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The moving destiny of William's great-grandmother has touched her
The mother of Prince Philip leaves a valuable legacy
How many times did she shake the locked doors in her lonely prison? How much did she long for her children? How many nights did she go through? The life of Princess Victoria Alice von Battenberg sounds like a grim novel, yet this strong woman left a wonderful legacy.
Victoria Alice, named Alice, was the mother of Prince Philip (91) and great-grandmother of Prince William (30). When the pregnant Duchess Kate (31) accidentally got a book about her, she was spellbound. Kate was so moved that she now remembers to call her daughter Victoria Alice ...
The historic Princess Alice was born in 1885 in Windsor Castle as the daughter of Ludwig von Battenberg and wife Victoria. But Alice is deaf. Thanks to her stern mother, she learns to read lips and speak clearly. At 18, she marries Prince Andrew of Greece, a charmer and brilliant entertainer.
Both move to Andreas' home, get four daughters and baby Nest Philip . But many fatalities follow: The family has to flee destitute Greece, with Baby Philip in an orange box. In Paris, Alice tries to keep the family afloat through art sales. But in the end she is alone, her husband moves to his mistress.
From then on, the princess gets more and more often in dark thoughts, her mother speaks of religious delusions and ensures that her daughter is brought in 1930 in a mental hospital. Behind Alice, the heavy gates fall into the castle for years. She will never forgive her mother again ...
After her release, the princess retreats from all disappointed. Nevertheless, it is unbroken. How brave she is, she proves in World War II: Since she hides a Jewish family in her house, risking their own lives.
Also in 1953, at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth, the wife of her son, she causes a stir. Because there goes a lonely nun in gray through the church. Who is that ?, is whispering. It's Alice. In the meantime she has renounced all titles, founded a sister order and an orphanage.
Alice spends the last two years of her life with her son at Buckingham Palace. In 1969 she dies. What remains is the memory of their courage, their generosity and kindness. A legacy that deeply touches Kate . A legacy of which she wants to tell her daughter later, the little Victoria Alice ...
