by Alison Weir
2 Sigvard Oscar Frederick, Duke of Upland (b.1907); he married firstly Erika Maria Regina Rosalie Patzeck; they were later divorced. He married secondly Sonia Helen Robbert (b.1909), and had issue.
3 Ingrid Victoria Sophia Louise Margaret (b.1910); she married Frederick IX, King of Denmark, and had issue.
4 Bertil Gustavus Oscar Charles Eugene, Duke of Holland (b.1912).
5 Charles John Arthur, Duke of Dalecarlia (b.1916); he married Ellen Christine Margaret Wijkmark (b.1910).
6 Unnamed daughter (d. young).
Margaret died on 1 May, 1920, at Stockholm, Sweden.
(ii) Arthur Frederick Patrick Albert
He was born on 13 January, 1883, at Windsor Castle. He was made a Knight of the Garter on 15 July, 1902. He died on 12 September, 1938, at Belgrave Square, London.
Arthur married, on 15 October, 1913, at the Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace:
Alexandra Victoria Alberta Edwina Louise
She was the daughter of Alexander William George Duff, Duke of Fife, by Louise, daughter of Edward VII, and she was born on 17 May, 1891, at East Sheen Lodge, Surrey. She succeeded her father as Duchess of Fife in her own right in 1912. She died on 26 February, 1959, at her house in Avenue Road, London, and was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium, London.
Issue of marriage:
(a) Alastair Arthur
He was born on 9 August, 1914, in Mount Street, London, and was styled Earl of MacDuff from birth. He succeeded his grandfather Arthur as Duke of Connaught and Strathearn and Earl of Sussex on 16 January, 1942. He died on 26 April, 1943, at Government House, Ottawa, Canada, and was buried in Mar Lodge Chapel, Braemar, Aberdeenshire.
(iii) Victoria Patricia Helen Elizabeth
She was born on 17 March, 1886, at Buckingham Palace. She married Sir Alexander Robert Maule Ramsay (1881–1972) on 27 February, 1919, at Westminster Abbey (this was the first royal wedding to take place in the Abbey since Tudor times). She renounced her title of Princess, and assumed the style Lady Patricia Ramsay upon marriage. She had issue:
1 Alexander Arthur Alfonso David Maule (b.1919); he married Marjorie Flora (b.1930), daughter of Alexander Arthur Fraser, 19 Earl of Saltoun, and had issue.
Lady Patricia died on 12 January, 1974.
8 Leopold George Duncan Albert
He was born on 7 April, 1853, at Buckingham Palace. He was made a Knight of the Garter on 24 May, 1869, and created Duke of Albany, Earl of Clarence and Baron Arklow on 14 May, 1881. A haemophiliac, he died after an accident on 28 March, 1884, at the Villa Nevada, Cannes, France, and was buried in St George’s Chapel, Windsor.
Leopold married, on 27 April, 1882, at St George’s Chapel, Windsor:
Hélène Frederica Augusta
She was the daughter of George Victor, Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont, by Helena Wilhelmina Henrietta Pauline Marianne, daughter of George William Augustus Henry, Duke of Nassau-Weilburg, and she was born on 17 February, 1861, at Arolsen, Waldeck, Germany. She died on 1 September, 1922, at Hinterris in the Austrian Tyrol, and was buried in Austria.
Issue of marriage:
(i) Alice Mary Victoria Augusta Pauline
She was born on 25 February, 1883, at Windsor Castle. She married Alexander of Teck, Earl of Athlone (1874–1957) (great-grandson of George III and brother of Queen Mary, wife of George V), on 10 February, 1904, at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, and had issue:
1 May Helen Emma (b.1906); she married Colonel Sir Henry Abel Smith (b.1900), and had issue.
2 Rupert Alexander George Augustus, Viscount Trematon (1907-killed in a car accident, 1928).
3 Maurice Francis George (b.&d.1910).
In 1917, Alexander of Teck adopted the surname Cambridge, which has since been used by his family. Princess Alice died on 3 January, 1981, at Kensington Palace, London, and was buried at Frogmore, Windsor.
