Queen Mary Pt 3

[Michael II]

Princess Louise Duchess of Fife was known for saying "Poor May and her Wurttemberg hands" when she was upset at Queen Mary.  Also Princess
Victoria once stated to a person assigned to sit next to Princess May then duchess of York "Do try an talk to May though one knows she is deadly dull."

[Eddie_uk]

Thats right! I've always found Victorias comment suprising. I think May, with her knowledge of History and Florence, would have been fascinating to talk too!

[joan_d]

What are "Wuttenberg Hands" - if they are hands like bunches of bananas, Prince Charles certainly has inherited them !!!

[Eddie_uk]

Apparently it was in reference to Queen Marys morganatic lineage.

[grandduchessella]

Yes, but the Wurttemburg side was one of her royal sides! I think it was just a slight on what the Wales sisters considered her large hands. She was known to be very sensitive about them and that's why you hardly ever see such a great shot of them--they are always in gloves, in her lap, holding a fan or something else.

[Vecchiolarry]

Hi,

If I was at a royal dinner party with this bunch, I'd gladly sit with Queen Mary instead of those 'deadly dreary Wales girls' as I've seen them discribed.  Even QV thought they were all an "anemic lot" and that's one reason she picked May Teck to marry her grandson(s)....

Larry

[Grace]

I agree to a point, but it wasn't really the fault of the Wales girls that they were not well educated nor, it seems, given enough to do to engage their time wisely.  Also, I don't think we've really got to the bottom of their supposed health problems either - whether they really had them or whether they were encouraged to have them but I do feel sorry for these girls - they could have been so much more than they ever became - perhaps even Maud, who was obviously the most accomplished of the three. 

I agree wholeheartedly with you on QV's choice of May for Eddy and subsequently George, though.  What a wise and forward-looking person QV was.

[CountessKate]

I agree wholeheartedly with you on QV's choice of May for Eddy and subsequently George, though.  What a wise and forward-looking person QV was.

I think QV was lucky with Eddy/George/May, not wise/forward-looking.  Her first choice for Eddy was Alix, who was not interested in him and who would not have made a very good Princess of Wales, Queen, or wife for either Eddy or George, admittedly my personal view.  Her choice of Ernst of Hesse-Darmstadt and Victoria Melita of Edinburgh as marriage material was a disaster.  Generally, her matchmaking was a bit hit-or-miss.  But May was definitely a hit.

[Vecchiolarry]

Hi Grace & Kate,

Yes, I agree that the Wales girls unfortunate position was not their fault.  I think their mother wanted to keep them "in diapers" too long and thus they were stiffled...

And, QV was lucky in her choice of May;  but she wanted her for health and educational reasons.  I have read (in "Matriarch" I believe) that QV was most impressed by Princess Mary Adelaide, whom she deemed "Healthy as a horse"..
She commented that MA could outwalk and out dance anyone at Court, even though she was overweight.  And, it didn't hurt that she was popular too!!
Even though May was shy, QV ascertained during a visit to Balmoral that the Princess was very intelligent  -  just what Eddie needed!!  And, Georgie too, I guess!

We can only wonder at what would happen to the British monarchy had Eddie lived and married Alix - stupid hemophaeliacs!!
Cruel, I know, but possibly true.
Forgive me - 

Larry

[Grace]

I don't agree that QV was just 'lucky' with May, Countess Kate - she observed her quite closely after inviting her to Balmoral for ten days in 1891 as Larry said and was very taken by her 'suitability'.  She wrote in detail about her impressions both to May's mother Mary Adelaide and to Vicky in Germany.  How is that just 'lucky'?

QV did have fond hopes that Eddy or George would marry Alix of Hesse but she expressed those as far back as 1887 when 'Alicky' was only 15 years old - before she'd developed the unfortunate religious fervour and melancholic outlook that made her such a disaster later on.  

Eddy was not stupid - even QV said that and she knew him - we didn't but, yes, I forgive you Larry!

[Michael II]

I was just wondering what the relationship between Queen Mary and her sister-in-laws was?  I know she and Princess Alice seemed rather close but have never read anything concerning she and Margaret Marchioness of Cambridge.

[grandduchessella]

I believe they got along well--the Teck/Cambridges seem to have always been around the Court, though Adolphous was stationed overseas for good chunks of time. I have some info on her somewhere--I'll try to dig some of it  out when I'm home.

[grandduchessella]

Telegram (it looks like to her brother 'Dolly') announcing her engagement to George



Handkerchief carried by QM on her wedding day

[grandduchessella]

Figurines from the main wedding cake



and part of the main cake itself

[grandduchessella]

Queen Mary with her granddaughter Elizabeth, her brother 'Alge', King George's nasty tempered parrot Charlottte and the King's dog 'Snip'