Her Royal Highness Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester (Alice Christabel Windsor, née Montagu-Douglas-Scott) (December 25, 1901 – October 29, 2004) was the wife of the Duke of Gloucester – the third son of King George V and Queen Mary – and the mother of the current Duke of Gloucester. She was a paternal aunt of Queen Elizabeth II.

Early life

The Lady Alice was born in Montagu House in London as the third daughter of John Montagu-Douglas-Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch and 9th Duke of Queensbury (1864–1935), and his wife, the former Lady Margaret Bridgeman. She spent much of her childhood in her family's country homes: Boughton House in Northamptonshire, Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfrieshire, and Bowhill in the Scottish Borders. She attended St. James's boarding school, West Malvern, Worcestershire and later travelled to France and Kenya.

Marriage

In August 1935, Lady Alice became engaged to HRH The Duke of Gloucester. They were married in a private ceremony in the chapel of Buckingham Palace on November 6 of that year. The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester initially lived at Aldershot, where the Duke was taking the Army staff course. The Duke of Gloucester left the army to take on more public duties following the abdication of Edward VIII in December 1936.

The couple received a grace-and-favor residence at York House, St. James's Palace, London and in 1938, they purchased Barnwell Manor in Northamptonshire. The Duke and Duchess had two sons, Prince William of Gloucester (December 18, 1941 – August 28, 1972) and Prince Richard of Gloucester (born August 26, 1944).

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester travelled extensively to perform their royal duties. During World War II, the Duchess worked with the Red Cross and the Order of St. John. She became head of the Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF) in 1940 and was given the honorary title of Air Chief Commandant in 1945. She also served as deputy to Queen Elizabeth, the consort of George VI as Commandant-in-Chief of the Nursing Corps. From 1945 to 1947, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester lived in Canberra, where the Duke was serving as Governor General of Australia. The Duchess of Gloucester served as Colonel-in-Chief or deputy Colonel-in-Chief of a dozen regiments in the British Army, including the King's Own Scottish Borderers, the Northamptonshire Regiment , the 2nd East Anglian Regiment (Duchess of Gloucester's Own Royal Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire), the Royal Hussars , and the Royal Irish Rangers (27th Inniskilling).

Children

In 1972, their first son, Prince William was killed in an air crash. On June 10, 1974, Prince Henry passed away and was succeeded as Duke of Gloucester by their second son Prince Richard. Prince Henry's widow requested permission from her niece, Queen Elizabeth II, to use the title and style "HRH Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester" instead of "HRH The Dowager Duchess of Gloucester". The Queen allowed her aunt to adopt this title, in part to avoid confusion with her daughter-in-law, the new Duchess of Gloucester (formerly Brigitte Eva Van Duers). Princess Alice apparently did not wish to be known as a dowager duchess and so followed the example of her late sister-in-law, Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, following the marriage of her elder son in June 1961. However, Princess Marina was a princess by birth, so it seems that de facto Dowager Duchess of Kent was allowed to be known as Princess Alice as a courtesy from the Queen.

Later years

In 1981, Princess Alice published her memoirs, The Memoirs of Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester. In 1994, she moved from Barnwall Manor to Kensington Palace, to live with the current Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. In 1999, the Duke of Gloucester issued a press release announcing that due to physical frailty, his mother would no longer carry out public engagements outside the environs of Kensington Palace.

On July 24, 2003 Princess Alice succeded Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother as the oldest ever living member of the British royal family. In fact, no member of any royal family has ever lived longer. Princess Alice died in her sleep at the age of 102.

Styles

• The Lady Alice Christabel Montagu-Douglas-Scott (birth–1935)
• Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Gloucester (1935–1974)
• Her Royal Highness Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester (1974–2004)

External links

• Official biography
• The Titular Dignity of Prince in the British Royal Family since 1714
• BBC News obituary

Sources

• Ronald Allison and Sarah Riddell, eds., The Royal Encyclopedia (London: Macmillan, 1991), ISBN 0333538102
• Marlene A. Eilers, Queen Victoria's Descendants (New York: Atlantic International Publishing, 1987), ISBN 9163059649