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Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont[1] (Helene Friederike Auguste; later Duchess of Albany; 17 February 1861 – 1 September 1922), who became a member of the Germany) and his wife, Princess Helena of Nassau (also in Germany).
She was born in Arolsen, capital of Waldeck principality, in Germany. She was the sister of Friedrich, last reigning Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont; Marie, the first wife of William II of Württemberg; and of Emma, Queen consort of William III of the Netherlands (and mother of Queen Wilhelmina).
Her maternal grandparents were William, Duke of Nassau and his second wife Princess Pauline of Württemberg. Pauline was a daughter of Prince Paul of Württemberg and his wife Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen.
Paul was a son George III of the United Kingdom.
Along with Emma and a third sister, Pauline, Helena was considered as a second wife for William III of the Netherlands. She later met with Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, youngest son of Queen Victoria, at the suggestion of his mother. The two became engaged in November 1881. Leopold was actually a third cousin of Helena's grandmother Princess Pauline of Württemberg, as they were both great great grandchildren of Frederick, Prince of Wales.
On 27 April 1882, Leopold and Helena married in Windsor Castle.[2] After their wedding, Leopold and Helena resided at Claremont House. The couple had a brief, but happy marriage, ending in the hemophiliac Leopold's death from a fall in Cannes, France, in March 1884. At the time of Leopold's death, Helena was pregnant with their second child.
The couple had two children:
According to the memoirs of Helena's daughter, Princess Alice of Albany, Helena was very intelligent, had a strong sense of duty, and a genuine love of welfare work. The Queen, initially worried that Helena might turn out to be a stereotypically-remote German Princess, remarked in a letter to her eldest daughter The Princess Royal and German Crown Princess that she was pleased Helena liked 'to go among the people.' The Queen soon came to regard her young daughter-in-law with great respect and affection, notwithstanding her initial concerns upon hearing from the match-making Vicky that Helena was an "intellectual", being unusually well-educated for a Princess. Before her marriage, Helena's father had made her Superintendent of the infant schools in his principality, and in this position the Princess had devised the pupils' educational curriculum. Helena particularly enjoyed solving mathematical problems and reading philosophy: during their tragically brief marriage, Prince Leopold proudly introduced his wife to the circle of academics he'd befriended at Oxford University. Helena maintained these friendships for the rest of her life.
In 1894, Helena was one of the founders of the Deptford Fund.[3] Originally dedicated to helping find alternative work for women and girls employed in the dangerous cattle slaughter business, the Fund soon expanded, with many projects instigated to help the local community. In 1899 Helena opened the Albany Institute.[4] This later expanded into a combined community/performance centre with the theatre venue known as the Albany Empire. A centre of 1970s anti-fascist activity and Rock Against Racism, the Empire and Institute buildings were destroyed in an arson attack in 1978. A new Albany Theatre was opened by the Princess of Wales in 1982 and the Deptford Fund continues to this day.
Helena was also involved in several hospital charities and with those dedicated to ending human trafficking. During The Princess Beatrice and Princess Marie-Louise to avoid the not-uncommon problem of conflicting (and sometimes misguided) Royal war-work projects.[5]
After Leopold's death, Helena and her two children, Alice and Charles Edward, continued to reside at Claremont House. After the death of Queen Mary.
In 1901, it was speculated that Helena would marry Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery.[6]
Helena died on 1 September 1922 of a heart attack in Hinterriss in Tyrol, Austria, while visiting her son.
Through her son Charles Edward, Helena is the great-grandmother of Carl XVI Gustav, the current King of Sweden.
CI: Companion of the Order of the Crown of India VA: Lady of the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert RRC: Member of the Royal Red Cross DJStJ: Dame of Justice of St John
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