Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone
Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone GCVO GBE VA (née Princess Alice of Albany) (25 February 1883 – 3 January 1981), was a member of the British Royal Family, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. She has the distinction of having been the longest living, and last surviving, grandchild of Queen Victoria and the third longest living member of the Royal Family. She also held the title of Princess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha from birth until 1917.
Early life
Princess Alice Mary Victoria Augusta Pauline was born on February 25, 1883 at Windsor Castle. Her father was Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, the youngest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Her mother was Princess Helena of Waldeck. She had one brother, Prince Charles, Duke of Albany, and later reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1884-1954). As the granddaughter of the then sovereign through the male line, she was a princess of the United Kingdom and a Royal Highness. As the daughter of the Duke of Albany she was, therefore, styled Her Royal Highness Princess Alice of Albany. She was baptised in the Private Chapel of Windsor Castle on 26 March 1883 and her godparents were Queen Victoria, the Empress and Crown Princess of Germany, the Princess of Waldeck-Pyrmont, the Duchess of Cambridge, the Hereditary Princess of Bentheim, the Prince of Wales, the King of the Netherlands, the Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and Prince Wilhelm of Württemberg.
Marriage
On February 10, 1904, Princess Alice of Albany married Prince Alexander of Teck, the brother of Queen Mary, in St George's Chapel, Windsor. Upon marriage Princess Alice was styled HRH Princess Alexander of Teck.
Prince and Princess Alexander of Teck had three children:
- Lady May Cambridge, born Princess May of Teck (23 January 1906–29 May 1994);
- Rupert Cambridge, Viscount Trematon, born Prince Rupert of Teck (24 August 1907–15 April 1928, died in a car crash); and
- Prince Maurice of Teck (29 March–14 September 1910).
Like her grandmother Queen Victoria, Princess Alice was also a carrier of haemophilia, which she had inherited from her father who himself was a sufferer. Her eldest son Rupert inherited the disease from her and this had led him to his early death in a car accident.
Canada and South Africa
Princess Alice accompanied her husband to Canada where he served as the Governor General from 1940-1946. The Earl of Athlone also served as Governor-General of South Africa in the 1920s.
1917
When the British royal family dropped all Germanic titles in June 1917, Prince Alexander of Teck became the Earl of Athlone, relinquishing the title "Prince of Teck" in the Kingdom of Württemberg and the style Serene Highness, and adopting the surname Cambridge. As such, the two surviving children lost their Württemberg princely titles. Princess Alice, however, was a princess of Great Britain and Ireland and a Royal Highness in her own right, as a male-line granddaughter of Queen Victoria. From June 1917 until her death, she was styled Her Royal Highness Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone.
Later life
The Earl died in 1957 at Kensington Palace in London. Princess Alice lived on there until 1981 when she herself died. She died at age 97 years and 312 days, making her the longest-lived member of the British Royal Family until Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother broke the record on June 20, 1998. Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone remains the longest-lived British princess of the blood royal and the oldest surviving granddaughter of Queen Victoria.
In her lifetime, Princess Alice carried out many royal duties. She attended the coronations of four monarchs: Edward VII, George V, George VI, and Elizabeth II. She was also the Colonel in Chief of two British army units and one Rhodesian army unit. In 1950 she became the first Chancellor of the University of the West Indies (then the University College of the West Indies).
Her funeral took place in St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle attended by all members of the Royal Family. She is buried alongside her husband in Frogmore at Windsor.
Titles from birth to death
| Styles of Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone |
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|---|---|
 |
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| Reference style | Her Royal Highness |
| Spoken style | Your Royal Highness |
| Alternative style | Ma'am |
- Her Royal Highness Princess Alice of Albany
- Her Royal Highness Princess Alexander of Teck
- Her Royal Highness Princess Alice, Mrs Alexander Cambridge
- Her Royal Highness Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone
