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Princess Alice: Queen Victoria's Forgotten Daughter
Libro usado en buenas condiciones, por su antiguedad podria contener señales normales de uso
- Genres19th Century
286 pages, Paperback
Published June 24, 1985
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 20, 2023
"I want to be able to succeed, for the people have plenty of money but not the will."
And you did succeed, Alice.
This might probably be one of the best royal biographies I have ever read, not because it is about my favourite of Victoria’s daughters but because of its rich, warts-and-all portrait of the character in question. What is most interesting about Noel’s research is the deep and detailed analysis and examination he provides of Alice’s relationships with those closest to her—that is, her parents, her husband, and her children. Furthermore, topics such as the origin of haemophilia and her conflicting relationship with religion are also discussed in great detail, which gives the reader a better understanding of her complex personality.
Alice was forced to take on an arduous role (not befitting her age, though) overnight in the days leading up to her marriage, caring for a dying father and then shouldering the burden of looking after a self-centred and demanding mother beside herself with grief. And Noel provides us here with yet another instance of Queen Victoria’s poor and selfish motherly instincts; I had a lump in my throat reading the way in which she rallied against her own daughter shortly after she moved to Germany, constantly holding her new-found happiness with Louis against her and even having the insolence to expect her to be at her beck and call from the other side of the channel! Yet Alice’s relationship with her father was quite the opposite of her mother's. We all know how ambitious Prince Albert was, and he didn’t hesitate to provide her daughters with a thorough and elaborate upbringing whose teachings were to help them both perform their future duties as consorts. And indeed Alice succeeded in following in her father’s footsteps in that she brought about much change in her adopted country. Determined to fulfil a role of her own rather than just sit by and live out as a mere grand duchess, she began to take interest in the increasing social issues within such a backward city as Darmstadt, thus ushering in her long commitment to nursing the sick and the poor and setting up several hospitals for the wounded soldiers, one of which is even still running today. Here one can see the strong mark she left on her family, for in the future her own daughters were to follow their mother's path in far-off Russia.
However much they loved each other, Alice and her husband were not meant to be. After years of marriage, she eventually came to realise how little they had in common, being herself her husband's superior both intellectually and morally, frustrated at the thought that she didn’t find in him that longed-for companion with whom she could carry out her ambitious projects. Louis proved to be an absolute nonchalant whose only interests were shooting and stalking, whereas his wife’s were intellectual and scholarly ones. Had it not been for her, who was responsible for much of what was accomplished during that period, Darmstadt would have kept itself rooted in its mediaeval and old-fashioned conventions. And this is what made Alice a woman far ahead of her time, what set her apart from a society that didn’t look favourably upon a woman’s taking part in social reform.
I’m surprised at how insightful and well-documented this book is, in spite of being published almost 50 years ago. Whereas there are lots of modern biographies on Alice’s siblings out there, this nonetheless remains to this day the only one ever written on her. Why no contemporary historian has embarked on writing a modern biography (perhaps updated with new facts) on Alice, I still don’t understand. Because she had a short life? As short as it might have been, her legacy, however, speaks volumes. In the end, she not only succeeded in accomplishing her own goals but also in shaping many European royal houses, which made her uniquely positioned: mother to Russia's last Czarina, Lord Mountbatten’s grandmother, and Prince Philip’s great-grandmother, thus making the present king a direct descendant from her. Life somewhat spared her seeing the fate her family met when the "Hessian curse" began to spread in its worst possible form across the royal houses of Europe, resulting in the most heart-rending tragedies brought on by a war that ultimately changed the whole course of history. It’s such a shame that her remarkable works have been overlooked and her name kept as a mere passing shadow in history, and whilst she remains so, as the title of this book clearly points out, Alice will forever be Queen Victoria’s forgotten daughter.
And you did succeed, Alice.
This might probably be one of the best royal biographies I have ever read, not because it is about my favourite of Victoria’s daughters but because of its rich, warts-and-all portrait of the character in question. What is most interesting about Noel’s research is the deep and detailed analysis and examination he provides of Alice’s relationships with those closest to her—that is, her parents, her husband, and her children. Furthermore, topics such as the origin of haemophilia and her conflicting relationship with religion are also discussed in great detail, which gives the reader a better understanding of her complex personality.
Alice was forced to take on an arduous role (not befitting her age, though) overnight in the days leading up to her marriage, caring for a dying father and then shouldering the burden of looking after a self-centred and demanding mother beside herself with grief. And Noel provides us here with yet another instance of Queen Victoria’s poor and selfish motherly instincts; I had a lump in my throat reading the way in which she rallied against her own daughter shortly after she moved to Germany, constantly holding her new-found happiness with Louis against her and even having the insolence to expect her to be at her beck and call from the other side of the channel! Yet Alice’s relationship with her father was quite the opposite of her mother's. We all know how ambitious Prince Albert was, and he didn’t hesitate to provide her daughters with a thorough and elaborate upbringing whose teachings were to help them both perform their future duties as consorts. And indeed Alice succeeded in following in her father’s footsteps in that she brought about much change in her adopted country. Determined to fulfil a role of her own rather than just sit by and live out as a mere grand duchess, she began to take interest in the increasing social issues within such a backward city as Darmstadt, thus ushering in her long commitment to nursing the sick and the poor and setting up several hospitals for the wounded soldiers, one of which is even still running today. Here one can see the strong mark she left on her family, for in the future her own daughters were to follow their mother's path in far-off Russia.
