Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh (1844-1900) and Grand Duchess Marie

[emily62_1]

Originally Posted by lashinka2002

I'll be back with more info soon. Hope you all enjoy!

thanx for the pix and infos, it's a pity the splendid wed pix can't be saved, as they belong to Q&A Museum. I can't c Missy as bridesmaid, she was 1 of the beautiful Connaught girls, who later became Queen of Bulgaria, her name was Elizabeth, how come she is not there, I also like Victoria Melita, or Ducky. The sis of Edinburgh, daughters of Prince Arthur, were all so pretty, it was her own mum, P. Maria, who was a Russian Princess, daughter of Czar Alexander II.

[Warren]

Originally Posted by emily62_1

thanx for the pix and infos, I can't c Missy as bridesmaid, she was 1 of the beautiful Connaught girls, who later became Queen of Bulgaria, her name was Elizabeth, how come she is not there,

Missy, aka Princess Marie, was one of the Edinburgh daughters. She married Crown Prince Ferdinand of Romania and became the flamboyant and very interesting Queen Marie.

There were two Connaught daughters: Margaret who married Crown Prince Gustav Adolf of Sweden; and Patricia who became Lady Patricia Ramsay.

There have been no Elizabeths in the Wettin Bulgarian Royal House.
Elisabeth, aka Carmen Sylva, the loopy Queen of Romania (Ferdinand's mother), was born a Princess of Wied.
.

[emily62_1]

sure, she was 1 of the Edinburgh kids whose mum was a russian Princess, daughter of Czar Alexander II- her bro alfred commited suicide.

[emily62_1]

1 of the QV's granddaughter married a first cousin, a Connaught, who was she, my memory is so bad.....

[Warren]

Originally Posted by emily62_1
1 of the QV's granddaughter married a first cousin, a Connaught, who was she? my memory is so bad....

The Duke of Connaught's only son, Prince Arthur (who predeceased his father in 1938) married in 1913 Her Highness Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife, elder daughter of the 1st Duke of Fife and his wife Louise, Princess Royal, who was the eldest daughter of King Edward VII.

Arthur (jnr) was a grandson of Queen Victoria, and Alexandra was a great-granddaughter, thus they were first cousins once removed (I think!). To make it even more confusing, their only child, Prince Alastair of Connaught, could be considered a second cousin to both his parents, and a second cousin once removed to himself (depending on which side of the family you are viewing this from).

Have I got that right? Welcome to the wonderfully complex world of Royal Genealogy!
.

[emily62_1]

Originally Posted by emily62_1

sure, she was 1 of the Edinburgh kids whose mum was a russian Princess, daughter of Czar Alexander II- her bro alfred commited suicide.

I read Alfred jr. commited suicide 'cos of he wed a girl his family did not think she was suitable for him, can u tell me the whole story, how old was he ? who was the woman ? His father also died young, in 1900, of what, do u know about fun quiz trivia ? u would score 10/10 each test ! My average score is 7/10.

[tiaraprin]

Originally Posted by emily62_1

I read Alfred jr. commited suicide 'cos of he wed a girl his family did not think she was suitable for him, can u tell me the whole story, how old was he ? who was the woman ? His father also died young, in 1900, of what, do u know about fun quiz trivia ? u would score 10/10 each test ! My average score is 7/10.

You are correct. For many years the death of Alfred Jr was covered up as tuberculosis in 1900. According to David Randall in Royal Misbehaviour: Crazy Kings and Kooky Queens:

Various royal biographers steadfastly maintained this version of events and if mention was made of him at all in family writings, it consisted of the obliquest of references. His sister, Marie, for instance wrote in her memoirs, "his death . . was a staggering blow. We were all so healthy, sto strong, illness was an unknown thing in our family.' Yet what perhaps even Marie did not now was that Alfred was no more a consumptive than she was. What killed ws not tuberculosis but a set of circumstances regarded as so shameful that it was hushed up and kept secret for the next 80 years. . . . . It seems soon after joining the army, Alfred began to go astray, drinking wildly and falling under the spell of several of the doxies who hung around the barracks. Then at the age of 23, he married an Irishwoman called Mabel Fitzgerald in Potsdam. . . . (His Mother) was especially scathing and the ensuing disputes made Alfred, a sensitive person at the best of times, accutely depressed. As the recriminations wore on, his condition was hardly improved by the onset of venereal disease that he had contracted some years before. The crunch came after a particularly violent row with his mother. Alfred took a pistol and shot himself. The suicide bid failed-for the time being- but left him seriously wounded. . . . Despite the objections of doctors, who said that if Alfred was moved he would not survive the week, the Duchess ordered him to be sent away. He was taken to Meran in the Tyrol and within a fortnight he was dead. (pp 23-24)

His father, the Duke of Saxe Coburg Gotha and Edinburgh, died of cancer and of drink in 1900.

[Sean.~]

Originally Posted by tiaraprin

His father, the Duke of Saxe Coburg Gotha and Edinburgh, died of cancer and of drink in 1900.

And his mother in 1920 from a heart attack, after allegedly receiving a letter addressed to "Frau Coburg". The last straw for the high and mighty Marie,or so the legend goes.

