Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine (1843-1878)

[jackie68]

I've been reading alot about Prss. Alice lately. What a lovely girl and woman she really was.
When you read between the lines you can see that she was so benevolent and caring.
She nursed her father, her mother, her brother, Hesse's wounded soldiers, as well as her own family. Not to mention suffering the loss of children.

She was very solemn, a lot like her father. Its quite fitting to history that she aged quite prematurely and died young.... just like her father.

The saddest thing was that her mother never gave her nursing skills any credit.

There was even a heifer named Princess Alice, named so because Qn Victoria abhored the idea of her daughter breast feeding her own children.

The irony is, is that Q Victoria was devastated when her daughter died. Little bit of hypocrisy there........

Please share any views that you might have.

 

[PssMarie-Elisabeth]

From what I gather, Princess Alice was quite quick-tempered (a trait which she most likely acquired from her mother, Queen Victoria) as well as very unflamboyant. She did not like to spend money lavishly on clothes and things of that nature - her daughter, Alicky (Empress Alexandra Feodorovna) seemed to be the same way in that regard.

Alice as Grand Duchess of Hesse, c1865 - Prussian Coronation ?
http://i37.tinypic.com/35atct0.jpg

pic not subject to copyright

 

[Avicenna]

The saddest thing was that her mother never gave her nursing skills any credit.

Letter of Queen Victoria to her son-in-law Friedrich Wilhelm dated 12. April 1859, quoted according to Gerard Noel, Princess Alice:

"quiet and posée ..., so unselfish and useful"

Couldn't find something relating directly to her nursing skills though. However she got at least general praise from her mother.

 

[CarolinaLandgrave]

Great picture of Princess Alice..... did anyone ever decide where/what was the occasion?
Very regal....

 

[Russophile]

Christopher Warwick's book on GD Ella has a lot of excellent references to Princess Alice. What I found interesting was that Alice was so very intelligent and her husband was not. Though she was frustrated living with him--he was never near her intellect--she always loved him.

 

[Al_bina]

I wonder whether or not Princess Alice was overly religious. Pikul in his "The evil power" contended that Princess Alice was fanatical about religion and sought advice from various Messiahs, who would give her spiritual direction. The last Russian Empress Alexandra Fedorovna was said to liken her mother in this respect.

 

[Avicenna]

Eckhart G. Franz does not mention any extraordinary religious piety of Alice in his biography. But then the situation of Alice was unique and quite different to Vicky in Berlin or to her daughter lateron in Russia.

Her mother-in-law Mathilde had died six weeks before because of cancer and Alice was therefor automatically First Lady upon her arrival in Hessen at the age of 19. Thus came more responsibility, but also more possiblities to create something. She basically had more influence and used it more diplomatically than her sister in Berlin. Her key aspects of activity were among others nursing and also better education for women.

The attached photo was made in 1877. I found it in a book on Kaiserin Friedrich - her sister Victoria.

 

[Russophile]

But Alice was always the one to nurture anything, her mother after Albert's death, the sick in Hesse. She was a very responsible and beloved Princess.

 

[CarolinaLandgrave]

Didnt she go with Louis to the front when he was in service??
And she set up hospitals to nurse the wounded soldiers (in their home, I think).
A kindly, good, and charitable Lady...

 

[Russophile]

I don't remember reading about her going to the front with Louis, CL, but I do know that she was very instrumental in furthering the nursing vocation. It rubbed off on her offspring, Ella took it up after Serge's death and Alix and her daughters each had their own hospitals that they served in. She was very much beloved by the people of Hesse as she strived to help them all. When she passed, she was heavily mourned.
I got a lot of this info. from Christopher Warwick's: "Ella, Princess, Saint and Martyr."

 

[CarolinaLandgrave]

Thanks! I will have to do some research and see if I cant dig up where I read that..... I need to take notes when I read!

 

[Russophile]

Thanks! I will have to do some research and see if I cant dig up where I read that..... I need to take notes when I read!

