February 2, 1901
"Veiled allusions" have appeared in London newspapers "to the unpleasant incidents at Osborne House" in the last week, reports the Chicago Daily Tribune.
These hints "refer to the disagreeable relations between the King and his sister, Princess Beatrice." Even before the death of Queen Victoria, Princess Beatrice, widow of Prince Henry of Battenberg, "removed her children to East Cowes Castle, and left Osborne House herself that night." Since that time, Beatrice has only come to Osborne House when her brother, King Edward VII, was not present, and she has refused to meet the Kaiser, "whose enmity to the Battenbergs is historic."
The King and his late brother-in-law "were formerly on friendly terms." There was an occasion when a serious personal row broke out. Prince Henry had been ordered by Queen Victoria to "instruct Commander Fullerton to proceed to Portsmouth with the yacht Albert and bring over Princess Louise to Cowes."
Prince Henry "either forgot, or, as was suspected, willfully omitted to give the order, with result that Princess Louise," was left waiting for more than an hour at Portsmouth Dock, and had to catch a passenger boat to the Isle of Wight and "drive in a common cab to Osborne House."
Princess Louise was furious when she arrived, in fact, she was "bordering on hysteria." The Prince of Wales was staying at Osborne at the time, went in search of Prince Henry, and when he found him, he "abused him violently for his remissness" in front of servants, lodge keepers, and Prince Henry's two companions."
That evening the Prince of Wales received a "challenge from Prince Henry of Battenberg to cross to Belgium to fight a duel," but before the Prince of Wales could respond, the Queen "intervened and forced Battenberg to withdraw the challenge."
Princess Beatrice sided with her husband, insisting that he had done nothing wrong and that it was "the result of an oversight."
The breach between the siblings has never healed. Beatrice, however, remains close to Queen Alexandra, who approved of Beatrice's support of her husband. She also detests the Kaiser for "his tyrannical treatment" of his wife, Princess, Auguste Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein.
That evening the Prince of Wales received a "challenge from Prince Henry of Battenberg to cross to Belgium to fight a duel," but before the Prince of Wales could respond, the Queen "intervened and forced Battenberg to withdraw the challenge."
Princess Beatrice sided with her husband, insisting that he had done nothing wrong and that it was "the result of an oversight."
The breach between the siblings has never healed. Beatrice, however, remains close to Queen Alexandra, who approved of Beatrice's support of her husband. She also detests the Kaiser for "his tyrannical treatment" of his wife, Princess, Auguste Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein.
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