Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester (
néeNEE, Nee, Née may refer to:* Née or Nee, French for "born", indicates a person's birth surname* Nee , a band in Kannada* NEE, a political party in Flanders, Belgium* "Ne~e?", a 2003 single by Aya Matsuura- People with the family name :...
The Lady Alice Christabel Montagu Douglas Scott, 25 December 1901 – 29 October 2004) was the wife and then widow of
Prince Henry, Duke of GloucesterThe Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester PC, KG, KT, KP, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, KStJ was a member of the British Royal Family, the third son of George V of the United Kingdom and Queen Mary, and thus uncle to Elizabeth II...
, the third son of King
George VGeorge V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 1910 through World War I until his death in 1936...
and
Queen MaryMary of Teck was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Empress of India as the consort of King-Emperor George V. By birth, she was a princess of Teck, in the Kingdom of Württemberg, with the style Serene Highness...
. Alice was thus the
sister-in-lawA sister-in-law is the sister of one's spouse. The wife of one's sibling and the wife of one's spouse's sibling are also considered a sister-in-law. The plural of this term is "sisters-in-law"....
of King
George VIGeorge VI was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions from 11 December 1936 until his death...
and
Edward VIIIEdward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the British dominions, and Emperor of India from 20 January 1936 until his abdication on 11 December 1936, after which he was immediately succeeded by his younger brother, George VI...
.
Through marriage, Alice became a paternal aunt to
Queen Elizabeth IIElizabeth II is the queen regnant of sixteen independent states known informally as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,...
. Through her paternal uncle, Lieutenant Colonel Sir Herbert Andrew Montagu Douglas Scott, Alice was also first cousin to
Marian Louisa Montagu Douglas ScottMarian Louisa Montagu Douglas Scott was the first daughter born to Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Herbert Andrew Montagu Douglas Scott and Marie Josephine Edwards...
, the grandmother of
Sarah, Duchess of YorkSarah, Duchess of York , is a charity patron, spokesperson, writer, film producer, television personality and former member of the British Royal Family...
. Princess Alice's niece,
Princess Alexandra of KentPrincess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy , is a member of the British Royal Family, the youngest granddaughter of King George V and Queen Mary. She is the widow of Sir Angus Ogilvy. Prior to her marriage she was known as Princess Alexandra of Kent...
, who was likewise born on Christmas Day, shares the name Christabel in honour of their shared birth date.
Early life
Lady Alice was born, in
Montagu House, WhitehallMontagu House was the name of two mansions in Whitehall in Westminster, Central London, England.In 1731, John Montagu, 2nd Duke of Montagu, abandoned the existing grand Montagu House in the socially declining district of Bloomsbury, which was later to become the premises of the British Museum, and...
,
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
, on Christmas Day 1901 as the third daughter of
John Montagu Douglas Scott, Duke of Buccleuch and QueensberryJohn Charles Montagu Douglas Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch, 9th Duke of Queensberry KT GCVO was a Scottish Member of Parliament and peer.-Early Life, Marriage, & Family:...
, and his wife, the former Lady Margaret Bridgeman. She is therefore a descendant, in an unbroken male (though illegitimate) line, of King
Charles IICharles II was the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father King Charles I was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War. The English Parliament did not proclaim Charles II king at this time. Instead they passed a statute making such a...
. She spent much of her childhood in her family's country homes:
Boughton HouseBoughton House is a country house in the English county of Northamptonshire which belongs to the Duke of Buccleuch. The original house was a monastic building but Sir Edward Montagu, Lord Chief Justice to King Henry VIII, purchased it in 1528 just prior to the Dissolution of the Monasteries and...
in
NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census...
,
Drumlanrig CastleDrumlanrig Castle is a large country house near to Thornhill in Dumfries and Galloway in South-West Scotland. It is owned by the Duke of Buccleuch. Despite its name it is actually a baroque country house, and had no military function, although two earlier defensive castles had stood on the site...
in
Dumfries and GallowayDumfries and Galloway is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. To the north, it borders onto South Ayrshire, East Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire; in the east the Borders; and to the south the county of Cumbria in England. It lies to the north of the Solway Firth and to the east of the Irish Sea...
, and Bowhill in the Scottish Borders. She attended the independent St James's School for Girls, in
West MalvernWest Malvern is a village and a civil parish on the west side of the north part of the Malvern Hills at the western edge of Worcestershire, administered by the Malvern Hills District Council , and part of the informally defined area often referred to as The Malverns...
,
WorcestershireWorcestershire or ; abbreviated Worcs) is a historic and administrative county located in the West Midlands region of central England. In 1974 it was merged with the county of Herefordshire to form the single administrative county of Hereford and Worcester; which was divided in 1998,...
and later travelled to
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
and
KenyaThe Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. Lying along the Indian Ocean, at the equator, Kenya is bordered by Ethiopia , Somalia , Tanzania , Uganda plus Lake Victoria , and Sudan . The capital city is Nairobi. Kenya spans an area about 85% the size of France or Texas...
.
