Monday, February 10, 2014

Princess Alice and Lord Athlone celebrate 50th anniversary

Embed from Getty Images 

 February 10, 1954

Princess Alice and the Earl of Athlone celebrate their golden wedding anniversary today, the first such anniversary in forty years in the Royal Family, according to the Associated Press.

Lord Athlone is the brother of the late Queen Mary, and Princess Alice is the granddaughter of Queen Victoria.

The couple was the guests of honor at a small party at Kensington Palace where Lord Athlone was born, and where he and his wife live in an apartment.  They received "congratulatory messages" from family and friends from all over the world.  One of the greetings was a cablegram from Lord Athlone's grandniece, Queen Elizabeth II.

Princess Alice is the daughter of the late Duke of Albany, Queen Victoria's fourth son.    Her husband served as a soldier for many years, and later as the Governor-General in South Africa and Canada.

The last British couple to celebrate fifty years of marriage was Princess Helena, third daughter of Queen Victoria, and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein.  They celebrated their golden anniversary in 1914.


No comments: