Long before smartphones, social media, or even reliable international phone calls, royal family news traveled slowly—sometimes by telegram.
That’s exactly how Princess Alice, the grandmother of King Charles III, learned of his birth in 1948.
At the time, she was living a quiet, secluded life on the tiny Greek island of Tinos, without access to a telephone.
When the telegram finally arrived, it carried joyful news: her grandson had been born.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Alice immediately wrote back to her son, Prince Philip, sharing her excitement and thoughts about the new arrival.
“A Sweet Baby of Your Own”
Royal biographer Ingrid Seward shared details from that heartfelt message, revealing how deeply moved Alice was.
In her reply to Prince Philip, she wrote, “I think of you so much with a sweet baby of your own, of your joy and the interest you will take in all his little doings.”
She also acknowledged the toll childbirth can take, adding, “How fascinating nature is, but how one has to pay for it in the anxious trying hours of confinement.”
Despite the distance, Alice’s words showed a deep emotional connection to her growing family.
A Life Marked by Exile, Illness, and Courage
Princess Alice’s story is one of the most extraordinary among European royals.
Born in Windsor Castle in 1885—while Queen Victoria was still alive—Alice came into the world deaf but quickly learned to lip-read in multiple languages.
Her early life seemed promising, and in 1902 she met Prince Andrew of Greece at King Edward VII’s coronation. A year later, they married.
But their life together was anything but easy. Political upheaval in Greece forced the royal family into exile in 1921, coinciding with the birth of their son, Prince Philip.
Mental Health and the Intervention of Freud
By 1930, Alice’s life took a dramatic turn. She began hearing voices and believed she was having spiritual relationships with religious figures, including Jesus.
She was later diagnosed with schizophrenia and placed under the care of Sigmund Freud in Berlin.
Following treatment, she left the sanatorium in 1932 and wandered between guesthouses in Germany before eventually returning to Athens when the Greek monarchy was reinstated.
Her struggles, though painful, shaped the compassionate and brave woman she would later become.
Wartime Heroism in Nazi-Occupied Greece
During World War II, Alice remained in Athens, which was under Nazi occupation.
Despite having German ties—her cousin served as Germany’s ambassador to Greece—she defied expectations and put her life at risk to protect others.
When a Nazi general once asked if he could do anything for her, Alice famously replied, “You can take your troops out of my country.”
She even went as far as hiding the Jewish Cohen family in her own home, mere yards from Gestapo headquarters.
When confronted by Nazi officers, she used her deafness to avoid their questioning and protected the family from discovery.
From Royal Jewels to a Life of Service
After the war, Alice’s devotion to her family and faith continued.
She donated diamonds from her tiara so her son, Prince Philip, could craft an engagement ring for Princess Elizabeth.
Then, in a remarkable act of selflessness, she sold the rest of her jewelry to establish a religious order—the Christian Sisterhood of Martha and Mary.
In 1949, she became a nun and later founded a convent and orphanage in a poor neighborhood in Athens.
She remained in Greece for nearly two decades, only leaving in 1967 after a military coup.
Even then, she initially refused to leave—until her son, with the Queen’s help, sent a plane to bring her home.
Her Final Years at Buckingham Palace
Alice spent her final years at Buckingham Palace, living with her son and daughter-in-law.
She passed away in December 1969 at the age of 84.
Her later life was depicted in Season 3 of Netflix’s The Crown, where she was portrayed by Jane Lapotaire.
However, the show took creative liberties—most notably by incorrectly suggesting she gave a revealing interview to The Guardian about her mental health.
Before she died, Alice wrote a tender letter to Prince Philip that read:
“Dearest Philip, Be brave, and remember I will never leave you, and you will always find me when you need me most. All my devoted love, your old Mama.”
A Legacy of Quiet Heroism
In 1994, Prince Philip traveled to Jerusalem for a ceremony honoring his mother’s extraordinary bravery during World War II.
Princess Alice is buried in a crypt on the Mount of Olives in Gethsemane.
She was recognized as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem for saving the lives of Jews during the Holocaust—a rare honor.
Reflecting on her courage, Philip once said, “I suspect that it never occurred to her that her action was in any way special.
She was a person with deep religious faith and she would have considered it to be a totally human action to fellow human beings in distress.”