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It was a real coup for Eurohistory.com to obtain the rights to Recollections, the privately published memoirs of the late Victoria, Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven. The original manuscript has been kept in the archives at Southampton University.
Victoria (1863-1950) was the eldest daughter of Princess Alice, Queen Victoria's second daughter and third child, and Grand Duke Ludwig IV of Hesse and by Rhine. In 1884, she married her father's first cousin, Prince Louis of Battenberg.
Louis was a morganatic prince as his father, Prince Alexander of Hesse and By Rhine made an unequal marriage with a Polish countess Julie von Hauke.
Victoria was a formidable woman, with a brilliant sense of humor. She faced innumerable tragedies that included the deaths of her mother and 4-year-old sister, May in 1878, culminating with the murders of two more sisters, Grand Duchess Ella and Empress Alexandra of Russia, and Alexandra's husband, Nicholas II, and their five children, all dead at the hands of the Bolsheviks.
Victoria wrote that her mother's death "was an irreparable loss to us all and left a great gap in our lives." Alice was only 35 years old when she succumbed to diphtheria, leaving her eldest daughter, only 15 years old, as the mother figure to her younger siblings.
Recollections offer readers limited insight into Victoria's life, her family, close and extended, her travels, and her relationship with Queen Victoria. Although Victoria and Louis and their family were largely based in England, Victoria was often traveling to visiting relatives in Germany and Russia, as well as spending holidays in Italy with siblings and friends.
The most important family member was Victoria's grandmother, Queen Victoria. She and Prince Louis arrived at Osborne shortly after the queen died on January 22,1901. The Queen's death was a "great personal loss" to Princess Victoria, who wrote that the Queen's "affection for us was very warm and sincere." She was also fond of Prince Louis and "relied on his judgment, " so it was not a surprise that Louis was named one of the Executors of Queen Victoria's will.
Victoria was also supportive when her sister-in-law, Victoria Melita told her that she was seeking a divorce from Ernst Ludwig. Ducky made her feelings known after Ernie returned from a trip to Capri, Italy. Ducky had shared "the subject of her married life" with Victoria, who wrote, "in the fairness of my judgement, and despite my being devoted to my brother, I can only say that I thought then, and still think that it was best for both that they should be apart from each other."
She and her younger daughter, Louise, were in Russia when World War I broke out. As Victoria and Louise began their journey home, they had no idea that they would never again see Ella and Alix.
Victoria never anticipated that her memoirs would be published but it is unfortunate that she chose to end her memoirs with the first world war, thus leaving us without her thoughts on the Russian Revolution and the murders of her sisters, brother-in-law, and nieces and nephews. I would have liked to have known her feelings or emotions when her husband was forced to resign as First Sea Lord because of his German ancestry.
I also would have wanted to learn more about Victoria's relationship with her grandson, Prince Philip, the youngest child of Princess Alice and Prince Andrew of Greece. Princess Alice was hospitalized after suffering a mental breakdown and Prince Andrew preferred his mistress to his wife and children. In modern parlance, Prince Philip grew up in a broken home. His grandmother had an influential role in Philip's upbringing, and one can only wonder about her reaction when he married Princess Elizabeth.
It is unlikely that Victoria would have predicted that her grandson would marry the future British queen, but it is important to note that Victoria and Alice had lunch with King George V and Queen Mary on April 21, 1926. Perhaps a toast was raised to the Duke and Duchess of York's firstborn child.
The concluding chapter was written by Ilana Miller and Arturo Beeche as they take into account the last 34 years of Victoria's life, but this chapter, although chock full of information, cannot compare to Victoria's own words.
The book is complemented by several hundred photographs from the Eurohistory archive.
Recollections is a true classic. Many years ago, Victoria's granddaughter, Patricia, then Lady Brabourne, lent me a copy of the memoirs. Now everyone can read it.
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