Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom

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For other people named Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom, see Princess Victoria (disambiguation).

Princess Victoria
Victoria de Gales.jpg
BornPrincess Victoria of Wales
(1868-07-06)6 July 1868
Marlborough House, London, England
Died3 December 1935(1935-12-03) (aged 67)
Coppins, Buckinghamshire, England
Burial7 December 1935
St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle;
8 January 1936
Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore
Names
Victoria Alexandra Olga Mary
HouseWindsor (from 1917)
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (until 1917)
FatherEdward VII
MotherAlexandra of Denmark

Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom VA, CI, GCStJ (Victoria Alexandra Olga Mary; 6 July 1868 – 3 December 1935) was the fourth child and second daughter of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, and the younger sister of King George V.

Childhood[]

Princess Victoria of Wales (left) as a teenager, together with her sisters Maud (centre) and Louise (right)

Victoria Alexandra Olga Maria was born on 6 July 1868 at Marlborough House, London. She was the fourth child of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales and his wife Alexandra, Princess of Wales. Victoria's father was the eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Her mother was the eldest daughter of King Christian IX and Queen Louise of Denmark. Among those close to her, the princess was known as Toria. From birth, as the granddaughter of the British monarch, she had the title Her Royal Highness Princess Victoria of Wales.[1][2][3]

She was baptised at Marlborough House on 6 August 1868 by Archibald Campbell Tait, Bishop of London.[4]

Youth[]

In 1885, Victoria was a bridesmaid at the wedding of her aunt Princess Beatrice to Prince Henry of Battenberg.[5] She was also a bridesmaid at the wedding of her brother George, Duke of York and Victoria Mary of Teck, the future King and Queen of the United Kingdom.[6]

Princess Victoria was educated at home with her sisters. The princess grew up at Marlborough House and Sandringham under the supervision of tutors. She occasionally spent the summer in Denmark, her mother's homeland. In her youth, she was described as "a lively, mischievous girl ... smart, tall and elegant; she had a wonderful sense of humour and was a good friend to everyone; she had big expressive blue eyes; there was no pretense or hint of a high position in her." Victoria loved horse riding, cycling, reading, listening to music and dancing. The princess's particular passion was photography. She compiled several albums of family photographs. Victoria's works have been displayed at different exhibitions. She was very fond of animals. Her favorites were dogs named Sam, Mas and Punchy. For six years Victoria had a tamed pigeon, which she took with her on walks and travels in a small basket.[1]

Victoria maintained friendly relations with her cousins in Russia and Greece.[1] The future Emperor Nicholas II of Russia in his youth was in love with her. The Tsarevich liked Victoria for her seriousness, thoroughness, and "unfeminine mind." In 1889, describing the princess, Nicholas told his close friend, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich: "She is a truly wonderful creature, and the more and deeper you delve into her soul, the clearer you see all her virtues and qualities. I must confess that it is very difficult to figure it out at first, i.e. to learn her view of things and people, but this difficulty is a special charm for me, which I am unable to explain."[7] The princess also caught the eyes of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, and later Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich was fascinated by her.[7]

One of the closest people in Victoria's life was her older brother George, who in 1910 became king and emperor. Throughout their lives, they maintained a warm relationship, as they had similar characters and a mutual sense of humour. When Victoria died in 1935, the king said: "How I will miss our daily phone calls. Nobody had such a sister as I had."[8] The king died a month after the death of his sister. Victoria, however, was not close to George's wife, Queen Mary, née Princess Mary of Teck, once describing her as "terribly boring".[9] This was attributed to their different characters, education and interests.[1]

Victoria was particularly close to her parents. The princess accompanied them during official events and ceremonies, and helped them in private life. Another candidate to win Victoria's hand in marriage was her cousin, Crown Prince Christian of Denmark, who later became King Christian X. The princess rejected him, much to the disappointment of her parents. Another contender for marriage was the Portuguese king Carlos I. He demanded that Victoria accept the Catholic faith, which did not sit well with her parents. The 5th Earl of Rosebery also attempted to win her attention. Victoria never married, and her mother was said to support this decision.[1]

Later years and death[]

Portrait by Philip de László, 1907

Between 22 and 24 March 1905, Princess Victoria, along with her mother, her sister Maud and her brother-in-law Carl (the future Haakon VII, King of Norway), made an official visit to Portugal on the royal yacht HMY Victoria and Albert following a visit by the Portuguese monarch to Great Britain a year prior. On the first day of her arrival, Victoria stayed on the royal yacht due to poor health.[10] Queen Alexandra with her daughter Princess Maud and Prince Carl met with Queen Amelia and Queen Dowager Maria Pia. The next day, accompanied by her sister, Victoria paid a visit to the king, queen and their sons.[11] On March 24, the British guests left for their homeland.[12]

