View source for Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone

{{Short description|British princess (1883–1981)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Princess Alice
| title        = [[Earldom of Athlone|Countess of Athlone]]
| image        = File:Princess-alice-countess-of athlone.jpeg
| caption      = Princess Alice in 1911
| module       = {{Infobox officeholder
| embed            = yes
| office           = [[Viceregal consort of Canada]]
| term_label       = In role
| term_start       = 21 June 1940
| term_end         = 12 April 1946
}}
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone]]|10 February 1904|16 January 1957|reason=died}}
| issue        = [[Lady May Abel Smith]]<br />[[Rupert Cambridge, Viscount Trematon]]<br />Prince Maurice of Teck
| house        = [[House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]] <small>(until 1917)</small> <br /> [[House of Windsor|Windsor]] <small>(from 1917)</small>
| father       = [[Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany]]
| mother       = [[Princess Helen of Waldeck and Pyrmont]]
| signature    = Princess Alice Mary's signature.svg
| birth_name   = Princess Alice of Albany
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|1883|2|25|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Windsor Castle]], [[Berkshire]], England
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|1981|1|3|1883|2|25|df=yes}}
| death_place  = [[Kensington Palace]], London, England
| burial_date  = 8 January 1981
| burial_place = [[Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore]]
| full name    = Alice Mary Victoria Augusta Pauline
}}

'''Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone''' (Alice Mary Victoria Augusta Pauline; 25 February 1883 – 3 January 1981), was a member of the [[British royal family]]. She was the longest-lived [[British princess|princess of the blood royal]], and one of the [[List of longest-living members of the British royal family|longest-lived British royals]]. Princess Alice was the last surviving grandchild of [[Queen Victoria]], the sister-in-law of [[Mary of Teck|Queen Mary]], and the cousin of Mary's husband, King [[George V]].

==Early life==
Alice was born on 25 February 1883 at [[Windsor Castle]], the only daughter of [[Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany]] (the youngest of the four sons of [[Queen Victoria]] and [[Albert, Prince Consort]]) and his wife [[Princess Helen of Waldeck and Pyrmont]].<ref name="Bio-NT">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/01/04/obituaries/princess-alice-at-london-home-a-grandchild-of-queen-victoria.html |title=Princess Alice, at London Home; A Grandchild of Queen Victoria |newspaper=The New York Times |date=4 January 1981 |access-date=27 May 2018}}</ref> Her younger brother and only sibling, [[Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Prince Charles Edward]] (later Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha), was born on 19 July 1884. 

She was [[Baptism|baptised]] in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle on 26 March, and named Alice after her late paternal aunt [[Princess Alice of the United Kingdom|Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse]]. Her godparents were: Queen Victoria (her paternal grandmother); the [[Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach|German Empress]], for whom Alice's paternal aunt [[Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom|Princess Beatrice]] stood proxy; the [[William III of the Netherlands|King of the Netherlands]] (her maternal uncle), for whom the Dutch Ambassador Count Charles van Bylandt stood proxy; the [[Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse|Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine]] (her paternal uncle), represented by his brother-in-law [[Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh]]; the [[Princess Helena of Nassau|Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont]] (her maternal grandmother); the [[Edward VII|Prince of Wales]] (her paternal uncle); the [[Victoria, Princess Royal|Princess Royal]] (the German Crown Princess – her paternal aunt) represented by her sister-in-law the [[Alexandra of Denmark|Princess of Wales]]; [[William II of Württemberg|Prince Wilhelm of Württemberg]] (her maternal uncle), represented by his cousin the [[Francis, Duke of Teck|Duke of Teck]]; the [[Princess Pauline of Waldeck and Pyrmont|Hereditary Princess of Bentheim and Steinfurt]] (her maternal aunt), for whom her paternal aunt [[Princess Helena of the United Kingdom|Princess Christian]] stood proxy; and the [[Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel|Duchess of Cambridge]] (her grandmother's aunt), represented by her daughter the [[Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge|Duchess of Teck]].{{CN|date=May 2024}} She was confirmed at the [[Royal Memorial Church of St George]], [[Cannes]], in 1898 with Queen Victoria present.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Confirmation of Princess Alice of Albany at St George's Church, Cannes |work=[[The Illustrated London News]] |date=16 April 1898 |pages=5, 6 }}</ref>

