118-672: Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna of Russia (born Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh ; 25 November 1876 – 2 March 1936), was the third child and second daughter of Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia . She was a granddaughter of both Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Emperor Alexander II of Russia . Born a British princess , Victoria spent her early life in England and lived for three years in Malta, where her father served in
236-541: A November 1903 visit to Tsar Nicholas II and his family at their Polish hunting lodge. The doctor advised the Tsar's family to notify the child's mother of her illness, but it is rumored that the Tsarina delayed in sending a telegram. Victoria received the final telegram notifying her of the child's death just as she was preparing to travel to Poland to be at her bedside. At Elisabeth's funeral, Victoria removed her Hessian Order,
354-668: A beautiful estate, near Porvoo , a small town on the south coast of Finland, not far away from Helsinki. The Provisional Government permitted them to leave, though they were not allowed to take anything of value with them. They sewed jewels into the family's clothing, hoping they would not be discovered by the authorities. After two weeks in Haikko, the family moved to a rented house in Porvoo where, in August 1917, Victoria gave birth to Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia , her only son and
472-419: A difficult time reconnecting with her daughter. Ernest wrote in his memoirs that Elisabeth hid under a sofa, crying, before one visit to her mother. The Grand Duke assured the child that her mother loved her too. Elisabeth responded, "Mama says she loves me, but you do love me." Ernest remained silent and did not correct Elisabeth's impression. Elisabeth died at age eight and a half of typhoid fever during
590-507: A façade for the sake of her children, including her teenage son Vladimir, but was unable to forgive Kirill's betrayal. Victoria suffered a stroke soon after attending the christening of her fifth grandchild, Mechtilde of Leiningen, in February 1936. Family and friends arrived, but nothing could be done. When her closest sister reached her bedside Victoria was asked if she was glad Marie had come, to which Victoria haltingly replied, "It makes all
708-656: A first-class fighting admiral." In the Queen's Birthday Honours on 24 May 1866, Alfred was created Duke of Edinburgh , Earl of Ulster , and Earl of Kent with an annuity of £15,000 granted by Parliament. He took his seat in the House of Lords on 8 June. While still in command of the Galatea , the Duke of Edinburgh started from Plymouth on 24 January 1867 for his voyage around the world. On 7 June 1867, he left Gibraltar , reached
826-525: A formal manner, with graceful walkways, sculptures, ornamental ponds with ducks, swans and turtles, and a small aviary . The gardens contain a number of fountains, one decorated with a statue relocated from Argotti Gardens . The gardens contain a large variety of trees and flowers from around the world, including a variety of palm trees, cypress , jacarandas , araucarias and other exotic plants, some of them over three centuries old. For many years it has been customary for visiting heads of state to plant
944-602: A friend, Count Adlerburg, in attendance, along with servants. The couple's uncle Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia was invited, without being told the reason, but did not arrive until after the ceremony. Tsar Nicholas II responded to the marriage by stripping Kirill of his imperial allowance and expelling him from the Russian navy. The Tsarina was outraged at her former sister-in-law and said she would never receive Victoria, "a woman who had behaved so disgracefully", or Kirill. The couple retired to Paris, where they purchased
1062-552: A further blow in 1897, when Victoria returned home from a visit to her sister Queen Marie of Romania and reportedly caught Ernest in bed with a male servant. She did not make her accusation public, but told a niece that "no boy was safe, from the stable hands to the kitchen help. He slept quite openly with them all." Queen Victoria was saddened when she heard of trouble in the marriage from Sir George Buchanan , her chargé d'affaires, but refused to consent to her grandchildren's divorce because of their daughter, Elisabeth. Efforts to rekindle
1180-438: A future career. In return for her devotion, Vladimir loved and respected his mother. "We adored our parents and their love for us was infinite," Vladimir wrote after their deaths. "All the hardships and bitterness we had to endure in the years were fully covered by our mutual love. We were proud of (them)." In Saint-Briac, during the summer, Kirill played golf and he and Victoria joined in picnics and excursions. They were part of
1298-484: A great interest in gunnery." "The prettiest ship I have ever seen was the [Duke of Edinburgh's flagship] HMS Alexandra . I was informed that £2,000 had been spent by the officers on her decoration." Alfred was very fond of music and took a prominent part in establishing the Royal College of Music , created in 1882. He was a keen violinist, but had little skill. At a dinner party given by one of his brothers, he
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#17327919215021416-468: A historic wall forming part of the palace collapsed. There were no injuries. Emergency work was undertaken to conserve the remaining part of the wall, which had been restored a few months before. San Anton Palace is a two-storey building, with a high square tower which has panoramic views of the surrounding area. San Anton Palace contains two chapels, one dedicated to Our Lady of Pilar and another dedicated to St. Anthony. The Chapel of Our Lady of Pilar
1534-582: A house off the Champs-Élysées and lived off the income provided by their parents. Victoria, who had matured as she entered her 30s, decided to convert to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1907, a decision that thrilled both her mother and her husband. Three days later the first of their three children, Maria Kirillovna , was born. She was named after both her grandmothers and nicknamed "Masha". Their second daughter, Kira Kirillovna ,
1652-565: A large estate of 2,500 acres near Ashford , with its forest and park was the children's favorite residence. In January 1886, shortly after Princess Victoria turned nine, the family left England when her father was appointed commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean naval squadron, based on Malta. For the next three years, the family lived at the San Anton Palace in Malta, Victoria's birthplace. The marriage of Victoria's parents
