The Marriage of Prince Alfred of Edinburgh
Royal Union with Grand Duchess Marie of Russia
Prince Alfred of Great Britain, the Duke of Edinburgh, had possibly the most difficult marriage of all of Queen Victoria’s sons. His marriage to Grand Duchess Marie of Russia was a love match, but she never gave up her Russian ways and never really settled in to life in England. She preferred life in Germany and he loved his naval career, and this couple eventually grew estranged. They had five children, and their descendants are still alive today, most notably in the Russian and Romanian royal families.
The Difficulties of the Russian Bride Grand Duchess Marie
When Prince Alfred of Edinburgh (1844–1900) asked to marry Grand Duchess Marie of Russia (1853–1920), neither royal family was thrilled at the proposal. Queen Victoria did not like the apparently arrogant and glitzy Russians, and she didn’t particularly like the spoiled only daughter of Tsar Alexander II. A Russian marriage wouldn’t be popular in England, anyway, because Russia had been an enemy of England since the Crimean War. But Queen Victoria thought it would be difficult to find Prince Alfred a wife because of his difficult character, so she finally consented.
The Russian royal family wasn’t thrilled at the marriage, either. Tsarina Marie didn’t want to part from her daughter, whom she thought too young to marry anyway. Tsar Alexander II was amenable to the marriage, but also agreed that Grand Duchess Marie was too young and insisted that the couple wait at least a year. Although Queen Victoria hadn’t been in favor of the marriage, either, she was offended at having to wait for an answer.
The Wedding of Prince Alfred of Edinburgh and Grand Duchess Marie of Russia
Prince Alfred of Edinburgh married Grand Duchess Marie of Russia in St. Petersburg on January 23, 1874. He was the only one of Queen Victoria’s children to marry outside of England because the Russians insisted that their Grand Duchess be married at home. Queen Victoria was offended that England wasn’t considered good enough for the ceremony and did not attend. Nevertheless, the couple was married in a double ceremony, performed both according to the Russian Orthodox religion of the bride and the Church of England religion of the groom.
The Difficult Marriage of Prince Alfred of Edinburgh and Grand Duchess Marie
Grand Duchess Marie, now the Duchess of Edinburgh, never settled into life in the English court, and made herself very unpopular with her arrogant, flashy manner. She never forgot that she was the daughter of the Tsar, a position she thought more important than being the daughter-in-law of the Queen of England. She insisted on being called Her Imperial Highness, and even wanted precedence over all other princesses at court, even the heir’s wife.
Because she hated England so much, the couple spent most of their time in Germany where Prince Alfred would one day inherit the Duchy of Coburg from his childless uncle. Grand Duchess Marie was German through her mother, and raised her children to be as German as possible.
Prince Alfred, however, didn’t particularly like Germany. He loved his naval career and hated giving it up when he became the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1893. He was bored in Coburg and didn’t like its small court. Prince Alfred and Grand Duchess Marie’s marriage suffered because of their unhappiness with their situation and their growing dislike of each other.
The Children of Prince Alfred of Edinburgh and Grand Duchess Marie
Prince Alfred and Grand Duchess Marie couldn’t even find mutual affection through their five children. His naval career had mostly kept Prince Alfred away from his family, and he was not really close to his children or involved in their upbringing. After their son Prince Alfred committed suicide, his father drank more and couldn’t stand to be around his wife, whom he blamed for their son’s death.
Their daughters were a slight source of comfort for their mother, however. Although Grand Duchess Marie was plain and dowdy, their four daughters were some of the most beautiful princesses in Europe. Their daughter Princess Marie married the future King Ferdinand of Romania, and the present royal family of Romania is descended from her. Their daughter Princess Victoria Melita first unhappily married her cousin Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse, but after their divorce she married her other cousin Grand Duke Kirill of Russia, and the present pretenders to the Russian royal throne are descended from her.
The Unhappy Marriage of Prince Alfred of Edinburgh and Grand Duchess Marie of Russia
The marriage finally ended in 1900 when Prince Alfred died of throat cancer. Unhappily, the marriage of Prince Alfred of Great Britain, Duke of Edinburgh and Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, to Grand Duchess Marie of Russia was not a successful match. Although they had married for love, Grand Duchess Marie’s inability to be happy in England and Prince Alfred’s dislike of Germany meant that they could never live happily together. His naval career kept him away from his children, so they were also never able to grow close through their family. Nevertheless, their marriage was successful from a dynastic perspective, as their children married into important royal families and their descendants are still alive today.
Source:
Eilers, Marlene A. Queen Victoria’s Descendants. Falkoping, Sweden: Rosvall Royal Books, 1997.
Kiste, John van der. Queen Victoria’s Children. Gloucester: Alan Sutton Publishing, 1986.
Prince Alfred of Edinburgh
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Grand Duchess Marie of Russia
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