Marriage
In August 1935, Lady Alice became engaged to
Prince Henry, Duke of GloucesterThe Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester PC, KG, KT, KP, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, KStJ was a member of the British Royal Family, the third son of George V of the United Kingdom and Queen Mary, and thus uncle to Elizabeth II...
, the third son of King George V. They were married in a private ceremony, in the Private Chapel,
Buckingham PalaceBuckingham Palace is the official London residence of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
, on 6 November of that year. A much more elaborate wedding was originally planned for
Westminster AbbeyThe Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to popularly and informally as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in Westminster, London, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster...
; but after Lady Alice's father died of cancer on 19 October 1935, and in consideration of the King's own failing health, it was decided that the wedding should be scaled down to a more private setting.
Initially, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester lived in
AldershotAldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about 60 km southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
, where the Duke was taking the Army staff course. In 1935, the Duchess took a trip to open the new grounds of The Lady Eleanor Holles School. The Duke of Gloucester left the army to take on more public duties following the abdication of King
Edward VIIIEdward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the British dominions, and Emperor of India from 20 January 1936 until his abdication on 11 December 1936, after which he was immediately succeeded by his younger brother, George VI...
in December 1936. The couple received a
grace and favourA grace and favour home is a residential property owned by a monarch by virtue of their position as head of state and leased rent-free to persons as part of an employment package or in gratitude for past services rendered....
residence at York House, St James's Palace, London and, in 1938, they purchased
Barnwell ManorBarnwell Manor is the historic former home of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. It is located by the village of Barnwell, near Oundle, Northamptonshire in England.-The house and estate:...
in Northamptonshire. The Duke and Duchess had two sons:
- Prince William of Gloucester
Prince William of Gloucester was a member of the British Royal Family, a grandson of George V.-Early life:...
(18 December 1941 – 28 August 1972)
- Prince Richard of Gloucester
Prince Richard, 2nd Duke of Gloucester is a member of the British Royal Family, the youngest grandchild of King George V and Queen Mary. He has been Duke of Gloucester since his father's death in 1974...
(born 26 August 1944)
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester travelled extensively to perform their royal duties. During
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Duchess worked with the
Red CrossThe International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an international humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers worldwide which started to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for the human being, and to prevent and alleviate human suffering, without any...
and the
Order of St. JohnThe Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , or simply the Order of St. John, is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, the United States of America, Hong Kong, and...
. She became head of the
Women's Auxiliary Air ForceThe Women's Auxiliary Air Force , whose members were invariably referred to as Waafs , was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II, established in 1939. At its peak strength, in 1943, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000, with over 2,000 women enlisting per week.A Women's Royal Air...
(WAAF) in 1940, was given the honorary title of Air Chief Commandant WAAF in 1945 and promoted to
Air Chief MarshalAir Chief Marshal is a senior air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
in the Royal Air Force in 1990. She also served as deputy to Queen Elizabeth, the consort of
George VIGeorge VI was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions from 11 December 1936 until his death...
as Commandant-in-Chief of the Nursing Corps. From 1945 to 1947, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester lived in
CanberraCanberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth largest Australian city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory, south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, where the Duke was serving as
Governor-General of AustraliaThe Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia of the monarch of Australia . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
. The Duchess of Gloucester served as
Colonel-in-ChiefIn the British and other Commonwealth armies, the Colonel-in-Chief of a regiment is its patron. This position is distinct from that of Colonel of the Regiment. They do not have an operational role. They are however kept informed of all important activities of the regiment, and pay occasional...
or deputy Colonel-in-Chief of a dozen regiments in the
British ArmyThe British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England and Scotland and...
, including the
King's Own Scottish BorderersThe King's Own Scottish Borderers was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. It was raised on 18 March 1689 by the Earl of Leven to defend Edinburgh against the Jacobite forces of James II. It is said that 800 men were recruited within the space of two hours. The...
, the
Northamptonshire RegimentThe Northamptonshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1960. Its lineage is now continued by The Royal Anglian Regiment.-Formation:The regiment was formed as part of the reorganisation of the infantry by the Childers reforms...
, the
2nd East Anglian RegimentThe 2nd East Anglian Regiment was a short-lived infantry regiment of the British Army from 1960 to 1964. Its lineage is continued by the Royal Anglian Regiment....
(Duchess of Gloucester's Own Royal Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire), the Royal Anglian Regiment, the Royal Hussars, and the
Royal Irish RangersThe Royal Irish Rangers was a regular infantry regiment of the British Army.- Creation :...
(27th Inniskilling). She was also the Chancellor of the
University of DerbyThe University of Derby is a university in the city of Derby, England. The main campus is on Kedleston Road, Allestree in the north-west of Derby close to the A38 opposite Markeaton Park...
and Patron of the Girls' Day School Trust.
Change of Title
On 10 June 1974, Prince Henry died and was succeeded as Duke of Gloucester by their second son,
Prince RichardPrince Richard, 2nd Duke of Gloucester is a member of the British Royal Family, the youngest grandchild of King George V and Queen Mary. He has been Duke of Gloucester since his father's death in 1974...