1770-560: A laughing face while ruin is staring you in the eyes and misery is tearing your heart to pieces is a struggle which is fruitless. I only tried for her sake. If I had not loved her so, I would have given it up long ago." Princess Louis later wrote that she was less surprised by the divorce than Ernest was. "Though both had done their best to make a success of their marriage, it had been a failure ... their characters and temperaments were quite unsuited to each other and I had noticed how they were gradually drifting apart." The divorce caused scandal in
1888-560: A lodge adjacent to Schloss Rosenau , the ducal summer residence just north of Coburg. He was buried at the ducal family's mausoleum in the Friedhof am Glockenberg [ de ] in Coburg. As his younger brother, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn and nephew Prince Arthur , had renounced their succession rights to the ducal throne, Alfred was succeeded by his nephew, Prince Charles Edward, Duke of Albany (1884–1954),
2006-489: A medallion, and placed it on her daughter's coffin as a final gesture "that she had made a final break with her old home." After Victoria's divorce from Ernest, Grand Duke Kirill, whom she had seen on all her subsequent visits to Russia, was discouraged by his parents from trying to keep a close relationship with her. Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna told Kirill to keep Victoria as his mistress and marry someone else. A few months later, war broke out between Russia and Japan. As
2124-839: A million marks, to the Veste Coburg , the enormous fortress on a hill top above Coburg. Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Prince Alfred College in Adelaide, Prince Alfred Park in Sydney, Prince Alfred Square in Parramatta , and the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club , now in the Sydney suburb of Newport , are named in his honour. The Alfred Hall in Ballarat
2242-623: A monument in Tangier, Nova Scotia, marks the spot Prince Alfred visited in 1861. The name of the small township of Alfredton (near Eketāhuna in the lower North Island of New Zealand ) honours the Prince. Alfred Street in central Auckland was named in his honour. The Bay of Plenty settlement of Galatea is named after his ship. Mt Alfred in Wellington - adjacent to Mount Victoria named after his mother and Mt Albert after his father -
2360-484: A motorized ambulance unit that was known for its efficiency. Victoria frequently visited the front near Warsaw and she occasionally carried out her duties under enemy fire. Kirill, for his part, was also in Poland, assigned to the naval department of Admiral Russin, member of the staff of Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich, commander in chief of the Russian army. Kirill and Victoria had always shared their relatives' distaste for
2478-529: A new governess, buying them plain clothing, and having them confirmed in the German Lutheran church, even though they had previously been raised as Anglicans . The children rebelled and some of the new restrictions were eased. The teenage Victoria was a "tall, dark girl, with violet eyes ... with the assuredness of an Empress and the high spirits of a tomboy ," according to one observer. Victoria had "too little chin to be conventionally beautiful," in
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#17327919215022596-488: A number of times in the process. It was the headquarters of the rebel National Assembly during the uprising of 1798–1800 , and it later became a residence for the civil commissioners , governors and governors-general of Malta . It was often used by British sovereigns and other royalty during their stay in Malta. It has been the official residence of the president since the office was created in December 1974. The palace
2714-724: A popular tourist and shopping destination. A Prince Alfred Street can be found in Pietermaritzburg , Queenstown , Grahamstown and Caledon . The Port Elizabeth Chapter of the Memorable Order of Tin Hats , a veterans association, is known as the Prince Alfred Shellhole. Prince Alfred Hamlet , a small town in the Western Cape province, is named after Alfred. One of the stamp collectors in
2832-473: A sailor, was of a somewhat wayward disposition at that period, and his high spirits more than once led him into minor troubles with the authorities." He was promoted to captain on 23 February 1866 and was appointed to the command of the frigate HMS Galatea in January 1867. Lord Charles Beresford described him as having "a great natural ability for handling a fleet" and noted that he "would have made
2950-528: A scandal involving his mistress and apparently shot himself in January 1899, in the midst of his parents' twenty-fifth wedding anniversary celebrations at the Schloss Friedenstein in Gotha. He survived, and his embarrassed mother sent him off to Meran to recover. However, he died there two weeks later, on 6 February. His father was devastated. Alfred died of throat cancer on 30 July 1900 in
3068-422: A secluded country life, finding it more agreeable than at Coburg. Victoria was exceedingly protective of her son Vladimir, upon whom her hopes for the future rested. She would not let him attend school because she was worried about his safety and because she wanted him to be brought up as Romanov grand dukes were prior to the revolution. Instead, she hired a tutor for him. She also refused to let him be educated for
3186-507: A senior member of the navy, Kirill was sent on active service to the front in the Russo-Japanese War . His ship was blown up by a Japanese mine while entering Port Arthur and he was one of the few survivors. Sent home to recover, the Tsar finally allowed him permission to leave Russia and he left for Coburg to be with Victoria. The narrow escape from death had hardened Kirill's determination to marry Victoria. "To those over whom
3304-441: A stillborn son, born on 25 May 1900. Victoria and Ernest proved incompatible. Victoria despaired of her husband's lack of affection towards her, while Ernest devoted much of his attention to their daughter, who he adored. Elisabeth, who physically resembled her mother, preferred the company of her father to Victoria. Ernest and Victoria both enjoyed entertaining and frequently held house parties for young friends. Their unwritten rule
3422-432: A tree in memory of their stay in Malta. The gardens also contain an orangery , and it was once the practice of incumbent governors to give baskets of oranges grown in the palace gardens as gifts at Christmas time. Parts of the gardens were first opened to the public in the early 19th century by Admiral Sir Alexander Ball . They were enriched by General The 1st Marquess of Hastings , the second governor of Malta , in
3540-616: A woman as the partner of their lives – I was one of those privileged." Victoria Melita's letters to her sister Alexandra are preserved in the Hohenlohe Central Archive (Hohenlohe-Zentralarchiv Neuenstein) in Neuenstein Castle in the town of Neuenstein, Baden-Württemberg , Germany. As a male-line grandchild of the British monarch, Victoria Melita bore the royal arms , with an inescutcheon for Saxony ,
