Antique Image of the Day: Princess Alice of Albany, 1886

Princess Alice of Albany
George Piner Cartland
April, 1886
A gift to Queen Victoria
The Royal Collection

The eldest daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Albany, Princess Alice married Prince Alexander of Teck (brother of Mary of Teck, Queen Mary, the wife of King George V) in 1904. Prince Alexander would become Earl of Althone thereby making his wife Princess Alice, Countess of Althone—a title which she maintained until her death in 1981.


Here, we see Princess Alice as a young girl of three in this photograph taken in April of 1886. The photograph was presented as a gift to Queen Victoria who had a special fondness for the girl. The little princess poses in her wee coat, holding an umbrella. She is joined by her favorite companion, a little terrier.

Until her death, she was the only remaining grandchild of Queen Victoria, having lived through six reigns: Victoria (her grandmother), Edward VII (her uncle), George V (her cousin and brother-in-law), Edward VIII (her nephew), George VI (her nephew) and Elizabeth II (her grand-niece).