Thursday, December 10, 2009
Funeral for Philip's mother
December 10, 1969
The funeral of Prince Philip's mother, Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark, took place today at St. George's Chapel, Windsor. The service was conducted by the Dean of Windsor, assisted by the Very Reverend Archimandrite Gregory Theocharous, the chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain. Following the service, the princess was buried at Windsor, "not far from the spot where she was born 84 years ago."
Her son and daughter-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II, led the more than 40 royal mourners, who also included the princess's brother, Earl Mountbatten of Burma. Others at the private ceremony included her two surviving daughters, Margarita, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Princess Georg Wilhelm of Hannover, her grandchildren, the Prince of Wales, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, the Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Princess Beatrix of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Prince Rupprecht of Hohenlohe-Langeburg, the Margrave and Margravine of Baden, Prince and Princess Ludwig of Baden, Prince Georg of Hannover, and Princess Frederika of Hannover
Also attending the burial were King Constantine II of the Hellenes, Princess Louis of Hesse and By Rhine, Prince and Princess Georg of Denmark, and the Count of Barcelona.
The other members of the Royal Family, who were present for the funeral were Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, the Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, Prince Michael of Kent, Princess Alexandra, the Hon. Mrs. Ogilvy, Lady Patricia Ramsay, and the Admiral the Hon. Sir Alexander Ramsay, Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, the Marchioness of Cambridge, and the Duchess of Beaufort.
Princess Andrew was born Princess Alice of Battenberg, the eldest of four children of Princess Victoria of Hesse and by the Rhine, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, and Prince Louis of Battenberg, who in 1917, relinquished his German titles, and was created the Marquess of Milford Haven. She was born on February 25, 1885, at Windsor Castle.
The Princess married Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark at Darmstadt in 1903. They had four daughters, Margarita, Theodora, Cecilie, and Sophie between 1905 and 1914. Prince Philip was born in 1921.
The Princess was baptized in a Lutheran ceremony. Her confirmation, which took place at Windsor, was according to the rites of the Anglican church. Her wedding ceremonies were Lutheran and Greek Orthodox. Princess Alice did not convert to the Greek church until some years after her marriage.
Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark died at Buckingham Palace on December 5.
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6 comments:
Isn't Princess Andrew now buried in Jerusalem?
yes, she is
Interesting that none of the Swedes were present to represent her late sister at the funeral...
Princess Alice had a mental breakdown and was admitted to various sanitoriums in Europe for treatment when Prince Philip was growing up. A biography of her (which I don't have to hand) tells of her working as a nurse during a Greek - Turkish war (I think it was Turkish), and describes the horrific experiences she had. Could she have been suffering from a severe Post-Traumatic Syndrome, from which she never fully recovered?
I've been trying to find sources that back up that she was baptized in the Lutheran faith but haven't found any. Obviously we would assume that her parents, as German royals, would have had her baptized Lutheran (but since it was at Windsor Castle there is speculation that it was an Anglican baptism). Does anyone have any sources to clarify which Protestant faith she was christened in?
Alice was born at Windsor Castle. She was baptized at the New Palace in Darmstadt by the Court Chaplain. The baptism followed the confirmation of Alice's uncle the Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse and By Rhine.
Queen Victoria was present for both events. She held the infant princess during the baptism and was one of the godparents. See The Times (Court Circular) on 4-27-1885.
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