In April 1887, Queen Victoria set about on her holiday pilgrimage to the French Riviera. This time, she went to Cannes where she visited Villa Nevada, where her youngest son, Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, died in 1884. She also visited the Church of St. George, the construction of which was dedicated to him.
Of the visit to Villa
Nevada, Queen Victoria wrote that she "went in to see good Miss Perceval,
who was most kind, & showed us her rooms, then taking us upstairs to the
room, where poor darling Leopold breathed his last."
While in Cannes,
Queen Victoria stayed at Villa Edelweiss, which is richly
described in the following article:
Villa Edelweiss, which
is to be occupied by her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria, on her
approaching visit to Cannes, is built in
old English style, with two towers and a
lofty roof, covered with red tiles. On both sides of the entrance door are
immense groups of red and white camellias, some of which are large trees. The
inner walls are hung with Italian 17th Century tapestry (Arozzi), and a Venetian
lamp of the same period, in forged iron, hangs in the centre of the hall, which
also contains a table and some chairs in carved oak. Opposite the entrance is the petit salon. Here the walls are covered with red satin.
In front of the door
is a large window opening on to a balcony overlooking a terrace, where benches and
armchairs are grouped among the magnificent flowers.
In the middle of the
wall on your right is the chimney, of
white marble, an antique mirror above it ; on both sides mahogany book-shelves in the style of the Third
Empire.
Near the window is a
writing table, and on the other side there are two secretaires in delicate
inlaid work. The gilded furniture in this
room is covered with red satin, and the curtains
are to match. A magnificent Turkish carpet, with the candelabra and the chimney
ornaments, complete the suite.
You enter on your left
the grand drawing room, furnished in
Louis XVI style: all white and gold. The cushions, which are embroidered
in good satin and velvet, rests on low chairs
covered with rich Indian embroideries, and
Chinese and Indian embroidered satins are hung artistically here and there.
This salon has three windows, one, in the corner, has a most splendid view over
Cannes, the sea, and the Esterol. Three antique mirrors adorn the room, one
being over the mantelpiece and the two others
opposite, between the windows. From one of the windows some stops lead
down to the gardens.
On the left of the
hall is the dining-room. Here the walls are hung with Gobelin tapestry, temps
Louis XVI. Over the chimney an old
Genoese painting representing bassecour.
The furniture, which is in old oak, is
of course in the same style as that represented by the tapestry.
The smoking room, on
the other side of the hall, is set apart for Sir Henry Ponsonby, Controller of
Her Majesty's Household. The furniture there is in carved wood, and the ceiling
is designed in blue and gold. The tapestry on the walls dates from the 16th century.
Over the large
drawing-room is Her Majesty's bedroom. The walls are here hung with red
Adrianople and large bands, about one metre in width, of old Persian chintz,
like Italian Mezbaris. A gilded bedstead stands in the middle of the room, and
there is a low couch near the window, and two sculptured tables on the right.
Over the petit salon
is Her Majesty's boudoir. The hangings and curtains of the windows and doors
are of white Persian silk, with white and blue lace trimmings. A splendid view
may here be obtained from the large
balcony in front. The furniture is white and gold, covered with white and blue
damask. From the walls are suspended baskets, with blue and white satin
ribbons, filled with white camellias.
Near Her Majesty's
room is the room of the Hon. Miss Harriett Phipps, Lady-in- Waiting.
On the other side,
Princess Beatrice's room is ornamented with cream satinette hangings and red bands with white flowers,
the curtains of the bed and windows to match. The bed with the furniture, is in
the Louis XV style.
Next to it is Prince
Henry of Battenberg's room, the walls hung with brown Holland. M. Saville
bought the rock where the villa Edelweiss now stands. About five years ago it
was covered with common fir trees. He cut the rock, and with it built the
present mansion, round which he has planted a very Eden.
The villa Edelweiss is
protected by hills covered with firs on the north and the east, and is beyond
the reach of the mistral. The climate has very properly been compared to that
of Pisa.
The scenery in the
immediate vicinity above the mansion is exceedingly wild and romantic, and one favourite spot commands a glorious view
over Cnnnes and the environs. Another beautiful
spot on the rock is a grotto with a
waterfall and an immense basket of saxifrages, where beauty of nature and excellent
taste have done wonders.
Lady Southampton and the
other members of Her Majesty's suite will take lodgings at the hotel, the Villa
Edelweiss not being large enough to afford the necessary accommodation. The
servants will occupy the upper story of the house.
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| A view of the Villa Edelweiss and the Villa Nevada 1887. © Royal Collection Trust |
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| The memorial chapel dedicated to the late Duke of Albany. |
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| A memorial at Villa Nevada dedicated to the Duke of Albany. Image from LinkedIn |
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