When she was four years old, a burglar broke into Clarence House through Alice's bedroom window on the first floor, having used a ladder from a nearby farmhouse. He was followed by two accomplices, but a scream from Alice's nanny alerted everyone and made them flee. [[Princess Helen of Waldeck and Pyrmont|Princess Alice's mother]] tried to calm her by telling her it had been [[Father Christmas]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=of Athlone |first=Princess Alice |title=For My Grandchildren |year=1966 |pages=64}}</ref>

Alice was one of the carriers of the gene for [[haemophilia in European royalty|haemophilia]] which originated with Queen Victoria. Alice inherited the gene from her father, who died from the disease when she was one year old.<ref name="times">{{cite news |title=HRH Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone |work=[[The Times]] |page=14 |date=5 January 1981}}</ref>

==Marriage and family==
[[File:Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone with children.jpg|right|thumb|upright|Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, with her children May and Rupert, {{circa}} 1909]]
On 10 February 1904, at [[St George's Chapel, Windsor]], Alice married her [[cousin|second cousin once removed]] [[Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone|Prince Alexander of Teck]], the brother-in-law of the Prince of Wales (later [[George V]]).<ref name="Bio-NT"/><ref name=saworld>{{cite journal |last=Stegner |first=Wallace |title=Discovery! The Story of Aramco Then |journal=Saudi Aramco World |date=January–February 1969 |volume=7 |url=http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/196901/discovery.the.story.of.aramco.then-chapter.7.dammam.no.7.htm}}</ref> Alice was attended by five bridesmaids, all cousins: Princesses [[Princess Margaret of Connaught|Margaret]] and [[Princess Patricia of Connaught|Patricia]] of Connaught, [[Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1899–1948)|Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont]], [[Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood|Princess Mary of Wales]] and [[Mary Somerset, Duchess of Beaufort (sportswoman)|Princess Mary of Teck]] (the latter two also the groom's nieces). Alice and her husband were both descended from King George III. They had three children:
* [[Lady May Abel Smith|Princess May of Teck]] (23 January 1906 – 29 May 1994), later Lady May Cambridge; married [[Sir]] [[Henry Abel Smith]] in 1931, had issue.
* [[Rupert Cambridge, Viscount Trematon|Prince Rupert of Teck]] (24 April 1907 – 15 April 1928), later Viscount Trematon; died in a car accident.
* Prince Maurice Francis George of Teck (29 March 1910 – 14 September 1910); died at five months old.

King George V granted her husband the [[Earldom of Athlone]] in 1917, during the [[First World War]], following the royal family's relinquishing of German titles. Following the Earl's retirement from military service after the war, the couple moved to Clock House within [[Kensington Palace]], the [[grace and favour]] apartment that had previously been occupied by Alice's mother;<ref name="Bio-NT"/> in 1923 they also acquired a country house, [[Brantridge Park]] in [[West Sussex]].<ref name="aronson">{{cite book |last1=Aronson |first1=Theo |title=Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7mBnAAAAMAAJ&q=%22brantridge+park%22 |publisher=Cassell |location=London |date=1981 |page=123 |isbn=0304307572 |access-date=2 June 2016}}</ref>

Alice was godmother to Queen [[Beatrix of the Netherlands]], who is the granddaughter of her first cousin on her mother's side, Queen [[Wilhelmina of the Netherlands]].<ref>[http://www.geheugenvannederland.nl/?/en/items/KONB05:1299 De vijf peetouders van prinses Beatrix]. The Memory of the Netherlands. Retrieved on 2008-07-11.</ref>