3658-513: Is a palace in Attard , Malta , that currently serves as the official residence of the president of Malta . It was originally built in the early 17th century as a country villa for Antoine de Paule , a knight of the Order of St. John . It was expanded into a palace following de Paule's election as Grand Master in 1623. The palace was used as a residence by subsequent Grand Masters, being enlarged
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3776-546: Is also known as the Russian Chapel, was built in the 19th century as a Protestant chapel. It was later converted to a Russian Orthodox chapel to accommodate Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia , the wife of Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha . It is larger than the Chapel of Our Lady of Pilar. The chapel's denomination is now Roman Catholic , and it was restored in 2013. San Anton Gardens are laid out in
3894-513: Is named after him. Prince Alfred sailed into Port Elizabeth on 6 August 1860 as a midshipman on HMS Euryalus and celebrated his 16th birthday among its citizens. Seven years later he sailed into Simon's Town as the Captain of HMS Galatea . In Port Elizabeth there is a Prince Alfred's Terrace. The Alfred Rowing Club was established in 1864 and was housed under the pier at Table Bay. It was named after Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, who visited
4012-535: Is not astonishing considering all that she has gone through." After more than two years living under strained conditions, in the autumn of 1919 Victoria and Kirill left Finland and went to Germany. In Munich they were reunited with Victoria's mother and the family group moved to Zürich in September 1919. With the death of Victoria's mother, she inherited her villa, Chateau Fabron in Nice and her residence in Coburg,
4130-466: Is now to marry King George ". During a visit to his sister Alice in August 1868, Alfred met Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia , then fourteen years old. Princess Alice was married to Maria Alexandrovna's first cousin. The Grand Duchess was visiting her maternal relatives, the Princes of Battenberg , at Jugenheim . On 23 January 1874, the Duke of Edinburgh married Maria Alexandrovna,
4248-460: Is surrounded by the extensive San Anton Gardens , parts of which have been open to the public since 1882. In around 1600, Antoine de Paule , a knight of the Order of St. John from the Langue of Provence , acquired a piece of land in Attard and built a country villa . De Paule was elected Grand Master in 1623, and the villa was subsequently enlarged into a palace in around 1625. The palace
4366-721: The Cape of Good Hope on 24 July, on 5 August 1867 the island of Tristan da Cunha, and paid a royal visit to Cape Town on 24 August 1867 after landing at Simon's Town a while earlier. He landed at Glenelg, South Australia , on 31 October 1867. Being the first member of the royal family to visit Australia, Alfred was received with great enthusiasm. During his stay of nearly five months he visited Adelaide , Melbourne , Sydney , Brisbane and Tasmania . Several institutions, including Prince Alfred College , The Alfred Hospital , and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital were named in his honour. On 12 March 1868, on his second visit to Sydney, Alfred
4484-727: The Duke of Cambridge ); his paternal aunt, the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (represented by Alfred's maternal grandmother, the Duchess of Kent ); and his maternal uncle, the Prince of Leiningen (represented by the Duke of Wellington , Conservative Leader in the Lords ). Alfred remained second in line to the British throne from his birth until January 1864, when his older brother Albert Edward and sister-in-law Alexandra had their first child, Prince Albert Victor . Alfred became third in line to
4602-587: The Edinburg Palais . In the following years the exiled family divided their time between these two places. While in Germany, Victoria showed an interest in the Nazi Party , which appealed to her because of its anti- Bolshevik stance and her hope that the movement might help restore the Russian monarchy. She attended a Nazi rally in Coburg in 1922. She was likely unaware of the most sinister aspects of
4720-623: The House of Lords and the Privy Council , but he retained the £10,000 granted on his marriage to maintain Clarence House as his London residence. At first regarded with some coldness in the Duchy as a "foreigner", he gradually gained popularity. By the time of his death in 1900, he had generally won the good opinion of his subjects. Alfred and Maria's only son, Alfred, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , became involved in
4838-683: The Royal Navy . In 1889, the family moved to Coburg , where Victoria's father became the reigning duke in 1893. In her teens, Victoria fell in love with her maternal first cousin Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia , but his Orthodox Christian faith discouraged marriage between first cousins . Bowing to family pressure, Victoria married her paternal first cousin Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine , in 1894. The marriage failed – Victoria scandalized
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4956-441: The 1820s. Lord Hastings, an Anglo-Irish aristocrat, had previously served as the governor-general of India . The gardens were reopened to the public in 1882. A number of events are held at San Anton Palace, including the annual Horticultural Spring Show. The Malta Community Chest Fund , a charitable organization headed by the president, also occasionally holds fund-raising events at the palace. The President's Kitchen Garden
5074-542: The British royal family, Prince Alfred won election as honorary president of The Philatelic Society, London in 1890. He may have inspired his nephew George V , who benefited after the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII ) bought his brother Prince Alfred's collection. The merging of Alfred's and George's collections gave birth to the Royal Philatelic Collection . Edinburgh of the Seven Seas ,
5192-785: The Cape in 1860. It is the oldest organised sporting club in South Africa. The opening ceremony of the South African Library was performed by Prince Alfred in 1860. An impressive portrait of the Prince hangs in the main reading room. Port Alfred , on the Kowie River in the Eastern Cape, was originally known as Port Frances after the daughter-in-law of the Governor of Cape Colony , Lord Charles Somerset . Of all
5310-720: The Nazi Party. Kirill suffered a nervous breakdown in 1923 and Victoria nursed him back to health. She encouraged his dreams of restoring the monarchy in Russia and becoming tsar. At Saint-Briac Kirill, aware of the murders of Tsar Nicholas II and his only son, officially declared himself the Guardian of the Throne in 1924. Victoria went on a trip to the United States in 1924, hoping to raise American support for restoration of
