The wedding of Princess Helena and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein

On the 5th July 1866, Princess Helena, fifth child of Queen Victoria, married Prince Christian of Scleswig-Holstein in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle

While serving as her mothers private secretary, Helena became romantically involved with her brothers tutor, Carl Ruland, who had previously served as her father’s librarian. When she found out in 1863, Queen Victoria lost all respect for previously praised Ruland and had had him dismissed back to his home in Germany.

Wanting to prevent it from happening again, Victoria began looking at suitors for Helena. But as the middle child of the sovereign, and deemed “plump”, “dowdy” and “without charm” by her mother, Helena’s prospects were low. Queen Victoria limited her choices more by demanding that Helena’s betrothed should be willing to live near the Queen so that the princess could continue to serve as her secretary and companion.

With most eligible bachelor’s out of the question, King Leopold I of Belgium, suggested Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. Happy with the suggestion, Queen Victoria summoned Prince Christian to undergo her inspection. However, aged 35, the prince thought the Queen was planning to marry him herself and was shocked to discover that he was in fact a possible suitor for her 19 year old daughter!

Helena and Christian first met in August 1865, when Queen Victoria and her nine children traveled to Coburg to reveal a statue of Prince Albert. Although he was 15 years older, Helena knew she didn’t have much choice and supported the prospective match. However, most Helena’s siblings were strongly against it. Alexandra, Princess of Wales, disapproved the most, as the Schleswig-Holstein territory had belonged to her father before the Austro-Prussian War and couldn’t stand the thought of him joining the family. Prince Albert Edward, Alexandra’s husband and Helena’s brother, was also against the match in support of his wife. Queen Victoria’s third child, Princess Alice believed that the Queen was sacrificing Helena’s happiness for her own convenience. With Christian’s age her main concern, many wedding guests later said it looked like Helena was marrying an aged uncle! The only members of the family that truly agreed were Helena’s eldest sister, Victoria, and her husband, Crown Prince Friedrich of Germany, who had been friends with Christian for years.

Despite the controversy, Helena was determined to marry Christian. Their engagement was announced on 5th December 1865 and they married exactly seven months later at 12:30pm in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle, on the 5th July 1866. As guests gathered in the castle, Helena waited in Queen Victoria’s private apartment, before walking down to the chapel in a moderately large procession. The guest list included: British and foreign royals, members of Queen Victoria’s household, foreign representatives, government officials, close friends and also close employees. Supported by her mother, the Prince of wales and eight bridesmaids, Helena made her way down the isle to the opera ‘Scipio’. She was wearing a silk dress, decorated in honiton lace, orange blossom and myrtle; as well as a necklace, earrings and brooch, which were a wedding gift from her mother.

After the ceremony, the happy couple, Queen Victoria and other members of the family and household, headed to the White Drawing Room to sign the marriage registry. A luncheon was then held in the Oak Room for royalty, while a buffet was held in the Waterloo Chamber for all other guests. At 4:15pm, the couple left Windsor to spend their first night at Osborne House, before honeymooning in Paris, Interlaken and Genoa. That evening, banquet was held in the Waterloo Gallery for remaining guests, as well as an evening party, which took place in St. George’s Hall.

Upon their return to England, the couple took residence at Cumberland Lodge in Windsor Great Park and used the Belgian suite at Buckingham Palace whenever they were in London. Helena gave birth to their first child, Prince Christian Victor, on 14th April 1867. She went on to have a total of seven children in the space of nine years, but sadly her sixth child, Prince Harald, only lived eight days and her final child was a stillborn son. Despite the heartbreak, Helena and Christian remained close.

In 1917, King George V retracted all German titles in the royal family and the couple became known simply as Prince and Princess Christian. Just three months later, on 28 October, Christian died aged 86, at their Pall Mall home, Schomberg House. Helena was devastated by his death and spent her final years living with her two daughters: Princess Helena Victoria and Princess Marie Louise.

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