Victoria, Marchioness of Milford Haven, was born Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine as the eldest daughter of Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, and Princess Alice of the United Kingdom. She married Prince Louis of Battenberg in 1884 and was, among others, the mother of Princesses Alice and Louise. She and her husband renounced their German titles in 1917 and became the Mountbattens and Marquess and Marchioness of Milford Haven. She died on 24 September 1950, leaving her memoirs which can now be found in this book.
Recollections: The Memoirs of Victoria Marchioness of Milford Haven contains an introduction to Victoria’s life by Ilana D. Miller before going into the memoirs themselves. They start with her birth and go up to 1914, where Victoria herself ended them and confessed herself to be quite bored of them. An epilogue is added to complete the final years of Victoria’s life.
I am a sucker for memoirs, and this one did not disappoint. Victoria lived through a fascinating period in history, and she did not shy away from writing down what she thinks. This may be in part because these memoirs were never intended for publication, but how lucky for us. The only downside to the book, in my opinion, is the awkward layout. The book contains around 400 photos, and while I enjoyed seeing them, I think these would have been more suited in a photo section in the middle of the book. The placement of the photos means you’re often reading the same page twice, which I found rather annoying.
Nevertheless, Recollections: The Memoirs of Victoria Marchioness of Milford Haven by Ilana D. Miller is a must-have for those interested in Queen Victoria’s descendants. You won’t be disappointed. The book is available now in the US and the UK.
Be the first to comment