==South Africa, Canada and Second World War==
[[Image:Princess Alice in RCAF Uniform.jpg|thumb|left|Princess Alice in [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] uniform, 1942]]
The Earl was appointed Governor-General of the [[Union of South Africa]], and served from 1924 to 1931.<ref name=UW>{{cite web |url=http://www.warwick.ac.uk/~lysic/1920s/athlonelord.htm |title=Earl of Athlone (1874–1957) |publisher=[[University of Warwick]] |access-date=25 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416061942/http://www.warwick.ac.uk/~lysic/1920s/athlonelord.htm |archive-date=16 April 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> Alice accompanied him and was the Vicereine during that period. Lord Athlone and Alice had a coastal beach house constructed at [[Muizenberg]], which still stands today and is one of South Africa's national monuments.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://artdaily.com/news/32327/Royal-Pictures-by-South-African-Artist--Jacob-Hendrik-Pierneef--on-Sale-at-Bonhams-in-London#.WwpT_zQvzIU |title=Royal Pictures by South African Artist, Jacob Hendrik Pierneef, on Sale at Bonhams in London |publisher=artdaily.org |access-date=27 May 2018}}</ref> The [[Athlone, Cape Town|Cape Town suburb of Athlone]] was named in honour of the Governor-General; apart from the beach house and the preserved [[South African Class GL 4-8-2+2-8-4|Class GL ''Garratt'' steam locomotive ''Princess Alice'']] in the [[Outeniqua Transport Museum]], it is the only physical reminder of the Athlones' residence at the Cape.

On the sudden death of the popular [[John Buchan|Lord Tweedsmuir]] in 1940, Canada found itself without a Governor General in time of war. Despite the longstanding intention of Canadian governments to appoint Canadian nationals as governors general—Australia had already appointed an Australian national, Sir [[Isaac Isaacs]], as its governor general in 1931—the royal family had garnered vast public support during the [[Royal tours of Canada#1939 royal tour|royal tour of 1939]]. As Queen Mary's brother and a former governor general of another Dominion, Lord Athlone seemed a satisfactory candidate, and the Canadian prime minister ([[William Lyon Mackenzie King|W. L. Mackenzie King]]) advised [[George VI of the United Kingdom|the King]] to appoint him.

Alice accompanied her husband to Canada where he served as [[Governor General of Canada|Governor General]] from 1940 to 1946, residing primarily at [[Rideau Hall]] in [[Ottawa]]. Their three grandchildren, Anne, Richard, and Elizabeth, lived with them in Canada for the duration of the war.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Life Calls on the Earl of Athlone |magazine=Life |date=August 7, 1944 |volume=17 |issue=6 |pages=94–97 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-04EAAAAMBAJ&q=earl+of+athlone&pg=PA94 |access-date=24 August 2018}}</ref>

Upon taking up his post, The Earl immediately made himself active in the support of the war effort, travelling across the country and focusing much of his attention on the troops, either those training at military facilities or those injured and in hospital. Viewing his position as governor general as a link between Canadians and their monarch, Athlone also communicated in speeches that the King stood with them in their fight against [[Adolf Hitler]] and the [[Nazi Germany|Nazi regime]].<ref name=GGCam>{{cite web |url=http://www.gg.ca/gg/fgg/bios/01/athlone_e.asp |last=Office of the Governor General of Canada |title=Governor General > Former Governors General > Major General The Earl of Athlone |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=24 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211100844/http://www.gg.ca/gg/fgg/bios/01/athlone_e.asp<!--Added by H3llBot--> |archive-date=11 February 2009}}</ref>

As vicereine of Canada, Alice also supported the war effort by serving as Honorary Commandant of the [[Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service]], Honorary Air Commandant of the [[Royal Canadian Air Force Women's Division]] and president of the nursing division of the [[St John Ambulance Brigade]].<ref>[http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=55 "The Earl of Athlone," Former Governors General, The Governor General of Canada, accessed 22 April 2011.]</ref>
[[File:Eleanor Roosevelt, Princess Alice, and Mrs. Winston Churchill at Quebec, Canada for conference - NARA - 196993.jpg|thumb|[[Eleanor Roosevelt]], Princess Alice, and [[Clementine Churchill]] at the [[Second Quebec Conference]] during the Second World War]]
In 1944, the ''Princess Alice Barracks Cabin'' at [[Britannia, Ottawa|Britannia Bay]] provided a summer retreat for Royal Canadian Air Force Women's Division personnel based in Ottawa. The cabin was located near the [[Britannia Yacht Club|Britannia Boating Club]]'s facilities for tennis, dancing and boating. Rented from the King's Daughter's Guild of Ottawa, the cabin featured 60 beds, a separate [[cookhouse]] and dining pavilion. The cabin had served previously as a Fresh Air Cottage for mothers and undernourished children.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nhQvAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-NsFAAAAIBAJ&dq=britannia%20bay%20g%3Alocbritannia%2C_ontario%2C_canada&pg=3409%2C1490295 the Princess Alice Barracks Cabin at Britannia Bay Ottawa Citizen Jul 10, 1944]</ref>