[emily62_1]

Originally Posted by Sean.~

And his mother in 1920 from a heart attack, after allegedly receiving a letter addressed to "Frau Coburg". The last straw for the high and mighty Marie,or so the legend goes.

what's the story about " Frau Coburg" ?

[CarolinaLandgrave]

Hello everyone.....
This post is going to have two inquiries (although I am thinking that I maybe should include part of in the several threads on titles).

Could anyone recommend any good reading and sources for info on Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and (later) Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and his VERY interesting wife, Marie - formerly HIH the Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia.

Alfred and (particularly) Marie are very interesting to me and I would love to learn more about them and their beautiful daughters.

But on the title note.... When Alfred died, the Edinburgh dukedom went back to the Crown, correct? Alfred and Marie had but one son who committed suicide..... but the Duchy of Coburg passed to Aflred's nephew (eventually) after being passed over by his brother and another nephew.
Was this because the title was not associated with a sovereign state?
Could the Coburg's petition for the Edinburgh title back?

Thanks so much!!!!!!

[BeatrixFan]

Well, the Coburgs couldn't ask for their Edinburgh title back because it went back to the Crown, the reason being there were no other legitimate heirs to the title. When it was given to Prince Philip, it was a new creation and nothing to do with the previous creation.

[CarolinaLandgrave]

Thank you!!!
Thats kind of long the lines of what I assumed, but I wanted to ask.

[magnik]

About Duke of Edinburgh title http://www.e-paranoids.com/d/du/duke_of_edinburgh.html

First creation 1726:subsidiary titles - Marquess of the Isle of Ely, Earl Eltham, Viscount Launceston, Baron Snowdon
- Prince Frederick (1707-1751)
- Prince Georg (1738-1820) - future George III
Dukes of Gloucester & Edinburgh 1764: titles Earl of Connaught (Irish Peerage)
- Prince William Henry (1743-1805)
- Prince William Frederick (1776-1834)

Second creation 1866: titles - Earl of Kent, Earl of Ulster
- Prince Alfred (1844-1900)

Third creation 1947: titles - Earl of Merioneth, Baron Greenwich
Prince Philip (1921*)

After him probably will be Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex. But "he will not inherit the title from his father. Like any normal dukedom, the present Dukedom of Edinburgh passes to the heirs-male of the first Duke. That means that when the present Duke dies, the dukedom will be inherited by his eldest son, Prince of Wales. If The Prince of Wales is not yet king when this occurs, he will be Duke of Edinburgh until he ascends the throne, at which point the title will merge with the crown; if The Prince of Wales is already King when he inherits the title, it will merge immediately. Only at that point would the title be available for regrant to the Earl of Wessex.

Here you go Dukes of Edinburg tree
http://geneweb.inria.fr/roglo?lang=e...265;t5=5;lim=6

and list of DoE
http://geneweb.inria.fr/roglo?lang=e...p=of+Edinburgh

About Alfred and Maria
http://www.e-paranoids.com/a/al/alfr...urg_gotha.html ;
http://www.etoile.co.uk/forum/viewto...93fa5e9bdc703e

[CarolinaLandgrave]

Thanks so much for the AWESOME links!
Marie is a most intersting person!!
In some strange way... she reminds me a great deal of her sister-in-law, Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna.

[Warren]

Here are two extracts from "Queen Victoria's Descendants" by Marlene A Eilers, Rosvall Royal Books 1997

Grand Duchess Marie of Russia, Duchess of Edinburgh, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

Accustomed to being the centre of the stage as the Tsar's only daughter, on her marriage to Victoria's second son, Marie found that she was expected to yield precedence not only to the Princess of Wales, but also to the Queen's five daughters. Outraged, the young Duchess of Edinburgh demanded precedence immediately after the Queen herself as the daughter of an Emperor. The Queen indignantly refused, and although following a visit to England by the Tsar, the matter was resolved, Marie never really adjusted to life in England.

Prince Alfred of Edinburgh (Young Alfred)

Young Alfred was only 24 when he died, and little has been written about him. Separated from his sisters, he was a lonely young man with a father frequently absent, and a mother who was hard to please and unable to show her feelings. The most significant event in the manner of his short life was his death, across which a veil of reticence has been drawn. In her memoirs, his sister Marie [Queen of Romania] simply relates that his health broke down; other writers have attributed his death to consumption [tuberculosis]. The Times announced that Prince Alfred's death was due to a tumor, but it seems clear that...he shot himself.

Unfortunately, he could not have chosen a more awkward moment for his tragic action, as it occurred in the midst of his parents' silver wedding anniversary celebrations. Though severly wounded, he survived. Angry at so embarrassing an incident occurring when all the family were present, Duchess Marie, against the wishes of the doctors, insisted on having her son moved to Meran, where it was hoped he would recuperate. But the journey proved too much, and young Alfred died alone save for the presence of a doctor and his manservant.

[CarolinaLandgrave]

Thanks Warren.
I have recently found this book and have begun reading it - so far I am very impressed with what I have read.

[magnik]

About Alfred and Marie and their home - Clarence House:
http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page2521.asp

[CarolinaLandgrave]

Thanks!!
Thats neat about the Russian Orthodox Chapel! From what I can read, Queen Victoria was not happy that Marie brought a Russian priest with her!
Among other things!!!