Joshua Bennett
Princess Alice of Battenberg, born in 1885 at Windsor Castle, was the mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and mother-in-law of Queen Elizabeth II. She was profoundly spiritual and religious, and her faith played a significant role in her life. Princess Alice was born deaf and faced numerous challenges, including being diagnosed with schizophrenia and committed to a sanatorium. She served as a military nurse during World War II and dedicated herself to charitable and humanitarian work, hiding Jewish families from persecution. Princess Alice's religious affiliation and beliefs have been a subject of interest, and she is described by some sources as a lapsed Catholic. However, later in her life, she became an Orthodox Christian nun, founding a convent and a nursing order of Greek Orthodox nuns.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Victoria Alice Elizabeth Julia Marie |
| Born | 25 February 1885 |
| Died | 5 December 1969 |
| Parents | Prince Louis of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine |
| Religion | Christian (Lapsed Catholic) |
| Spouse | Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark |
| Children | Five children, four daughters and one son, Philip |
| Known For | Mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, mother-in-law of Queen Elizabeth II, and paternal grandmother of King Charles III |
| Other Titles | Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark, Mother Superior Alice-Elizabeth, Dame of the Order of the Golden Lion |
| Occupation | Nurse, philanthropist, charity worker |
| Other Information | Born congenitally deaf, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, worked as a military nurse during World War I, hid a Jewish family during World War II, founded the Christian Sisterhood of Martha and Mary in 1949 |
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What You'll Learn
Princess Alice's Catholic faith
Princess Alice of Battenberg was born congenitally deaf at Windsor Castle in 1885. She was a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria and the mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, mother-in-law of Queen Elizabeth II, and paternal grandmother of King Charles III.
Princess Alice was a profoundly spiritual and religious person, exploring various doctrines throughout her life. She was a member of the Greek Orthodox Church and, in 1949, founded the Christian Sisterhood of Martha and Mary, a nursing order of Greek Orthodox nuns based in Athens. She took the name Mother Superior Alice-Elizabeth and was known for her charitable and humanitarian work.
Princess Alice's commitment to her faith and humanitarian work was evident during World War II when she worked with the Swedish and Swiss Red Cross, organising shelters for orphaned children, and bringing in medical supplies from Sweden. She also hid a Jewish family, Rachel Cohen and her two children, saving them from the death camps at great personal risk.
In summary, Princess Alice of Battenberg was a deeply religious woman who devoted much of her life to her faith and to helping others through charitable and humanitarian work. While there are references to her being a lapsed Catholic, the majority of sources describe her as an Orthodox Christian and member of the Greek Orthodox Church.
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Her life as a nun
Princess Alice of Battenberg was born congenitally deaf and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. She served on the frontline as a military nurse during the Balkan Wars of 1912-13, setting up field hospitals and assisting with surgeries on wounded soldiers. Princess Alice was also a keen philanthropist and charity worker. During World War II, she worked for the Red Cross, organising shelters for orphaned children and bringing in medical supplies from Sweden.
Princess Alice was a profoundly spiritual and religious person, taking an interest in various doctrines throughout her life. In 1949, she founded a nursing order of Greek Orthodox nuns called the Christian Sisterhood of Martha and Mary. She decided to withdraw from the world and moved to the island of Tinos. Princess Alice was also known as Mother Superior Alice-Elizabeth from 1949 until her death.
Princess Alice was related to most European royal families. She was a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria and the mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, mother-in-law of Queen Elizabeth II, and paternal grandmother of King Charles III. She married Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark in 1903 and had five children with him: four daughters and a son.
Princess Alice's family was exiled from Greece in 1917, and they settled briefly in Paris. Her four daughters married into German nobility, and some of their husbands were supporters of National Socialism. Princess Alice's son, on the other hand, joined the British Royal Navy. During World War II, Princess Alice lived in the Athens palace of her brother-in-law, Prince George of Greece. She found herself in a difficult situation, with sons-in-law fighting on the German side and her son on the British side.
