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Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont (Helena Frederica Augusta; later Duchess of Albany; 17 February 1861 - 1 September 1922) was the daughter of George Victor of Waldeck-Pyrmont and his wife Helene Wilhelmine of Nassau-Weilburg, who became a member of the British Royal Family by marriage. Family She was born in Arolsen, capital of Waldeck principality, in Germany. She was the sister of Friedrich, last reigning Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont; Marie, the first wife of William II of Württemberg; and of Queen Emma of the Netherlands (mother of Queen Wilhelmina and great-grandmother of Beatrix of the Netherlands). Her maternal grandparents were Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau and his second wife Pauline of Württemberg. Pauline was a daughter of Prince Paul of Württemberg and his wife Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Paul was a son Frederick I of Württemberg and his wife Duchess Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Augusta was the eldest daughter of Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Princess Augusta Charlotte of Wales. Marriage Along with Emma and a third sister, Pauline, Helena was considered as a second wife for William III of the Netherlands. She later met with Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, youngest son of Queen Victoria upon suggestion from his mother. The two became engaged in November of 1881. Leopold was actually a third cousin of Helena's grandmother Pauline of Württemberg, as they were both great, great grandchildren of Frederick Prince of Wales. This also meant that Helena was in the line of succession to the British throne, but far down the list compared to Leopold. The "generational disparity" between Leopold and Helena can be attributed to the late age at which George III's sons starting producing legitimate children. On 27 April 1882 in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, she married her third cousin twice removed HRH Prince Leopold George Duncan Albert of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Albany, Earl of Clarence and Baron Arklow. Helena's title was now Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Albany. After their wedding, Leopold and Helena resided at Claremont House. The couple had a brief, but happy marriage, ending in Leopold's death from a fall in Cannes, France, in March of 1884. At the time of Leopold's death, Helena was pregnant with their second child. Personality and Social Work According to the memoirs of Helena's daughter, Alice, Helena was very intelligent, had an extremely strong sense of duty and love of charitable work. She enjoyed solving mathematical problems and reading philosophy. Before her marriage, Helena's father made her superintendent of the infant schools in Waldeck-Pyrmont. In this position, Helena worked to create an educational plan for the students. Queen Victoria remarked in a letter to her daughter that she was pleased that Helena liked 'to go among the people.' During her widowhood, Helena became the founder of the Deptford Fund, an organization originally dedicated to helping find alternative work for women and girls employed in the dangerous cattle slaughter business. The Deptford Fund is still in existence today. Helena was also involved in charities for hospitals and those dedicated to ending human trafficking. Later life After Leopold's death, Helena and her two children, Alice and Charles Edward, continued to reside at Claremont House. After the death of her nephew, Prince Alfred of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1900, Helena's son, Charles Edward was selected as the new heir of the duchy. Helena and both of her children then moved to Coburg, Germany. Helena returned to Britain in later life. In 1901, it was speculated that she would marry Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery. Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont died on 1 September 1922 of a heart attack in Hinterriss in the Tyrol, in Austria, while visiting her son. Through her son Charles Edward, Helena is the great-grandmother of Carl XVI Gustav, the current king of Sweden. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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