The war was brought close to home for the Athlones also because many of those belonging to displaced European royal families sought refuge in Canada, and resided at or near the royal and viceroyal residence, Rideau Hall. Among the royal guests were [[Olav V of Norway|Crown Prince Olav]] and [[Märtha of Sweden|Crown Princess Märtha]] of [[Norway]]; [[Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg|Grand Duchess Charlotte]] and [[Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma|Prince Felix]] of [[Luxembourg]]; [[Peter II of Yugoslavia|King Peter]] of [[Yugoslavia]]; [[George II of Greece|King George]] of [[Greece]]; Empress [[Zita of Bourbon-Parma]] ([[Austria]]) and her daughters; as well as [[Wilhelmina of the Netherlands|Queen Wilhelmina]] and her daughter, [[Juliana of the Netherlands|Princess Juliana]].<ref name=Hubbard>{{cite book |last=Hubbard |first=R.H. |title=Rideau Hall |publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press |year=1977 |location=Montreal and London |page=[https://archive.org/details/rideauhallillust00hubb/page/201 201] |isbn=978-0-7735-0310-6 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/rideauhallillust00hubb/page/201}}</ref> Further, in December 1941, British prime minister [[Winston Churchill]] arrived at Rideau Hall, where he presided over [[Cabinet of the United Kingdom|British Cabinet]] meetings via telephone from his bed.<ref>{{Harvnb| Hubbard| 1977| p=202}}</ref>

The viceregal couple also played host at [[Quebec City]] to prime minister Mackenzie King, as well as Churchill and [[President of the United States|United States president]] [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], who all gathered to take part in what would become known as the Quebec Conferences, with [[Quebec Conference, 1943|the first]] taking place between 17 and 24 August 1943 at the viceregal residence in [[Citadelle of Quebec|La Citadelle]], and [[Second Quebec Conference|the second]] occurring from 12 to 16 September 1944 at the [[Château Frontenac]].  Photos of the Earl with [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt|Roosevelt]], [[Winston Churchill|Churchill]] and Mackenzie King on the ramparts of the Citadel during the Quebec Conference were widely published at the time.

It was at these meetings that the four men discussed the Allied strategies that would eventually lead to victory over Nazi Germany and [[Japan]]. When Germany fell on 8 May 1945 and Japan on 15 August of the same year, Athlone led the national celebrations held on [[Parliament Hill]] and elsewhere. He thereafter spoke in speeches about Canada's future being marked not by war but by a strong role in reconstruction and reconciliation.<ref name=GGCam/>

During their time in Canada, the Athlones also supported various charitable and social events, and mounted a number of tobogganing parties and skating lessons on the grounds of Rideau Hall, as well as skiing in [[Gatineau Park]]. Before the couple departed from Canada at the end of Athlone's time as the King's representative, he left as a legacy the Athlone-Vanier Engineering Fellowship, awarded by the [[Engineering Institute of Canada]].<ref name=GGCam/>

==Public life==
[[Image:Althorn-Alice-MK.jpg|right|190px|thumb|The Earl and Countess of Athlone, followed by Mackenzie King, at the opening of Parliament, 6 September 1945]]
In her lifetime, Alice carried out many engagements and took part in many of the activities the royal family were involved in. Apart from her normal duties as vicereine of South Africa and then Canada, she attended the coronations of four British monarchs: [[Edward VII]], [[George V]], [[George VI]] and [[Elizabeth II]], as well as the investiture of the Dutch queen [[Juliana of the Netherlands|Juliana]]. She was also the Colonel-in-Chief of two British Army units and one [[Rhodesian Army]] unit. During the Second World War, she was Honorary Air Commandant of the [[Royal Canadian Air Force Women's Division]]. In  1950, she became the first Chancellor of the [[University of the West Indies]] (then the University College of the West Indies).<ref name="obituarynytimes">{{cite web |title=PRINCESS ALICE, AT LONDON HOME: A GRANDCHILD OF QUEEN VICTORIA |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/01/04/obituaries/princess-alice-at-london-home-a-grandchild-of-queen-victoria.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161007210105/http://www.nytimes.com/1981/01/04/obituaries/princess-alice-at-london-home-a-grandchild-of-queen-victoria.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 October 2016|website=The New York Times |access-date=29 December 2017}}</ref> As Chancellor, she visited the university every year, staying as a guest of Sir [[Kenneth Blackburne]], Governor-General of Jamaica, and his wife.