Princess Alice was a war-time hero, risking her life to hide a Jewish family, the Cohens, during the German occupation of Athens. She sheltered Rachel Cohen and her daughter, Tilde, at her home, and there were times when the Germans became suspicious and interviewed Princess Alice. She pretended not to understand their questions due to her deafness. Princess Alice's aunt, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Fyodorovna, had also become a nun and founded a convent. Princess Alice expressed a wish to be buried in Jerusalem next to her aunt, and her remains were transferred to the Church of Mary Magdalene at the Russian Orthodox convent on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem in 1988.
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Her charitable work
Princess Alice of Battenberg was a keen philanthropist and charity worker. During World War II, she worked for the Red Cross, organising shelters for orphaned children and bringing medical supplies from Sweden. She also helped rescue Jews from the Nazis, sheltering Jewish refugees in her home at great personal risk. In 1941, when Germany invaded Greece, Princess Alice offered shelter to Rachel Cohen, the widow of a former member of parliament, and her daughter, Tilde, saving them from the death camps. Princess Alice's charitable work extended beyond the war as well. In 1908, she visited Russia for the wedding of Grand Duchess Marie of Russia and Prince William of Sweden. There, she discussed the foundation of a religious order of nurses with her aunt, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna. After her recovery from schizophrenia and her time in a Swiss sanatorium, Princess Andrew devoted most of her remaining years to charity work in Greece. In January 1949, she founded a nursing order of Greek Orthodox nuns called the Christian Sisterhood of Martha and Mary.
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Her deafness
Princess Alice of Battenberg was born congenitally deaf. Her mother, Princess Victoria of Hesse, noticed that she was slow in learning to talk and had indistinct pronunciation. Her grandmother, the Princess of Battenberg, identified the problem and took her to see an ear specialist, who diagnosed her with congenital deafness. By the age of eight, Princess Alice had become a fluent lip reader in English and German.
Princess Alice's deafness may have made her more sensitive to the underprivileged and outcast. During World War II, she hid a Jewish family, Rachel Cohen and her two children, saving them from the death camps at great personal risk. When the Germans became suspicious and interviewed Princess Alice, she pretended not to understand their questions until they left her alone.
Princess Alice's dedication to charitable and humanitarian work continued after the war. In 1949, she founded a nursing order of Greek Orthodox nuns, the Christian Sisterhood of Martha and Mary. She also organised shelters for orphaned children and brought in medical supplies from Sweden.
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Her exile from Greece
Princess Alice of Battenberg, later known as Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark, was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria and married into the royal family of Greece. She was born on 25 February 1855 at Windsor Castle in Berkshire. On 7 October 1903, she married Prince Andrew (Andreas) of Greece and Denmark.
Princess Alice lived in Greece until 1917, when she and other members of the Greek royal family were forced into exile due to King Constantine's neutrality policy during World War I. For the next few years, Princess Alice and her family lived in Switzerland and settled briefly in Paris. During this time, she opened a charity shop for Greek refugees.
In 1922, Turkey defeated Greece, and Prince Andrew was forced to stay on the island of Corfu. With intervention from the British government, the prince and princess were able to go into exile again, this time settling on the outskirts of Paris.
Princess Alice and her family returned to Greece a few years later, but they were once again forced into exile in 1935 due to Prince Andrew being blamed in part for the country's defeat in the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922). During this period, Princess Andrew experienced severe nervous breakdowns and was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. She spent much of the next decade in mental institutions, gradually drifting from her husband.
In 1941, when Germany invaded Greece, Princess Alice remained in Athens and worked with the Swedish and Swiss Red Cross organizations, assisting in organizing soup kitchens and bringing in medical supplies from Sweden. She also hid a Jewish family, Rachel Cohen and her two children, saving them from the death camps at great personal risk to herself.
Following the colonel's coup d'etat in Greece in 1967, Princess Alice returned to England and lived at Buckingham Palace, close to her son and his family. She died in London in December 1969.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Princess Alice was not Catholic. She was a member of the Greek Orthodox Church and became a nun in 1949.
Princess Alice worked for the Red Cross during World War II. She also hid a Jewish family, the Cohens, at great personal risk to herself.
Princess Alice died at Buckingham Palace, London, in 1969.