(ii) (Leopold) Charles Edward George Albert
Known as Charles, he was born on 19 July, 1884, at Claremont House, Esher, Surrey, his father’s posthumous son. He therefore succeeded at birth as Duke of Albany, Earl of Clarence and Baron Arklow. He succeeded his uncle Alfred as Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha on 30 July, 1900. He was made a Knight of the Garter on 15 July, 1902. He supported Kaiser William II during the First World War, and was consequently struck off the register of the Knights of the Garter in 1915. He abdicated as Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha on 14 November, 1918, and his English titles were formally removed by order of King George V in Council on 28 March, 1919. He died on 6 March, 1954, at Coburg, Germany.
Charles married, on 11 October, 1905, at Glücksburg Castle, Holstein, Germany:
Victoria Adelaide Helena Louise Marie Frederica
She was the daughter of Frederick Ferdinand George Christian Charles William, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, by Victoria Frederica Augusta Marie Caroline Matilda, daughter of Frederick Christian Augustus, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. She was born on 31 December, 1885, at Grünholz, Holstein, Germany. She died on 3 or 5 October, 1970, either at Coburg, Germany, or at Greinburg, Austria.
Issue of marriage:
(a) John Leopold William Albert Ferdinand Victor (1906–1972); he married firstly Feodora Mary Alma Margaret (b.1907), daughter of Baron Bernard von der Horst, and had issue; they were divorced in 1962. He married secondly Maria Theresa Elizabeth (1908–72), daughter of Max Reinde.
(b) Sybilla Calma Mary Alice Bathildis Feodora (1908–1972); she married Prince Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden (1906–killed 1947), and had issue.
(c) Dietmar Hubert Frederick William Philip (1909–1943).
(d) Caroline Matilda Louisa Eleanor Augusta Beatrice (b.1912); she married firstly Frederick Wolfgang, Count of Castell-Rudenhausen (1906–1940), and had issue; they were divorced in 1938. She married secondly Max Schnirring (1896–1944), and had issue, and thirdly Jim Andree (b.1912); they were divorced in 1949.
(e) Frederick Josias Charles Edward Ernest Cyril Harold (b.1918); he married firstly Victoria Louisa Frederica Caroline Matilda (b.1921), daughter of Hans, Count of Solmsbaruth, and had issue; they were divorced in 1946. He married secondly Denise Henrietta (b.1923), daughter of Gaston Robert de Muralt, and had issue; they were divorced in 1964. He married thirdly Katherine (b.1940), daughter of Dietrich Charles Bremme.
9 Beatrice Mary Victoria Feodore
She was born on 14 April, 1857, at Buckingham Palace. She married Prince Henry Maurice of Battenberg (1858–1896) on 23 July, 1885, at Whippingham Church, Isle of Wight, and had issue:
1 Alexander Albert, Marquess of Carisbrooke (1886–1960); he married Irene Frances Adza (1890–1956), daughter of William Denison, 3rd Earl of Londesbrough, and had issue.
2 Victoria Eugénie Julia Ena (who took the additional names Maria Christina upon entering the Roman Catholic Faith) (1887–1969); she married Alfonso XIII, King of Spain (1886–1941), and had issue.
3 Leopold Arthur Louis (1889–1922).
4 Maurice Victor Donald (1891–killed at the Battle of Mons, 1914).
Beatrice died on 26 October, 1944, at Brantridge Park, Balcombe, Sussex, and was buried in St George’s Chapel, Windsor. Her remains were later removed to St Mildred’s Church, Whippingham, Isle of Wight.
QUEEN VICTORIA
She died on 22 January, 1901, at Osborne House, Isle of Wight, and was buried in the Royal Mausoleum, Frogmore, Windsor.
She was succeeded by her son Albert, who styled himself Edward VII.
CHAPTER NINE
The House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha becomes the House of Windsor
The Hanoverian line officially ended with the death of Queen Victoria. Her son, Edward VII, was the first sovereign of the short-lived royal House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, as the son of the Prince Consort. At the turn of the 20th century, the British royal family was enjoying its greatest pinnacle of prestige, with the British Empire – which had vastly expanded during the reign of Victoria – covering much of the globe. The Monarchy now had imperial status, and Victoria herself embodied a
ll its highest ideals.
This state of affairs could not last. The 20th century has seen the most sweeping changes in our history, as well as two world wars. The great Empire did not long survive the Second World War, and became the British Commonwealth of Nations, although many have since become independent.
