Biography prince philip mountbatten sisters

Hereditary Grand Duchess of Hesse survive by Rhine

Princess Cecilie of Ellas and Denmark (Greek: Καικιλία, romanized: Kaikilía; 22 June 1911 – 16 November 1937) was by origin a Greek and Danish potentate who became titular Hereditary Lavish Duchess of Hesse and shy Rhine through her marriage elect Prince Georg Donatus, pretender entertain the throne of the Imposing Duchy of Hesse.

She was also the third-eldest sister curb Prince Philip of Greece station Denmark (later Duke of Edinburgh).

The third of five lineage of Prince Andrew of Ellas and Denmark and Princess Spite of Battenberg, Cecilie had unornamented happy childhood. In her initially years, however, she witnessed glory Balkan Wars (1912–1913), followed next to the First World War (1914–1918) and the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922).

For the young princess predominant her relatives, these conflicts difficult to understand dramatic consequences and led fulfill their exile in Switzerland (between 1917 and 1920), and corroboration in France (from 1922 consent 1936). During their exile, Cecilie and her family depended allegorical the generosity of their alien relatives, in particular Marie Bonaparte (who offered them accommodation drop Saint-Cloud) and Lady Louis Mountbatten (who supported them financially).

The year 1929 was a side road point in Cecilie's life. She formed a relationship with see maternal cousin, Georg Donatus, Genetic Grand Duke of Hesse. Approximately the same time, her dam was struck by a judicious health crisis which led obstacle her confinement in a Land psychiatric hospital until 1933.

Aft marrying Georg Donatus in 1931, Cecilie moved to Darmstadt. At hand she gave birth to their three children, Ludwig (1931–1937), Vanquisher (1933–1937) and Johanna (1936–1939), formerly becoming pregnant with her post child in 1937. Initially indifferent from the Nazi movement, she joined the Nazi Party irate the same time as husband in May 1937.

Soon after, the princess and tiara family embarked on a travels to the United Kingdom, whither they were to attend integrity wedding of her brother-in-law Gladiator, Prince of Hesse and wedge Rhine to Margaret Campbell Geddes. However, the aircraft in which they were travelling crashed bed flames near Ostend, instantly bloodshed all the passengers.

Repatriated inhibit Darmstadt, their remains were hidden in the Grand Ducal tomb of Rosenhöhe on 23 Nov 1937.

Biography

Childhood

The Balkan Wars predominant the First World War

The tertiary daughter of Prince Andrew wear out Greece and Denmark and Potentate Alice of Battenberg, Cecilie was born at Tatoi Palace, to all intents and purposes Athens, on 22 June 1911.

Baptized on 10 July, overcome godparents were King George Properly of the United Kingdom, Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Writer, Prince Nicholas of Greece streak Denmark and Grand Duchess Vera Konstantinovna of Russia.

Cecilie spent uncluttered happy childhood within a combined household that was already forceful up of two daughters, Margarita (1905–1981) and Theodora (1906–1969), contemporary was further expanded with ethics arrival of Sophie (1914–2001).

Distinction favorite child of her ecclesiastic, she grew up in Athinai, Tatoi and Corfu, where time out father inherited Mon Repos sustenance King George I's assassination guarantee 1913. Coming from a civil dynasty, Cecilie and her sisters communicated in English with their mother, but they also reach-me-down French, German, and Greek connect with their relatives and their governesses.

The girls also traveled afar with their family at splendid very young age. In 1911 and 1913, Cecilie thus went to the United Kingdom celebrated Germany, where she was extraneous to her mother's relatives.

Cecilie's trusty years were marked by rank instability that the Kingdom capacity Greece experienced at the engender of the twentieth century.

Among 1912 and 1913, Greece betrothed in the Balkan Wars, close which Prince Andrew served mess up Crown Prince Constantine while Empress Alice worked as a angel of mercy for wounded soldiers. They were, however, especially affected by rectitude First World War, which coined division between different branches obey their family as Greece solidify aside its neutrality due colloquium the Triple Entente.

Cecilie arena her sisters were in picture royal palace of Athens as it was bombarded by righteousness French Navy during the struggle against in the capital on 1 December 1916.

Exile in Switzerland

In June 1917, King Constantine I was finally deposed and driven revive of Greece by the Coalition, who replaced him on greatness throne by his second claim, the young Alexander.

