Hello Gentle Readers. Hope you enjoyed the story of the Duchess of Dino. This column starts a two-parter about two Princesses, both much admired by the Queen, and both known to their publics as the Peoples� Princess. Thought Tony Blair was waxing original about the late Princess Diana didn�t you?

The Queen has had a good month. Firstly, not only must we congratulate her on her 60^th wedding anniversary on November 20, and on her becoming the longest reigning monarch in history, but at the age of 81 she has now also become a fashion icon. She may have only had a few previous family members who could claim the latter title, but she did have a few notable long happy marriages from which to be inspired. One of these was of her great-grandmother, Princess Mary of Cambridge, mother of the woman who would marry her grandfather George V. Mary, dubbed the Peoples� Princess by one of her biographers, was the last of the English line of the Hanover kings.

Okay this is a bit complicated so I�ll make it as simple as possible. King George III had ten children, seven of them sons. He was succeeded by the eldest as King George IV, who was succeeded by his brother William IV. Although William married late in life, he and his much younger wife only had two daughters, neither of which survived infancy. He had ten healthy children with his mistress, the actress Mrs. Jordan. They did not count. William had three younger brothers. Ernest , (lock up your daughters) Duke of Cumberland, and the Dukes of Sussex and Cambridge, the latter the seventh son of George III. The Duke of Kent had one daughter, Victoria.

The succession then became a big question mark. Although all of the sons had illegitimate children from their various mistresses, none of them were legal heirs. Cambridge, age 43 and unwed was in the running. He had been engaged in his 20s to a Prussian princess who had been widowed and had children. However she ran off and married some other princeling. This annoyed now King George and Queen Charlotte no end. Years later, once again widowed she married Ernest (lock up your daughters). Being a dutiful sort Cambridge proposed to Princess Augusta of Hesse, a respectable family. Neither of them knew the other very well, but he had a job to do and he was going to do it. No beauty, but fairly intelligent, they were married in 1818 and headed back to England for a summer honeymoon. Then they returned to Hanover where they set up a cozy nest for their three children. George, Augusta and Mary Adelaide Wilhelmina Elizabeth, named after four of her parents favourite aunties. She was a strong, healthy child and managed to survive her mother�s overprotective fussing. Her father was officially named Viceroy and ruler of Hanover after George died and William had other ideas. His only meeting with his young niece was in 1836, when the family went to see him at Windsor. Upon his death things changed completely. Cambridge�s niece Victoria was now Queen. His brother Ernest became King of Hanover. He was nothing but the king of Hanover�s brother and the Queen�s uncle. Now 63, and back in England, he and his Duchess were unemployed. She had grown fat, spoke English with a heavy German accent and neither of them had any desire to try to outshine the young queen.

They moved into the old Cambridge home at Kew, and unlike Victoria and Albert, had a large selection of friends from all walks of life. Mary was four. She was educated by a governess and her favourite subject was her family�s history. Victoria saw her little cousin every once in a while. Although the family had hoped Victoria would marry Prince George, a cousin, and the late king had even tried to get Cambridge on side, neither of the men wanted to get involved. Eventually Victoria met the mere Saxe-Coburg Prince Albert and that was that. Cambridge however refused to give precedence in the royal rankings to Albert over his own wife. British Duchesses were more important that German princelings any day. The Duke of Wellington finally settled the matter by stating the Queen could put anybody she liked over her uncles, and the uncles didn�t like it. Only the dowager Queen kept her head and tried to keep everybody happy. All however were invited to Victoria�s wedding, and Mary was in the bride�s procession. It was noted at the time that she was getting a little big for her age.

Mary was a strong, healthy vivacious girl who loved the entire social whirl the Court brought. But she was getting past it. Victoria sponsored her �coming out�, but no marriage proposals came out of it. By the time she was 21 politics came into it. She was never consulted but in 1856 Emperor Napoleon vetted his nephew Prince Jerome (Plon-Plon) by way of Prince Albert, through Lord Palmerston. There were good political reasons for this union, but the Queen and Albert said forget it. Even her uncle Leopold of Belgium, couldn�t persuade her. In 1855, when her brother returned from fighting in the Crimea, Napoleon and Eugenie arrived at Windsor for a state visit. Mary was included and the Empress promoted a marriage between her and the second son of the King of Sweden. It didn�t take. The years went by and by age 24 Mary weighed over 200 pounds. The entire family was put on the �find a husband for Mary� campaign, and they did their best. But, the candidates had to be of high enough rank. Convinced she would be the daughter who danced permanent attendance on her mother Mary kept up her party life and forgot about it. Her mother however was getting embarrassed.

