Recollections: The Memoirs of Victoria Marchioness of Milford Haven

by Victoria Milford Haven, Ilana D. Miller (Afterword), Arturo E. Beéche (Editor)

It is with much anticipation and a great sense of accomplishment that we at EUROHISTORY announce the release to the printer of our latest book, in fact our 33rd book! RECOLLECTIONS – The Memoirs of Victoria Milford Haven, Formerly Princess Louis of Battenberg promises to be yet another must-have in the long line of books published by our small publishing house. Expanded and annotated by Ilana D. Miller and Arturo E. Beéche the book contains the memoirs of one of the most intriguing and exceptional granddaughters of Queen Victoria, Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven. Born Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine in 1863, she became one of her English grandmother's most frequent correspondents, as well as a surrogate mother to her younger siblings after the untimely death in 1878 of their mother, Grand Duchess Alice of Hesse. Married in 1884 to her father's first cousin, Prince Louis of Battenberg, Victoria soon became a witness to some of the most momentous historical episodes of her lifetime. Her thoughts (open, frank, no-nonsense, clear) are to be found inside the 280-page book containing her memoirs, her "recollections." The book has been handsomely illustrated with nearly 400 exquisite images sourced from various archives, family collections, as well as the incomparably vast EUROHISTORY Royal Photographic Archive.

Genres: Royalty

280 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Moniek Bloks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victoria, Marchioness of Milford Haven, was born Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine as the eldest daughter of Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, and Princess Alice of the United Kingdom. She married Prince Louis of Battenberg in 1884 and was, among others, the mother of Princesses Alice and Louise. She and her husband renounced their German titles in 1917 and became the Mountbattens and Marquess and Marchioness of Milford Haven. She died on 24 September 1950, leaving her memoirs which can now be found in this book.

Recollections: The Memoirs of Victoria Marchioness of Milford Haven contains an introduction to Victoria's life by Ilana D. Miller before going into the memoirs themselves. They start with her birth and go up to 1914, where Victoria herself ended them and confessed herself to be quite bored of them. An epilogue is added to complete the final years of Victoria's life. 

I am a sucker for memoirs, and this one did not disappoint. Victoria lived through a fascinating period in history, and she did not shy away from writing down what she thinks. This may be in part because these memoirs were never intended for publication, but how lucky for us. The only downside to the book, in my opinion, is the awkward layout. The book contains around 400 photos, and while I enjoyed seeing them, I think these would have been more suited in a photo section in the middle of the book. The placement of the photos means you're often reading the same page twice, which I found rather annoying. 

Nevertheless, Recollections: The Memoirs of Victoria Marchioness of Milford Haven by Ilana D. Miller is a must-have for those interested in Queen Victoria's descendants. You won't be disappointed.

[Diego · Rating 5 out of 5]

These memoirs were never meant to come to light, as they were written mainly for her children and grandchildren, curiously being the first time that they appear in a book. Eurohistory took up the task of publishing them, and what a fantastic job they’ve done! However, do not expect these memoirs to be a personal and intimate story of Victoria’s life since that is not what you will come across, basically because it was not common to discuss personal feelings or inner thoughts in those days. The account is kind of diary-like; she may talk about trivial things such as the places she visited, the people she met, and so on. These memories were written in her old age, the story beginning in her childhood up until the outbreak of WWI. Once she reaches 1914, she makes it known to whomever the reader may be that the account is to be finished in that year, as everything that happened from that point on brought nothing but painful memories for her. The authors of the book then take over, writing a run-down epilogue of her late years.
 
As I am well-read in the Hessian-Battenberg circle, I must admit that a good deal of the things she recounts I already knew, though reading her story from her own words is much more gripping. Victoria is an extraordinarily remarkable character; she lived well into her late eighties, and her long and eventful life led her to witness a lot of history. Her position, though, was no easy one. Being in the thick of such an interconnected family, she found herself travelling back and forth across the globe yet living through hard times that left a permanent mark on her family. But as the foreword of the book appropriately puts it, she was "a true inspiration to continue onward in spite of life’s many challenges". 
 
The book (which is quite heavy and big!) is beautifully arranged, with hundreds of family photographs scattered all over the pages of the endless characters that were involved in Victoria’s life. Arturo E. Beéche is an expert on several European royal houses, and you can see all the effort he puts into writing his books. Really recommended if you are into the Victorian Era and the Mountbattens. 

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

So who is Victoria, Marchioness of Milford Haven? What is a Marchioness? This obscure-sounding person was perhaps the most well connected Royal personage you’ve never heard of. Granddaughter of Queen Victoria, made her a first cousin of King George V of England. One sister (Alix) married the Tsar of Russia (yes, THAT Alexandra of “Nicholas and Alexandra). Another sister married another Romanov (Grand Duke Serge). Both sisters died in the Russian Revolution. One of her daughters (Louise) married the future king of Sweden, while one of her grandsons (Philip) married a certain English princess (yes, THAT Philip of “Elizabeth and Philip”). When, in the 1990s, researchers were looking for the best DNA match to identify the bones of the Romanovs found in a Siberian wood, they called on Victoria’s grandson: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, husband of Queen Elizabeth II.

[Rvchua · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit difficult to understand if you are not familiar with the relationship and names of the people mentioned. Mostly a list of things and places, seldom talks deeply about personal feelings but then with all that happened she focused more on the pragmatic aspects.