(The couple's elder son, Prince William, had been killed in an aeroplane crash in 1972). The Duke's widow requested permission from her niece, The Queen, to use the title and style
HRH Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester instead of
HRH The Dowager Duchess of Gloucester. The Queen allowed her aunt to adopt this title, in part to avoid confusion with her daughter-in-law, the new Duchess of Gloucester (formerly Brigitte Eva Van Deurs). Princess Alice also apparently did not wish to be known as a Dowager Duchess and so followed the example of her late sister-in-law, Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, following the marriage of her elder son in June 1961. However, Princess Marina was a Princess-by-birth. The
de facto Dowager Duchess of Gloucester was allowed to be known as Princess Alice as a courtesy from the Queen. Although not born a Princess nor created a Princess by
letters patentLetters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of an open letter issued by a monarch or government, granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or to some entity such as a corporation. The opposite of letters patent are letters close , which are personal in nature...
, the Princess was entitled to style herself as a British Princess.
Later life
In 1975, Princess Alice was the first woman to be appointed a
Dame Grand Cross of
the Order of the BathThe Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the medieval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
. In 1981, she first published her memoirs under the title
The Memoirs of Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester. In 1991, she released a revised edition as
Memories of Ninety Years.
In 1994, after the Gloucesters had to give up Barnwell Manor for financial reasons, Princess Alice moved from Barnwell to
Kensington PalaceKensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has been a residence of the British Royal Family since the 17th century. Today it is the official residence of The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester; the Duke and...
, where she lived with the current Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. In 1999, the Duke of Gloucester issued a press release announcing that due to physical frailty, his mother would no longer carry out public engagements outside the environs of Kensington Palace.
In December 2001, the Royal Family held a ceremony to acknowledge Princess Alice’s 100th birthday. This was Princess Alice's last public appearance (and also the last public appearance of
The Princess MargaretThe Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon was the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II....
, the Queen's sister). On 24 July 2003, Princess Alice surpassed Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother's record as the oldest person in the history of the British Royal Family.
Princess Alice died on 29 October 2004 in her sleep at Kensington Palace, at the age of 102. Her funeral was held on 5 November 2004, at St. George's Chapel, Windsor, and she was interred next to her husband, Prince Henry, and her elder son, Prince William, in the
Royal Burial GroundThe Royal Burial Ground is a cemetery used by the Royal Family of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth Realms. It surrounds the Royal Mausoleum on the Frogmore estate in the Home Park at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire.-Burials:...
at
FrogmoreThe Frogmore Estate or Gardens comprise of private gardens within the grounds of the Home Park, adjoining Windsor Castle, in the English county of Berkshire. The name derives from the preponderance of frogs which have always lived in this low-lying and marshy area.It is the location of Frogmore...
. The Funeral was attended by the Queen and other members of the Royal Family. A memorial service was held at St. Clement Danes on 2 February 2005.
Titles and styles
- 25 December 1901 – 5 November 1935: The Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott
- 6 November 1935 – 10 June 1974: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Gloucester
- 10 June 1974 – 29 October 2004: Her Royal Highness Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester
At the time of her death, Princess Alice's full style was
Her Royal Highness Princess Alice Christabel, Duchess of Gloucester, Countess of Ulster and Baroness Culloden, Dame Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Companion of the Imperial Order of the Crown of India, Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, Dame Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
Honours
British Honours
- GCB: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the medieval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, 2 April 1975
- CI: Companion of the Crown of India
The Imperial Order of the Crown of India is an order in the British honours system.The Order was established by Queen Victoria in 1878, when she became Empress of India. The Order was only open to women; it was discontinued after India's independence in 1947...
, 9 June 1937
- GCVO: Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order
is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognizing distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms,
any members of her family, or any of her...
, 1948
- GBE: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions...
, 11 May 1937
- GCStJ: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St. John
The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , or simply the Order of St. John, is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, the United States of America, Hong Kong, and...
, 1936
- Royal Family Order of King George V
The Royal Family Order of King George V was a high honour bestowed as a mark of personal esteem on titled female members of the British Royal Family for personal service to King George V.Queen Elizabeth II is the only surviving member of the Order....
, 1935
- Royal Family Order of King George VI
The Royal Family Order of King George VI was a high honour bestowed as a mark of personal esteem on titled female members of the British Royal Family for personal service to King George VI....
, 1937
- Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II
The Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II is a high honour bestowed as a mark of personal esteem on titled female members of the British Royal Family for personal service to Queen Elizabeth II. It is not automatically awarded. There is no public announcement of the honour...
, 1952
Foreign Honours Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown,
1938 Grand Cordon of the Order of the Virtues (Nishan al-Kamal),
1950 Grand Cross of the Order of the Queen of Sheba,
1958
Ancestry
External links
Publications
- Ronald Allison and Sarah Riddell, eds., The Royal Encyclopedia (London: Macmillan, 1991), ISBN 0-333-53810-2.
- Marlene A. Eilers, Queen Victoria's Descendants (New York: Atlantic International Publishing, 1987), ISBN 91-630-5964-9.
- Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, The Memoirs of Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester (London: Collins, 1983), ISBN 0-00-216646-1.
- Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, Memories of Ninety Years (London: Collins & Brown Ltd, 1991), ISBN 1-85585-048-6.