Princess Patricia of Connaught, a Modern Royal Princess

A photo of the wedding party of Princess Patricia of Connaught and Hon. Alexander Ramsay. Image source: Library of Congress

Victoria Patricia Helena Elizabeth was born on March 17, 1886 at the Buckingham Palace in London, the youngest child of Queen Victoria’s son, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, and his wife, Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia.  She had two older siblings, Prince Arthur of Connaught, and Princess Margaret of Connaught, who later married Crown Prince Gustav of Sweden.Here are some facts about the princess who was considered the first modern royal.

Patricia - Named After a Famous Saint 

Born on Saint Patrick’s Day, Princess Patricia was the first royal in many generations to be named after a saint.  The name Patricia, though, was uncommon in Great Britain, much more in the Royal Family.  The new princess really stood out among the throng of royal cousins who had received more traditional names from recent royal history. Nevertheless, Patricia emerged as one of the most popular members of the Royal Family and was called affectionately as “Patsy” by family and friends.

A Life Abroad

The Duke and Duchess of Connaught with their children. Image source: National Portrait Gallery.

Princess Patricia of Connaught was barely one year old when she was taken to India. In 1886, her father, the Duke of Connaught, was posted in India, where he served as an army officer. There, she “began to speak a mixture of English, German and Hindustani.” She also joined her family on an extended tour of Mediterranean Europe and North Africa in 1905. They also attended the opening of the first Union parliament of South Africa in 1910.

The family spent five years in Canada following Prince Arthur’s appointment as the country’s governor-general. The royal turned out to be popular amongst Canadian people that a portrait of hers could be seen on the Dominion of Canada’s one-dollar note issued on March 17, 1917.

Due to Canada’s insufficient military forces during the First World War, a regiment was named after the princess, the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, which was privately raised by Andrew Hamilton Gault of Montreal. In February of 1918, Princess Patricia was named as its colonel-in-chief, a position she held until her death.

A Very Eligible Princess 

The group portrait taken during the wedding of Crown Prince Gustav of Sweden and Princess Margaret of Connaught in 1905. From left to right, Princess Ena of Battenberg , Infanta Beatriz of Spain, Princess Mary, Crown Prince Gustav, Princess Margaret and Princess Patricia of Connaught. Image Source: Royal Collection

Princess Patricia was considered one of the most eligible and one of the most beautiful royal princesses of her time, so there was much conjecture on who she would marry. She was matched with the Portuguese and Swedish royal heirs, and there was even talk of her ending up with the King of Spain. Ultimately, however, she chose to settle down with a commoner, The Honorable Alexander Ramsay, a Royal Navy captain who previously worked as naval aide-de-camp to Victoria’s father when he was still Governor-General of Canada.

Marriage and Relinquishing of Royal Title

Princess Patricia and Alexander married at the Westminster Abbey on February 27, 1919. The union produced one child, Alexander Ramsay of Mar. She was 32 years old when she got married, a considerably older age than that of an average bride’s at the time. The wedding was the first major event that took place after the First World War and also the first royal wedding to be held at Westminster Abbey since King Richard II and Anne of Bohemia were married.

The Royal Warrant permitted her to relinquish the style “Her Royal Highness” and the title “Princess of Great Britain and Ireland”, and was granted the style Lady Victoria Patricia Helena Elizabeth Ramsay.

Lady Patricia Ramsay the Painter 

Lady Patricia Ramsay, having been influenced by the likes of Van Gogh and Gauguin, was an accomplished watercolorist. She was made honorary member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colors in 1959. Lady Patricia Ramsay died on January 12, 1974 at their family home at Ribsden Holt in Surrey, South East England, a year and a half after her husband passed away. She was 87 years old. She was buried beside her husband at the Royal Burial