#princess of battenberg

[empress-alexandra]

Grand Duke Louis IV of Hesse with his surviving children: Princess Victoria of Battenberg, Marchioness of Milford-Haven, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia, Princess Irene of Prussia, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia and Grand Duke Ernest Louis of Hesse, 1884.

[the-last-tsar]

Tsar Nicholas II at the train window with Princess Victoria, her husband Prince Louis and their daughter Princess Alice.

[duchesssoflennox]

"The Monarchs of Queen Victoria’s Legacy"

Wilhelm II was the first of Queen Victoria's grandchildren to ascend to a throne, becoming German Emperor in 1888. His reign initiated the lineage of monarchs descended from Victoria. The last to be crowned was Marie of Romania in 1914, marking the end of an era for Victoria's royal progeny.

Queen Maud of Norway holds the distinction of having the longest tenure as Queen Consort among Queen Victoria's grandchildren, with a reign that spanned 33 years. Her time on the throne was characterized by a harmonious blend of British heritage and Norwegian culture, leaving a legacy of benevolence and cultural patronage. Conversely, Queen Sophia's role as Queen Consort of the Hellenes was the briefest, lasting just about 4 years due to the political upheavals of World War I and Greece's National Schism, which led to her husband's abdication. Despite the short span, her resilience and dedication to her royal duties remained unwavering.

The execution of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna was a deeply tragic event, reflecting the brutal reality of the Russian Revolution. On the night of 16-17 July 1918, she and her family were executed by Bolshevik revolutionaries in Yekaterinburg. Alexandra witnessed the murder of her husband, Tsar Nicholas II, before she herself was killed with a gunshot to the head. The violence of that night brought an abrupt and grim end to the Romanov dynasty, extinguishing the lives of the last imperial family of Russia in a stark and merciless manner. Her death marked the first among Queen Victoria’s crowned grandchildren. In contrast, Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain lived through the upheavals of the 20th century, witnessing the restoration of the Spanish monarchy. She passed away in 1969, the last of Victoria’s crowned grandchildren, her life reflecting the dramatic changes of her time.

George V’s United Kingdom, a realm where tradition blends with modernity, continues to stand firm. The monarchy, a symbol of continuity, has weathered the storms of change, its crown passed down through generations, still reigning with a sense of duty and connection to the people.

Maud of Norway’s legacy endures in the serene beauty of Norway, where the monarchy remains a cherished institution. Her reign, characterized by a quiet strength and a nurturing presence, is remembered fondly, and the royal house she helped establish continues to flourish.

Margaret of Connaught’s Swedish monarchy, into which she married, stands resilient. Though she never became queen, her descendants uphold the traditions and values she embodied, maintaining the monarchy as a pillar of Swedish national identity.

Victoria Eugenie of Spain saw the Spanish monarchy navigate the tumultuous waters of the 20th century, enduring a republic and a dictatorship before being restored. Today, it stands as a testament to resilience, with her bloodline still on the throne, embodying the spirit of reconciliation and progress.

In stark contrast, the fates of other monarchies were marked by tragedy:

Wilhelm II witnessed the fall of his German Empire in the aftermath of World War I. His abdication marked the end of an era, and he spent his remaining years in exile, a once-mighty emperor without a throne, reflecting on the lost glory of his realm.

Sophia of Hellenes experienced the disintegration of the Kingdom of Greece amidst political upheaval. The monarchy, once a symbol of national unity, was abolished, leaving her and her family to face the harsh reality of a world that had moved beyond the age of empires.

Alexandra Feodorovna’s Russian Empire crumbled during the Bolshevik Revolution. The tragic end of the Romanov dynasty saw her and her family executed, their fates sealed by the tides of revolution that swept away centuries of monarchical rule.

Marie of Romania’s kingdom, once a beacon of hope in the aftermath of World War I, eventually succumbed to the forces of history. The monarchy was abolished after World War II, and the royal family faced the stark reality of a republic.

