Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll
The Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, (Louise Caroline Alberta), (
18 March 1848 -
3 December 1939) was a member of the
British Royal Family. She was the sixth child and fourth daughter of
Queen Victoria. She served as
Canadian Vice Regal Consort when her husband was the
Governor General of Canada.
Princess Louise was born on
18 March 1848 at
Buckingham Palace,
London. Her mother was the reigning
British monarch,
Queen Victoria, a grandchild of
King George III through his fourth son,
Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent. Her father was
Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. As a daughter of the sovereign, Princess Louise was styled from birth. She was christened in the Private Chapel at
Buckingham Palace by
John Bird Sumner,
Archbishop of Canterbury, on
13 May 1848. Her godparents were
Duke Gustav of Mecklenburg-Schwerin,
The Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, and
The Hereditary Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
Louise was educated by a governess at
Windsor Castle and later attended the
Kensington National Art Training School when she was 20.
Her mother, the Queen, wished for her daughter to marry and a hunt was put in place for a suitable husband. The
Princess of Wales (later Queen Alexandra) proposed her own brother,
Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark as a possible candidate, but the Queen firmly opposed another
Danish marriage that could annoy
Prussia (see
Second War of Schleswig for details of the conflict between the two countries). Louise's eldest sister the
Crown Princess of Prussia, proposed her own candidate, the tall and rich
Prince Albrecht of Prussia, her husband's cousin. However, he was reluctant to settle in England as requested. Victoria then proposed the idea that Louise marry a member of the British
nobility. The
Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), disapproved of this idea (in most of Europe it would have been out of the question at that time for a sovereign's daughter to marry a non-
mediatized noble).
Eventually a suitable candidate was chosen, the
Marquess of Lorne, heir to the title of
Duke of Argyll. The Marquess' parents were known to the Queen, and they approved of the proposed union. The Marquess was also a
Member of Parliament at this time. Princess Louise married the Marquess of Lorne on
March 21,
1871 in
St George's Chapel at
Windsor Castle.
In
1878, the Marquess was offered the position of
Governor General of Canada. On
November 14 1878, Lord Lorne and Princess Louise departed from
Liverpool Harbour on the long journey to
Canada. Princess Louise was popular in Canada, and extensively toured the country, as well as visiting the neighbouring
United States.
Princess Louise was an accomplished writer, sculptor and artist – she painted well in both
oils and
watercolours. A door she painted with sprigs of apple blossoms can still be seen in the Monck wing corridor at
Rideau Hall. She gave the name
Regina (which is
Latin for Queen) to the capital of the
North-West Territories (after 1905 of the province of
Saskatchewan), and both the district of Alberta in the
Northwest Territories (later the province of
Alberta) and
Lake Louise in that district were named after her. Although she was often unwell, she was a compassionate woman who, during an epidemic of
scarlet fever, personally nursed the sick.
On
February 14,
1880, she was seriously injured when the viceregal sleigh overturned on the streets of
Ottawa, Ontario, and Louise, though she made a full recovery, returned to England, leaving Lord Lorne to discharge their Vice-Regal duties alone for another two years.
On
4 April,
1900, the
8th Duke of Argyll died, and the Marquess of Lorne became the 9th Duke of Argyll, and Louise, the Duchess of Argyll.
The Duke died in
1914 from pneumonia. Princess Louise, now a widow, spent
World War I visiting Canadian Army units coming to fight in
France. She survived until the beginning of
World War II, dying on
December 3 1939 at
Kensington Palace, when she was ninety-one years old. At her own request her body was cremated at
Golders Green Crematorium in North
London and her ashes were buried at
Royal Cemetery at Frogmore.
The Duke and Duchess of Argyll did not have any children. According to one scholar, the Princess was sterile as the result of a teenage bout with meningitis. In various biographies, however, there has been much discussion over the Duke's sexuality. It is certain that he preferred the company of other men to that of his wife and that he and Princess Louise were often separated for long periods of time ostensibly for reasons of temperament.
Titles
*
1848-1871:
Her Royal Highness The Princess Louise
*
1871-1900:
Her Royal Highness The Princess Louise, Marchioness of Lorne
*
1900-1939:
Her Royal Highness The Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll
Three Canadian
regiments still honour Princess Louise in their names:
*
8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise's)*
The Princess Louise Fusiliers*
The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's)