After her father's death in 1910, Victoria remained in the shadow of her mother. Queen Alexandra suffered from constant depression and was practically deaf. Victoria accompanied her mother during her visits to various institutions and on holidays. Once, when the dowager queen was unable to attend the charity event Alexandra Rose Day, she sent her daughters Louise and Victoria together, and the latter later recorded in her diary that "it was terrible to be there without dear Mama." With continuing public hostility towards Germany during World War I, King George V decided to renounce all German titles and honours. He asked all members of the royal family to do the same. The king renamed the name of the ruling dynasty from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to Windsor after his favourite castle. Princess Victoria followed suit and adopted the surname Windsor.[1][13]

After the death of Queen Alexandra in 1925, Victoria moved to the small town of Coppins, Iver, in Buckinghamshire, where she lived until her death. In her final years, Victoria enjoyed listening to music, practicing gardening, and taking an active part in local issues and problems. Victoria became a patron to the young cellist Beatrice Harrison and her two sisters, who also studied music. She received them several times at her home and at Sandringham. Victoria's friends included members of the Musgrave family, the widowed 5th Earl of Rosebery, and Violet Vivian, a former lady-in-waiting to Queen Alexandra. Lady Musgrave was Victoria's lifelong friend and lady-in-waiting. The princess assisted Violet Vivian in the design of the Cestyll Garden near the village of Cemaes on the northwest coast of Anglesey. Victoria died on 3 December 1935 at the age of 67 at her home. Her funeral took place on 7 December 1935 at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, where she was initially buried. Her remains were later moved and reburied at the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore, Windsor Great Park, on 8 January 1936.[1][3]

Titles, styles, honours and arms[]

Titles and styles[]

  • 6 July 1868 – 22 January 1901: Her Royal Highness Princess Victoria of Wales
  • 22 January 1901 – 3 December 1935: Her Royal Highness The Princess Victoria

Honours[]

Arms[]

Upon her younger sister's marriage in 1896, Princess Victoria was awarded a personal coat of arms, being the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom, bearing an inescutcheon of the shield of Saxony and differenced with a label argent of five points, the first, third and fifth bearing roses gules, and the second and fourth crosses gules.[14] The inescutcheon was dropped by royal warrant in 1917.

Coat of Arms of Victoria of Wales.svg
Princess Victoria's coat of arms until 1917

Ancestors[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Dimond, Frances (2004). "Oxford Dictionary National Biography". Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  2. ^ Eilers 1987, p. 176.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Weir 2008, p. 320.
  4. ^ Her godparents were: her paternal grandmother Queen Victoria (for whom the Duchess of Cambridge stood proxy), Tsar Alexander II of Russia (for whom the Russian ambassador Philipp, Count Brunnow, stood proxy), the Tsarevich of Russia (her maternal uncle-by-marriage), Prince Arthur (her paternal uncle), Prince Louis of Hesse and by Rhine (her paternal uncle-by-marriage), Prince George of Hesse-Cassel (her maternal great-granduncle), her maternal aunt-by-marriage, Queen Olga of Greece (for whom the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz stood proxy), the Dowager Queen of Denmark, the Dowager Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the Queen's cousin Princess Francis of Teck and Princess Frederick of Anhalt.
  5. ^ "Prince and Princess Henry of Battenberg with their bridesmaids and others on their wedding day". National Portrain Gallery.
  6. ^ "The Duke and Duchess of York and Bridesmaids". National Portrain Gallery.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Bokhanov 2008, p. 79.
  8. ^ Gore 1941, p. 436.
  9. ^ Pope-Hennessy 1959, p. 279.
  10. ^ Nobre 2002, p. 122.
  11. ^ Nobre 2002, p. 124.
  12. ^ Nobre 2002, p. 125.
  13. ^ Nicolson 1952, p. 310.
  14. ^ Heraldica – British Royal Cadency

Bibliography[]

  • Bokhanov, AN (2008). Сердечные тайны дома Романовых (in Russian). Moscow: Veche. p. 79. ISBN 978-5-9533-2760-2.
  • Eilers, A. Marlene (1987). Queen Victoria's Descendants. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co. p. 176. ISBN 9163059649.
  • Gore, John (1941). King George V: a personal memoir. London: J. Murray. p. 436.
  • Nobre, Eduardo (2002). Família Real - Álbum de Fotografia (in Portuguese). Lisboa: Quimera. p. 248. ISBN 9789725890882.
  • Nicholson, Harold (1952). King George the Fifth: His Life and Reign. London: Constable and Co. p. 310.
  • Pope-Hennessy, James (1959). Queen Mary. London: George Allen and Unwin Ltd. p. 279. ISBN 1842120328.
  • Weir, Alison (2008). Britain's Royal Families, The Complete Genealogy. London: Random House. p. 320. ISBN 9780099539735.
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