Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein
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| Princess Helena Victoria | |
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| Princess Helena Victoria, in 1920 | |
| Full name | |
| Victoria Louise Sophia Augusta Amelia Helena | |
| Titles and styles | |
| HH Princess Helena Victoria HH Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein |
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| Royal house | House of Oldenburg |
| Father | Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein |
| Mother | Princess Helena of the United Kingdom |
| Born | 3 May 1870 Frogmore House, Windsor |
| Died | 13 March 1948 (aged 77) Berkeley Square, London |
| Burial | Frogmore, Windsor |
Princess Helena Victoria (formerly Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein; Victoria Louise Sophia Augusta Amelia Helena; 3 May 1870 - 13 March 1948) was a member of the British Royal Family, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria.
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[edit] Early life
Princess Helena Victoria was born at Frogmore House, near Windsor Castle. Her father was Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, the third son of Duke Christian August of Schleswig-Holstein and Countess Louise of Danneskjold-Samsøe. Her mother was The Princess Helena, the fifth child and third daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Her parents resided in the United Kingdom, and the Princess was considered a member of the British Royal Family. Under letters patent of 1866, she was styled Her Highness Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein.
She spent most of her childhood at Cumberland Lodge, her father's residence as Ranger of Windsor Great Park. Known to her family as "Thora," she officially used the names "Helena Victoria" out of her string of six Christian names.
[edit] Royal Duties
Princess Helena Victoria never married. She followed her mother's example in working for various charitable organizations, most notably the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) and Princess Christian's Nursing Home at Windsor. During World War I, she founded the YWCA Women's Auxiliary Force. As its president, she visited British troops in France and obtained the permission of the Secretary of State for War, Lord Kitchener, to arrange entertainments for them. Between the world wars, she and her younger sister, Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein, were enthusiastic patrons of music at Schomberg House, their London residence. After a German air raid damaged the house in 1940, the two princesses moved to Fitzmaurice Place, Berkeley Square.
[edit] World War I
In July 1917, King George V changed the name of the British Royal House from the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to the House of Windsor. He also relinquished, on behalf of himself and his numerous cousins and brothers-in-law who were British subjects, the use of their German titles, styles, and surnames. Princess Helena Victoria and Princess Marie Louise ceased to use the territorial designation "of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenberg." Instead, they became known simply as "Her Highness Princess Helena Victoria" and "Her Highness Princess Marie Louise," giving them the odd distinction of being Princesses but not Princesses of any family or monarchy. Although the two Princesses had borne German titles, they were both quintessentially English.[1]
In ill health and wheelchair-bound after World War II, one of Princess Helena Victoria's last major appearances was at the 20 November 1947 wedding of her first cousin twice removed, the then-Princess Elizabeth, to the then-Lt. Philip Mountbatten, RN. Princess Helena Victoria died at Fitzmaurice Place, Berkeley Square. Her funeral took place at St. George's Chapel, Windsor and she was buried at Frogmore Royal Burial Ground, Windsor Great Park.
[edit] Titles, styles, honours and arms
| Styles of Princess Helena Victoria |
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| Reference style | Her Highness |
| Spoken style | Your Highness |
| Alternative style | Ma'am |
[edit] Titles
- 1870-1917: Her Highness Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein
- 1917-1948: Her Highness Princess Helena Victoria
[edit] Honours
- GBE: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (1918)
- VA: Lady of the Order of Victoria and Albert (1883)
- CI: Lady of the Order of the Crown of India (1889)
- GCStJ: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St John (1928)
[edit] Ancestry
[edit] Notes
- ^ As a male-line granddaughter of the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, Princess Helena Victoria would have been styled Serene Highness. However, in May 1866, Queen Victoria granted the style of Highness to any children born of the marriage of Prince and Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. The children were still Princes or Princess of Schleswig-Holstein and the style Highness was only in effect in the United Kingdom, not in Germany. In June 1917, a notice appeared in the Court Circular that a Royal Warrant was to be prepared permitting his cousins to stop using the "of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg" part of their titles. However no warrant was prepared and they were never formally granted them the titles of Princesses of Great Britain and Ireland.
[edit] Sources
- Ronald Allison and Sarah Riddell, eds., The Royal Encyclopedia (London: Macmillan, 1992).
- "Obituary: Princess Helena Victoria, Charity and Social Services," 15 March 1948, p. 7.
- "Royal Titles: German Names Dropped, British Peerages for Princes," The Times 20 July 1917, p. 7.