From the 1930s to the 1960s, she was Chair of the Council (governing body) of [[Royal Holloway College]], [[University of London]]. With her husband, daughter and son-in-law, Alice represented the King at the 1937 wedding of [[Juliana of the Netherlands]] to [[Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld]].<ref name="theoaronson">{{cite book |last1=Aronson |first1=Theo |title=Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone |publisher=Cassell |location=London |edition=first |date=1981 |isbn=0304307572 |page=185}}</ref>

Alice and her husband visited [[Bahrain]] and [[Saudi Arabia]] in the winter of 1938.<ref name=artdaily>{{cite news|title=Sotheby's To Sell An Historic Album Photographs Recording the First British Royal Visit to Saudi Arabia and Bahrain|url=http://www.artdaily.com/section/news/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=30656&b=map#.UekD72TAVgs|access-date=19 July 2013|work=Art Daily|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017224200/http://artdaily.com/section/news/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=30656&b=map#.UekD72TAVgs|archive-date=17 October 2015}}</ref> She was the first member of the British royal family to visit the country and the only one to meet [[King Abdulaziz]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11505153|title=Audio Slideshow: Princess Alice in Saudi Arabia|publisher=BBC|date=11 October 2010|access-date=27 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/alice-in-arabia-the-first-british-royal-to-visit-saudi-arabia-1.414073|title=Alice in Arabia: the first British royal to visit Saudi Arabia|publisher=The National|first=Loveday|last=Morris|date=30 July 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://socialsciences.exeter.ac.uk/iais/downloads/Princess_Alice_Exeter_exhibition.pdf|title=Journey of a Lifetime: The visit of HRH Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia|publisher=College of Social Sciences and International Studies|access-date=27 May 2018}}</ref> Their nephew [[Lord Frederick Cambridge]] accompanied them on the visits.<ref name=mor30jul/> In Saudi Arabia Princess Alice visited [[Riyadh]], [[Hofuf]] and [[Dammam]], and met [[Nuora bint Abdul Rahman Al Saud|Noura bint Abdul Rahman]], sister of the King and other members of the [[Saudi royal family]].<ref name=geographical>{{cite news|title=The journey of a lifetime|url=http://www.geographical.co.uk/Magazine/Princess_Alice_-_Jul_11.html|access-date=21 July 2013|work=Geographical|date=July 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140521124537/http://www.geographical.co.uk/Magazine/Princess_Alice_-_Jul_11.html|archive-date=21 May 2014}}</ref>

In 1966, Princess Alice published her memoirs, ''For My Grandchildren''.<ref name=artdaily/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone |title=For My Grandchildren |publisher=Evans Bros. |location=London |date=1966 |oclc=654367087}}</ref>

==Later life and death==
At the end of the [[Second World War]], the [[American Military Government in Bavaria]], under the command of General [[George S. Patton]], arrested and imprisoned Alice's brother, [[Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]] (who served as a member of the [[Reichstag (Weimar Republic)|Reichstag]] from 1937 to 1945), because of his actions as a [[Nazi]] supporter during the war. Alice, learning of her brother's incarceration, came to [[Germany]] with her husband to plead with his American captors for his release. They would not yield, and in 1946 he was sentenced by a [[Denazification|de-nazification court]], heavily fined and almost bankrupted.<ref>''Hitler's Favourite Royal'' ([[Channel 4]] documentary) Dec 2007</ref>

The Earl of Athlone died in 1957 at Kensington Palace in London.<ref name=mor30jul>{{cite news |last=Morris |first=Loveday |title=Alice in Arabia: the first British royal to visit Saudi Arabia |url=http://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/alice-in-arabia-the-first-british-royal-to-visit-saudi-arabia |access-date=21 July 2013 |newspaper=The National |date=30 July 2011}}</ref> Alice lived there until her death, dying in her sleep on 3 January 1981, aged 97 years and 313 days.<ref name="Bio-NT"/> {{As of|2025}}, she remains the longest-living princess of the blood royal and is fourth on the [[list of longest-living members of the British royal family]], just ahead of Queen [[Elizabeth II]] and surpassed only by the Queen's [[Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester|aunt]], [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother|mother]] and [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|husband]], all of whom married into the royal family.

Her funeral in [[St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle]] was attended by all members of the royal family. She is buried alongside her husband and son in the [[Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stgeorges-windsor.org/about-st-georges/royal-connection/royal-burials/royal-burials-chapel-since-1805/|title=Royal Burials in the Chapel since 1805|work=College of St George – Windsor Castle|accessdate=5 March 2023}}</ref> directly behind the [[Royal Mausoleum, Frogmore|Royal Mausoleum]] containing the remains of her grandparents, [[Queen Victoria]] and [[Albert, Prince Consort|Prince Albert]]. Her son, daughter and son-in-law are also buried close by.

At the time of her death she was great-aunt to the [[Carl XVI Gustaf|King of Sweden]] and the [[Elizabeth II|Queen of the United Kingdom]]. She lived through six reigns:<ref name="Bio-NT"/> those of [[Queen Victoria|Victoria]] (grandmother), [[Edward VII]] (uncle), [[George V]] (brother-in-law and cousin), [[Edward VIII]] as well as [[George VI]] (nephews) and Elizabeth II (grandniece).

Her will was sealed in London after her death in 1981. Her estate was valued at £182,185 (or £567,100 in 2022 when adjusted for inflation).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Evans |first1=Rob |last2=Pegg |first2=David |title=£187m of Windsor family wealth hidden in secret royal wills |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jul/18/187m-pounds-of-windsor-family-wealth-hidden-in-secret-royal-wills |website=The Guardian |access-date=19 July 2022 |language=en |date=18 July 2022}}</ref>

== Honours ==
* [[File:Royal Order of Victoria and Albert - ribbon bar.gif|45px]] Member, 1st Class, of the [[Royal Order of Victoria and Albert]] (VA)
* [[File:UK Royal Victorian Order ribbon.svg|45px]] 1 January 1948: Dame Grand Cross of the [[Royal Victorian Order]] (GCVO)<ref>{{London Gazette|supp=y|issue=38161|page=9|date=1 January 1948}}</ref>
* [[File:Order of the British Empire (Civil) Ribbon.svg|45px]] 11 May 1937: Dame Grand Cross of the [[Order of the British Empire|Most Excellent Order of the British Empire]] (GBE)<ref>{{London Gazette|supp=y|issue= 34396 |page= 3074|date=11 May 1937}}</ref>
* [[File:UK Order of Saint John ribbon.svg|45px]] Dame Grand Cross of the [[Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem]] (GCStJ)
* [[File:UK King George VI Coronation Medal ribbon.svg|45x45px]] 12 May 1937: Recipient of the [[King George VI Coronation Medal]]<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34453|page=7033|date=10 November 1937|supp=y}}</ref>
* [[File:UK Queen EII Coronation Medal ribbon.svg|45x45px]] 2 June 1953: Recipient of the [[Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal]]<ref>
{{London Gazette|issue=40020|page=6225|date=20 November 1953|supp=y}}</ref>
* [[File:Royal Family Order of King George V ribbon bar.svg|45x45px]] [[Royal Family Order of George V]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Vickers |first=Hugo |title=Royal Orders |publisher=Boxtree |year=1994 |isbn=9781852835101 |pages=147}}</ref>
* [[File:UK Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II ribbon.svg|45x45px]] [[Royal Family Order of Elizabeth II]]<ref>{{Cite book |title=World Orders of Knighthood and Merit: Volume 1 |publisher=Burke's Peerage & Gentry |year=2006 |pages=832}}</ref>

=== Honorary military appointment ===
;{{Flagicon|UK}} United Kingdom
* {{Flagicon|UK|army}} Commandant-in-Chief, [[First Aid Nursing Yeomanry]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fany.org.uk/history |title=History {{!}} FANY (PRVC) – Princess Royal's Volunteer Corps |website=FANY (PRVC) – Princess Royal's Volunteer Corps |access-date=22 May 2017}}</ref>

===Arms===
As a granddaughter of Queen Victoria in the male line, Princess Alice was entitled to use the [[Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom|Royal Arms]] with a 5-point label for difference, the central point bearing a cross gules, the others hearts gules.

