Princess Alice (Alice Maud Mary; 25 April 1843 – 14 December 1878) was Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine from 13 June 1877 until her death in 1878 as the wife of Grand Duke Louis IV. She was the third child and second daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Alice was the first of Queen Victoria's nine children to die and one of three to predecease their mother.
Alice spent her early childhood in the company of her parents and siblings, travelling between the British royal residences. Her education was devised by Prince Albert's close friend and adviser, Christian Friedrich, Baron Stockmar, and included practical activities such as needlework and woodwork and languages such as French and German. When her father became fatally ill in December 1861, Alice nursed him until his death. Following his death, Queen Victoria entered a period of intense mourning and Alice spent the next six months acting as her mother's unofficial secretary. On 1 July 1862, while the court was still at the height of mourning, Alice married a minor German prince, Louis of Hesse. The ceremony—conducted privately and with unrelieved gloom at Osborne House—was described by the Queen as "more of a funeral than a wedding". Alice's life in Darmstadt was unhappy as a result of impoverishment, family tragedy and worsening relations with her husband and mother.
Alice showed an interest in nursing, especially the work of Florence Nightingale. When Hesse became involved in the Austro-Prussian War, Darmstadt filled with the injured; the heavily pregnant Alice devoted much of her time to the management of field hospitals. One of her organisations, the Princess Alice Women's Guild, took over much of the day-to-day running of the state's military hospitals. As a result of this activity, Queen Victoria became concerned about Alice's directness about medical and, in particular, gynaecological, matters. In 1871, she wrote to Alice's younger sister, Princess Louise, who had recently married: "Don't let Alice pump you. Be very silent and cautious about your 'interior. In 1877, Alice became grand duchess upon the accession of her husband, her increased duties putting further strains on her health. In late 1878, diphtheria infected the Hessian court. Alice nursed her family for over a month before falling ill herself, dying later that year.
Alice was the sister of King Edward VII and German Empress Victoria (wife of Frederick III), mother of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia (wife of Nicholas II), and maternal grandmother of Queen Louise of Sweden (second wife of Gustaf VI Adolf) and Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (the last Viceroy of India). Another daughter, Elisabeth, who married Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia, was, like Alexandra and her family, killed by the Bolsheviks in 1918.
Early life
Alice was born at 4:00 am on 25 April 1843 at Buckingham Palace in London. She was christened "Alice Maud Mary" in the private chapel at Buckingham Palace by the Archbishop of Canterbury, William Howley, on 2 June. Her sex was greeted with mixed feelings from the public, and even the Privy Council sent a message to Albert expressing its "congratulation and condolence" on the birth of a second daughter.Packard, p. 26 Her godparents were Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover (her great-uncle; for whom the Duke of Cambridge stood proxy), the Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (her aunt; for whom the Duchess of Kent stood proxy), the Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (her uncle; for whom the Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz stood proxy) and Princess Sophia of Gloucester (her cousin).
Alice's birth prompted her parents to find a larger family home. Buckingham Palace was not equipped with the private apartments that Victoria's growing family needed, including suitable nurseries. Therefore, in 1844, Victoria and Albert purchased Osborne House on the Isle of Wight as a family holiday home. Alice's education was devised by her father and his close friend, Baron Stockmar. At Osborne, Alice and her siblings were taught practical skills such as housekeeping, cooking, gardening and carpentry, as well as daily lessons in English, French and German.Van der Kiste, p. 22
Victoria and Albert favoured a monarchy based on family values; Alice and her siblings, who wore middle class clothing on a daily basis, slept in sparsely furnished bedrooms with little heating.Van der Kiste, p. 23 Alice was fascinated with the world outside the Royal Household; at Balmoral, where she seemed happiest, she visited the tenants living and working on the estate. On one occasion, she escaped from her governess at the chapel at Windsor Castle and sat in a public pew, so she could better understand people who were not strict adherents to royal protocol.Packard, p. 64 In 1854, during the Crimean War, the eleven-year-old Alice toured London hospitals for wounded soldiers with her mother and her eldest sister.Van der Kiste, p. 28 She was the most emotionally sensitive of her siblings and was sympathetic to other people's burdens, possessing a sharp tongue and an easily triggered temper.Packard, p. 50
