Figure 1.--Princess Louise is seen here with her younger sister Victoria wearing matching plaid dresses. Note the jaunty hats. They were photographed in 1871.

Louise was the Princess Royal. Alix's pregnancy with Louise meant that she could not attend the wedding of her dear sister Dagmar in St. Perersburg to the Tsareivitch. Her husband the prince of Wales was sent instead. Dagmar was disappointed as many of her Danish relatives could not afford to attend. Alix became dreadfully ill in the later stages of the prgnancy. Her husband did not appear to take it seriously. The Queen did and Alix's parents were asked to come to her bed side. She survived, but her health was affected and after this her hearing began to deteriorate. Louise was virtually toung-tied at social engagements, having any kind of conversatiion with her took some effort. Her major interest in life was fishing, although she also enjoyed music--if it wasn't possible to fish. She married the Earl of Fife in 1889 who Queen Victoria crated a Duke, with some reluactance. The Queen was pleased that Louise chose a Scotsman. Louise was abot 22 when she married. The Earl was 18 years older than her. Louise was involved in her brother Prince Eddy's unsuccessful effort to marry Princess Helene d'Oeléans. She produced her mother's first grandchild in 1891, a daughter. Princess Alexandra had rushed to her bed and was there for the birth. Louise was not as willing as Prince George to allow their mother to care for her children. Another factor was that she lived in Scotland, not next door at Sandringam. As a result, Louise's children were never a close to their grand parents as Prince George's children. The Duchess lived at Mar Lodge near Balmoral. The retiring Duches, however, would not even come to parties at Balmoral or allow her mother to care for the childrn like she would gare for her brother's children.

Sources

Battiscombe, Georgina. Queen Alexandra (Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1969).

Bennett, Daphne King Without a Crown: Albert Prince Consort of England, 1819-1861 (New York: J.B. Lippincott, 1977).

Created: July 7, 2002
Last updated: July 8, 2002