The life of Princess Irene of Hesse

The last surviving child of Princess Alice and Prince Louis of Hesse, Princess Irene is the least known member of the Hessian family. In todays blog, I will be looking at her life and the heartbreaking events that shaped her story.

On the 11th July 1866, Princes Irene was born at New Palace, Darmstadt, just eleven days before the end of the Astro-Prussian war. Due to the war, her father, had been away on military duty but was given temporary leave for the occasion. At first, her parents were disappointed at a third daughter, but this changed when Alice gave birth to a son two years later. Three days after the princess was born, Louis returned to the frontline. Due to this, Alice decided to wait until the end of the war before having her daughter baptised.

Known as ‘Nin’ by close family, the baby was christened on 12th September 1866. Named after the Greek word for ‘peace’, she was given the names Irene Luise Maria Anna. Growing up, the peace element of her name was put into use as Irene became the peacemaker amongst her siblings. Like her mother, Irene was brought up under the care of English nannies and followed a relatively modest lifestyle. From a young age, the children wore simple clothing and ate simple foods; as well as learning everyday skills, such as: gardening, baking and cleaning their own rooms. The princess also accompanied her mother on visits to hospitals and charities to help those in need, something that she continued throughout her life.

In November 1878, Irene’s life changed when diphtheria spread through the hessian household. Every member of the family caught the illness beside her sister Elizabeth, who had been sent away for safety. On 16th November, her youngest sister, Princess Marie, succumbed to her symptoms and died aged just four. Less than a month later, Princess Alice also died after contracting the disease from her children. Aged just 12, Irene was without a mother. Wanting to help, Queen Victoria decided to take on the role of a surrogate mother and played an active role in the children’s education, choosing dress patterns and also their love lives.

Upon the marriages of her eldest sisters, Victoria and Elizabeth, Irene took on the role of her father’s companion and often assisted him with his official duties, as well as hosting his events. However, this all changed in 1888 when she became engaged to her first cousin, Prince Henry of Prussia. Unaware of the match, Queen Victoria didn’t find out until wedding plans had been put in place. The wedding took place in 24th May 1888 at the chapel of Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin. Although the day was meant to be happy, it was overshadowed by the death of Henry’s grandfather just two months earlier, as well as his father’s terminal cancer. Later that day, the couple left the palace to spend their honeymoon at Schloss Erdmannsdorf in Silesia.

The two moved into Königliches Schloss, Kiel, where they lived until 1894, when they brought the Hemmelmark estate in Eckernförde, Schleswig-Holstein. The two had a happy marriage and soon became known as ‘the very Amiables’ due to their friendly and humble natures. On 20th March 1889, Irene gave birth to the couples first child, Waldemar, and over the next eleven years gave birth to a further two sons. Like many of Queen Victoria’s descendants, Irene was a carrier of the dreaded haemophilia, which she sadly passed to her eldest and youngest sons. The latter, named Heinrich, sadly died aged just four after bumping his head in a fall.

Throughout her life, Irene maintained a close relationship with her siblings. Although she didn’t agree with her sisters choice in husband, which caused them to convert to Russian orthodoxy, she got along with each of their spouses. The five siblings and their partners would often travel to one another and meet up as a group. Irene was particularly close to her sister Alix, who was also a carrier of haemophilia. The two would often share advice and talk through worries about their children that suffered with the disease. When the First World War broke out, Irene and her brother Ernst Louis found themselves on the opposite side to their other siblings. Unable to communicate, Irene was unaware of Alix and Elizabeth’s situation in Russia and didn’t find out about their executions until after the war.

In the 1920s, there were rumours that Alix’s youngest daughter, Anastasia, had survived the attack. When a young woman came forward claiming to be the Grand Duchess, Irene agreed to meet her. At first, she hoped Anastasia was still alive but she later wrote that she “saw immediately that she could not be one of my nieces […] the fundamental facial characteristics could not have altered to that degree”. The woman later turned out to be Anna Anderson, who was in no way related to the Romanov family. It’s thought that the princess was so distraught by Anderson’s lies that Henry banned the mention of her name in Irene’s presence.

From then on, Irene’s life was filled with tragedy. In 1929, Henry died aged 66 at their home, Schloss Hemmelmark. Eight years later, Irene’s only surviving brother, Ernst Louis, also passed a way. Within weeks of his death, his widow, eldest son, daughter-in-law and grandson all died in a plane crash while travelling to his youngest son’s wedding. World War Two put Irene on the opposite side to her only surviving sister, Victoria. Once again, the two were unable to communicate. On 2nd May 1945, her eldest son died as a result of his haemophilia, leaving Irene with just one living son, Sigismund, who lived in Costa Rica.

Irene spent the war continuing her charity work. She was devastated when Princess Victoria died in 1950, making her the last surviving member of her family. She spent her final years living at Schloss Hemmelmark with her granddaughter, Princess Barbara of Prussia, who she officially adopted in 1952. Irene died aged 87, on 11th November 1953 at her home, with Barbara by her side. She was buried on 15th November at the chapel in the grounds of Schloss Hemmelmark, next to Prince Henry and her youngest son.

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Queen Victoria’s journal- The birth of Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine, 11th July 1866