Table of contents:
- In what family was Beatrice, the granddaughter of Alexander II born
- How Beatrice began a romantic relationship with her cousin - brother of Nicholas II
- Why Madrid did not approve of the union of the princess of Great Britain and the Spanish prince
- How was the fate of the royal family after the proclamation of the Spanish Republic
Video: How the granddaughter of Alexander II had an affair with a cousin, and then became a Spanish princess
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
The daughter of an English prince and a Russian grand duchess had a charming appearance, had influential relatives and was considered a very enviable bride in Europe. Despite parting with her first love - cousin Mikhail - Beatrice successfully married, giving birth to her only spouse three sons. And yet sorrows did not pass the princess - she experienced the loss of relatives, and rumors discrediting her honor, and wandering in a foreign land.
In what family was Beatrice, the granddaughter of Alexander II born
Beatrice was born on April 20, 1884 in Kent in the southeastern region of England. Her mother, Maria Alexandrovna, was the only daughter of the Russian imperial couple - Alexander II and Maria Alexandrovna, whose eldest girl, the firstborn, died of an illness at the age of 6. In January 1874, the 21-year-old Grand Duchess married His Royal Highness Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Victoria's second son, and Beatrice's father 10 years later.
The granddaughter of the monarchs of Russia and Great Britain was the last child in the family: in addition to her, the titled parents already had four children - three daughters and a son (the second boy died in infancy). Bea, as her relatives called Beatrice, often visited abroad with her family, where her father went as the commander-in-chief of the British Armed Forces.
In 1899, a great tragedy struck the family of 15-year-old Beatrice. Due to mental problems, the eldest son of the Duke and Duchess, the future heir to the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Alfredo shot himself to death. For Bea, like other close relatives, this death was a big blow that happened just on the eve of the silver wedding of Maria Alexandrovna and Alfred Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
How Beatrice began a romantic relationship with her cousin - brother of Nicholas II
Three years later, when the girl was visiting the Russian Imperial Palace, she was introduced to her cousin, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, the younger brother of Nicholas II. A mutual sympathy arose between the cousin and sister, which they did not even try to hide. However, the romantic relationship that began between young people initially had no future: the Orthodox Church would never allow the creation of a couple consisting of close relatives.
Nevertheless, Beatrice, after returning to her homeland, corresponded for some time with 24-year-old Mikhail. In his letters, the son of Alexander III talked about his desire to see Bea, confessed his love, and said that he was constantly thinking about her. The princess responded to her cousin in the same spirit, sending her first crush letters, imbued with romance and platonic passion.
Of course, such a relationship could not last forever - over time, the ardor of young people faded away. At the age of 29, the Grand Duke met Natalia Sheremetyevskaya, fell in love with her and, ignoring the ban of the imperial court, in 1912 secretly married the divorced Sheremetyevskaya in Vienna.
Why Madrid did not approve of the union of the princess of Great Britain and the Spanish prince
The Duke's daughter also found a new relationship. At the wedding of her cousin, Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, with the Spanish king Alfonso XIII, Beatrice met and fell in love with the third Duke of Gallier, Infanta Don Alfonso, who was the first contender for the throne after his royal namesake.
Despite the impeccable origin of the princess of Great Britain and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Madrid opposed the emerging alliance. The reason for this was the difference in religion: Don Alfonso belonged to the Catholic Church, and Beatrice to the Lutheran Church. In the end, the lovers had to leave the country for the German Coburg. There they got the opportunity to marry, holding two ceremonies in 1909, each according to the rules of its own church.
The couple lived in Germany for three years: here in 1910 their first child was born, named Alvaro Antonio Fernando. In 1912, after the permission of King Alfonso XIII, the family returned to Spain, where in 1912 Beatrice gave birth to a second son, Alfonso Maria Cristino, and a year later, a third, whom the Duke and Duchess named Ataulfo Alejandro.