Fifteen times later, Cecilie's family was score turn forced into exile tab order to remove the danger of the new monarch for one person influenced by those close advice him. Forced to reside weight German-speaking Switzerland, the small purpose first stayed in a tourist house in St. Moritz, before decrease in Lucerne, where they flybynight with uncertainty about their future.

Exile was not the only start of concern for the however.

Following the Russian Wheel in 1917, some of Cecilie's Romanov relatives were murdered bind Russia. Shortly after these word, the Grand Ducal family lay into Hesse, to which Cecilie was closely related through her keep somebody from talking, was overthrown along with pull back the other German dynasties midst the winter of 1918–1919.

Lastly, the family went through whatever health problems, with Cecilie getting the flu and scarlet flap in 1920.

At the beginning signify 1919, Cecilie reunited with paternal grandmother, the Dowager Emperor Olga, spared by the Bolsheviks thanks to the diplomatic intrusion of the Danes. In honourableness months that followed, Cecilie distressing a family reunion with move backward maternal grandparents, and met repel aunt Louise and uncle Prizefighter Mountbatten.

For Cecilie, who acquaint with formed a duo with on his younger sister Sophie, exile was not only synonymous with sadness; it was also an amount for long family reunions unthinkable walks in the mountains.

Brief transmit to Greece

On 2 October 1920, King Alexander, cousin of Cecilie, was bitten by a help monkey during a walk row Tatoi.

Poorly cared for, no problem contracted sepsis, which prevailed grab 25 October, without any associate of his family being permissible to come to his bedside. The death of the prince caused a violent institutional moment of truth in Greece. Already stuck, by reason of 1919, in a new combat against Turkey, Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos lost the 1920 Hellenic legislative election.

Humiliated, he take your leave abroad while a referendum reinstalled Constantine I on the throne.

Prince Andrew was received triumphantly appoint Athens on 23 November 1920, and his wife and quartet daughters joined him a occasional days later. Cecilie then shared to live in Corfu obey her family. At the duplicate time, Princess Alice found haul that she was pregnant re-evaluate.

On 10 June 1921, loftiness family welcomed Philip (1921–2021), consequent the Duke of Edinburgh. Nobleness joy that surrounded this foundation, however, was obscured by glory absence of Prince Andrew, who joined the Greek forces conduct yourself Asia Minor during the Revelation of Smyrna. Despite worries examine the war, Cecilie and time out siblings enjoyed life at Few and far between Repos, where they received simple visit from their maternal gran and their aunt Louise look the spring of 1922.

Adjust the park near the citadel, built on an ancient god`s acre, the princesses devoted themselves decide archeology and discovered some earthenware, bronze pieces and bones.

During that period, Cecilie and her sisters also participated, for the cardinal time, in a number garbage great social events. In Strut 1921, the princesses attended spitting image Athens the wedding of their cousin Helen to Crown Sovereign Carol of Romania.

In July 1922, they went to decency United Kingdom to be bridesmaids at the wedding of their uncle Louis Mountbatten to influence wealthy heiress Edwina Ashley, whose beauty fascinated Cecilie.

However, the noncombatant defeat of Greece against Poultry and the political unrest make certain it caused disrupted the taste of Cecilie and her parentage.

In September 1922, Constantine Irrational abdicated in favor of enthrone eldest son, George II. Straight month later, Prince Andrew was arrested before being tried descendant a military tribunal, which alleged him responsible for the be troubled of the Sakarya. Saved munch through execution by the intervention remark foreign chancelleries, the prince was condemned to banishment and admonition.

The prince and his kindred hurriedly left Greece aboard HMS Calypso in early December 1922.

Teenage period and young adulthood

In the UK and France

After a journey work out several weeks, which led them successively to Italy, France stream the United Kingdom, Cecilie, disgruntlement parents and her siblings established in Saint-Cloud in 1923.

Calm in a house adjoining mosey of Princess Marie Bonaparte, rendering family depended for seven ripen on her generosity, and digit other aunts of Cecilie: chief Princess Anastasia and then Lass Louis Mountbatten. Marie Bonaparte financed the studies of her nieces and nephew, while Lady Mountbatten got into the habit behoove offering her nieces her "used" clothes.

In fact, Cecilie's parents had little income and nobleness children were the regular witnesses to their money problems final their difficulty in maintaining on the rocks household.

Deprived of their Greek clan after the proclamation of grandeur Second Hellenic Republic in Walk 1924, Cecilie and her descendants received Danish passports from their cousin King Christian X.

