Princess Alice of the United Kingdom

Alice
Photograph by Franz Backofen, 1871
Grand Duchess consort of Hesse and by Rhine
Tenure	13 June 1877 – 14 December 1878
Born	(1843-04-25)25 April 1843 Buckingham Palace, London, England
Died	14 December 1878(1878-12-14) (aged 35) New Palace, Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse, German Empire
Burial	18 December 1878 Neues Mausoleum, Rosenhöhe Park, Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse, German Empire
Spouse	Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine ​ ​ (m. 1862)​
Issue	Victoria Mountbatten, Marchioness of Milford Haven Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia Irene, Princess Henry of Prussia Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine Prince Friedrich Alix, Empress of Russia Princess Marie
Names Alice Maud Mary
House	Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Father	Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Mother	Queen Victoria
Signature

Princess Alice (Alice Maud Mary; 25 April 1843 – 14 December 1878) was Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine from 13 June 1877 until her death in 1878 as the wife of Grand Duke Louis IV. She was the third child and second daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Alice was the first of Queen Victoria's nine children to die, and one of three to predecease their mother, who died in 1901. Her life had been enwrapped in tragedy since her father's death in 1861.

Alice spent her early childhood in the company of her parents and siblings, travelling between the British royal residences. Her education was devised by Prince Albert's close friend and adviser, Christian Friedrich, Baron Stockmar, and included practical activities such as needlework and woodwork and languages such as French and German. When her father became fatally ill in December 1861, Alice nursed him until his death. Following his death, Queen Victoria entered a period of intense mourning and Alice spent the next six months acting as her mother's unofficial secretary. On 1 July 1862, while the court was still at the height of mourning, Alice married a minor German prince, Louis of Hesse. The ceremony—conducted privately and with unrelieved gloom at Osborne House—was described by the Queen as "more of a funeral than a wedding". Alice's life in Darmstadt was unhappy as a result of impoverishment, family tragedy and worsening relations with her husband and mother.

Princess Alice showed an interest in nursing, especially the work of Florence Nightingale. When Hesse became involved in the Austro-Prussian War, Darmstadt filled with the injured; the heavily pregnant Alice devoted much of her time to the management of field hospitals.^[1] One of her organisations, the Princess Alice Women's Guild, took over much of the day-to-day running of the state's military hospitals. As a result of this activity, Queen Victoria became concerned about Alice's directness about medical and, in particular, gynaecological, matters. In 1871, she wrote to Alice's younger sister, Princess Louise, who had recently married: "Don't let Alice pump you. Be very silent and cautious about your 'interior'". In 1877, Alice became Grand Duchess upon the accession of her husband, her increased duties putting further strains on her health. In late 1878, diphtheria infected the Hessian court. Alice nursed her family for over a month before falling ill herself, dying later that year.

Princess Alice was the sister of Edward VII of the United Kingdom and German Empress Victoria (wife of Frederick III), mother of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia (wife of Nicholas II), and maternal grandmother of Queen Louise of Sweden (second wife of Gustaf VI Adolf) and Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (the last Viceroy of India). Another daughter, Elisabeth, who married Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia, was, like Alexandra and her family, killed by the Bolsheviks in 1918.