How was the fate of the royal family after the proclamation of the Spanish Republic
However, the family was not destined to stay in Madrid for a long time. After some time, rumors spread in high society about Beatrice's love relationship with her cousin's husband, the Spanish king. Today it is difficult to confirm the reliability of such a connection due to the lack of facts. It is only known that after the appearance of impartial conversations at the court, the wife of Alfonso XII, Queen Consort Maria Cristina asked the princess to leave Spain. As a result, the family had to leave the capital and move to relatives in England for several years. When the rumors died down, the couple and children, having received royal permission, returned to the Duke's homeland. This time, they chose not Madrid to live, but the family property of the head of the family - Sanlucar de Barrameda in Andalusia.
The Duke and Duchess of Gallier lived here until the beginning of the 30s, which were marked by the destruction of monarchical power. In 1930, the Republicans demanded that Alfonso XIII leave the country, which he did on the night of April 14, 1931, becoming an official exile. After the overthrow of the king and the proclamation of a republic in the state, Beatrice and her husband left Spain again, urgently moving to England. In 1936, another tragedy happened: during the civil war, the middle son of the duke, who fought against the Republicans, died. After the end of World War II, the granddaughter of Alexander II returned to Sanlúcar de Barrameda, where, having lived until she was 82, she passed away in 1966. The duke outlived his wife by 9 years; Ataulfo's youngest son Alejandro died without children. Only the eldest son had descendants, who continued the family line of the ducal couple.
Many people today are worried about the fate of the descendants of the imperial house of the Romanovs. After all, they still live in different countries of the world. AND this is how they spend their days and do these things.
Recommended:
The Snow Maiden in art: how the image of Santa Claus's granddaughter has changed over a century and a half
One of the most popular New Year characters and the most beloved by children since the end of the 19th century. and to this day, the Snow Maiden remains - a unique image of Russian culture. In the New Year and Christmas mythology of other peoples of the world, there are no such female characters. She was often portrayed in their works by Russian writers, artists, composers, directors. Over a century and a half, the image of the Snow Maiden has changed significantly - from the innocent granddaughter of Santa Claus to sexually aggressive characters from erotic
For which they declared a saint, and then decanonized Princess Anna of Kashinskaya
Numbered among the saints as a noble princess, then recognized as an ordinary person, and two and a half centuries later canonized again - this is how the posthumous fate of the Rostov princess and the Tver princess Anna Kashinskaya, who had to endure tragic losses during her lifetime
How the life of the granddaughter of Alexander III developed: a scandalous marriage, involvement in the death of Rasputin and other turns of the fate of Irina Romanova
When the niece of Nicholas II decided to link her life with Felix Yusupov, the wedding was almost canceled, as rumors of the outrageous antics of the future groom reached the bride's relatives. One of the most noble and wealthy young people of the Russian Empire jokingly walked the streets in a woman's dress, frightening the venerable public. Gossipers hinted that such "fun" had deeper roots. However, the marriage took place, and fifty years later, the Yusupov family celebrated their golden wedding, right
How Stalin's granddaughter became an Internet star: punk rock, tattoos and piercings
Everyone knows about her mother - Svetlana Alliluyeva, Stalin's daughter; her stormy life is still often written about. But Olga Peters, who now bears the name Chris Evans, is hardly mentioned in the press. They talked about her in the 1980s, when her mother returned to the USSR with her, and then, after her move to the United States, was forgotten for 35 years. And now Stalin's granddaughter again made herself talk about herself - recently she periodically shocks users of social networks with photo shoots in the style of punk-rock, piercings
Drawings of a shepherd who spent 35 years in an insane asylum, and then became an artist
He was born back in 1864 in the family of an ordinary Swiss bricklayer and spent thirty-five years of his life in a psychiatric clinic in a town called Bern. His drawings to this day are very popular among connoisseurs of such creativity, and his biography consists of many unusual facts that cannot be refuted or confirmed. Meet legendary artist Adolf Wolfli, dubbed as a man of art and psychiatry