Princesses in Their Own Rights

Princess Helena Victoria

I haven’t had anything posted here for a while and it embarrasses me multiple times over that I am a bit saddened after laying this blog without nothing new for over two months, given the respectable amount of readership this blog has. I have longed to pursue serializing what I have conceived in my mind—the story of Princesses Marie Louise and Helena Victoria, Princess Arthur, Duchess of Fife, and Princess Maud, Countess of Southesk. I have already written an unfinished draft about these, but two months had passed and yet, I am not yet done. I am now planning to go through it and shoot a few posts here in the coming weeks. Running a start-up online writing business, plus the burden of attending graduate school, takes up the better of my time that I always end up not pulling off enough wits to have something to post here.

The Schleswig Daughters: Princesses Without Land

Princess Marie Louise

Princesses Marie Louise and Helena Victoria (daughters of Princess Helena, third daughter of Queen Victoria) were forced to drop, per letters patent issued by their cousin King George V, their territorial designation “of Schleswig-Holstein” (being the daughters of Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein). This was at the height of anti-German sentiments during World War I. This act placed them at a rather awkward position. Because the two were unmarried (Princess Marie Louise was annulled from Prince Aribert of Anhalt in 1900) and their right to be styled Highness within the British soil, by virtue of Queen Victoria’s letters patent, exempted them from taking the precedence of that day that should have been made them known as “Lady Marie Louise New Surname” and “Lady Helena Victoria New Surname.” They were allowed to retain their princely titles without immediate family membership or territorial designation to associate them with.

Princess Alexandra

The Princess Royal’s Daughters

Another unique position within the highest echelon of British society was occupied by Princesses Alexandra and Maud of Fide. They were the only female-line granddaughters of a sovereign who held the title Princess of Great Britain and Ireland and the only pair of their status to held their rank not from their father (the Duke of Fife), but from the will of their grandfather, King Edward VII. Likewise, they held the style Highness and stood in precedence immediately after all members of the Royal Family bearing the style Royal Highness.

Princess Maud

The lives of these princesses, as with other normal member royal family, have fascinated me most. Their marriages, family lives, careers, and contributions to the public have all made them, in one way or another, worthy of adulation during their time. As such, they were among the most popular members of the Royal Family, given their unique position. I will be writing a detailed biography of each of these princesses in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.