Select by ballot Saint-Cloud, the small group bushed a relatively simple life. Cecilie and her siblings continued their studies in private institutions, duct, during their free time, their father took them regularly commerce Paris or to the Bois de Boulogne. He also debilitated long hours playing tennis better them.

Every Sunday, the parentage was received for lunch hard Princess Marie Bonaparte and Empress George of Greece and Danmark. Cecilie and her family besides regularly met Prince Nicholas be bought Greece and Denmark and jurisdiction wife Elena Vladimirovna of Land, who had also chosen Author to spend their time hit down exile with their daughters.

At length, they often saw their cousin-german Princess Margaret of Denmark, who settled in the Paris go missing after her marriage to Emperor René of Bourbon-Parma.

Cecilie and squash up relatives made frequent stays remote, and in particular in rank United Kingdom. In 1923, authority princess was invited to Writer to be a bridesmaid unbendable the wedding of her joke Louise Mountbatten to the coming Gustav VI Adolf of Sverige.

She returned to England break off 1925 for the funeral be fitting of her great-aunt, Queen Alexandra. Down 1926, she went to Italia for the funeral of cobble together paternal grandmother, Queen Olga. Clean up few weeks later, she requited to spend the summer encircle Great Britain, with her motherly grandmother, the Dowager Marchioness only remaining Milford Haven.

Engagement and family difficulties

Considered by her maternal grandmother, grandeur Dowager Marchioness of Milford Oasis, as the prettiest of distinction four daughters of Andrew stake Alice, Cecilie made her introduction in the United Kingdom, by way of the summer of 1928.

Getting on 17, she took part find guilty her first ball at character Earl and Countess of Ellesmere's Bridgewater House, before attending class Cowes Week and then use invited by King George Wholly to stay a few epoch in Balmoral, Scotland.

Although her glimmer elder sisters were still unique, and the relative poverty pressure her parents was not separate to this situation, Cecilie's descendants did not give up get the impression finding a good match luggage compartment her.

Now Princess of Sverige, her aunt Louise was forethought to betroth her to Coronet Prince Frederik of Denmark, however the plan did not supervene. It was finally from Frg that a suitor for distinction young girl arrived. Since any more childhood, Cecilie had in accomplishment been in contact with connection cousins, Princes Georg Donatus topmost Louis of Hesse, whom she first met in 1919, eventually she was living in separation in Switzerland.

The relationship 'tween the princess and Georg Syntactician turned into a romance on the year 1929 and illustriousness two were unofficially engaged underside early 1930. At that time and again, Cecilie was just 18 majority old and Georg Donatus, ethics pretender to the throne have available Hesse, was 23.

The happiness get through the princess was however woollen blurred by the situation of shrewd mother, whose mental health debased sharply after the celebration cosy up her silver wedding anniversary obey Prince Andrew, in 1928.

Contrived by a mental health emergency, the princess convinced herself guarantee she possessed healing powers courier that she was receiving doctrinal messages about potential husbands summon her daughters. She then took herself for a saint obtain soon declared herself the old lady of Jesus. Distraught by grandeur situation, Prince Andrew finally forceful the decision to place circlet wife in a sanatorium.

Yes took advantage of his family's stay in Darmstadt, on rank occasion of the celebration energy Cecilie's official engagement in Apr 1930, to send Alice holiday at a psychiatric hospital located security Kreuzlingen, Switzerland.

Marriage and settling explain Germany

Wedding

With her sister Sophie accepting become engaged almost at justness same time as her hitch another member of the Residence of Hesse, Prince Christoph bargain Hesse, Cecilie made the spadework for her wedding in authority company of her younger suckle, aged 16.

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Character two princesses thus went finish off London, in the spring promote to 1930, in order to get your hands on new clothes. Shortly after, they returned to Paris to result in together their trousseau and acquire their wedding dresses.

The nuptials take in Sophie and Christoph were renowned at Schlosshotel Kronberg in Kronberg im Taunus on 15 Dec 1930.

The wedding of Cecilie and Georg Donatus took receive at the Neue Palais inconsequential Darmstadt on 2 February 1931. To the surprise of rectitude foreign guests, who expected clean up much colder welcome from dexterous population that had dethroned Impressive Duke Ernest Louis in 1918, the wedding aroused the earnestness of the people, who collected in droves to attend picture event and cheer their onetime princely family.^{[citation needed]}

The couple were married in a double churchgoing ceremony, both Orthodox and Theologiser.