For a class?
You might try "Dearest Mama" though most of those letters are written by QV to Vickie, Alice is in there as well.

 

[CarolinaLandgrave]

My college days are long over Russo - hahaha. I read so much and then go back and re-read the same books - and I have notebook papers stuck in the pages where I make notes of interesting things.
Its heck getting old!

 

[Russophile]

repeatTell me about it said Russo with the ever present grey-hair plucking tweezers!

I found it interesting that though Alice loved Louis, she was exasperated with him at times as he was below her intellect.
This due to the upbringing by Prince Albert. Wish I could have met him!

 

[CarolinaLandgrave]

Prince Albert, from all I can gather, was a brilliant man. Vicky and Alice were so bright........
kinda makes you think what may have happened in the RF had he lived as long as Victoria - as far as Bertie's behavior, et al

 

[EmpressRouge]

Alice seemed to be living in the shadow of her older sister, Victoria. Victoria was their father's favorite due to her superior intellect. Victoria was older and also the prettier one. Victoria married the future German emperor who was her intellectual equal whereas Alice married a minor German grand duke, and as Russophile, who was not on the same level. Alice brought hemophilia into her family while all of Victoria's children were hemophilia free.
Where Alice was more successful than Victoria was as role of wife and mother. Alice nursed her family through diphtheria at the expense of her own life. Meanwhile Victoria's insistence of having a English doctor probably cost Frederick his life and might have plunged Germany into political disaster. Alice's children were all well adjusted while Victoria had to deal with three enfants terribles. No one wonder Ella turned down Willy's proposal. However, both have left incredible legacies through their descendents and each has one counts a reigning consort of today: Queen Sofia and the Duke of Edinburgh.

 

[CarolinaLandgrave]

Well put, Empress, well put....
As my grandmama used to say abt one of my uncles (for putting up with my aunt).... Vicki outa have a star in her crown in heaven for putting up with Willy! And her in-laws, for that matter!

 

[Russophile]

Prince Albert, from all I can gather, was a brilliant man. Vicky and Alice were so bright........
kinda makes you think what may have happened in the RF had he lived as long as Victoria - as far as Bertie's behavior, et al

Albert had a large part to do with their education. ER is correct, and Vicky was speaking, what ER? 3? 4 languages by the time she was 5 years old?
QV knew she had a lot of brood to pawn off on the world and there were only so many big thrones to snag hence Alice went to Louis, but they met before Albert had passed and it was a love match, though Alice practiced an immense amount of patience with her husband. I couldn't do that. Stupid people cheese me off. . .

 

[CarolinaLandgrave]

In Queen Victoria's Descendants by Marlene Eilers, it is mentioned that Queen Victoria took a special interest in the Hesse grandchildren b/c she was not at all found of Louis' mother...... whats the story here?
Also, QV about spazzed out then Louis married morgantically on the day of Victoria and Louis of Battenburg married....

 

[Russophile]

Yes, because the woman was his mistress and beneath him and also it sullied Alice's memory. We're talking about QV here, Ms.-I'm-in-mourning-for-Albert-sor-the-rest-of-my-life-andyou-should-be-too.
The kids didn't have a problem with the marriage, but QV did and whatever she wanted, she usually got or found a way to get!

 

[CarolinaLandgrave]

This is true........ very, very true, Russo.
Bless her heart.........

She didnt seem to mind so much when Louis married (the third time) with a lady of a more acceptable rank... did she?

Russo - question for you...
wonder what Princess Alice would have said to her son marrying Victoria Melita.... the daughter of her haughty sister-in-law Marie????
Talk about yin and yang......
Marie is one of my favorite British royals..... but there was nothing down to earth and motherly at all about her!

 

[Russophile]

Ducky? I would have thought she would have approved at first. Ducky certainly had all the things necesary for a suitable wife. Ernst and Ducky had a good time the first few years of their marriage. But don't forget Kryril was rich and dashing they (Ducky and Kyril) always had a chemistry. Alice certainly would have been scandalized to say the least with the affair they had.

