Beatrice of Edinburgh and Saxony-Cobourg and Gotha

Beatrice of Saxony-Cobourg, princess of the United Kingdom, Infante of Spain and duchess of Galliera was born on April 20th, 1884 in Eastwell Park, in Kent, and died on July 13rd, 1966 with Sanlúcar de Barrameda, close to Seville.

Family

She is the girl of Alfred of the United Kingdom (1844-1900), Duc of Edinburgh and sovereign duke of Saxony-Cobourg-Gotha (1893-1900), and of his wife the large-duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia (1853-1920).

By her father, it is thus the grand-daughter of Victoria Ière (1819-1901), queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and empress of the Indies, and of her husband the Prince Consort Albert of Saxony-Cobourg (1819-1861). By her mother, it goes down from the tsar Alexandre II of Russia (1818-1881) and his wife Marie of Hesse-Darmstadt (1824-1880).

Let us add that the Béatrice princess is the sister of the queen Marie of Romania (1875-1938) and of the tsarevna Victoria-Melita of Russia (1876-1936). In 1909, the Béatrice princess marries in Cobourg Alphonse of Orleans (1886-1975), infant of Spain and fifth duke of Galliera. By his mother, the duke of Galliera is the grandson of the queen Isabelle II of Spain (1830-1904) while, by his father, he is the great-grandson of the king of the French Louis-Philippe Ier (1773-1850).

From this marriage are born three children:

Alvaro of Orleans (1910-1998), infant of Spain and duke of Galliera, which marries morganatiquement Italian Carla Parodi di Delfino in 1937.

Alonso of Orleans (1912-1936), Infant of Spain, which dies in the combat in the nationalist rows during the Spanish Civil war.

Ataulf of Orleans (1913-1973), Infant of Spain.

Biography

The Béatrice princess passes most of her childhood to Malta, where his/her father is useful in the English navy. But, in 1889, the duke of Edinburgh and his family settle in the small German duchy of Cobourg whose prince is declared heir by his uncle the duke Ernest II to Saxony-Cobourg (1818-1893).

In 1902, the Béatrice princess falls in love with the large-duke Michel with Russia (1876-1918), brother and heir apparent to the tsar Nicolas II. Unfortunately, the orthodoxe religion prohibited the marriage of the first cousins and two young people, who however have the approval of their family, must break to them idylle.

Thereafter, a rumor gives a report on a possible marriage between the princess Béatrice and the king Alphonse XIII of Spain (1886-1941) but it is actually a cousin of the princess, Victoria-Eugenie de Battenberg (1887-1969), which wife the Spanish monarch. This event however has a great importance for Béatrice since it is at the time of the weddings of Alphonse XIII and Victoria-Eugenie that it meets her engaged couple, infant it Alphonse of Orleans.

However, the relation of Beatrice and Alphonse of Orleans is looked with reserve by Madrid. It should be said that infant it belonged to the very first possible heirs to Alphonse XIII and that Béatrice refuses to convert with the Catholic religion and to give up the faith Lutheran. Two young people must thus leave Spain and it is in Cobourg that they marry (under the two rites) in 1909.

In 1912, Alphonse XIII authorizes his cousins to return to Spain and the duke and the duchess of Galliera settle in Madrid. At this point in time is born the rumor according to which the king of Spain, which is a become inveterate womanizer, nourishes a connection with his cousin by alliance. Truth or not, the scandal is propagated and arrived at the ears of the queen dowager Marie-Christine of Spain (1858-1929). Offusquée, this last meeting Beatrice in Saint-Sebastien and require of him to leave Spain. The English one refuses, but the dowager obliges her son to send it in exile.

The duke and the duchess of Galliera thus leave to live in the United Kingdom. At the end of a few years, the Court of Madrid however allows the couple to return to Spain, and the duke and the duchess of Galliera are established in the family property of Orleans, with Sanlúcar de Barrameda.

Years 1930 correspond to one period of sadness and difficulties for the family of Orleans. The inversion of Alphonse XIII and the proclamation of the Republic in 1931 lead the family to be exiled again and to turn over to live in England, where they register their children in Winchester College. Then, in 1936, the release of the civil war causes the impoverishment of Galliera, which is seen confiscating their Spanish fields because they support the nationalist camp. Lastly, in 1936, the duke and the duchess of Galliera lose their second wire who is killed whereas it fights the Republicans.

Once the finished war, the Béatrice princess returns to live in Spain, in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and it is there that she dies in 1966. Her husband survives to him until 1975.

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