MS62 MB21 Recollections of Victoria Mountbatten, Marchioness Of
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MS62 MB21 Recollections of Victoria Mountbatten, Marchioness of Milford Haven [p.1] CHAPTER I Birth at Windsor - Queen Victoria's recollections of the Tapestry room - Godparents p.1. Grandparents house at Darmstadt - New Palace built - Princess Irene's christening 3. - Summer spent with Prussian relations in 1867 - Visit of the Khedive of Egypt 4. - First visit to the opera - First lessons - A seance at the photographers 5. - Little Willem 5. - Birth of the Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig 6. - The war of 1870, 7-8-9-10. - The old Grand Duke Ludwig III - The three Flecks 12. - His numerous country houses and his hobbies 13-14. - Prince Charles of Hesse and his wife 15-18. - Prince Gustaf Wasa 19. - The Old Landgravine Elisabeth of Hesse Homburg - Sleighing parties 20. - The Mayence Prince Carnival 21. - Princess Alice plays with Brahms 22. - Her intellectual and social welfare interests 23-24. - Nurses trained in accordance with Florence Nightingale's advice. I was born in the same room at Windsor Castle (in which my daughter 1863 Alice was to be born) on Easter Sunday, April 5th, 1863. The day is supposed to be a very lucky one and those born on it are said to be able to see fairies and find hidden Treasure - neither of which I have ever done. The bedroom I was born in was alongside the "Tapestry" room - looking straight on to the Long Walk. I remember my grandmother sitting with me in the latter after Alice's birth and saying: "I detest this room." She told me that in it she had been terribly scolded by her mother here, who had accused her of making up to King William IV at the dinner he had given for her birthday, when he had drunk her health and had insulted the Duchess of Kent. I had a heap of godparents; I was given the names of Victoria, Alberta (after the Prince Consort), Elizabeth, after my [p.2] German Grandmother, Matilda, in memory of the old Grand Duchess of Hesse and Marie - one of my godmothers being Queen Marie Amelie, widow of Louis Philippe, King of the French, who died a short time after my birth. (d.1866). She gave me a locket (which the Bolsheviks have) - a little round one with a pavé of pearls, separated by little brilliants, which contained a lock of her hair. The interesting thing is that Queen Marie Amelie was the real niece of Queen Marie Antoinette being the daughter of her sister, Queen Caroline of Naples, who was the friend of Nelson and Lady Hamilton. I have heard from Princess Francoise, wife of Prince Christopher of Greece, that the little locket originally belonged to Marie Antoinette. I do not 1 MS62 MB21 Recollections of Victoria Mountbatten, Marchioness of Milford Haven remember who my godfathers were - one of them was Uncle Bertie, Prince of Wales. During the first three years of my life, my parents lived in an Annexe of my grandparents house in the Upper Wilhelminenstrasse then still in the village and parish of Bessungen. There was a vast garden in front reaching down to the Heidelberger-Strasse and behind the house another large garden. There was a tiny hidden staircase leading from my father's room to my mother's room upstairs and my baby impression of this staircase is so strong, that I often dream I go up little secret stairs. The fascination of such small staircases was kept up [p.3] by there being one in my grandparents house too, leading down from its nurseries to the alcove of their bedroom and continuing from the other side of the alcove to my grandfather's room on the ground floor. I and my sisters lived in these nurseries one winter which was spent by my mother and the Empress Frederic at the Riviera. 1866 In the year 1866, the New Palace, which was built for my parents was ready and we moved into it. - I remember dimly my sister Irene's christening there after the Civil war of that year. My father commanded the Hessian cavalry brigade and the whole brigade stood godfather to her - the name Irene (pronounced as in French) was given as it means Peace in Greek 1867 In 1867 Orchie, our dear old nurse came to us. Under her was a German nurserymaid by name of "Katrinchen", and an English one, Emma Bailie. From 1869 onwards all my recollections are much clearer. We spent that summer with our Prussian relations. (The Empress Frederic was my mother's eldest sister.) The Emperor William II was then 11, Charlotte 9, Henry 7 ½. I remember a parade of the I Garde Regiment in which William appeared