Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom
11
suffering from rheumatism, Beatrice was forced to endure her mother's love of cold weather. Beatrice's piano playing suffered as her rheumatism got gradually worse, eliminating an enjoyment in which she excelled; however, this did not change her willingness to cater to her mother's needs. Her effort did not go unnoticed by the British public. In 1886, when she agreed to open the Show of the Royal Horticultural Society of Southampton, the organisers sent her a proclamation of thanks, expressing their "admiration of the affectionate manner in which you have comforted and assisted your widowed mother our Gracious Sovereign the Queen". As a wedding present, Sir Moses Montefiore, a Jewish banker and philanthropist, presented Beatrice and Henry with a silver tea service inscribed: "Many daughters have acted virtuously, but thou excelleth them all." The Times newspaper, shortly before Beatrice's marriage, wrote: "The devotion of your Royal Highness to our beloved Sovereign has won our warmest admiration and our deepest gratitude. May those blessings which it has hitherto been your constant aim to confer on others now be returned in full measure to yourself." The sentence was, as far as it dared, criticising the Queen's hold over her daughter. Some of the buildings with which Beatrice would have been familiar, continue to be regularly used by the royal family: Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Balmoral Castle, and Kensington Palace. Brantridge Park, where she died, is a minor royal residence and seldom used. Osborne House, her mother's favourite home, is accessible to the public. Her Osborne residences, Osborne and Albert Cottages, remain in private ownership after their sale
in 1912. At her death, Beatrice was the only surviving child of Victoria and Albert. The future Queen Elizabeth II, Beatrice's great-great-niece, was eighteen years of age at that time. In 1858, Beatrice and the three younger of her sisters were granted use of
Titles, styles, honours and arms
Titles and styles
* 23 July 1885 – 14 July 1917: Her Royal Highness Princess Henry of Battenberg
* 14 July 1917 – 26 October 1944: Her Royal Highness The Princess Beatrice
Honours
* 1 January 1878: Order of the Crown of India
* 24 May 1885: Royal Red Cross
* 10 February 1904: Royal Family Order of King Edward VII (2nd class)
* 3 June 1911: Royal Family Order of King George V (2nd class)
* 1 January 1919: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
* 12 June 1926: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St John
* 11 May 1937: Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
Arms