Princess Helena Victoria

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Today marks the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Princess Helena Victoria, who was born on this day in 1870. The daughter of Princess Helena of the United Kingdom and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, she was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, and goddaughter of Queen Victoria, the Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Louise, Prince Arthur, Prince Leopold, Prince Valdemar of Denmark, Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar, Princess Louise Auguste of Schleswig-Holstein and Princess Caroline Amelie of Schleswig-Holstein. Her first cousins included King George V of the United KingdomKaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, Queen Victoria Eugenie of SpainEmpress Alexandra Frederovna of Russia, Queen Marie of RomaniaQueen Sophie of GreeceQueen Maud of Norway, and the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Growing up at Cumberland Lodge in the United Kingdom, Princess Helena Victoria was known to her family as “Thora”, or sometimes “Snipe”, in reference to her sharp facial features. Never marrying, she followed her mother’s example in working for various charitable organizations, most notably YMCA, Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) and Princess Christian’s Nursing Home at Windsor, also founding the YWCA Women’s Auxiliary Force during World War I. After the British Royal Family renounced their German titles in 1917, she, along with her sister, Princess Marie Louise, dropped the territorial designation ‘of Schleswig-Holstein’ and became ‘HH Princess Helena Victoria’, “of nowhere” said their cousin the Marchioness of Milford Haven. Princess Helena Victoria continued to be a hardworking member of the British Royal Family, despite her brother becoming the last Duke of Schleswig-Holstein. The two Princesses were enthusiastic patrons of music at Schomberg House, their London residence, which was damaged during a German air raid, when they moved to Fitzmaurice Place, Berkeley Square, where Princess Helena Victoria died in 1948.

Learn about her Honeysuckle Tiara

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