5428-650: The Princess of Wales. Her father gave her the then-staggering sum of £100,000 as a dowry, plus an annual allowance of £32,000. Alfred was stationed in Malta for several years and his third child, Victoria Melita , was born there in 1876. Alfred's last command prior to promotion to flag rank would be as captain of HMS Black Prince in 1878, when he represented the Crown during the installation of John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne , as Governor General of Canada . Alfred
5546-743: The Royal Navy and now the South African Navy). The former hotel now houses the Backpackers' Hostel, opposite the harbour in the main street. In Cape Town during his visit in 1868, Prince Alfred ceremonially tipped the first load of rock to commence the building of the Breakwater. This was built by convict labour and formed the protective seawall for the new Cape Town Harbour, now redeveloped as the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront and
5664-603: The Russian Orthodox faith forbids the marriage of first cousins. She was also suspicious of the morality of the Romanov men. When her teenage daughters were impressed by their handsome cousins, their mother warned them that the Russian grand dukes did not make good husbands. Soon after her sister Marie was married to Crown Prince Ferdinand of Romania , a search was made for a suitable husband for Victoria. Her visit to her grandmother Queen Victoria at Balmoral Castle in
5782-411: The Russian aristocracy and the circle of her mother-in-law Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna . As French was frequently spoken in high circles, Victoria never completely mastered the Russian language. Although she was a first cousin of both Nicholas II, on her mother's side, and to Empress Alexandra, on her father's side, the relationship with them was neither close nor warm. As Kirill became a keen auto racer,
5900-529: The Russian claimant, Kirill and Victoria decided to establish their permanent residence in France. In the summer of 1926 they moved to Saint-Briac on the Breton coast, where they had spent their summer vacations. The remoteness of Brittany provided both privacy and security. They bought a large house on the outskirts of the town and gave it a Breton name, Ker Argonid , Villa Victoria. The resort town of Saint-Briac
6018-423: The Tsar and Tsarina's friendship with the starets Grigori Rasputin . The Tsarina believed Rasputin healed her son of his hemophiliac attacks with his prayers. Victoria told her sister, Queen Marie of Romania, that the Tsar's court was "looked upon as a sick man refusing every doctor and every help." When Rasputin was murdered in December 1916, Victoria and Kirill signed a letter along with other relatives asking
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#17327919215026136-603: The Tsar to show leniency to Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia , one of those implicated in the murder. The Tsar denied their request. Twice during the war Victoria visited Romania, where her sister Marie was now queen, volunteering aid for war victims. Victoria returned to Saint Petersburg in February 1917. Kirill had been appointed commander of the Naval Guards, quartered in Saint Petersburg, so he could be with his family for some time. Although publicly loyal to
6254-409: The Tsar, Victoria and Kirill began to meet in private with other relatives to discuss the best way to save the monarchy. At the end of the "February Revolution" of 1917, Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate and political turmoil followed. Victoria wrote to Queen Marie of Romania in February 1917 that their home was surrounded by a mob, "yet heart and soul we are with this movement of freedom which at
6372-408: The addition of a balustraded walk around the main courtyard. Parts of the palace's gardens were opened to the public in 1882. San Anton has been the official residence of the president of Malta since the island became a republic in December 1974. Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was born at the palace on 25 November 1876, when her father Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha ,
6490-574: The armoured ship HMS Alexandra , in March 1886, and having been promoted to admiral on 18 October 1887, he went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth in August 1890. He was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet on 3 June 1893. Percy Scott wrote in his memoirs that "as a Commander-in-Chief, the Duke of Edinburgh had, in my humble opinion, no equal. He handled a fleet magnificently, and introduced many improvement in signals and manoeuvring." He "took
6608-575: The autumn of 1891 coincided with a visit by her cousin Prince Ernest Louis of Hesse , heir apparent to the grand ducal throne of Hesse and by Rhine . Both were artistic and fun loving, got along well and even shared a birthday. The Queen, observing this, was very keen for her two grandchildren to marry. Eventually, Victoria and Ernest bowed to their families' pressure and married on 19 April 1894 at Schloss Ehrenburg in Coburg . The wedding
6726-417: The couple arrived in St Petersburg. The new grand duchess enjoyed entertaining at evening dinners and lavish balls attended by the cream of Saint Petersburg society. Victoria had an artistic talent that she applied to home decoration in her several elaborate residences, which she arranged attractively. She decorated, gardened, and rode, and also enjoyed painting, particularly watercolors. Victoria fit in within
6844-494: The couple from Russia. They had two daughters, Maria and Kira , and settled in Paris before being allowed to visit Russia in 1909. In 1910 they moved to Russia, where Nicholas recognized Victoria as Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna. After the fall of the Russian monarchy in 1917 they escaped to Finland (then still part of the Russian Empire ) where she gave birth to her only son, Vladimir , in August 1917. In exile they lived for some years among her relatives in Germany, and from
6962-399: The couple often took trips by car; a favorite pastime was traveling through the Baltic provinces. Victoria dreaded the long Russian winter with its short days, and she traveled abroad, frequently visiting her sister Marie in Romania and her mother in the south of France or in Coburg . Victoria and her husband had a close relationship with their daughters, Maria and Kira. The family was spending