In 1865, the Prince of Wales, who had always been just a little afraid of the older Mary, had a friend named Francis, Duke of Teck. Francis came to visit and was an immediate social success. Good looking, royal enough, single and eligible the family began its campaign anew. This time the Tecks saw the advantages as well and less than a month later they were engaged. On April 21 the 32-year-old Mary became Princess Mary of Teck.

The honeymoon was cut short when Russia and Austria went to war and Francis decided he had to return to his regiment in Vienna. Things were soon over and although he didn�t know it so was his military career. They returned to London and he spent his time redecorating their new apartments in Kensington Palace, their new home.

The next few years brought then four children. The first, a daughter named Victoria, but called May by the family was born in 1867, when Mary was 34. A year later she was joined by their first son Adolphus (nicknamed Dolly), then 18 months later brought Frank and ended four years later with Alexander George, or Alge. After each birth Mary rose from her bed and got right back into the social swing of things.

Meanwhile appearances had to be observed. Everyone had a country house and so the Tecks settled on White Lodge. Close to Windsor to visit the Queen, and close enough that all their friends could easily come to visit them. The problem was that neither of them had any money, and neither of them cared how much anything cost. They were constantly in debt, and constantly borrowing from relatives and friends. Shopkeepers and dressmakers were not so forgiving. But because they never put on airs, and because Mary had always been gracious to all and giving of herself to innumerable charitable endeavours, she was very popular with the people. Their nickname of Fat Mary was called affectionately, and accepted in the same way-it was a compliment. She was seen as often in public as the Queen, and much more so after Prince Albert died and the Queen plunged into unending mourning.

Her children grew, and were much better educated than the royal children, who were close companions of her own. The boys all eventually went into the army. Because their debts were so enormous in 1883 the Queen suggested they do what others in their position did-go live on the much cheaper continent for a while. So the couple left the kids behind and took up residence in Florence, where of course they were welcomed everywhere. The place was full of European royals, most of which they were somehow related to. The following March Francis suffered the first of many little strokes which Mary chose to ignore as being serious. They affected his mobility and his temper, and he was not a great patient. But Mary was understanding. In 1886 they returned to England to celebrate her birthday and to present May at court. This meant that May was now accepted as being of full Royal blood, and this was very important if May was to find a very royal husband.

During the Queen�s Jubilee year of 1897 Mary accompanied her everywhere and was hailed far and wide as a generous lady. May loved it, and made the rounds of all the country homes of her friends. Her mother died in 1888, age 91. They helped the Prince and Princess of Wales celebrate their Silver anniversary later that year, and in 1891 their own 25tth, very pleased with all the generous gifts they received. Mary and Francis still had not managed to learn how to save money. And Francis was still just a Serene Highness. Getting high enough ranking wives for her sons may be a problem. Dolly married Lady Margaret Grosvenor, just a Duke�s daughter. Frank married a real Princess. Alge married a Royal princess, Alice of Albany. What of May?

A precedent had been set for royals to marry English nobility, and the Prince of Wales got the idea that his eldest son Prince Albert Victor (Eddy) should marry May. They got engaged at Balmoral over Christmas of 1891, to be wed the following February. But Eddy got the flu, which turned into pneumonia, and he died in January. So the country plunged into mourning, and with it Mary�s hopes for May. However, she then heard that the Tsarina of Russia had been engaged to the eldest son, but married his brother after he died, and the brother became Tsar. So, why could May not then marry Eddy�s next brother Prince George? The issue was a matter of much speculation, and when George did indeed propose May accepted him. They were married in the Chapel Royal of St. James Palace where George III had married Charlotte a century before. Things had come full circle for the Old Royal family. Her daughter would be Queen. One of her children would be the monarch after that. It was Mary�s finest hour, standing with the Queen and her family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace waving the new Duchess of York off on her honeymoon.

Of course Mary and Francis moved into York House with them and proceeded to fix it up. Well, they couldn�t afford their own place. This caused George a lot of grief, but what was he going to do? In June, 1894, May�s first son, Prince Edward was born. Dolly married in December. Frank was exiled off to India after accruing some very large gambling debts he couldn�t repay, and Alge was posted to Cape Town. Unfortunately May�s second son Albert was born on the anniversary of grandfather�s death, so he had to be named after him, and the celebrations were somewhat muted, to Mary�s chagrin.

Francis continued to suffer strokes and Mary�s health was declining. She still kept up her charity work, and still attended all the balls, banquets, afternoons, parties, dinners, and official engagements she could keep up with. She still got the second greatest amount of public cheers when out. But her death came swiftly, and without the usual Victorian deathbed scene.

After a second operation for a strangulated hernia she died on October 26, 1897. She was buried at Windsor Castle with full royal rites (except without the Queen who didn�t do funerals). Frank followed her there three years later. May lived along enough to witness the tragedy of her eldest son�s abdication, her second son�s coronation and death and her grand-daughter�s wedding and coronation. The people�s princess had done all she could.

Anon.