However much they loved each other, Alice and her husband were not meant to be. After years of marriage, she eventually came to realise how little they had in common, being herself her husband's superior both intellectually and morally, frustrated at the thought that she didn’t find in him that longed-for companion with whom she could carry out her ambitious projects. Louis proved to be an absolute nonchalant whose only interests were shooting and stalking, whereas his wife’s were intellectual and scholarly ones. Had it not been for her, who was responsible for much of what was accomplished during that period, Darmstadt would have kept itself rooted in its mediaeval and old-fashioned conventions. And this is what made Alice a woman far ahead of her time, what set her apart from a society that didn’t look favourably upon a woman’s taking part in social reform.
I’m surprised at how insightful and well-documented this book is, in spite of being published almost 50 years ago. Whereas there are lots of modern biographies on Alice’s siblings out there, this nonetheless remains to this day the only one ever written on her. Why no contemporary historian has embarked on writing a modern biography (perhaps updated with new facts) on Alice, I still don’t understand. Because she had a short life? As short as it might have been, her legacy, however, speaks volumes. In the end, she not only succeeded in accomplishing her own goals but also in shaping many European royal houses, which made her uniquely positioned: mother to Russia's last Czarina, Lord Mountbatten’s grandmother, and Prince Philip’s great-grandmother, thus making the present king a direct descendant from her. Life somewhat spared her seeing the fate her family met when the "Hessian curse" began to spread in its worst possible form across the royal houses of Europe, resulting in the most heart-rending tragedies brought on by a war that ultimately changed the whole course of history. It’s such a shame that her remarkable works have been overlooked and her name kept as a mere passing shadow in history, and whilst she remains so, as the title of this book clearly points out, Alice will forever be Queen Victoria’s forgotten daughter.
September 8, 2017
This book was written over 30 years ago, but is still the best reseached bio on the life of Grand Duchess Alice of Hesse, the daughter of the UK's Queen Victoria. Balanced and comprehesive. The writing style is clear and concise. It would be great if a present day historian took another look at primary sources to write another biography of the Priness with a 21st century eye, but until such happens, this is your go-to-bio by a schlor, not just a writer. After reading it, you will get to know Princess Alice and appreciate her many accomplishments, as well as, understand the many ways in which her influence can still be felt in Germany today. The Princess left her mark through many good works.
August 9, 2023
A rather worn copy of a very good book! Princess Alice was the third child and second daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. She moved to Hesse-Darmstadt following her marriage to Prince Louis, who later became Grand Duke Louis of Hesse-Darmstadt.
The title the “forgotten daughter” is because she died at 34 years old. However, you could argue she left a legacy (haemophilia, famous descendants such as Tsarina Alix of Russia, Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh and Lord Louis Mountbatten, as well as her nursing and reforming activities) and therefore shouldn’t have been forgotten. Perhaps, too, for the British people, she was out of sight and out of mind as moved to Hesse in 1862 and died there in 1878.
A well-written, if brief book on Princess Alice. Supremely easy to read and gives good information, with a lot of historical backing. A fascinating woman, who had a very sad life. She nursed her dying father and following that had an on/off relationship with her dominating mother QV. She lost two children in infancy and she died young from diphtheria. She had a very close relationship with both her brother the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) and also her brother Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany.
I want to read more on her!
The title the “forgotten daughter” is because she died at 34 years old. However, you could argue she left a legacy (haemophilia, famous descendants such as Tsarina Alix of Russia, Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh and Lord Louis Mountbatten, as well as her nursing and reforming activities) and therefore shouldn’t have been forgotten. Perhaps, too, for the British people, she was out of sight and out of mind as moved to Hesse in 1862 and died there in 1878.
A well-written, if brief book on Princess Alice. Supremely easy to read and gives good information, with a lot of historical backing. A fascinating woman, who had a very sad life. She nursed her dying father and following that had an on/off relationship with her dominating mother QV. She lost two children in infancy and she died young from diphtheria. She had a very close relationship with both her brother the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) and also her brother Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany.
I want to read more on her!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2018
Gosh, what a short and difficult life Alice had, but oh, how courageous she was. So much time spent, personally nursing sick relatives and trying to improve nursing in hospitals in Germany after her marriage. I liked the fact that he author wasn't afraid to show her, warts and all, despite knowing that Lord Mountbatten was going to read his manuscript to write the foreword, which accounts for the sycophantic reference to him as "perhaps the greatest living Englishman" which made me want to mime sticking my fingers down my throat. At times, this felt like a tremendous slog and could've been streamlined into easier to digest text, but the small chinks of sunshine in her life shone through the cracks brightly, and I'm glad I read about the Duke of Edinburgh's much overlooked Great-Grandmother. (More 4.5 than 5, really.)
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews