‘A merry happy night’: Prince Albert’s final Christmas

Christmas 1860 was the final happy festival to have been spent by Queen Victoria before the premature death of Prince Albert the following December. However, while this Christmas was later looked upon with sorrow, at the time, the scene captured a thriving family, who celebrated the engagement of their third child, Princess Alice to Prince Louis of Hesse.

Alice and Louis first met in the summer of 1860 and having initially made a good impression, Louis was invited to spend the build up to Christmas with the Queen’s family at Windsor Castle. To the Queen’s surprise, Louis arrived at Windsor on 24^th November, two days earlier than he had been expected. This sudden arrival threw Victoria off course as not only was she unprepared for visitors, but she was anxious that things should remain positive between Alice and Louis; with the hopeful expectation that this visit would consist of an engagement. Fortunately, the initial attraction between the two remained and on 30^th November Louis proposed. Following the norms of the day, Alice spoke to her parents before accepting. ‘Alice came to our room & told us of Louis expressing his hope to her, that she liked him sufficiently to exchange her English for a German home’ (1) wrote the Queen, adding that once everyone had approved the match they embraced ‘the dear young people… Dear Alice was so happy & I overjoyed!’ (2) The following day the news was announced to each of Alice’s siblings, her maternal grandmother, the Duchess of Kent, and members of the Queen’s household. Everyone was ecstatic about the match and believed Louis to be the perfect addition to the family.

Over the coming weeks the happy family rejoiced in countless family outings, with Victoria often spending time with Alice, while Albert went out shooting with ‘his sons, & future son [Louis]’ (3). On the 4^th December Empress Eugenie of France arrived at Windsor to join the family for dinner. It was at this time that Louis wore the famous ‘Windsor Uniform’, in which the Queen described him as looking ‘so nice, being evidently much pleased at being one of us’ (4). With the band playing Mendelssohn’s Wedding March on the 2^nd and regular talks of Alice’s future marital happiness, wedding fever was truly in the air; and on both the 1st and 8^th December, the young couple were photographed together to mark their engagement.

As the days passed, the Queen approached the 14^th December with nothing but hope for the future, oblivious that 14^th December the following year would seemingly put an end to all of her current happiness. Not only would this dreaded day take the life of her beloved Albert in 1861, but seventeen years later it would also take Alice’s. However, in 1860 it was just like any other day. Albert once again went out shooting with the princes, while Victoria went out on a drive and walk Alice and her cousin – Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge – before going to see her mother, who was to pass away the following spring. An even darker contrast to the serious events of the following year, after dinner the family went to see a new comedic play ‘by Tom Taylor called “The Babes in the Wood”, which has only lately been produced, & was admirably performed by the Haymarket Company’ (5). The next day it was decided that Prince Louis would be staying at Winsor for the rest of ‘this happy festival’. (6)

While Queen Victoria’s attention turned towards preparing for Christmas, it didn’t stop her from enjoying time with her husband and children. In the day they went out on walks on the frosty slopes and ice skating on the frozen pond; and in the evening they played games like 21 and chess in the cosy fire-lit castle. It was the idyllic family scene.

The following day was Christmas Eve. In her journal the Queen wrote: ‘Already this dear Festival returned again, & this year with true Xmas weather, snow on the ground & sharp frost’ (7). Albert and his sons went out shooting, While Victoria stayed with Alice and Louis. Together the group, along with Victoria’s three younger daughters, returned to the skating pond, where they did laps before the children, Louis and members of the Royal Household played a game of Hockey. At 4pm the Queen and Albert returned to the castle to begin arranging the iconic Christmas tables with everyone’s lavish gifts. Two hours later everyone entered the room to see what they received.

Upon Victoria’s table were many ‘charming & beautiful things’ (8) but her favourite was a bracelet, which contained two ‘small coloured photographs of dear Alice & Louis, their united cyphers on the top & their hair at the back’ (9), which was a gift from the young couple. Amongst her other gifts was a sculpture of Prince Leopold as a fisher boy by Mary Thornycroft, a gift from Albert and the newest addition of sculptures of the royal children to be added to the Collection at Osborne House. The Queen also received gifts which had been drawn, painted, and sewn by her other children and her mother. The Queen notes in her journal that like her, ‘everyone seemed delighted with their presents.’ (10)

As usual, members of the household went to inspect the tables of gifts which had been received by the royal family after receiving their own presents from the monarch. Once the gift-giving formalities were complete, ‘a merry happy night’ (11) was spent by the Queen, Prince Consort and their children.

Like Christmas Eve, the 25^th December was just as magical. There had been another frost overnight, causing everyone to wake up to a fresh winter scene, with frost covering the windows and trees. Upon finishing their breakfast, the family once again inspected their gifts before returning to the skating pond, while the sun shone brightly and the church bells rang in the background, creating what Victoria described as having ‘a beautiful effect’ (12). At noon, the family attended their usual Christmas church service before returning to the frozen pond to play hockey. Following centuries of royal tradition, the family then returned to the castle to eat their lavish festive dinner, which Prince Louis of Hesse was to experience for the first time; along with the Queen’s three youngest children, who came down from the nursery to enjoy desert with their parents. The rest of the Princesses (Helena and Louise) joined the festivities after finishing their own dinner and together the family embraced Christmas evening for the final happy time.

© Queen.Victoria.Roses 2025

This article is the intellectual property of Queen.Victoria.Roses and should not be COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances unless permission is given by the author