George V's First Love
Who was the first woman that George V wanted to marry?
Most people interested in the royal family, or British history know that Queen Mary, the wife of George V was actually first engaged to his brother, Prince Albert-Victor (Eddy), Duke of Clarence and Avondale, and, the heir to the British throne. As we know, Prince Eddy passed away before their wedding, and eventually, Princess May, as she was known, became engaged to his younger brother Prince George. Although they had a very happy marriage and were devoted to one another, there was actually a woman who Prince George very much wanted to marry before his relationship with Princess Mary, and that was his cousin, Princess Marie of Edinburgh.
Princess Marie, called “Missy” by her family would actually go on to become the Queen of Romania. She was the daughter of Queen Victoria’s second son Prince Alfred Duke of Edinburgh and his wife Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia. Beginning in 1886, Prince Alfred and his family moved to Malta due to his becoming the Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean fleet. There, they lived at the San Antonio Palace where they would always keep a room available for their nephew, Prince George of Wales who was in the Navy. During their time spent together in Malta, George who adored all of his Edinburgh Princess cousins began to particularly favor his cousin Missy, and she him. Although, she was quite a bit younger than her Wales cousin.
Over the next 8 years, as the cousins grew up and matured, they still had a warmth for one another. George’s feelings for Missy were known within the family, and it was a match that was supported by his father, his grandmother Queen Victoria and his uncle, Missy’s father, Prince Alfred. So, what drove them apart? It is believed that George’s aunt, and Missy’s mother and Grand Duchess Maria was a heavy influence in the breakdown of their relationship.
George’s mother Princess Alexandra and Grand Duchess Maria did not get along very well with one another, mostly due to Maria’s feelings about her position. Maria, was a member of the Russian Imperial family after all, and she did not like being outranked by a previously provincial Danish Princess. (Remember, Queen Alexandra’s family were extended members of the Danish Royal Family until her father was chosen to succeed as King.) Maria also did not like the British Court, and after her husband Prince Alfred became the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (He inherited this position after the death of his uncle Ernst, Prince Albert’s brother.) Maria very much enjoyed having her own court to rule over in Coburg. In Coburg, she was essentially the Queen of her own region, was not outranked by anyone, and could do as she pleased. Now that she was out of the shadow of the British Court, she was certainly not going to let her daughters back into it, not matter what position they would have occupied.
In 1892, now second in line to the throne, it was time for George to marry. He was sojourning in the South of France with his family to recoup from the death of his older brother Prince Eddy when he received a letter from Coburg. His cousin Missy said that while she had affection for him as a cousin, he “must not think that there was anything definite in the friendship that had sprung up between them in Malta.” George was understandably upset, and told his father, The Prince of Wales, who then passed the information on to Queen Victoria. Queen Victoria wrote to George that Eddy had shared George’s feelings for their cousin and although it seems his grandmother was trying to comfort him, she was very blunt, which could not have been a comfort to George.
What George did not know however was that his aunt, Grand Duchess Maria had been the one to dictate Missy’s letter. She had other plans for her daughter. Within a year, Missy was married to Ferdinand, the Crown Prince of Romania, and she would go on to become Romania’s last Queen.
As for the disheartened Prince George, he took some time after he received his cousin’s rejection letter before he sent a note to Princess May, and began their courtship. A relationship that he clearly grew to become incredibly thankful for.
I absolutely love diving into the more personal side of well known historical figures because it makes them human and brings them to life in a relatable way. They were not just kings and queens, they were real people with real emotions and life experiences not all that different from many of our own. No matter their status, they were a big and rather dramatic family, and what a job it must have been for Queen Victoria to try and keep them all in line!
This week, I released my first Paid Subscriber Video episode where I dive into another complicated British Royal Relationship, that between Queen Mary and her Mother-in-Law, Queen Alexandra. If you want to really gain a deep understanding of the complicated dynamics between these women, learn why Alexandra did not attend the coronation of George and Mary, and MUCH more, this video is for you!
Please enjoy the first 15 minutes on me!
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Until Next Time,
McKenzie
A resource I used for this article, and a book I would suggest is Queen Victoria’s Matchmaking by Deborah Cadbury.
I really enjoy how you make these historical figures come alive . Great Work 🙏