Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester (1901-2004)

[Elspeth]

Apparently the Queen can "make" them!

[Margrethe II]

Originally Posted by Elspeth

Apparently the Queen can "make" them!

Or in Princess Alice's case, a King?

"MII"

[Elspeth]

She wasn't made into Princess Alice until the Duke died, which was well into the present Queen's reign. Although a King certainly could make princesses!

[BeatrixFan]

As we go into the New Year, I think we should remember those we've lost.
Here is a special tribute to Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester.

Obituary from the BBC

Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, was at the centre of the Royal Family for most of her adult life, but remained one of its least known members.

The Queen's aunt and Queen Mother's sister-in-law, this mild-mannered maverick cracked the courtly mould by wearing trousers, tending the sick and crossing the world as a young woman.

Like the Queen Mother, the Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott was born into the wealth and privilege of a Scottish land-owning family. But, as the third daughter of the Duke of Buccleuch, she broke free whenever opportunity arose, once dressing as a man to travel across India's North-West Frontier.
Soon, she escaped to the freedom of Kenya. Throughout the early 1930s, as a self-described "pre-Beatnik", Lady Alice went on safari and, as part of Kenya's famously louche Happy Valley Set, spent her days horse-riding and painting.

For a while she was reluctant to come back to England but, by the age of 34, she was ready to settle down and "make use of her life".
She found a way to do this with her brother's friend, Prince Henry of Gloucester. He was the younger brother of King George VI and, just months before the abdication of Edward VIII, they were married in the chapel at Buckingham Palace.

As the Duchess of Gloucester, Alice continued to travel. The air chief commandant of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force, she spent the war visiting WAAF units across the country.

She toured the Commonwealth and, as peacetime approached, she and the Duke arrived in Australia, where he was to be the new Governor-General.
The princess suffered personally. In 1965, the jetset couple were involved in a serious car crash, after which the Duke suffered a number of strokes. He died in 1974.

And in 1972, the elder of their two sons, Prince William, was killed when his plane crashed in an air race. His brother Richard inherited his father's title.
The newly titled Princess Alice settled with her son at the family home of Barnwell, and developed the now famously beautiful garden on this Northamptonshire estate.

She moved with her family to Kensington Palace in 1995 but, despite finding herself back in London, the Dowager Duchess took on no more public engagements, and she officially retired at the age of 98.

Despite her seclusion, Princess Alice continued to be admired, both within her family circle and by royal observers abroad. Her charity officials continued to visit her, too.

She was recognised as a spirited individual whose independence and thirst for adventure set her apart from her courtly peers, but who channelled those energies into her royal working life and helped give the Royal Family a friendly face.

Pictures from 'The Royal Family 1988'

With Princess Alice of Athlone

[Warren]

HRH Princess Alice, formerly Duchess of Gloucester

Two pics: Princess Alice with her sons, Prince William and Prince Richard;
Princess Alice in later life, bejewelled.
Pics courtesy Corbis.

[Jose]

[IMG]http://av.rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A9ibyKTnGLVDWCcBTTOHBqMX;_ylu=X3oDMTBwanIybjRqBHBndANhdHdfaW1nX3Jlc3VsdARzZWMDc3I-/SIG=11se79kef/EXP=1136028263/**http%3a//www.ngs.org.uk/graphics/Alice.jpg[/IMG]Princess Alice in photo and dog. I am she 80th birthday. http://www.ngs.org.uk/graphics/Alice.jpg

[Velasco]

Originally Posted by pdas1201

more pics..

Who is the guy smiliing in those pics?

Surely its inappropriate to give such wide smiles for the camera at a funeral I understand no crying, stiff upper lip, keeping one's emotions to oneself [in public], blah blah blah, but smiling seems a bit much imho.

[Warren]

Just "the guy"? He's the Duke of Gloucester. Other people pictured smiling as they arrived at or left Princess Alice's Memorial Service include the Duchess of Gloucester, Lady Rose Windsor, Lady Davina Windsor, the Earl of Ulster and Princess Benedikte of Denmark.