7080-456: The dear past blotted out by the frightful present; nothing is left, nothing." Anxious for their safety, Kirill and Victoria decided that the best thing to do was to leave Russia. They chose Finland as the best possible place to go. Although a territory of the Russian Empire, Finland possessed its own government and constitution, so in a way it would be like being in Russia and not being at the same time. They had already been once invited to Haikko,
7198-407: The difference." However, she "shuddered away from Kirill's touch," wrote Marie. She died on 2 March 1936. Queen Marie eulogized her sister in a letter after her death: "The whole thing was tragic beyond imagination, a tragic end to a tragic life. She carried tragedy within her – she had tragic eyes – always – even as a little girl – but we loved her enormously, there was something mighty about her – she
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#17327919215027316-415: The heartfelt gratitude of the community at the recovery of HRH". This led to a public subscription which paid for the construction of Royal Prince Alfred Hospital . Alfred soon recovered from his injury and was able to resume command of his ship and return home in early April 1868. He reached Spithead on 26 June 1868, after an absence of seventeen months. Alfred visited Hawaii in 1869 and spent time with
7434-424: The heir to the dynasty. The family remained in Finland, a former grand duchy under Russian rule, which had declared its independence in December 1917. They hoped that the White Russians would prevail. They gradually ran out of supplies and had to beg for help from family. In July 1918, Victoria wrote to her first cousin, Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden , begging her to send baby food so she could feed Vladimir. She
7552-429: The inner a cross gules. (2) 8 October 1905, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia ; had issue Alfred's letters to his third daughter, Alexandra, (as well as her sisters) are preserved in the Hohenlohe Central Archive (Hohenlohe-Zentralarchiv Neuenstein) in Neuenstein Castle in the town of Neuenstein, Baden-Württemberg , Germany. San Anton Palace San Anton Palace ( Maltese : Il-Palazz Sant'Anton )
7670-450: The junction with Chapel Street and proceeds southward until reaching a car park along the Constitution river in the vicinity of the former James Fort. Prince Alfred Bay , Nunavut , was named in his honour, as was Cape Prince Alfred in the North West Territories. Two islands in Ontario are named for Prince Alfred, one in the St Lawrence River near Brockville , and the other in Lake Nipigon north of Thunder Bay . The Prince Alfred Arch,
7788-411: The late 1920s on an estate they bought in Saint-Briac in Brittany. In 1926 Kirill proclaimed himself Russian emperor in exile, and Victoria supported her husband's claims. Victoria died after suffering a stroke while visiting her daughter Maria in Amorbach (Lower Franconia). Victoria was born on 25 November 1876 in San Anton Palace in Attard , Malta , hence her second name, Melita. Her father, who
7906-455: The marriage failed and, when Queen Victoria died in January 1901, significant opposition to the end of the marriage was removed. Ernest, who had at first resisted the divorce, came to believe it was the only possible step. "Now that I am calmer I see the absolute impossibility of going on leading a life which was killing her and driving me nearly mad," Ernest wrote to his elder sister Princess Louis of Battenberg . "For to keep up your spirits and
8024-429: The match because of Germany's anger towards Denmark over the disputed territories of Schleswig-Holstein, especially since Alfred was the heir to Coburg. She wrote to Princess Victoria: "Respecting Dagmar, I do not wish her to be kept for Affie. Let the Emperor have her." Dagmar was initially engaged to Tsarevich Nicholas; however, he died on 22 April 1865 in the presence of his parents, brothers, and Dagmar. His last wish
8142-503: The monarchy. Her efforts evoked little response, due to the isolationism prevalent in the United States during the 1920s. She continued in her efforts to help Kirill restore the monarchy and also sold her artwork to raise money for the household. By the mid-1920s, Victoria worried over the prospects of her children. Maria, her eldest daughter, married the head of one of Germany's mediatized families, Karl, Hereditary Prince of Leiningen on 25 November 1925, Victoria's 49th birthday. Victoria
8260-573: The monarchy. It was an action which later provoked criticism from some members of the family, who viewed it as treason. Victoria supported her husband and felt he was doing the right thing. She also sympathized with the people who wanted to reform the government. Kirill was forced to resign his command of the Naval Guards, but nevertheless his men remained faithful and they continued to guard Kirill and Victoria's palace on Glinka Street. Close to despair, Victoria wrote to her sister Marie of Romania that they had "neither pride nor hope, nor money, nor future, and
8378-399: The next two weeks by six nurses, trained by Florence Nightingale and led by Matron Lucy Osburn, who had just arrived in Australia in February 1868. In the violent struggle during which Alfred was shot, William Vial had managed to wrest the gun away from O'Farrell until bystanders assisted. Vial, a master of a Masonic Lodge, had helped to organise the picnic in honour of the Duke's visit and
8496-634: The older of the two. As a son of Queen Victoria's deceased husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , Victoria Melita's father was in the line of succession to Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , the sovereign German duchy ruled by Albert's elder brother, Ernest II , until his death in 1893. Prince Alfred became heir presumptive to the duchy when his older brother, the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII ), relinquished his Saxon succession rights in favour of his younger brothers. Alfred and his family therefore moved to Coburg in 1889. Their mother immediately began attempting to "Germanise" her daughters by installing
8614-423: The opinion of one of her biographers, but "she had a good figure, deep blue eyes, and dark complexion." In 1891, Victoria travelled with her mother to the funeral of her maternal aunt Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna of Russia . There Victoria met her first cousin Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich . Although the two were deeply attracted to each other, Victoria's mother was reluctant to allow her to marry him because
8732-467: The palace became the residence of the first British civil commissioner , Admiral Sir Alexander Ball , who died at the palace in October 1809. The palace subsequently became the official residence of the governor and, later, governor-general of Malta . Some structural changes were made during British rule, including a reduction of the height of the tower after it was hit by lightning in 1819, and