It was one of the supreme ironies of history that the monarchy which led Britain and the Empire through two wars against Germany should itself be of German origin, and its members closely intermarried with high-ranking supporters of Kaiser William II or Adolf Hitler. Queen Victoria herself spoke English with a strong German accent, and German at home with Albert. The royal family of Hanover and that of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha were British by birth, closely related to the British royal house. Yet so strong was the monarchy’s identification with its people, and so anti-German was the popular feeling of its subjects, that in 1917 King George V decided to expunge all German names and titles from his House and family. Thus the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha became the House of Windsor; their Serene Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Teck became transformed by the surname Cambridge; and Battenberg – the name of one of the most illustrious families of 19th- and 20th-century Europe – became Mountbatten.
Thirty years later, Mountbatten and Windsor were to become linked by marriage, when the present Queen married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, formerly Prince Philip of Greece. Since Elizabeth II’s accession, it has become clear that, while the Queen’s House and family are still known as Windsor, her children are surnamed Mountbatten-Windsor. George V decreed also that the title Prince or Princess might be borne, not only by the sons and daughters of the monarch, but also by the children of sons of the sovereign. Great-grandchildren in the male line are styled Lord (name) or Lady (name) Windsor. Primogeniture, as practised by the Plantagenets centuries ago, is still used to determine the order of succession to the throne.
Of course, the monarchy has adapted to change, and also to an age in which media intrusion has – rather dangerously, on occasions – sometimes reduced it to the level of a soap opera. This is perhaps the greatest threat it has faced since 1936, when Edward VIII abdicated for love, to marry a twice-divorced woman. That event shook the throne, and it was only the dedication and devotion to duty of King George VI and the late Queen Mother that restored its prestige. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has maintained that tradition; as a sovereign reigning in an age that has seen great changes in the moral and social climate, she continues to embody all the domestic, and now sometimes unfashionable, virtues that made Queen Victoria so successful a monarch; yet, unlike Victoria in her later years, Elizabeth II is a very visible monarch, seen to be performing her duties with sincerity and dedication, in full glare of the media. She is a constitutional monarch par excellence, whose long experience in politics and public life has earned her the respect of political leaders worldwide.
For all the rumours, it is unthinkable that the Queen will abdicate. The memory of Edward VIII is too fresh in the public mind. The succession is assured well into the 21st century, and we may confidently hope that the traditions of a thousand years of British monarchy will continue long into the future.
Edward VII
* * *
FATHER: Albert, Prince Consort ( see here, under Queen Victoria).
MOTHER: Queen Victoria ( see here).
SIBLINGS: ( see here, under Queen Victoria).
EDWARD VII
Baptised Albert Edward, he was born on 9 November, 1841, at Buckingham Palace, and was Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Lord of the Isles and Baron Renfrew from birth. He was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester on 8 December, 1841, and Earl of Dublin on 17 January, 1850. He was made a Knight of the Garter on 9 November, 1858. In 1863, he renounced his courtesy title, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, inherited from his father. He was made a Knight of the Thistle of 24 May, 1867. He succeeded his mother as King of Great Britain and Emperor of India on 22 January, 1901, and was crowned on 9 August, 1902, at Westminster Abbey.
Edward VII married, on 10 March, 1863, at St George’s Chapel, Windsor:
Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julie
She was the daughter of Christian IX, King of Denmark, by Louise Wilhelmina Frederica Caroline Augusta Julie, daughter of William X, Landgrave of Hesse-Cassel, and she was born on 1 December, 1844, at the Amalienborg or ‘Gule’ (Yellow) Palace, Copenhagen, Denmark. She was made a Lady of the Garter in 1901. She was crowned Queen on 9 August, 1902, at Westminster Abbey. She died on 20 November, 1925, at Sandringham House, Norfolk, and was buried in St George’s Chapel, Windsor.
Issue of marriage:
1 Albert Victor Christian Edward
He was born on 8 January, 1864, at Frogmore House, Windsor. He was made a Knight of the Garter on 3 September, 1883, and was created Duke of Clarence and Avondale and Earl of Athlone on 24 May, 1890. He died on 14 January, 1892, at Sandringham House, Norfolk, of pneumonia, and was buried in St George’s Chapel, Windsor.