in the complete uniform of a lieutenant. He was so short, that his hand was held by a tall sergeant during the march past to keep in pace with the men. [p.4] Dr. Hinzpeter, the boys Tutor, we were very much in awe of. All his interest was in the heir and Henry was rather shoved aside. However, as Henry was destined for the Navy, in the afternoon he climbed a full sized mast erected in the grounds under the supervision of a sailor and I was much disappointed at not being allowed to do so too. There was much formality at the Prussian court and we were always followed by footmen in livery wherever we went. Whilst we were there the Khedive of Egypt came to Berlin with his small son and Charlotte and I attended a ballet in their honour. The Khedive's son was dressed in a little frock coat with a grand cross and star, and wore a fez on his head. He was about 9. He sat between Charlotte and me. As we could not talk to him (he only spoke his own language) to show our goodwill, we took turns in kissing his 2 MS62 MB21 Recollections of Victoria Mountbatten, Marchioness of Milford Haven little yellow cheeks. - He looked solemn and greatly bored. - The performance was my first acquaintance with the theatre. I could not make head or tail of the subject. I was so puzzled why the women on the stage hopped about between orange trees wearing such short skirts. The second time I went to the theatre was on the occasion of a matinee performance at Darmstadt in 1870 for the re-inauguration of the old theatre as the big one had been burnt down. In this theatre in the XVIIIth century Ludwig VIII died in his box from a stroke. The opera Titus was given and as I had begun [p.5] reading Roman history, I was much disgusted at the heroes singing instead of speaking. Of the subject I understood nothing while my sister Ella - she was 6 at the time - thought the actors were wound up wax figures, like those at Madame Tussaud. From Potsdam we went to Fischbach, my Grandmother's Silesian property and though I have never visited the place again it is still very distinct in my memory. My lessons began when I was 5 and I could read German at 6 quite easily and English at 7. I recollect reading every book I could lay hands on, only understanding a quarter of it sometimes. One day all of us children had to be photographed. This was then a very lengthy proceeding. An iron support was put behind your head and one behind your waist to keep you quiet while the photographer counted up to ten very slowly for the exposure of the plate. As there were four of us, and after a group, each had to be done separately besides, the whole forenoon was spent in the operation. I read a little book most of the time which had lain on the photographer's table, of which I only remember there was a picnic party during which pancakes were made. So vivid was my recollection of that scene, that many years afterwards, when as a grown up woman I read Theodor Storm's Immensee I found the scene and knew it to be the book I had read! In the sixties my mother had a little black servant, [p.6] called Willem. He wore a fez, a blue embroidered Zouave jacket and wide trousers. He served at table and sat on the seat behind my mother's pony-carriage when she drove herself. Willem was taught by the master Herr Geyer, who gave me lessons. As the boy was quite illiterate, he had composed a book of simple Bible stories for 1868 his benefit which was passed on to me. Poor Willem died of consumption before 1870. In 1868 my brother Ernie was born and I remember the excitement when after the twenty five guns for a princess, the salute continued, "It is for a brother", our nurserymaid said. We were listening in the nursery, my sister Elizabeth - called Ella in the family - and I. She was next in age to me; there was a year and a half between us and we shared a bedroom until my marriage. 3 MS62 MB21 Recollections of Victoria Mountbatten, Marchioness of Milford Haven Ernie's double name of Ernst Ludwig was born by a landgrave in the 17th century who had had a Saxon mother, and thus the Saxon Ernst came to be joined to the Hessian Ludwig. History had repeated itself, a Hessian Prince having again married a Princess of Saxon blood, the Prince Consort being a Saxe-Coburg. Our nurseries in the New Palace were at the top of the house over my parents' rooms, looking out into the garden, and where my brother lived later on, the new nurseries being made after the war of 1870, next to my parents' rooms, when the huge ballroom, which had never been completed was cut up.