Alice, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn

Full name
	Alice Luise Eleonore Victoria

Alice
Alice
Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn
Duchess Consort of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Tenure	22 August 1893 - 30 July 1900
Governor of Malta
In office	13 May 1878 - 21 August 1881
Monarch	William V
Preceded by	Charles van Straubenzee
Succeeded by	Arthur Borton
First Naval Lord
Tenure	12 August 1879 - 30 June 1884
Preceded by	George Wellesley
Succeeded by	The Lord Hood of Avalon
Born	Alice Luise Eleonore Victoria; 3 January 1840; Marlborough House, London
Died	5 August 1901 (aged 61); Schloss Rosenau, Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, German Empire
Burial	15 August 1901; Westminster Abbey, London
Spouse	Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; (m. 1874; died 1900)
Issue; Detail	Alfred II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; Louise, Princess of Prussia; Prince George;
Full name
Full name
	Alice Luise Eleonore Victoria
House	Hanover
Father	William IV
Mother	Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen
Religion	Protestant
Military service
Branch/service	Royal Navy;
Years of service	1860-1890
Rank	Admiral of the Fleet
Commands	HMS William V (1867-1870); HMS Invincible (1872-1874); HMS Rapier (1877-1879); HMS Adelaide (1879-1881); First Naval Lord (1879-1884); Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth (1885-1888)
Battles/wars	Anglo-Spanish War (1864); British Expedition to Abyssinia; Third Ashanti War; Xhosa Wars; 'Urabi Revolt

Alice (Alice Luise Eleonore Victoria; 3 January 1840 - 5 August 1901) was the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 1893 until 1900.

Famed for her beauty and intelligence, she became a highly popular figure during the reign of her brother and was an accomplished admiral during her career in the Royal Navy. In addition to her nephew George V, she and the latter were among the few numbers of royals to ever hold an administrative position, as Alice herself held the position of Governor of Malta and later First Naval Lord of the Royal Navy during her lifetime.

Early Life

Alice was born on the 3rd of January 1840 as the last surviving child and only surviving daughter of the late William IV, alongside her brother, the future William V. Since the birth of her brother William allowed the Queen Dowager Adelaide to rise back into prominence, Alice's birth was also received warmly by her mother, as she was subsequently named "Alice Luise Eleonore Victoria" which honoured those of her maternal grandmother and her cousin Victoria. Despite the queen dowager's sickening conditions, Alice enjoyed much passionate care and love from her mother and was reported to had been an "extremely bright, energetic and sometimes nosy little girl". As it was the norm for princesses, Alice was educated primarily around subjects that concerned her gender's role. Eventually, though the young princess took much interest in reading and particularly drawing as a side hobby, she unusually enjoyed horse riding and on several occasions, had to be forcibly restrained by palace staff due to her adventurous and outspoken nature. Concerning her brother William, the two siblings enjoyed a cordial bond but both were keen on occasional and harmless teases directed towards the other. In a particular writing by William himself, "Despite how insensible the young girl Alice could be when it comes to several matters, she definitely posses the character of a strong, and free-willed woman".

Adulthood

Despite her mother's passing in 1849 which temporarily "crippled" the young princess, she quickly bonded with her cousin Victoria and cousin-in-law Albert. Much like her brother William, Alice grew close to Victoria's large family. While her brother was close to Victoria's eldest son Edward, Alice however was instead close to the latter's sister, also named Victoria. Remarkably, their shared passion for intelligence and knowledge proved compatible in ensuring a close bond between the two princesses, such close bond was evident when Alice was later allowed to play with her female cousins whenever they had the chance.

Marriage Proposals

Alice's early thrust into court life began during her brother's coronation event when the thirteen year old princess was first offered a hand of marriage by Prince Pedro of Portugal. The latter, having initially failed to secure a marriage between his sister and William attempted to entice the young princess into a marriage which would prove beneficial for both countries. Despite this, further planning were foiled due to Alice's persistence in remaining an Anglican and her personal weariness to commit to such marriage.

Three years later, in order to reconcile British-Russian relations in the aftermath of the Crimean War, the princess's hand in marriage was once more offered by the Tsesarevich of Russia Nicholas Alexandrovich. Initially, Alice contemplated on the proposal as she was well aware of the vast amount of territory and the military strength of Russia, the latter which had fell short of its Western counterparts in the Crimean War. Ultimately, in a letter in which Alice expressed her inability to "receive such an offer despite the temptation", the young princess once more remained free from marital bindings as a young woman.

