Maud, Queen of Norway
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Maud of Wales (Maud Charlotte Mary Victoria; 26 November 1869 – 20 November 1938) was the Queen of Norway as the wife of King Haakon VII. The youngest daughter of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, she was known as Princess Maud of Wales before her marriage, as her father was the Prince of Wales at the time.


Early life and education

Maud was born on 26 November 1869 at Marlborough House, London. She was the third daughter and fifth child of
Albert Edward, Prince of Wales Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...
, the eldest son of Queen Victoria, and
Alexandra, Princess of Wales Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was List of British royal consorts, Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 January 1901 t ...
, the eldest daughter of Christian IX of Denmark. She was christened "Maud Charlotte Mary Victoria" at Marlborough House by
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, Bishop of London, on 24 December 1869. Her godparents were her paternal uncle Prince Leopold, for whom the Duke of Cambridge stood proxy;
Prince Frederick William of Hesse-Kassel Frederick William George Adolphus, Landgrave of Hesse (german: Friedrich Wilhelm Georg Adolf von Hessen-Kassel; 25 November 1820 – 14 October 1884) was the only son of Wilhelm I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel-Rumpenheim and Princess Louise Charlotte ...
, for whom
Prince Francis of Teck Prince Francis of Teck, (Francis Joseph Leopold Frederick; 9 January 1870 – 22 October 1910) was the younger brother of the British queen Mary of Teck, wife of King George V. Family Francis Joseph Leopold Frederick, known as "Frank", was bo ...
stood proxy; Count Gleichen; the Duchess of Nassau, for whom
Princess Francis of Teck Princess Mary Adelaide Wilhelmina Elizabeth of Cambridge (27 November 1833 – 27 October 1897), later Duchess of Teck, was a member of the British royal family. She was one of the first royals to patronise a wide range of charities. Mary Ade ...
stood proxy;
Charles XV of Sweden Charles XV also Carl (''Carl Ludvig Eugen''); Swedish: ''Karl XV'' and Norwegian: ''Karl IV'' (3 May 1826 – 18 September 1872) was King of Sweden (''Charles XV'') and Norway, there often referred to accurately as Charles IV, from 1859 until his ...
, for whom Baron Hochschild, the Swedish minister, stood proxy; Princess Marie of Leiningen, for whom Princess Claudine of Teck stood proxy; her maternal aunt the Tsarevna of Russia for whom Baroness de Brunnow stood proxy; Crown Princess Louise of Denmark, for whom Madame de Bülow, the Danish Minister's wife, stood proxy; and her great-grandaunt the
Duchess of Inverness Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
. The tomboyish Maud was known as "Harry" to the royal family, after Edward VII's friend Admiral Henry Keppel, whose conduct in the Crimean War was considered particularly courageous at the time.Hibbert, p. 182King, p. 144 Maud took part in almost all the annual visits to the Princess of Wales's family gatherings in Denmark and later accompanied her mother and sisters on cruises to Norway and the Mediterranean. She was a bridesmaid at the 1885 wedding of her paternal aunt
Beatrice Beatrice may refer to: * Beatrice (given name) Places In the United States * Beatrice, Alabama, a town * Beatrice, Humboldt County, California, a locality * Beatrice, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Beatrice, Indiana, an unincorporated ...
to Prince Henry of Battenberg, and at the wedding of her brother George to Mary of Teck in 1893. Maud, along with her sisters, Victoria and
Louise Louise or Luise may refer to: * Louise (given name) Arts Songs * "Louise" (Bonnie Tyler song), 2005 * "Louise" (The Human League song), 1984 * "Louise" (Jett Rebel song), 2013 * "Louise" (Maurice Chevalier song), 1929 *"Louise", by Clan of ...
, received the Imperial Order of the Crown of India from their grandmother Queen Victoria on 6 August 1887. Like her sisters, she also held the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert (First Class) and was a Dame Grand Cross of the
Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic Church, Catholic Military ord ...
.