 

[CarolinaLandgrave]

And maybe out of respect for QV, Alice would have not said anything..... QV was the main proponent of the marriage - b/c they had the same birthday and she thought that was a sign.... so I read.
I think Ducky was way too much of a headstrong female for poor Ernie.

 

[Russophile]

My Peter has said that Ernie was not a nice person. Ella had a strong tie with him, though. I haven't researched him enough to make an assessment, though the scandal with Ducky, I had. She was a pip! That side of the family seemed to be, don't forget Ducky's sister was Queen Marie "Missie" of Roumania and she was a fast piece of baggage!

Some day, when I have more time, I want to write an article on Queen Marie for TRF. She has a ballroom at the downtown Multnomah Hotel, currently the Embassy Suites in Portland, and Maryhill is a feast for the eyes as well as the other senses.
Maryhill Museum of Art

 

[CarolinaLandgrave]

I think Ernie was rather misunderstood and suffered all kinds of emotional issues due to losing his mother.....
and the backrow Baptists' shout "AMEN" - those Edinburgh girls were something - particularly Beatrice, Victoria Melita, and Marie!
But they were stunningly beautiful girls..... just stunning!

 

[Russophile]

Gosh, it's been 2 months since I promised that article, hasnt' it??
I'm reading as fast as I can for the material. In that material, I am very surprised that Queen Marie has not mentioned Alice, and her death. Queen Marie has not mentioned any dates either so it's a little convoluted. Marie was 3 when Alice died of diptheria. It would have been interesting to see if Alice had any influence on Marie and her nursing during the war.

 

[lucien]

To get back to dear Alice again:

YouTube - Alice of the United Kingdom

 

[Grace Angel]

I think Alice was always loved by Queen Victoria, so I don't think she was hyprocritical or never gave Alice any credit, we all make remarks like that aout family members from time to time and only half mean them. Where was the hiefer? I've never heard that story. I don't think Alice was overly religious, but I do think that was a legacy ( to be religious) she passed down to Ella and Alexandra, one of whom used it wisely, one of whom did not use it as wisely.

The quote from one of Alice's letters to her husband about the differences between them which is quoted in Julia Gelardi's new book in Truimph's Wake and which is also found in Jerome ( can't recall last name!)'s book about Queen Victoria's daughters (published in about 1998 or so) is a very honest statement of how Alice viewed their marriage, she at least had open communication with her husband, if nothing else that was good, but I was struck by how honest she was wit him that the marriage didn't fulfill all her expectations. I don't have these two books, having read them from the library, but if somebody could find the quote, that would be great. Their marriage was a love match at first but although their marriage remiained stable and happy, I do think Alice became disillusioned with it. I believe Alice would have looked favorably on Ducky's marriage to her son at least at first, as Ducky was only 17 when she married Ernest and hadn't developed her later reputation. Also, Alice didn't particularly dislike MA, Ducky's mother, to my knowledge. I'm not sure what they thought of each other, but Alice wasn't in England all the time at that point, she had long since married and moved away so she wasn't there all the time seeing MA's haughtiness. I have read MA may have been a namesake for Alice's youngest daughter Marie and that Alice actually backed her brother Alfred in his quest to marry Marie, despite Victoria's disaproval, and that she helped the marriage negotiations.

 

[Marengo]

I actually read several times that Queen Victoria wasn;t very positive about her daughter Alice at all, always comparing her infavourably to her eldest sister and critisizing many things, among them the nursing and I believe that princess Alice was somewhat spiritual. After Alice's death this changed indeed.

Now queen Victoria was never positive about any of her children but in several books that I read (forgot the titles, but probably Hessian Tapestry by David Duff is among them) the bad relations between Victoria and Alice are highlighted.

I never heard the story about Maria Alexandrovna & Alice before, thanks for sharing it Grace Angel!

 

[Russophile]

The quote from one of Alice's letters to her husband...

Warwick's book on Ella has similar quotes on that. Alice and Louis had drifted apart, but she always loved him. She was frustrated that they were so very different in interests and personalities when the years passed.