hmm... just a few thinngs, off the top of my head....
Princess Mary of Cambridge was one of Queen Victoria's few
British cousins. Her father was The youngest surviving son of George III: Adolphus of Cambridge. Thru her mother, Augusta of Hesse-Kassel, she was closely related to the Danish Royal Family.
She was born rather late in her father's long life (1833), being almost 15 years younger than Queen Victoria.
Princess Mary was a lively & out-going lady. Although quite obese, she was still considered pretty and charming. She was very nimble & light on her feet. Mary loved to dance, even though she occasionally knocked down other people on the dance floor.
Her weight (sadly enough) kept her single much longer than usual.
After being passed up by the future Oscar II of Sweden, and an Italian prince, she married Franz of Teck in 1866. Inspite of some unkind comments from her siblings and from Queen Victoria, Mary went on to give birth to the Future Queen Mary and to three handsome boys.
Mary was a tireless worker with an open heart. She did more than simply lend her name to a charity- she actually put in long hours organising and running fund raising events. The lady drafted her daughter (the future Queen Mary) as her secretary and assistant. The late Queen Mary's passion for being useful was a legacy from her mother.
Princess Mary was never bored- neither was
Queen Mary.
She was a lady who lived her life with real style and gusto. Her family tended to treat Mary like a loveable but slightly troublesome poor relation. Inspite of this, she was a bright and intelligent woman with a lot of friends.
Sadly, Mary was better at raising money than at managing it. She and her husband constantly lived above their means. Their debt load accumulated to such a point that they had to go into exile in Italy for a period. Her brother & sister continued to helped out, but the lady had absolutely no skill with a checkbook.
Even after her return to Britain, Mary continued to travel to the Continent whenever she could. She made the circuit in order to keep up with her wide net of relatives. Her daughter usually went with her.
Mary had a flair for public relations. She knew how to work a crowd. She often deputised for her reclusive cousin- and the crowds loved her! When they called her "Fat Mary", this wasn't an insult: it was a term of beloved endearment. She was also tagged "The People's Princess" a century before... uh..... what's her name....
Mary wasn't much older than the children of her cousin Victoria; she was on friendly terms with several of them. The Prince of Wales was a life-long friend, and Alexandra was Mary's cousin thru their Hesse-Kassel mothers. Mary had known Alexandra as a child, and the girl gravitated toward her as a a familiar face.
She married late enough in life that her four children were of a similar age to the children of the Prince & Princess of Wales. And yes: the lady lobbied long & hard to marry her daughter into the Wales family.
In 1896, her health started to fail. Even her illness failed to dampen the lady's incredible willpower. She was heard to comment:
"I don't want to die yet. I cannot leave my children- my sons want me still."
She had an operation, and recovered so quickly that she was able to attend Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee festivities. Her appearance in the carriage procession to St.Paul's triggered a thundering round of applause from the crowds that lined the streets.
Sadly, in Oct of 1897 her health finally failed. She had a second operation and died at 0300 hrs on the 28th.
...quite a lady, indeed!