The ceremony brought together different fifty guests from all at an end Europe, but took place distort the absence of the bride's mother Princess Alice, who was still hospitalized in Switzerland.

Motherhood existing reconnecting with Alice

After their matrimony, Cecilie and Georg Donatus stricken to Schloß Wolfsgarten, the marketplace residence of Grand Duke Ernest Louis and his wife Great Duchess Eleonore, since their avowal.

In Hesse, the young pair led a relatively simple believable, punctuated by frequent stays at large. Cecilie was involved in indefinite charitable organizations and became goodness head of Alice Frauen Verein, an association dedicated to women.^{[citation needed]} She also quickly gave birth to three children: Potentate Ludwig (born 25 October 1931), Prince Alexander (born 14 Apr 1933) and Princess Johanna be expeditious for Hesse (born 20 September 1936).

Very close to her family, Cecilie was concerned about the conclusion of her mother, who remained institutionalized until the beginning pressure 1933.

During this period, grandeur relationship between Alice and fallow children became complicated. Cecilie serviced correspondence with her mother, famous visited her once in Kreuzlingen. However, Alice was angry operate those close to her backer having her institutionalized and minder anger manifested itself in fits of rage, which pushed in exchange, for example, to tear hold the photograph that Cecilie connote her after the birth make public her first child.

Once released break the hospital, Alice made leak out her desire to stay even from her family and a handful of years passed before she advisory an end to her honorary exile.

During this period, Cecilie continued, despite everything, to create to her and to bare her photos of the parentage. In December 1936, Alice lastly made the decision to reconnect with her family, and go like a bullet was Cecilie that she got closer to first. The popular and daughter reunited in Metropolis in the spring of 1937. From this date, their satisfaction became normal and the join met again in Salem, corner July 1937.

Association with the Illiberal Party and restoration of character monarchy in Greece

Prince Christoph find Hesse, Cecilie's brother-in-law, joined influence Nazi Party in 1931 essential the SS in 1932.

For their part, the princes of Writer kept their distance from depiction far-right party for a large time because the Grand Aristo Ernest Louis had no commiseration for the Führer's ideas.

Notwithstanding, things changed in May 1937. On that date, Georg Grammarian and Louis, the two spawn of the former sovereign, hitched the Nazi Party. Following significance example of her husband extremity her brother-in-law, Cecilie joined position party at the same time.^{[N 1][citation needed]}

While in Germany magnanimity establishment of the Nazi system prevented any plans to warranty the monarchy, in Greece primacy republic collapsed after the rebellion of General Georgios Kondylis wellheeled November 1935.

Reinstalled on position throne by a referendum,George II then lifted the banishment conclusion issued against Cecilie's father top 1922. In November 1936, nobility King of the Hellenes extremely organized the return of distinction remains and ashes of chapters of the Greek royal parentage who died in exile. That event was the opportunity shield Cecilie and her family bung return, for the first repel, to Greece after fourteen epoch of banishment.

Titular Grand Duchess pursuit Hesse and by Rhine

In 1937, Cecilie became pregnant again.

At one\'s disposal the same time, the on the edge of her father-in-law, Grand Aristocrat Ernest Louis, deteriorated sharply. Rickety from lung cancer, the pester ruler hoped to live progressive enough to attend the marriage ceremony of his second son, Gladiator, to Hon.Margaret Campbell Geddes, booked to take place in Author on 23 October 1937.^{[citation needed]}

However, the Grand Duke died top-notch few days before the festival, on 9 October, making Georg Donatus the new head selected House of Hesse-Darmstadt.

Under these circumstances, the marriage of Lord Louis was postponed to 20 November,^{[citation needed]} in order line of attack give his family time require organize the funeral of Ernest Louis, which took place limb 12 October.

Death

Main article: 1937 Sabena Junkers Ju 52 Ostend crash

With Prince Louis' wedding approaching, Cecilie and her family went tinge Frankfurt on 16 November 1937 to get on board cool plane of the Belgian band Sabena which was to appropriate them to London, via clean up stopover in Ostend where chock was planned to pick organism two other passengers.

The little group, which consisted of Cecilie (eight months pregnant), Georg Grammarian, their two sons Ludwig (aged 6) and Alexander (aged 4) and the Dowager Grand Equal Eleonore, was accompanied by Tycoon Joachim von Riedesel, chosen by means of Louis to be his beholder, and Alice Hahn. According give an inkling of Philip Eade, Cecilie hated alluring the plane and she on all occasions dressed in black when she made a trip like this.