Prior to her marriage, Alice was barraged with several other proposals from the likes of the crown princes of Sweden-Norway and Denmark respectively, as both men saw her value as a token of alliance between their countries and the United Kingdom. However, Alice reportedly loathed a busy court life abroad as she once explicitly told her brother that she did not want to be "imprisoned" away from her freedom. Alternatively, she preferred a marriage that came with a less "hectic and tedious" court life which would allow her to freely travel and venture to wherever she preferred to.

Career In The Royal Navy

Upon reaching the age of majority, Alice became deeply focused in achieving her dream of enlisting in the prestigious Royal Navy, much to the surprise of her peers. This was initially pursued when the princess continuously pressured the then First Sea Lord, Sir William Martin to allow her to enlist regardless of her gender. Despite the initial failure in convincing the latter, Alice was then able to successfully convince the succeeding First Sea Lord, Sir Richard Dundas who took office in 1859.

Recognising an essential need of continued improvement for the Royal Navy, Alice had her brother commission the very first naval academy in Britain in 1861, named the Britannia Royal Naval College. She subsequently became one of the first few graduates of the naval academy institution and in 1862 was formally commissioned as a Midshipman.

During the Anglo-Spanish War in 1864, Alice was first posted onboard the HMS Charlotte alongside the distinguished naval officer John Fisher, then a Lieutenant. Initially, she held no distinctive post during the initial stage of the war but upon the death of the ship's navigator during the Canary Islands expedition, she was subsequently chosen as a replacement and in an instance became close friends with the latter. During the later stages of the war, she distinguished herself during the recapture of Jamaica from a besieging Spanish force.

Though she would not see further combat until four years later, Alice reportedly kept himself at an "outstandingly" and "remarkably" busy level of keeping herself acquainted with naval tactics and vice versa, which on several occasions threw her into instances of minor fever as a result of her habit. Accordingly, her brother, the king himself wrote, "In my life, I have never seen such a hardworking woman other than my own mother and wife". Despite this, her efforts paid off during her lieutenant's exam and she was given her first senior appointment during the Abyssinian Expedition where once more, her performance inspired promising remarks from her superiors albeit at the cost of minor teases from her male peers.

In 1873, she was part of the Royal Navy fleet involved in the Third Ashanti War where despite a largely successful outcome, Alice herself suffered considerable injury which rendered her incapable for duty for a subsequent period of two months. However, at the same time, she was promoted to Commander and together with Fisher, whom she considered as a close friend began working on "revolutionary" improvements in cementing the Royal Navy's nearly unrivalled might.

In 1877, Alice once more distinguished herself in the Xhosa Wars and was instantly promoted to the rank of Commodore. At the same time, much to her surprise and initial reluctance, she was made Governor of Malta, the post which she ultimately held for three years, all the while concentrating on improving the defensive infrastructure of the island and the general livelihood of the Maltese people.

In what would be her final military engagement, Alice held a major role during the 'Urabi Revolt where her remarkably small fleet of ten ships were able to successfully capture the coastal city of Port Said from a considerably strong Egyptian defense. This feat would ultimately earn her the rank of Vice Admiral before being ultimately promoted to Admiral of the Fleet two months later, making her as the first woman ever in British history to ever achieve such a feat.

Appointed as First Naval Lord in 1879, Alice then emphasised the need to equally balance the prospects of affordability and reliability in determining the new generation of ships that were later constructed for the Royal Navy. She later worked on a self-written manual for "up and coming" naval officers and formally retired from her post in 1884.

Personal Information

Despite having little interest in marriage, Alice enjoyed a warm marriage with her husband Alfred, whom through Victoria is her first cousin once removed. The couple were survived by two children, albeit the third had died due to a miscarriage.

Owing to her much liberal and adventurous upbringing, Alice is reportedly a professional of several sports such as swimming, polo and several others.

Titles & Honours

3 January 1840 - 22 February 1871 Her Royal Highness The Princess Alice
22 February 1874 - 22 August 1893 Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn
22 August 1893 - 30 July 1900 Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn
30 July 1900 - 5 August 1901 Her Royal Highness The Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn