The Battenbergs - discussion, pictures

[grandduchessella]

Von Hartenau. Assen was married in 1934 to Bertha Hussa in Vienna. His sister was married in New York in  1924 to Charles Boissevain--she died relatively young, at 42. Neither had any children. Assen did adopt his wife's son by a previous marriage and gave him his surname.  

Sveta and I had answered some of these questions for you back on pages 16-17. That's the conversation Sveta quoted in the picture on the previous post.

[Eric_Lowe]

Thank you. Appreciate it very much. The pictures are new to me. :-)

[Carolath Habsburg]

Wow!! Assen looks exactly as his mother, Johanna!!

Thanks Sveta!!

[Eric_Lowe]

Love to see more of them if such photos exist. I wonder if they remain close to the Battenbergs.

[grandduchessella]

They were mostly published in the German and Austrian magazines and newspapers. Even then, not too many. I wonder where the family archives ended up? I suppose, if the material wasn't handed over to the main Hessian archives, it would be with Assen's descendants?

I don't think there was too close a relationship, at least not one mentioned with much frequency in the memoirs of Victoria Milford Haven or the published memoirs of Princess Marie. The latter mentions Johanna only in passing and without much warmth. The family also lived in Austria so there was a geographically separation as well, especially post-WW1. She remained in Vienna even after WW2 as did her son.  Perhaps this morganatically founded family had issues with an opera singer? At least, Julie Hauke came from a noble background.

I think Marie mentions her somewhat in connection with the burial of Alexander in Bulgaria? If I can remember, it had to do with her agreeing for him to be buried as their former ruler, knowing that she wouldn't be buried with him.

You can see the graves of Johanna and Zwetana here:

http://royaltyguide.nl/countries/austria/graz/friedhofleonhard.htm

[Eric_Lowe]

Thanks for the info. I guess they were on the lower pecking order even within the "morgentic issues". Sad that the families of Marie, VMH, Francis Joseph or Beatrice failed to reached out to this family. 

So the family remained in Austria throughout their lives ?

[grandduchessella]

There could've been a relationship, it's just never been noted in the memoirs or books on the family. If there was one, it doesn't seem to have been close. I don't know about Zwetana (she didn't marry or die in Austria but she's buried there) but Johanna and Assene seem to have spent their lives in Vienna.

[Ilana]

What I remember about Assen Hartenau was that he might have had some physical handicap.  This is just off the top of my head so don't quote me!!!  I think it was cerebral palsy.  And, another thing that comes to mind is that Lord Mountbatten may have been in touch with him, but again, these are just fleeting blips in my brain at this point, so I could be wrong!

[Marc]

Perhaps this morganatically founded family had issues with an opera singer? At least, Julie Hauke came from a noble background.

I have read somewhere that Queen Victoria has some sympathies for Johanna...

Anyway,you are right about Julia...Through her father,she can trace her ancestry from many great noble families such as Isenburg,Sayn,Mansfeld,Waldbott-Bassenheim,Merode,Rantzau,Hatzfeld,Nesselrode,Ahlefeldt,Eltz...

[Eric_Lowe]

Thanks Ilana for the additional bits. I think Lord Louis Mountbatten was very much a family man whose clannish feelings were well known. I wonder if he ever knew his eldest half-sister Jeanne, daughter of his father and Lily Langtry...by blood a Battenberg.

[Ilana]

Lord Mountbatten did keep in touch with Jeanne Marie's family.

[Eric_Lowe]

Yes. That would what I expect out of him. He also was very friendly with his cousin Ena, even though his sister Alice did not particularly care for her. In fact I don't think they were ever in a photo together as I recall...

[grandduchessella]

Alice & Ena? They were both in photos from their time as bridesmaids to George V and Queen Mary. As adults? Their lives went on widely divergent paths. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't interact much.

[darius]

They were also together in the group shot in The Queen´s wedding photo...

[Eric_Lowe]

Hugo Vickers who wrote the book on Princess Alice told me that Alice did not like the way that Ena waved in public as sort of attention grabbing. Later VMH & Princess Beatrice also fell out so the two branches were not in harmony with each other.

Ena got along much better with Baby Bee & Alice of Athlone than Alice of Battenberg. Although apart from the waving story, the reason of that antipathy was not well known.