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The Battenberg Chapel |
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The Battenberg Chapel was formerly used by members of the Household
at Osborne when worshipping at Whippingham. Queen Victoria later made
it into a shrine on the death of Prince Henry of Battenberg. The Prince
was married in this church, on 23rd July 1885, to the Queen's ninth and
longest surviving child, Princess Beatrice (or 'Baby' as she was known
in the family). Prince Henry was the 3rd son of Prince Alexander of Hesse
and the Rhine, by his wife Countess Julia von Hauke. As the Countess was
of unequal rank, the marriage was morganatic and the Countess was made
Princess of Battenberg in her own right. |

The Battenberg Chapel Interior |
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This is the origin of the name which was later translated to Mountbatten
in 1917 during the Great War when King George V decided to anglicise the
Royal Family names, and so 'Hanover' became 'Windsor' and 'Teck' became
'Cambridge'. Prince Henry belonged to a branch of one of the oldest families
in Christendom. He died aged only 38 in 1896 of malaria contracted while
campaigning on the Gold Coast in the Ashanti War. Prince Henry was placed,
desperately ill, aboard H.M.S. Blonde and died on board. At Madeira the
coffin was transferred to H.M.S. Blenheim and brought back to Portsmouth.
The Prince lies in the huge marble sarcophagus surmounted by a sword,
and in August 1945 his widow, Beatrice, was buried there with him.
To the right of the tomb hangs a picture entitled Duty by James Clark,
R.I. The picture was given by the artist to the War Relief Exhibition
in aid of the Red Cross at the Royal Academy in 1915. It was bought by
Queen Mary and given by her to Princess Beatrice who, in turn, presented
it to St. Mildred's in memory of her son Prince Maurice of Battenberg
who was killed in action in 1914 at Ypres.
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Princess Beatrice &
Prince Henry of Battenberg |
Notice, too, the bibles in the glass cases. These were gifts to Princess
Beatrice on the occasion of her marriage to Prince Henry of Battenberg
in this church in 1885. The more richly ornamented of the two was presented
by The Maidens of the United Kingdom. The other was given by the British
and Foreign Bible Society. |
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