals of Lady Knightley of Fawsley 1856-1884 (John Murray 1924)
[116] Helena Victoria, Princess (editor) Alice Grand Duchess of Hesse, Biographical Sketch and Letters (John Murray 1884)
[117] ibid
[118] Argyll, John Douglas Sutherland Campbell, Duke of The Life of Queen Victoria (George Bell & Sons 1909)
[119] ibid
[120] Dickens, Charles Martin Chuzzlewit (1843)
[121] Helena Victoria, Princess (editor) Alice Grand Duchess of Hesse, Biographical Sketch and Letters (John Murray 1884)
[122] ibid
[123] ibid
[124] ibid
[125] ibid
[126] ibid
[127] Ponsonby, Frederick (editor) The Letters of the Empress Frederick (Macmillan & Co. 1928)
[128] ibid
[129] Helena Victoria, Princess (editor) Alice Grand Duchess of Hesse, Biographical Sketch and Letters (John Murray 1884)
[130] Ponsonby, Frederick (editor) The Letters of the Empress Frederick (Macmillan & Co. 1928)
[131] Bolitho, Hector The Reign of Queen Victoria (Macmillan 1948)
[132] Helena Victoria, Princess (editor) Alice Grand Duchess of Hesse, Biographical Sketch and Letters (John Murray 1884)
Alice, The Enigma - A Biography of Queen Victoria's Daughter Page 23