8850-607: The palace remained in use as a residence by subsequent Grand Masters of the Order, since it was closer to the capital city Valletta than the Verdala Palace . Over the years, the building was expanded from having a T-shape into a Latin cross . During the French occupation of Malta and the subsequent Maltese uprising , the palace was the meeting place of the rebel National Assembly, which first met on 11 February 1799. In 1800,
8968-531: The passes built in South Africa by the famous Andrew Geddes Bain and his son, Thomas , Prince Alfred's Pass remains, for many people, a favourite because of its lavish variety winding through some of the world's most unspoiled scenery. In Simon's Town , the Prince Alfred Hotel was built in 1802 and renamed after the prince visited Cape Province in 1868. For more than two centuries Simon's Town has been an important naval base and harbour (first for
9086-491: The posthumous son of his youngest brother, Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany . He was survived by his mother, Victoria, who had already outlived two of her children, Alice and Leopold . She died six months later. Victoria dedicated a memorial in the form of a Celtic cross to Alfred in the grounds of Balmoral Castle which was erected shortly before her death. Alfred was a keen collector of glass and ceramic ware, and after his death his widow gave his collection, valued at half
9204-709: The reigning British monarch, Queen Victoria , and her husband, Prince Albert , the second son of Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha . Nicknamed Affie, he was second in the line of succession to the British throne behind his elder brother, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales . Alfred was baptised by the Archbishop of Canterbury , William Howley , at the Private Chapel in Windsor Castle on 6 September 1844. His godparents were his mother's first cousin, Prince George of Cambridge (represented by his father,
9322-763: The request of the British, by Charles Henry de Soysa , the richest man in Ceylon, at his private residence which was consequently renamed, by permission, Alfred House. Alfred reportedly ate off gold plates with gold cutlery inlaid with jewels. In 1862, Queen Victoria wrote to Victoria, Princess Royal , that she wanted Alfred to marry Princess Dagmar of Denmark . She wrote: "I hear that the Emperor of Russia has not given up his intention of asking for Alix or Dagmar for his son . I should be very sorry if any thing were decided for Dagmar before you had seen her, as it would be one chance less for Affie." However, she decided against
9440-473: The royal circles of Europe. Tsar Nicholas wrote to his mother that even death would have been better than "the general disgrace of a divorce." After her divorce, Victoria went to live with her mother at Coburg and at her house in the French Riviera . She and Ernest shared custody of Elisabeth, who spent six months of each year with each parent. Elisabeth blamed Victoria for the divorce and Victoria had
9558-520: The royal families of Europe when she divorced her husband in 1901. The couple's only child, Princess Elisabeth , died of typhoid fever in 1903. Victoria married Kirill in 1905. They wed without the formal approval of Britain's King Edward VII (as the Royal Marriages Act 1772 would have required), and in defiance of Russia's Emperor Nicholas II . In retaliation, the Tsar stripped Kirill of his offices and honours, also initially banishing
9676-522: The royal family there, where he was presented with leis upon his arrival. He was also the first member of the royal family to visit New Zealand, arriving in 1869 on HMS Galatea , where he spent a month living in Pakuranga . He also became the first European prince to visit Japan and on 4 September 1869, he was received at an audience by the teenaged Emperor Meiji in Tokyo. The Duke's next voyage
9794-711: The second (and only surviving) daughter of Emperor Alexander II of Russia and his first wife Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine , daughter of Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and Princess Wilhelmine of Baden , at the Winter Palace , St Petersburg . To commemorate the occasion, the English bakery Peek Freans made the now internationally popular Marie biscuit , with the Duchess' name imprinted on its top. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh made their public entry into London on 12 March. The marriage, however,
9912-454: The settlement on Tristan da Cunha , a British Overseas territory, was named after Alfred after he visited the remote islands in 1867 while Duke of Edinburgh. Manta alfredi is commonly known as Prince Alfred's manta ray . Prince Alfred gained use of the royal arms of the United Kingdom , charged with an inescutcheon of the shield of the Duchy of Saxony , representing his paternal arms,
10030-476: The shadow of death has passed, life has a new meaning," Kirill wrote in his memoirs. "It is like daylight. And I was now within visible reach of fulfillment of the dream of my life. Nothing would cheat me of it now. I had gone through much. Now, at last, the future lay radiant before me." The couple married on 8 October 1905 in Tegernsee . It was a simple ceremony, with Victoria's mother, her sister Beatrice, and
10148-504: The social life of the community, going out to play bridge and organizing theatricals. During the winter Victoria and her husband enjoyed visiting nearby Dinard and invited friends home for parties and games. However, it was rumored in town that Kirill went to Paris "for the occasional fling". Victoria, who had devoted her life to Kirill, was devastated when she discovered in 1933 that her husband had been unfaithful to her, according to correspondence of her sister Marie of Romania. She kept up
10266-694: The summer of 1914 on their yacht in the Gulf of Finland. The family arrived in Tartu on 24 July for the third Victoria Prize motor race which finished in Riga when the war broke out. Kirill was the Honorary President of the Baltic Automobile and Aero Club and participated in the race along with Baltic and German nobility. During World War I , Victoria worked as a Red Cross nurse and organized
10384-471: The throne and, as Albert Edward and Alexandra continued to have children, Alfred was further demoted in the order of succession . In 1856, when he reached age 12, it was decided that Prince Alfred, in accordance with his own wishes, should enter the Royal Navy . A separate establishment was assigned to him, with Lieutenant J.C. Cowell, RE , as governor. He passed a special entrance examination in July 1858, and
10502-535: The time probably signs our own death warrant ... We personally are losing all, our lives changed at one blow and yet we are almost leading the movement." By March 1917, the revolution had spread all over Petrograd (Saint Petersburg). Kirill led his naval unit to the Provisional Government on 14 March 1917, which was obliged to share headquarters with the new Petrograd Soviet , and swore loyalty to its leadership, hoping to restore order and preserve
