Princess Victoria Alexandra of the United Kingdom

Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom (6 July 1868-3 December 1935) was the fourth child and second daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Queen Alexandra. She should not be confused with her maternal aunt, Victoria, Princess Royal and Empress Frederick, the eldest child and first daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.

Her Royal Highness The Princess Victoria Alexandra Olga Mary, VA, CI, GCStJ was born at Marlborough House, the London residence of her parents, then-the Prince and Princess of Wales. To differentiate her from her grandmother and from her aunt, Princess "Vicky", she was nicknamed "Toria." Like her sisters, Princess Victoria of Wales was educated by tutors and spent her childhood at Marlborough House and Sandringham. The Princess was particularly close to her brother, the future King George V.

Although she had a number of suitors, Princess Victoria never married. Her mother, Alexandra, is believed to have actively discouraged her from marrying. Instead she remained a companion to her parents, particularly her mother, with whom she lived until Queen Alexandra's death in 1925. The princess then set up her own home at Coppins, Iver, in Buckinghamshire. She took a particular interest in the village life, becoming honorary president of the Iver Horticultural Society. She, along with her sisters Princess Louise and Princess Maud, received the Imperial Order of the Crown of India from Queen Victoria on 6 August 1887. Like her sisters, Princess Victoria also held the First Class of the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert and a Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem.

Princess Victoria died at home in December 1935. Her funeral took place at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle and she was buried at Frogmore Royal Burial Ground, Windsor Great Park. Her death greatly affected George V, who died one month later.

Sources

"Princess Victoria, His Majesty's Sister, A Quiet Home Life," The Times, 4 December 1935, p. 18, column A.

Ronald Allison and Sarah Ridell, The Royal Encyclopedia (London: Macmillan, 1992).