{| border="0" align="center" width="70%"
|-
!width=25% |[[Image:Coat of Arms of Alice of Albany, Countess of Athlone.svg|200px|center]]
!width=25% |[[File:Royal Standard of Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone.svg|200px|center]]
!width=25% |[[File:Royal Standard of Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (in Scotland).svg|200px|center]]
![[File:Arms of alliance of Lord Athone, and Princess Alice.png|center|200x200px]]
|-
|{{center|Princess Alice's [[coat of arms]]}}
|{{center|Alice's banner of arms, a five-point label, the first, second, fourth and fifth points charged with a red heart, the third point charged with the Cross of St. George}}
|{{center|Alice's personal banner of arms in Scotland.}}
|Arms of alliance of Lord Athone, and Princess Alice
|}

{{clear}}

==Ancestry==
{{See also|Descendants of Queen Victoria}}
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center
| boxstyle_1 = background-color: #fcc;
| boxstyle_2 = background-color: #fb9;
| boxstyle_3 = background-color: #ffc;
| boxstyle_4 = background-color: #bfc;
| 1 = 1. '''Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone'''
| 2 = 2. [[Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany]]
| 3 = 3. [[Princess Helen of Waldeck and Pyrmont]]
| 4 = 4. [[Albert, Prince Consort|Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]
| 5 = 5. [[Queen Victoria|Victoria of the United Kingdom]]
| 6 = 6. [[George Victor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont]]
| 7 = 7. [[Princess Helena of Nassau]]
| 8 = 8. [[Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]
| 9 = 9. [[Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1800–1831)|Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg]]
| 10 = 10. [[Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn]]
| 11 = 11. [[Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld]]
| 12 = 12. [[George II, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont]]
| 13 = 13. [[Princess Emma of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym]]
| 14 = 14. [[William, Duke of Nassau]]
| 15 = 15. [[Princess Pauline of Württemberg (1810–1856)|Princess Pauline of Württemberg]]
}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
*{{NPG name}}
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS4hAbHLszw A YouTube video of HRH Princess Alice speaking informally about Queen Victoria, her paternal grandmother; circa 1976]

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]|25 February|1883|3 January|1981|[[House of Wettin]]}}
{{s-hon}}
{{succession box|title=[[Viceregal consort of Canada]]|before=[[Susan Buchan, Baroness Tweedsmuir|The Baroness Tweedsmuir]] | after=[[Margaret Alexander, Countess Alexander of Tunis|The Countess Alexander of Tunis]]|years=1940–1946}}
{{succession box|title=[[Governor-General of South Africa|Viceregal consort of South Africa]]|before=[[Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife|Princess Arthur of Connaught]] | after=[[The Earl of Clarendon|The Countess of Clarendon]]|years=1924–1930}}
{{s-aca}}
{{s-new}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[University of the West Indies|Chancellor of the University of the West Indies]]|years=1948–1971}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Hugh Wooding|Sir Hugh Wooding]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{British princesses}}
{{Princesses of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alice of Athlone, Countess, Princess}}
[[Category:1883 births]]
[[Category:1981 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Windsor, Berkshire]]
[[Category:Canadian viceregal consorts]]
[[Category:British princesses]]
[[Category:British countesses by marriage|Athlone]]
[[Category:Princesses of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]
[[Category:Daughters of British dukes]]
[[Category:House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (United Kingdom)]]
[[Category:Ladies of the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert]]
[[Category:Dames Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Dames Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Christ (Portugal)]]
[[Category:Burials at the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore]]
[[Category:Teck–Cambridge family]]
[[Category:People from Balcombe, West Sussex]]
[[Category:Wives of knights]]
[[Category:British royal memoirists]]