10620-452: The wall, and tossed anything that was handy at Ernest during their arguments. Victoria sought relief in her love for horses and long gallops over the countryside on a hard-to-control stallion named Bogdan. While she was in Russia for the coronation of Tsar Nicholas II, Victoria's affection for Kirill was also rekindled. She enjoyed flirting with him at the balls and celebrations that marked the coronation. Victoria and Ernest's marriage suffered
10738-458: The whole differenced by a label of five points argent , the outer pair bearing hearts gules , the inner pair anchors azure , and the central point a cross gules. In 1917, the inescutcheon was dropped by royal warrant. Her arms from that point on are duplicated in the arms of Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy . Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Alfred (Alfred Ernest Albert; 6 August 1844 – 30 July 1900)
10856-421: The whole differenced by a label argent of three points, the outer points bearing anchors azure, and the inner a cross gules. When he became the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, his Saxon arms were his British arms inverted, as follows: the ducal arms of Saxony charged with an inescutcheon of the royal arms of the United Kingdom differenced with a label argent of three points, the outer points bearing anchors azure, and
10974-630: Was chosen to succeed him , but the British government blocked plans for him to ascend the Greek throne, largely because of the Queen's opposition to the idea. She and her late husband had made plans for him to succeed to the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg. Prince Alfred remained in the navy, and was promoted to lieutenant on 24 February 1863, serving under his half-cousin Count Gleichen on the corvette HMS Racoon . Gleichen's son recalled his father as saying that "the Prince, although shaping well as
11092-464: Was a bright spot for Kirill, who saw it as the joining of two dynasties. However, Kirill died just two years after his wife. Kirill, though he had been unfaithful, still loved and missed the wife he had depended so much upon and passed his remaining years writing memoirs of their life together. "There are few who in one person combine all that is best in soul, mind, and body," he wrote. "She had it all, and more. Few there are who are fortunate in having such
11210-537: Was a favorite spot for retired British citizens who wanted to live well on a limited income. Victoria made friends among the Britons as well as the French and other foreign residents of the town. Though at first her manner could seem haughty, residents soon discovered that Victoria was more approachable than her husband. Their friends treated them with deference, curtsying or calling them by their imperial titles. They lived
11328-565: Was a large affair, with most of the royal families of Europe attending, including Victoria Melita's grandmother Queen Victoria, her aunt Empress Frederick of Germany , her cousin Kaiser Wilhelm II and her uncle Albert Edward, Prince of Wales . Victoria became Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine, Ernest having ascended the throne in 1892. Together Victoria and Ernst had two children, a daughter, Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine , who they nicknamed Ella, born on 11 March 1895, and
11446-686: Was alienated from England because she felt her English relatives had not done enough to help the Romanovs. Victoria pleaded with her cousin King George V to help the White Russians retake the country. In a letter to the King, Lord Acton , the British minister in Helsinki, noted the toll the revolution had taken on Victoria. She "looked aged and battered and has lost much of her beauty, which
11564-677: Was always known as "Ducky". At the time of her birth, she was 10th in the line of succession to the British throne . The princess was christened on 1 January 1877 at San Anton Palace by a Royal Navy chaplain. Her godparents included her paternal grandmother, who was represented by a proxy. After the Duke's service in Malta was over, the family returned to England, where they lived for the next few years. They divided their time between Eastwell Park, their country home in Kent , and Clarence House , their residence in London facing Buckingham Palace . Eastwell,
11682-546: Was appointed as a naval cadet in HMS ; Euryalus at the age of 14. In July 1860, while on this ship, Alfred paid an official visit to the Cape Colony , and made a very favourable impression both on the colonials and on the native chiefs. He took part in a hunt at Hartebeeste-Hoek, resulting in the slaughter of large numbers of game animals. Following the expulsion of King Otto of Greece in 1862, Prince Alfred
11800-524: Was at her daughter's bedside when she gave birth to her first child, Emich Kirill , in 1926 (later father of claimant to the Russian throne, Prince Karl Emich of Leiningen ). In the mid-1920s, the German government established relations with Moscow and the presence of Kirill and his wife, pretenders to the Russian throne, became an embarrassment. Although the Bavarian government rejected pressures to expel
11918-530: Was born in Paris in 1909. Victoria and Kirill, who had hoped for a son, were disappointed to have a girl, but named their daughter after her father. Nicholas II reinstated Kirill after deaths in the Russian imperial family promoted Kirill to third in the line of succession to the Russian throne. Kirill and Victoria were allowed in Russia, Victoria was granted the title of Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna, and in May 1910
12036-423: Was built by Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena in the 18th century. It consists of a barrel-vaulted nave , with ribs dividing the ceiling into six bays . The vault is decorated with the coats of arms of de Vilhena, and subsequent Grand Masters Manuel Pinto da Fonseca and Emmanuel de Rohan-Polduc . The altar is set within a chancel separated from the nave by pilasters. The Chapel of St. Anthony, which
12154-490: Was built in 1867 for his visit, and one of the city's suburbs was renamed Alfredton . Many streets, avenues, roads, halls, parks and schools bear his name in other parts of Australia. He laid the corner stones of new town halls in the two biggest cities, Sydney and Melbourne , and those buildings continue in use today. Prince Alfred Street in Bridgetown , the capital of Barbados , was named in his honour. It begins at
12272-468: Was invited by Sir William Manning , President of the Sydney Sailors' Home, to picnic at the beachfront suburb of Clontarf to raise funds for the home. At the function, he was wounded in the back by a revolver fired by Henry James O'Farrell . The shot, fired at point-blank range , ricocheted off one of the metal clips on Alfred's trouser braces , narrowly missing his spine. He was tended to for
