Queen Victoria’s Favourite Granddaughter

It was extraordinary to find a recent royal about whom little has been written – and so well connected as my royal genealogist friends would say. Her son, Lord Mountbatten has had reams written about him. Her grandson, Prince Philip has had biography after biography. Her grandmother, Queen Victoria has had only slightly less written about her than Napoleon or Abraham Lincoln.

Imagine my delight when I encountered Princess Victoria at a second-hand bookstore and subsequently wrote about her in my book, Queen Victoria’s Favourite Granddaughter: Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, the Most Consequential Royal You Never Knew. As the subtitle suggests, this princess is relatively unknown even to those with an interest in the British royal family.

I stumbled upon her in a thin volume nestled among Queen Victoria biographies. Entitled Advice to my Granddaughter, it was a collection of charming letters from Queen Victoria to Princess Victoria. Their correspondence spanned thirty-three years until the queen’s death in 1901. The letters included comments, advice, complaints, joys, light gossip, and political discussions, showcasing the bond between the two women.

I examined the photographs, particularly those of Victoria and her husband, Prince Louis Battenberg, who were an exceptionally attractive couple. Louis, despite being German born, joined the Royal Navy at fourteen. Victoria, unlike her sisters who married spectacularly well, was content as a naval wife. Due to her inclinations, she was less visible and more private than her siblings.

Princess Alice, Queen Victoria’s second daughter, died in her thirties from diphtheria. At fifteen, her daughter Victoria took on the responsibility of raising her siblings as her father, often away hunting, delegated much of this duty to her. Despite occasional assistance from aunts and uncles sent by her grandmother, Victoria managed most of the familial responsibilities.

In her letters, the queen provided as much guidance as possible. She frequently advised on her granddaughter’s conduct, how she should manage her younger siblings, and what friends she should make. She warned her about Darmstadt society, particularly the ladies, advising the young princess and her sisters that they were not suitable company.

Despite receiving many letters from the queen, Victoria and her sisters lacked a consistent female role model and had to learn much independently. In the years preceding Victoria’s marriage, the primary example they observed was their father’s mistress, Madame de Kolemine. Most saw no harm in this; even Victoria and the other children were happy that their father had found a companion after years of loneliness.

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People speculate whether Louis and Victoria were truly in love. They had many shared interests and compatible lifestyles. Louis, often away with the Navy, and Victoria, with her independent life of travel and learning, seemed to enjoy recounting their time apart. Moreover, there was no gossip about them, which suggests a harmonious if not loving marriage.

They had four children who lived the lives that their parents did – traveling, visiting the family in Russia, Germany, Malta, Greece and wherever else relatives lived. Their two sons went first into the Royal Navy, and one daughter married very young while the younger daughter married very late for that period.

The eldest, Alice and her husband Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark had four daughters and then, at last, a son. This son, Philip, was destined to become the consort of Princess Elizabeth of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Victoria’s youngest son became the Earl Mountbatten of Burma and was a major player on the British stage from the 1940’s onward. He was tragically assassinated in 1979. As mentioned, Victoria’s youngest daughter married at the age of thirty-three. She became Crown Princess of Sweden, and later the queen.

Victoria was widowed in 1921. Louis, who had had to resign as First Sea Lord in 1914 because of his German surname, took the surname Mountbatten in 1917, when many in the royal family anglicized or changed their names. He was eventually vindicated by the Royal Navy and celebrated for his excellent leadership and inventions. He lived to see both his sons in the Royal Navy on their way to glittering careers and was made Admiral of the Fleet (ret.) just before his death.

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Victoria was a trusted source of calm and sage advice for her children, as well as her relations and friends. Renowned for her fairness, she even provided counsel to her brother’s ex-wife on visitation and matters concerning their child following their divorce.

Princess Victoria’s grandchildren fondly recalled her as an exceptionally knowledgeable individual. They described her as a walking encyclopaedia, with a voracious reading habit that spanned a wide array of subjects. Moreover, they appreciated how she would engage in patient and thoughtful conversations with them, treating them as though they were reasonable adults.

Victoria was modest, highly intelligent and almost obsessively dutiful. She was respected for her composure and ability to maintain clarity amidst widespread turmoil, even during profound personal grief. She was reasonable, introspective and had a tremendous sense of proportion. She was a woman capable of candid self-analysis and yet was more than fair in her assessment of those around her.

This is not to say that she was some boring paragon. She had her foibles as everyone does. She was unkempt in appearance — one cousin complaining that she was a walking ragbag. She talked incessantly, so much so that Queen Victoria called her a ‘gasbag’. Some criticized her for her rather democratic and even socialist leanings. She echoed her mother’s disdain for royalty, willingly renounced her titles in 1917, yet despite this, she was somewhat scathing of the company with whom she associated after being demoted to Marchioness.

Victoria’s two sisters, Elisabeth and Alix, were assassinated in Russia in 1918, but she and her sister Irène both lived well into their eighties. Victoria spent her widowhood of nearly thirty years in a grace and favour apartment in Kensington Palace. It was from here, his grandfather’s sword at his side, that Prince Philip went to be married. Victoria lived to see two great-grandchildren from that marriage, Prince Charles and Princess Anne.

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I have always thought that Victoria must have felt gratified to see her family vindicated. They had endured prejudice, first because she had married Louis, a product of an unequal royal marriage and second because of their German origins. One can only imagine her satisfaction that her great-grandson, Charles is today the King of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Victoria led a very private life yet one well worth illuminating as we seek to learn more about women in historical contexts. Her life was not characterized by glamour, excitement or great danger. She served as an unwavering foundation for her family, maintaining that support amidst profound public and private tragedies.

Photographs all courtesy of the archive at Eurohistory.com.

Queen Victoria’s Favourite Granddaughter is available to order here.