Viktoria Alberta war das erste Kind des hessischen Großherzogs
Ludwig IV. und dessen Gattin der englischen Prinzessin Alice somit war
Viktoria die Enkelin von Königin Victoria von Großbritannien
und Irland.
Ihre Schwester Alexandra wurde die letzte Zarin, ihre zweite Schwester
Elisabeth "Ella", heiratete den Großfürsten Serge
von Russland.
Am 30. April 1884 heiratete sie in Darmstadt den Prinzen Ludwig Alexander
von Battenberg, der 1917 seinen Namen in Louis Mountbatten änderte
und zum Marquess of Milford Haven erhoben wurde. Victoria ist die Mutter
von Königin Louise von Schweden und des Earl Mountbatten Vizekönig
von Indien, sowie die Großmutter mütterlicherseits von Philip,
Herzog von Edinburgh, Prinzgemahl Königin Elisabeth II. von Großbritannien
und Nordirland.
Victoria Alberta Elisabeth Mathilde Marie was born on April 15 1863.
She was the first child and daughter of Prince Louis of Hesse and by
the Rhine (later Grand Duke Louis IV) and Princess Alice of Great Britain,
Queen Victoria's second daughter.
From her earliest years, Victoria shown to be quite intelligent; since
she was six her mother noticed her extraordinary facility for learning.
She was "tomboyish, physically vigourous, endlessly curious, a
fanatical reader and her face was more interesting than beautiful".
Victoria married her first cousin once removed Prince Louis of Battenberg
on April 30, 1884 at Darmstadt. Queen Victoria attended her granddaughter's
wedding, accompanied by her youngest daughter Beatrice, who felt in
love and later married one of Louis' younger brothers, Prince Henry
of Battenberg.
The Princess, shown on her wedding day, is wearing her bridal-gown and jewels. The sapphire diamond necklace with pearl pendant, was from her mother and probably lent to her for this day, in remembering.
Left two diamond pearl head ornaments, the wedding gifts of Queen Victoria
to her granddaughter. This must be a part of the later pearl-and diamonds
star tiara.
The star tiara pictured above c. 1870, remounted 1937 in England and
Gold, silver, diamonds, button pearls.From the engrailed pavéd
diamond circlet rise five five-pointed diamond stars similarly pavéd
and centered on a button pearl within a raised border. Made famous by
the Empress Elizabeth of Austria, who was painted by F.X. Winterhalter
(1865) wearing stars in her hair pinned to a black velvet bandeau, stars
sparkling with diamonds have been favoured by women ever since.
These were given to the daughter of Queen Victoria, Princess
Louise, Duchess of Argyll to her god-daughter and niece, Princess
Victoria of Hesse, and the Marchioness of Milford Haven, married to
the First Sea Lord Prince Louise of Battenberg.
She was on a visit to her sister, the Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna 1914
when war was declared and she had to leave for home in a great hurry.
Since the jewels would have been a responsibility, the Tsarina suggested
that they should be left behind in her care. As is well known, the revolution
of 1917 led to the disappearance of many valuables in Russia, including
the Battenberg jewels, which were never seen again. Princess Louise
therefore gave Princess Victoria this tiara to replace what had been
lost. It then descended to her daughter-in-law, Edwina,
future Countess Mountbatten of Burma, who had the stars remounted
in a more modern style in the mid-1930s.
She in turn gave the tiara to her daughter Patricia, the present Countess
Mountbatten of Burma, as a wedding present upon her marriage to Lord
Brabourne in 1946. She wore it to the court all held at Buckingham Palace
to celebrate the marriage of the future Queen Elizabeth II with the
duke of Edinburgh in 1947, and it has been worn by her daughters and
daughters-in-law at their weddings.
source:All information is taken from Scarisbrick, Diana.
Tiara. Chronicle Books
Thanks again to Laura for her generous help!