Princess Alice, Countess Of Athlone

Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, born Alice Mary Victoria Augusta Pauline on 25 February 1883, was a member of the British royal family. She passed away on 3 January 1981. She was recognized as the longest-lived princess of the blood royal and was among the longest-lived members of the British royal family.

Early Life

Princess Alice was born at Windsor Castle as the only daughter of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, and Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont. Her father was the youngest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Her younger brother was Prince Charles Edward, later Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, born in 1884. She was baptized in Windsor Castle's Private Chapel in March 1883. Her godparents included her paternal grandmother Queen Victoria, the German Empress (represented by her proxy Princess Beatrice), the King of the Netherlands (represented by the Dutch Ambassador), the Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine (represented by the Duke of Edinburgh), her maternal grandmother Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont, as well as various other European royals and representatives.

At age four, Princess Alice experienced a burglar entering her bedroom through an open window, an incident she later recounted. She inherited the gene for hemophilia from her father, who died from the disease when she was one year old.

Marriage and Family

On 10 February 1904, she married her second cousin once removed, Prince Alexander of Teck, at St George's Chapel, Windsor. Her attendants included five cousins as bridesmaids. Both she and her husband descended from King George III. The couple had three children: Princess May of Teck (later Lady May Cambridge), Prince Rupert of Teck (later Viscount Trematon), who died in a car accident in 1928, and Prince Maurice of Teck, who died as an infant in 1910. In 1917, King George V granted her husband the title Earl of Athlone, during the period when German titles were relinquished by the royal family.

The family resided at Kensington Palace and later at Brantridge Park in West Sussex. Princess Alice was also the godmother to Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.

Service in South Africa and Canada

From 1924 to 1931, the Earl of Athlone served as Governor-General of South Africa, with Princess Alice accompanying him as Vicereine. They established a coastal residence at Muizenberg, now a South African national monument, and the town of Athlone in Cape Town was named in their honor.

During World War II, the Earl was appointed Governor General of Canada, serving from 1940 to 1946. Princess Alice was actively involved in supporting the war effort and served as Honorary Commandant of the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service, Honorary Air Commandant of the Royal Canadian Air Force Women's Division, and president of the nursing division of the St John Ambulance Brigade. Their residence was Rideau Hall in Ottawa, where many European royal refugees also sought shelter. They participated in notable conferences and celebrations, including the Quebec Conferences with Allied leaders.

Public Duties and Later Life

Princess Alice participated in numerous royal events, including attending coronations of four British monarchs and the investiture of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands. She held military patronages and was the first Chancellor of the University of the West Indies, a position she held from 1950. She also served as Chair of the Council of Royal Holloway College, University of London.

In 1938, she made a notable visit to Saudi Arabia, the first royal member to do so, and met King Abdulaziz. In 1966, she published her memoirs titled "For My Grandchildren."

Her brother, Charles Edward, was imprisoned in Germany after World War II for Nazi-supporting activities; Princess Alice traveled to Germany with her husband to seek his release, but he was sentenced in 1946.

Princess Alice's husband died in 1957 at Kensington Palace. She continued to reside there until her death. She was interred alongside her husband and son in the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore. She was the great-aunt of the current King of Sweden and the Queen of the United Kingdom.

Honours

Her recognitions included:

- Member, 1st Class, of the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert

- Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO)

- Dame Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (GBE)

- Dame Grand Cross of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (GCStJ)

- Recipient of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medals

She also held honorary military appointments and was entitled to use the Royal Arms with a distinctive label indicating her royal status.

Ancestry

Princess Alice was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria through her father and was related to many European royal families.