Figure 1.--Alice was photographed in 1887 wearing a sailor cap and sailor dress. These caps were more commonly worn by boys, but Prince Louis no doubt liked the look. Notice how strongly she is holding on to the chair.

Princess Alice was born at Winsor Castle. Queen Victoria after the death of her daughter Princess Alice was very concerned over her granddaughter. She insisted on overseeing the birth of the first child, Alice (1885). [Vickers, pp. 1-3.] Queen Victoria herself assisted with a difficult delivery with left her profoundly deaf. This was not at first understood and as a child she was criticized for not listening. She is said to have taught herself to lip read in four languages, although her proficiency is dispited. She was named Victoria Alice Elizabeth Julia Marie. She married Prince andrew of Greece. After her marriage she was often referred to as Princess Andrew. Prince Andrew was a younger son of King George I of Greece. The wedding in 1903 was a major event. Attended by royalty from all over Europe. Tsar Nicholas threw a satin slipper at Princess Alice who in turn hit him over the head with it. The Princess was only 18 years old when they married and was described by some as the "prettiest princess in Europe". Their son Prince Philip married Britain's future Queen Elzabeth. Although Alice was the mother of the Duke of Edinburgh she was little heard of in Britain. I believe she later founded an order of nuns.

Parents

Princes Alice was the eldest child of Prince Louis of Battenburg and Princess Victoria Alberta.

Childhood

Princess Alice was born at Winsor Castle. She was named Victoria Alice Elizabeth Julia Marie. Queen Victoria after the death of her daughter Princess Alice was very concerned over her granddaughter. She insisted on overseeing the birth of the first child, Alice (1885). [Vickers, pp. 1-3.] Queen Victoria herself assisted with a difficult delivery with left her profoundly deaf. It was her parental grandmother Julia of Battenburg that first realized that Alice was death. This was not at first understood and as a child she was criticized for not listening. Her parents decided that Alice should not be codeled and her brothers and sistrs were instructed to speak normally. Her younger brother Dickie in particular had trouble accepting this. Her hearing poroblem affected her ability to form childhood friendships. [Vickers, pp. 25-26.]

Friend

Alice made a a close playmate in 1893. The new British Chargé d'Affaires, Sir George Buchanan. Her name was Muriel. Alice was about 8 years old. She visited Alice often at the Heilgenberg. There was a cottage there where the girls would play house. The cottage was equipped with minature brooms and other items. They loved making tea ans scones supervised by a nurse. Muriel was quite taken by Princess Alice. She wrote later, "... she was my ideal, a paragon of perfection, whose golden hair and big, dark-brown eyes filled me with admiration and envy. I wanted to copy her in all things, to wear a comb or a slide instead of a ribbon round my hair, to be as tall and slender as she was, to hold myself with that grace and dignity, that seemed to come with her so natuarally. Even her slight deafness, which gave her sometimnes a rather faraway look, as if she was living in a world of her own, was an added attraction in my eyes." [Buchanan/Vickers, p. 35.]

Childhood Clothes

As a todler here we see Princess Alice in a sailor dress. The cap was mpre common for boys, but looks rather like a tam that girls fis wear. Notice that there is not tally (cap Band). There is just a hint of lace on the dickey. Her strap shoes have five bars. As an older girl she wore dresses, but not sailor dresses.

Education

Alice's mother with great patience taught her to speak. It took long hours of practice. Eventually Alice was managing to speak quite well (1989). [Vickers, p. 25.] Alice began her formal lessons at age 7 when a governess was engaged for her, a Miss Robson. She had returned from India where she had been the governess for Princess Maragret of Connaught. Alice is said to have taught herself to lip read in four languages, although her proficiency is disputed. Not only did Alice's mother spend a great deal of time with her, but so did her grand-mother Julia who was a well-educated cultured lady. Queen Victoria who liked Julia was pleased with the closed relationship that Julia devloped ith Alice. [Vickers, p. 30.]

Marriage

Pribcess Alice married Prince Andrew of Greece. After her mairrage she was often referred to as Princess Andrew. Prince Andrew was a younger son of King George I of Greece. The wedding in 1903 was a major event. Attended by royalty from all over Europe. Tsar Nicholas threw a satin slipper at Princess Alice who in turn hit him over the head with it. The Princess was only 18 years old when they married and was described by some as the "prettiest princess in Europe".

Children

Prince Andrew and Princess Alice had five children. They played a major role in raising the girls who all married Germans. Prince Philip was, however, younger than the girls and largely abandoned by his partents after they had to flee Greece. After the War, none of Philip's sisters were invited to the wedding because of their husbands' NAZI ties.

Later Years

We know less about Princess Alice's later years. Deafness was a serious problem. She suffered from a nervous breakdown after separating from her husband. Mental problems may have been a factor in their separation. She was also involved with a Greek Orthodox order, although I do not know just whst role she played. One reader tells us that, "Princess Andrew was very famous in Greece. She was not a nun, although she wanted to be one." [Vanderleij] Princess Alice was in Greece when the Germans invaded (April 1941). She stayed and did relief work. Greece was struck with a terrible famine durung Winter 1941-42. She also assisted Jews who the NAZIs began to round up. Unfortunately the NAZIs were very successful in rounding up and killing Greek Jews and the history of the Holocaust in Greece is a very sad one. She did attend Queen Elizabeth's coronation with three of her daughters (1953). She is buried in Jeruselum.

Sources

Buchanan, Muriel, as sited in Vickers.

Vanderleij, Dolf. E-mail message, December 8, 2004.

Vickers, Hugo. Alice: Princess Andrew of Greece (St. Martin's Press: New York, 2000), 477p.

Ziegler, Philip. Mountbatten (New York: Knopf: 1985).

Created: October 18, 2003
Last updated: 6:24 PM 12/9/2004