The Duke of Clarence is said to have married one Annie Crook of Cleveland Street, London (d.1920), during the 1880s, and is said to have had issue:
1 Alice Margaret Crook; she is said to have had a liaison with the painter Walter Sickert, and to have had a son, Joseph Sickert, who is the source of this information, which should, however, be treated with extreme caution.
Historically, the Duke of Clarence was betrothed to Mary of Teck, who later married George V.
2 George V ( see here).
3 Louise Victoria Alexandra Dagmar
She was born on 20 February, 1867, at Marlborough House, London. She married Alexander William George Duff, Marquess of MacDuff, afterwards 1st Duke of Fife (1849–1912), on 27 July, 1889, in the Private Chapel, Buckingham Palace, and had issue:
1 Alastair (stillborn 1890).
2 Alexandra, Duchess of Fife (1891–1959); she married Prince Arthur of Connaught, grandson of Queen Victoria, and had issue.
3 Maud Alexandra Victoria Georgina Bertha (1893–1945); she married Charles Alexander Carnegie, 11th Earl of Southesk (b.1893), and had issue.
Louise was designated Princess Royal on 9 November, 1905. She died on 4 January, 1931, at her house in Portman Square, London, and was buried in St George’s Chapel, Windsor. Her remains were later removed to the Private Chapel, Mar Lodge Mausoleum, Braemar, Aberdeenshire.
4 Victoria Alexandra Olga Mary
She was born on 6 July, 1868, at Marlborough House, London. She died on 3 December, 1935, at Coppins, Iver, Bucks., and was buried at Frogmore, Windsor.
5 Maud Charlotte Mary Victoria
She was born on 26 November, 1869, at Marlborough House, London. She married Prince Christian Frederick Charles George Waldemar Axel of Denmark, afterwards Haakon VII, King of Norway (1872–1957), on 22 July, 1896, at the Private Chapel, Buckingham Palace, and had issue:
1 Olav V (Alexander Edward Christian Frederick), King of Norway (b.1903); he married Martha Sophia Louisa Dagmar Thyra (1901–1954), daughter of Carl, Prince of Sweden and Duke of Västergötland, and had issue.
Queen Maud died on 20 November, 1938, in London.
6 Alexander John Charles Albert
He was born on 6 April, 1871, at Sandringham House, Norfolk, and died there the following day. He was buried in Sandringham Church, Norfolk.
EDWARD VII
He died on 6 May, 1910, at Buckingham Palace, and was buried in St George’s Chapel, Windsor.
He was succeeded by his son George.
George V
* * *
FATHER: Edward VII ( see here).
MOTHER: Alexandra of Denmark ( see here, under Edward VII).
SIBLINGS: ( see here, under Edward VII).
GEORGE V
Baptised George Frederick Ernest Albert, he was born on 3 June, 1865, at Marlborough House, London. He was made a Knight of the Garter on 4 April, 1884, and was created Duke of York, Earl of Inverness and Baron Killarney on 24 May, 1892. He became Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay when his father succeed
ed to the throne on 22 January, 1901, and was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester on 9 November, 1901. He succeeded his father as King of Great Britain and Emperor of India on 6 May, 1910, and was crowned on 22 June, 1911, at Westminster Abbey. He was crowned Emperor of India on 11 December, 1911, at New Delhi, India. In 1917, George V changed the name of his House from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor, which it remains today.
George V married, on 6 July, 1893, at the Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace:
(Victoria) Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudia Agnes
Known as Mary (or May within her family), she was the daughter of Francis Paul Charles Louis Alexander, Duke of Teck, by Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, a granddaughter of George III. She was born on 26 May, 1867, at Kensington Palace, London, and was first betrothed to her future husband’s elder brother, the Duke of Clarence, before his death. She was made a Lady of the Garter in 1910. She was crowned on 22 June, 1911, at Westminster Abbey; she was also crowned Empress of India on 11 December, 1911, at New Delhi, India. She died on 24 March, 1953, at Marlborough House, London, and was buried in St George’s Chapel, Windsor.
Issue of marriage:
1 Edward VIII ( see here).
2 George VI ( see here).
3 (Victoria Alexandra Alice) Mary
Known as Mary, she was born on 25 April, 1897, at Sandringham, Norfolk. She married Henry George Charles Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood (1882–1947), on 28 February, 1922, at Westminster Abbey, and had issue: