Alix and her aunt Beatrice?

[GrandDuchessIzabella]

Hi, I am a  new user!
I have read in places that Alix and her sisters were close to their mothers sister, Beatrice. Is there any truth in this? Also, I have seen a picture of them together, does anyone have it? Many thanks,
GDIzabella

[Eddie_uk]

But would there have been a reason for Alix to have her hair up earlier? I am 99% certain her hair is in a braided bun!

This photo is also dated 1887 (September, at Balmoral):

This one was posted on the young alex thread.

I suppose considering the close age range, and the fact that Princess Beatrice lived with her mother, she would have played with many of her neices & nephews.

[CountessKate]

In 1885, Beatrice became Alix's sister-in-law, when she married Henry of Battenberg, the brother of Louis of Battenberg who had married Victoria of Hesse-Darmstadt the previous year.  So there was a double relationship.  Queen Victoria's letters to Victoria of Battenberg mention Beatrice frequently, as both women were married and started their families close together in time.

[GrandDuchessIzabella]

Thank you for the picture!

[LauraO]

i assume they would have seen a lot of each other as well- alix spending a lot of time with QV and beatrice living with her

[historyfan]

Alix was also a bridesmaid to Beatrice when she married Henry of Battenberg.

[Hector]

People here might find it interesting to read Princess Beatrice's Wikipedia article and how King Edward VII wanted her to become Alexandra's step-mother http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Beatrice_of_the_United_Kingdom#Possible_suitors

[historyfan]

Well, wikipedia is a dubious source, since people can put almost anything they want in there...

[Kalafrana]

Heaven's Above!! Beatrice was only six years older than VMH, and 15 years older than Alexandra! More an elder sister than a stepmother!

[Eddie_uk]

I think that was actually Queen Victorias idea!

[Hector]

Hard to argue that, but this particular part of the article is referenced to "The Last Princess: The Devoted Life of Queen Victoria's Youngest Daughter" by Matthew Dennison. http://books.google.com/books?id=j3LATGzgqD4C and a review mentioning the potential marriage to Alix's father http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/jan/27/featuresreviews.guardianreview28

Well, wikipedia is a dubious source, since people can put almost anything they want in there...

[GrandDuchessIzabella]

Hard to argue that, but this particular part of the article is referenced to "The Last Princess: The Devoted Life of Queen Victoria's Youngest Daughter" by Matthew Dennison. http://books.google.com/books?id=j3LATGzgqD4C and a review mentioning the potential marriage to Alix's father http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/jan/27/featuresreviews.guardianreview28

Well, wikipedia is a dubious source, since people can put almost anything they want in there...

Having read her excellent biography, Victoria came up with the idea but Bertie (for once) agreed with her. Victoria thought that Beatrice would be a good mother figure to the Hesse children but would maybe bring them closer to her in England. However it was against the law (Deceased Wife's Sister Bill) , but Bertie was so in favour of it that he 'carried a petition signed by 3258 Norfolk farmers praying that the prohibition be ended' to the hearing at the House of Lords. By the time the Bill became Law, Louis was dead. No mention of Beatrice's opinion is mentioned in the passage or Victoria's diary, but I presume that she wouldn't be happy with it, much as she liked the children and Louis. After all, she was only 21 at the time and still really a child (although they did grow up quicker in those days) and Victoria had sheltered her her whole life so IMO she wouldn't have been ready even if she had loved him.

[wildone]

Couldn't Beatrice have just lived with the family and taken care of the children, without having to marry Ludwig?

[historyfan]

Couldn't Beatrice have just lived with the family and taken care of the children, without having to marry Ludwig?

Like Maria in The Sound of Music? Can't see that happening. Also, can you imagine her (or anyone) broaching that idea to Queen Victoria?

[jehan]

Couldn't Beatrice have just lived with the family and taken care of the children, without having to marry Ludwig?

Despite the possible machinations of her mother and brother, is there any evidence that Beatrice was ever consulted in this?  And that she approved of the idea of marrying Ludwig (or that he had any desire to marry her? ) Or did she even know about the plot?

And while we don't know how she felt about this- I doubt that being essentially an unpaid nanny to her nieces and nephew (the eldest of whom was only 8 years her junior) would have been all that appealing to her, although I am sure she loved them very much.