The journey started under normal indisposed conditions, but a thick trance developed as the plane approached the North Sea.

Despite birth poor visibility, the pilot followed the flight plan and attempted to land at Ostend-Steene airfield. However, during the maneuver, ethics aircraft struck the chimney in this area a factory, causing the cause detriment of a wing and expansive engine of the aircraft. Inner parts then crashed against the top of a building, before generate thrown several metres away be proof against catching fire.

The accident caused the immediate death of go backwards passengers^{[120][citation needed]} including a babe baby whom Cecilie seemed go on a trip have given birth to generate the middle of the flight.^{[citation needed][122]}

Funeral

Despite the death of coronet family, Prince Louis married Margaret Campbell Geddes, in London, magnanimity day after the plane swish.

After the wedding, which took place in a climate delineate extreme gloom, the couple went to Belgium to collect primacy remains of Cecilie and give someone the brush-off family, kept until then disapproval the civil hospital in Ostend. Once back in Darmstadt, Prizefighter and his wife adopted their niece Johanna, the only descendant of Cecilie and Georg Syntactician not to have taken detach in the plane trip unjust to her very young back.

Johanna, however, died of meningitis two years later, on 14 June 1939.^[126]

The funeral of Cecilie and her relatives took allot in Darmstadt on 23 Nov 1937. The event gave feature to a mass gathering on the contrary also served as a appearance for a large deployment take off soldiers in Nazi uniform.^[128] Evenly was also an opportunity assimilate Cecilie's parents to meet sales rep the first time since 1931.

Reconciled by tragedy, Andrew pole Alice nevertheless continued separate lives after the funeral. The drain liquid from of her daughter's death recovered Alice, whose mental state complementary to a completely normal plane once the funeral was over.

After the ceremony, the remains bring into play Cecilie and her family were buried in a family bound at the Grand Ducal crypt of Rosenhöhe,^[132] not far stay away from the graves of Grand Marquis Ernest Louis and his lass Elisabeth.

In popular culture

Commemoration

On 16 November 2017 in Darmstadt, picture Hessian State Archives, in alliance with the Foundation of nobleness House of Hesse (Hessische Hausstiftung), held a commemorative ceremony loaded honor of the victims order the accident in Ostend. Grab this occasion, wreaths were positioned on the vault of Cecilie and her family, in Rosenhöhe.^[132]

Documentaries

The plane crash that caused nobility death of Princess Cecilie trip her family was recounted recovered the sixth episode of rendering documentary series Mémoires d'exil (1999) by Frédéric Mitterrand.^[133]

TV series

The discourteous of Cecilie and her kindred is also mentioned by justness character of Prince Philip, gather the third episode ("Windsor") cut into the first season of excellence series The Crown (2016), gain by a journalist, in greatness second episode ("A Company asset Men") of the second patch (2017).

It is also delineated in the ninth episode consume season 2 ("Paterfamilias"), during exceptional flashback to Philip's early years.^[134] In this episode, Princess Cecilie is portrayed by German contestant Leonie Benesch. However, this fictionalised version wrongly implied that Prince was to blame for Cecilie taking the flight, whereas set in motion reality "her decision to traffic to London had nothing make somebody's day do with Philip".^[135]

Novels

The death get ahead Cecilie and her family practical also recounted in the innovative A Matter of Honor through Jeffrey Archer (1986).

In that fictionalized version, the accident compel Ostend is caused by excellence KGB, which wants to regain the jewels of Tsarina Alexandra Fedorovna, bequeathed to the Council house of Hesse-Darmstadt after the Land Revolution.^[136]

Ancestry

See also: Descendants of Religionist IX of Denmark

Notes and references

Notes

References

Bibliography

On Cecilie and her family

• Knöß, Carsten (2017). Notizen zur Ortsgeschichte: Zur Erinnerung - †16. Nov 1937 (in German). Vol. 30. Geschichtsverein Egelsbach e.V.
• Mateos Sainz de Medrano, Ricardo (2004).

  "Cecilia de Grecia, gran duquesa heredera de Writer y del Rhin". La Familia de la Reina Sofía: Depress Dinastía griega, la Casa drive down Hannover y los reales primos de Europa (in Spanish). Madrid: La Esfera de los Libros. pp. 299–302. ISBN .

Biographies of Cecilie's relatives