Alice of Battenberg 1885 1969 When war came

Alice of Battenberg 1885 -1969 When war came to Greece, the grandmother of Prince Charles stayed in Athens to take care of the orphaned children.

Glimpse of a Deaf Princess • February 25, 1885, Queen Victoria held her first great-grandchild, Princess Victoria Alice Julie Marie, everyone called her “Princess Alice. ” • It was not unusual to have a deaf child in the British royal families. – In 1253, a deaf princess Katherine Plantagenet, was born to King Henry VIII and his wife. – In Scotland, King James’ daughter, Jean was born deaf. – In Spain, Prince Don Jaime of Bourbon and his sister Princess Maria Christina were deaf. – Several English dukes and earls were also deaf.

Glimpse of a Deaf Princess • Princess Alice’s aunt Alexandra wife of King Edward VII, was deaf too. Often Alexandra went to the deaf church in London. Alexandra was a fluent fingerspeller. • Queen Victoria and princess Alice also knew fingerspelling, but like most members of the royal family, she was trained to communicate using speech and lipreading. • At the age of 17, Princess Alice was studying German in Germany where she met Prince Andrew of Greece. Prince Andrew was 20 years old and fell in love with Alice.

The Wedding • The family agreed to the marriage and they gathered in Germany for the wedding. • Princess Alice had three weddings! – Civil Law – Protestant Church – Greek Orthodox Church • For each ceremony Alice learned what she had to say when she had to say it.

The Wedding • During the Greek Orthodox ceremony Alice was not familiar with the religion, and the priest had a heavy beard that covered his lips. • When the priest asked her, “Have you promised to marry another man? ” Alice said, “Yes. ” • When the priest asked her, “Do you wish to marry Prince Andrew? ” She said, “No. ” • Despite the mistakes, the wedding continued. • No one knew it but the wedding would be the last time the royalty of Europe would get together on such a happy occasion. • War was coming to Europe.

War! • Alice and her husband moved to Greece, and lived in Athens. Alice had a deaf lady-in-waiting, and she began to learn Greek. • In 1905, she had her first child, Princess Margarita. Then later had three more children, all girls – Princess Thedora, Cecile, and Sophie. • In 1913, King George, Prince Andrew’s father, was shot and killed. • In 1917, Greece was led into war. Princess Alice did everything she could to protect her family as the fighting broke out on the streets of Athens. She hid her daughters in the cellar of the Old Palace as fighting raged around them.

War! • In 1918, World War 1 ended, but peace did not come to Greece then attacked Turkey. • Alice tried to take care of her family while Andrew helped command the Greek army. • In 1921, Princess Alice gave birth to her fifth child. It was her first boy. They named him Prince Phillip.

Princess Alice and her son, Phillip

War! • Shortly after Alice’s father died so she went to London for the funeral. • While in London, the Turks defeated the Greek army. Alice hurried back to Greece, she learned that the Greek military leaders blamed the royal government for their defeat. The soldiers arrested all royal leaders, including Prince Andrew, put them in jail, and accused them of treason.

War! • Alice was desperate to see her husband, but the soldiers would not allow Prince Andrew to see anyone. • Alice wrote to everyone, including the kings of England Spain. “Help my husband, ” she begged. • Slowly the kings responded, asking the Greek soldiers to spare the life of Prince Andrew. It worked. Everyone who had worked under King Alexander was shot and killed – except Prince Andrew. • Prince Andrew was set free and hurried home to Alice. • Alice and her family boarded a British ship and escaped from Greece.

A Life Apart • Forced out of Greece the family moved to France. They were very poor and lived on a floor of a house in Paris. • Alice worked in an embroidery shop. • The royal children were growing, Sophie married Prince Christopher at 16 years old. Cecil married soon after. Then Margarita and Theodora found husbands. • Prince Phillip biked to a nearby school and then was sent to boarding school in Germany.

A Life Apart • As her children grew, Alice began to feel like she and her husband had grown apart. • Prince Andrew loved parties and Alice was more serious and studying religion. • They decided to live separately. Prince Andrew went to a fun filled resort town in southern France. Princess Alice went to an island near Greece where she founded a nursing order of nuns.

A Life Apart • When World War II broke out, Alice returned to Athens. • The Germans attacked Greece and took over the country. • Alice’s family begged her to leave, she refused. • She stayed in Athens during the German occupation, taking care of orphaned children. • When Alice returned to London, she maintained a religious life, almost always wearing her nun’s clothing.

A Life Apart • In 1947, Princess Alice’s son, Phillip, married Princess Elizabeth, the woman who would become the Queen of England. • Princess Alice died in 1969, at 84, in Buckingham Palace.