12390-482: Was named San Anton after the Grand Master's patron saint, Anthony of Padua . De Paule planned the villa on generous proportions to provide accommodation for his guests and his large domestic staff which included cooks, food tasters, torch bearers, pantry boys, wig makers, a winder of the clocks, physicians, as well as a baker to make black bread for feeding his hunting dogs. Following de Paule's death in 1636,
12508-537: Was not a happy one, and the bride was thought haughty by London Society. She was surprised to discover that she had to yield precedence to the Princess of Wales and all of Queen Victoria's daughters and demanded that she take precedence before the Princess of Wales (the future Queen Alexandra) because she considered the Princess of Wales's family (the Danish royal family) to be inferior to her own. Queen Victoria refused this demand, yet granted her precedence immediately after
12626-405: Was often misunderstood." Princess Victoria Melita was talented at drawing and painting and learned to play the piano. She was particularly close to Marie. The two sisters would remain very close throughout their lives. They contrasted in appearance and personality. Victoria was dark and moody while Marie was blonde and easy-going. Although she was one year younger, Victoria was taller and seemed to be
12744-536: Was our Conscience." Victoria was buried in the ducal family mausoleum at Friedhof am Glockenberg [ de ] in Coburg , until her remains were transferred to the Grand Ducal Mausoleum of the Peter and Paul Fortress in Saint Petersburg on 7 March 1995. Her husband was intensely lonely after her death. The marriage of their daughter, Kira, to Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia , in 1938
12862-419: Was persuaded to play. Sir Henry Ponsonby wrote: 'Fiddle out of tune and noise abominable.' On the death of his uncle, Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , on 22 August 1893, the duchy fell to the Duke of Edinburgh since his elder brother, the Prince of Wales, had renounced his right to the succession before he married. Alfred thereupon surrendered his British allowance of £15,000 a year and his seats in
12980-419: Was presented with a gold watch for securing Alfred's life. Another bystander, George Thorne, was wounded in the foot by O'Farrell's second shot. O'Farrell was arrested at the scene, quickly tried, convicted and hanged on 21 April 1868. On the evening of 23 March 1868, the most influential people of Sydney voted for a memorial building to be erected, "to raise a permanent and substantial monument in testimony of
13098-467: Was sovereign Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 22 August 1893 until his death in 1900. He was the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert . He was known as the Duke of Edinburgh from 1866 until he succeeded his paternal uncle Ernest II as the reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in the German Empire . Prince Alfred was born on 6 August 1844 at Windsor Castle to
13216-701: Was stationed in Malta as a Royal Navy officer. Queen Elizabeth II stayed at the palace during her royal visits to Malta in 1954, 1967 and 2005. The palace and its gardens were included on the Antiquities List of 1925. It is now a Grade 1 national monument, and it is also listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands . On 17 October 2018 a 50-metre-long (160 ft) stretch of
13334-424: Was stationed on the island as an officer in the Royal Navy , was Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh , the second son of Queen Victoria . Her mother was Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna , the only surviving daughter of Alexander II of Russia and Marie of Hesse . As a patrilineal grandchild of the British monarch, Victoria Melita was styled Her Royal Highness Princess Victoria of Edinburgh. Within her family, she
13452-602: Was subsequently promoted rear-admiral upon his return to London and relief on 30 December 1878, becoming admiral superintendent of naval reserves, raising his flag aboard the corvette HMS Penelope in November 1879. Promoted to vice-admiral on 10 November 1882, he was given command of the Channel Squadron , with his flag aboard the armoured ship HMS Minotaur , in December 1883. He became Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet , with his flag aboard
13570-507: Was that Dagmar would marry his younger brother, the future Alexander III . Alexander and Dagmar did marry; therefore, she became Empress of Russia. The Queen considered Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna of Russia as a potential wife for Alfred. She wrote to Princess Victoria, "It is a great pity that Sanny's charming daughter is a Greek [Orthodox]– she would do so well". In 1867, Queen Victoria told Victoria, Princess Royal that "I had thought and hoped at one time for dear little Olga, who
13688-1008: Was that anyone over thirty "was old and out." Formality was dispensed with and royal house guests were referred to by their nicknames and encouraged to do as they wished. Victoria and Ernest cultivated friends who were progressive artists and intellectuals as well as those who enjoyed fun and frolic. Victoria's cousin Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark remembered one stay there as "the jolliest, merriest house party to which I have ever been in my life." Victoria was, however, less enthusiastic about fulfilling her public role. She avoided answering letters, put off visits to elderly relations whose company she did not enjoy, and talked to people who amused her at official functions while ignoring people of higher standing who she found boring. Victoria's inattention to her duties provoked quarrels with Ernest. The young couple had loud, physical fights. The volatile Victoria shouted, threw tea trays, smashed china against
13806-413: Was to India, where he arrived in December 1869, and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka ), which he visited the following year. In both countries and at Hong Kong , which he visited on the way, he was the first British prince to set foot in the country. The native rulers of India vied with one another in the magnificence of their entertainments during the stay of three months. In Ceylon a reception was given for him, by
13924-439: Was unhappy. The Duke was taciturn, unfaithful, prone to drinking and emotionally detached from his family. Victoria's mother was independent-minded and cultured. Although she was unsentimental and strict, the Duchess was a devoted mother and the most important person in her children's lives. As a child, Victoria had a difficult temperament. She was shy, serious and sensitive. In the judgment of her sister Marie: "This passionate child
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