Two Princesses to make their debuts

April 16, 1910


Two Princess will soon make their debuts on the royal scene, reports the Los Angeles Times.   Princess Victoria Luise of Germany, the youngest child and only daughter of the German Emperor and Empress, has "already been chronicled that her coming out in society is being delayed" because her parents want to "keep their 'baby' to themselves for as long as possible."

The German public has, however, noticed that the Princess now takes walk and "rides in the park with her father or mother, instead of with a governess."  She usually rides or walks with her mother, Empress Auguste Viktoria, who "has taken to riding again to accompany her daughter.

Princess Viktoria Luise is 17 years old.  She will celebrate her 18th birthday on September 13.  Last fall, the Princess was confirmed in the Lutheran church. Days before the Confirmation,  the Princess received her first colonelcy, as Colonel of the Second Hussars on October 22, 1909.

"She will ride at the head of the first regiment that invades England,"  the Kaiser told Viktoria Luise's British governess Anne Topham.

The Princess' confirmation also signaled the formal ending of her education.  Baron von Mirbach, one of the Empress' gentlemen-in-waiting, said: "Confirmation!  What does confirmation mean?  For the boys it means permission to smoke cigarettes; for the girls, freedom to go to balls and parties.  That's what confirmation means in Germany."     Anne Topham returned to England shortly before Christmas. 

Leaving the schoolroom also means that the Princess is approaching the age when her parents will begin to consider arranging her marriage with an eligible royal.


https://royalbooknews.blogspot.com/2020/04/anne-topham-governess-to-princess.html

All three images: Marlene A Eilers Koenig Collection

The other young princess is Princess Maud, a granddaughter of  King Edward VII and the younger daughter of the Duke of Fife and the Princess Royal. She celebrated her 17th birthday on April 3.  It is being suggested that the Princess will be presented at court this season.   But as a princess, she will not be "formally presented", but will sit with other members of the Royal Family and sit behind the King and Queen "while the court is in progress.

Princess Maud will also most likely attend a dance in her honor, which may be hosted by a friend of the Royal Family.  The women most likely who may have the distinction of hosting Maud's dance are Lady Farquhar, Lady Londonderry and the Duchess of Westminster.


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