Alice was considered to be one of the most beautiful of Queen Victoria's daughters. When she was a year old, her father mentioned her as 'the beauty of the family.'Alice, p. 6 Her sister Vicky was convinced that Alice was a beauty and sent her mother a picture of the two of them with their babies in the autumn of 1864 with the comment, "the ugly sister & the pretty one (the 1st of course myself)." Vicky's father-in-law preferred Alice for her beauty, as her sister said, he was never "so amiably disposed" toward her as when her prettier sister was around.Pakula, p. 261 In her childhood, Alice formed a close relationship with her brother, the Prince of Wales, and her eldest sister, the Princess Royal. Victoria's marriage to Prince Frederick William of Prussia in 1858 greatly upset her.Packard, p. 51
Family caregiver
Alice's compassion for other people's suffering established her role as the family caregiver in 1861. Her maternal grandmother Victoria, Duchess of Kent, died at Frogmore on 16 March 1861. Alice had spent much of her time at her grandmother's side, often played the piano for her in Frogmore's drawing room, and nursed her through the final stages of illness.Packard, p. 87 Following her mother's death, the Queen broke down with grief and relied heavily on Alice, to whom Albert had given the instruction: "Go and comfort Mama." The Queen wrote to her uncle, King Leopold I of Belgium, that "dear good Alice was full of intense tenderness, affection and distress for me".Benson, p. 66
Only a few months later, on 14 December 1861, Albert died at Windsor Castle. During his final illness, Alice remained at his bedside. Alice sent for the Prince of Wales by telegram, without the knowledge of the Queen, who refused to notify him because she blamed him for Albert's death.Magnus, p. 52 The Queen was distraught by her husband's death, and the court entered a period of intense mourning.Zeepvat, p. 42 Alice became her mother's unofficial secretary, and for the next six months, the physical representation of the monarch. Through her passed the Queen's official papers to and from her government ministers, while the Queen secluded herself from all public life.Packard, p. 102 Alice was aided in this task by her younger sister Princess Louise. Although Princess Helena, Louise's elder sister, would normally have been selected to assist, her inability to go long without crying was held against her.Packard, 102
Marriage
Suitors Alice's matrimonial plans were begun in 1860 by her mother. Queen Victoria had expressed her wish that her children should marry for love, but this did not mean that her choice of suitors would necessarily be extended to anybody outside the royal houses of Europe. Raising a British subject to royalty, however high their rank, was politically objectionable, and also wasted any opportunity for a useful foreign alliance.Packard, p. 77 The Queen instructed her daughter Victoria, recently married to Prince Frederick William of Prussia, to produce a list of eligible princes in Europe. Her search produced only two suitable candidates: William, Prince of Orange; and Prince Albert of Prussia, cousin to Victoria's husband Frederick William. The Prince of Orange was soon discounted. He journeyed to Windsor Castle so that Queen Victoria could look him over in person, but he proved unpalatable to Alice.Packard, p.79 The prince too showed little interest in Alice, despite strong pressure from his pro-British mother, Queen Sophie of the Netherlands.Packard, p. 78 Prince Albert, too, was spurned, with Prince Frederick William remarking that his cousin would not do for "one who deserves the very best".
With both of the leading candidates now discounted, Princess Victoria suggested Prince Louis of Hesse, a minor German royal, the nephew of the Grand Duke of Hesse. Princess Victoria had gone to the court of Hesse to inspect Louis's sister, Princess Anna, as a potential bride for her brother, the Prince of Wales. Although not favourably impressed with Princess Anna, she was impressed with Louis and his brother Prince Henry. Both were invited to Windsor Castle in 1860, ostensibly so they could watch the Ascot Races in the company of the royal family, but in reality, the visit was a chance for the Queen to inspect her potential son-in-law.Pakula, p. 138 The Queen admired both Louis and Henry, but noted how well Louis and Alice got along together.Pakula, p. 139 When the Hessian family departed, Louis requested Alice's photograph, and Alice made it clear that she was attracted to him.
Engagement and wedding
Alice was engaged to Prince Louis of Hesse on 30 April 1861, following the Queen's consent. The Queen persuaded the Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston, to secure the agreement of Parliament for Alice to receive a dowry of £30,000 (£ as of ). Although the amount was considered generous at the time, Prince Albert remarked that "she will not be able to do great things with it" in the little realm of Hesse, compared to the riches that her sister Victoria would inherit as future Queen of Prussia and German Empress.Packard, pp. 88–89 Furthermore, the couple's future home in Darmstadt, the Grand Ducal seat, was uncertain. Although Queen Victoria expected that a new palace would be built, the people of Darmstadt did not want to meet that expense, and the resulting controversy caused resentment there. This meant that Alice was unpopular in Darmstadt before she even arrived.Packard, p. 89