[queenalexandraofdenmark]

♡ Grand Duchess Elisabeth Feodorovna with her niece, Princess Alice of Battenberg, 1888/1889. ♡

[foreverinthepagesofhistoryy]

✧.* ~ Three Generations of British Victorias ~ ✧.*

Queen Victoria of Great Britain and Ireland, 1819-1901

Victoria Princess Royal, Crown Princess of Prussia, Empress of Germany, 1840-1901

Princess Viktoria of Prussia, Princess of Schaumburg Lippe, 1866-1929

Princess Victoria of Wales, 1868-1935

Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh, Grand Duchess Viktoria Feodorovna of Russia, 1876-1936

Missing from photo:

Princess Victoria of Hesse and By Rhine, Marchioness of Milford Haven, 1863-1950

Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig Holstein, 1870-1948

Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, Queen Consort of Spain, 1887-1969

✧.*

[lostinsidelostoutside]

Remarkable Woman 🥰

[foreverinthepagesofhistory]

EXTREMELY rare photos of Princesses Victoria and Elisabeth of Hesse and By Rhine, early 1870s

Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2023

[roses-of-the-romanovs]

The Hessian grand ducal and British royal families, 1882.

[februaryfrost]

Princess Alice of Battenberg and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. About 1901.

Nicholas was married to Alexandra, who was the youngest sister of Alice's mother, Victoria. Alexandra and Victoria were born Princesses of Hesse and by Rhine and granddaughters of Queen Victoria via her second daughter, Alice.

In 1903 Alice would marry Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, a cousin of Nicholas' and her last born child would become Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. Alice was the grandmother of King Charles III.

Though congenitally deaf, Alice learned to read lips and speak English and German, and also later Greek, the language of her new homeland.

[philibetexcerpts]

On 15 December 1948, Prince Charles was christened in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace.

[adini-nikolaevna]

"Possibly no debutante ever enjoyed her first season more than did Princess Victoria Eugenie. Accompanied by her mother and Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg, she went everywhere, and wherever she appeared, she won golden opinions by her beauty, her unaffected charm of manner, and her sweet winsomeness. Her delight in life was perfected by an inherent desire to give delight to others, and her gaiety was always tempered by a vivid gift of sympathy, which endeared her to young and old alike. Then, towards the close of her first season--while yet the great world was new to her, and witching and wonderful--Don Alfonso crossed the path of the young princess. Never was a more desperate case of love at first sight. If it was true that the King came upon a quest, his quest was over."

-- Albert Frederick Calvert on Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, who would marry King Alfonso of Spain. "Ena," as she was called, was a carrier of the hemophilia gene, and the disease was thus brought into the Spanish royal family. Although he was aware of the possibility, when it became clear that his son and heir had inherited the dreaded condition, Alfonso blamed Ena, and he never forgave her.

"A more elegant woman one rarely sees anywhere in the world. The eye of the Spanish people, quick and sensitive to taste and beauty, instantly caught all these details, and even if her nature, disposition, and character were not what they are, she would still be idolised for her beauty alone.

-- Kellogg Durland, 1911

[empress-alexandra]

Daughters of Grand Duke Louis IV and Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse - Princess Alix of Hesse (later Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia), Princess Victoria, Marchioness of Milford Haven, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia and Princess Irene, Princess Henry of Prussia on the occasion of Princess Alix' engagement to Emperor Nicholas II of Russia, 1894.

[andiatas]

Queen Louise of Sweden as a young princess by Philipp Alexius de Laszlo (oil on canvas, 1907)

Queen Louise, formerly Lady Louise Mountbatten, was born as Princess Louise Alexandra Marie Irene of Battenberg in Germany in 1889, but grew up in England.

During the First World War, she volunteered with the Red Cross and served as a nurse from March 1915 to July 1917. Queen Louise took an active interest in nurses' working conditions. During the Winter War, she opened a children's home for Finnish war orphans at Ulriksdal Palace. She also participated actively at Sophiahemmet's meetings.

In 1923, she married Crown Prince Gustaf (VI) Adolf.

Louise has been described as a staunch democrat and a practical person who disliked the attention she received as queen.

Photo: royalpalaces.se

[duchesssoflennox]

JOSEFINE SWOBODA AND QUEEN VICTORIA’S FAMILY 💖🥺❤️‍🩹

Beautiful portraits painted by the talented painter Josefine Swoboda (1861-1924) of the granddaughters and Great-granddaughters of Queen Victoria 🥺🦋🤍

[thehessiansisters]

Portrait of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia, with Prince and Princess Louis of Battenberg, Darmstadt, end of 1880s.

[foreverinthepagesofhistoryy]

Rare photo of Greek Royal Family Matriarch, Princess Alice of Greece and Denmark (née Battenberg) with niece-in-law Dowager Queen Frederica of Greece (née Princess of Hanover) and new mother, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece (née Princess of Denmark) with newborn Princess Alexia, 1965