Princess of Denmark

Maud married relatively late, waiting until her late twenties to find a husband. She had initially wanted to marry a distant cousin,
Prince Francis of Teck Prince Francis of Teck, (Francis Joseph Leopold Frederick; 9 January 1870 – 22 October 1910) was the younger brother of the British queen Mary of Teck, wife of King George V. Family Francis Joseph Leopold Frederick, known as "Frank", was bo ...
, younger brother of her sister-in-law Mary. Despite being relatively impoverished from mounting gambling debts and being in a position to possibly benefit from Maud's status, he ignored her advances. On 22 July 1896, Princess Maud married her first cousin, Prince Carl of Denmark, in the private chapel at
Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...
. Prince Carl was the second son of Queen Alexandra's eldest brother, Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark, and Princess Louise of Sweden. The bride's father gave them Appleton House on the Sandringham Estate as a country residence for her frequent visits to England. It was there that the couple's only child,
Prince Alexander Prince Alexander may refer to: * Alexander, a character from the ''King's Quest'' series of video games * Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone, born as Prince Alexander of Teck * Alexander Karađorđević, Prince of Serbia (r. 1842–1858) * Ale ...
, was born on 2 July 1903. Prince Carl served as an officer in the Royal Danish Navy, and he and his family lived mainly in Denmark until 1905. In June 1905 the Norwegian
Storting The Storting ( no, Stortinget ) (lit. the Great Thing) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years bas ...
dissolved Norway's 91-year-old union with Sweden and voted to offer the throne to Prince Carl of Denmark. Maud's membership in the British royal house played some part in why Carl was chosen. Following a plebiscite in November, Prince Carl accepted the Norwegian throne as King Haakon VII, while his young son was renamed Olav. King Haakon VII and Queen Maud were crowned at
Nidaros Cathedral Nidaros Cathedral ( no, Nidarosdomen / Nidaros Domkirke) is a Church of Norway cathedral located in the city of Trondheim in Trøndelag county. It is built over the burial site of Olav II of Norway, King Olav II (c. 995–1030, reigned 1015–102 ...
in Trondheim on 22 June 1906; it became the last coronation in Scandinavia to date.


Queen of Norway

Queen Maud never lost her love of Britain, but she quickly adapted to her new country and duties as a queen consort. A court was formed, and
Marie Magdalena Rustad Marie Magdalena "Lillemor" Rustad (21 December 1859 – 22 June 1943), was a Norwegian court official. She served as the ''Overhoffmesterinne'' for Queen Maud of Norway. Life Marie Magdalena Rustad was the daughter of the industrialist Halvor S ...
was appointed her principal lady-in-waiting. Maud played a strong and dominant role within the court and family, but a discreet role in public.Maud Charlotte Mary Victoria – utdypning
/ref> During her first years in Norway, she and her spouse were photographed in
Norwegian folk costume ''Bunad'' (, plural: ''bunader''/''bunadar'') is a Norwegian umbrella term encompassing, in its broadest sense, a range of both traditional rural clothes (mostly dating to the 18th and 19th centuries) as well as modern 20th-century folk costume ...
s, and enjoying winter sports such as skiing, to give them a Norwegian appearance in the eyes of the public. She disliked representation but performed her role as a queen with great care, and used clothes and jewellery to make a regal impression. She supported charitable causes, particularly those associated with children and animals, and gave encouragement to musicians and artists. Among her projects was ''Dronningens Hjelpekomité'' (the Queen's Relief Committee) during World War I. She supported the feminist
Katti Anker Møller Katti Anker Møller (23 October 1868 – 20 August 1945) was a Norwegian feminist, children's rights advocate, and a pioneer of reproductive rights. Biography She was born Cathrine Anker in Hamar, the daughter of Herman Anker. She had nine ...
's home for unwed mothers (1906), which was regarded as radical, designed furniture for the benefit of the ''Barnets utstilling'' (Children's Exhibition) 1921, and sold photographs for charitable purposes. An avid rider, Maud insisted that the stables of the
royal palace This is a list of royal palaces, sorted by continent. Africa * Abdin Palace, Cairo * Al-Gawhara Palace, Cairo * Koubbeh Palace, Cairo * Tahra Palace, Cairo * Menelik Palace * Jubilee Palace * Guenete Leul Palace * Imperial Palace- Massa ...
in Oslo be upgraded. Queen Maud supervised much of this project herself and was greatly inspired by the Royal Mews in London when the stables were expanded. Maud continued to regard Great Britain as her true home even after her arrival in Norway, and visited Great Britain every year. She mostly stayed at her Appleton House, Sandringham, during her visits. She did, however, also appreciate some aspects of Norway, such as the winter sports, and she supported bringing up her son as a Norwegian. She learned to ski and arranged for English gardens at Kongsseteren, the royal lodge overlooking Oslo, and at the summer residence at Bygdøy. She is described as reserved as a public person but energetic and with a taste for practical jokes as a private person. Queen Maud's last public appearance in Britain was at the
coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The coronation of George VI and his wife, Elizabeth, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and as Emperor and Empress of India took place at Westminster Abbey, London, on Wednesday 12 May 1937. ...
in May 1937 at Westminster Abbey. She sat in the royal pew at Westminster Abbey next to her sister-in-law Queen Mary and her niece Mary, Princess Royal, as part of the official royal party. Maud also acquired a reputation for dressing with fashionable chic. An exhibition of numerous items from her elegant wardrobe was held at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2005 and published in the catalogue ''Style and Splendour: Queen Maud of Norway's Wardrobe 1896–1938''.


Death and legacy

Maud visited England in October 1938. Initially, she stayed at Sandringham, but then moved into a hotel in London's West End. She became ill and was taken to a nursing home at 18 Bentinck Street,
Marylebone, London Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropolitan borough, it merge ...
, where an abdominal operation was performed on 16 November 1938. King Haakon immediately travelled from Norway to her bedside. Although she survived the surgery, Maud died unexpectedly of
heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...
on 20 November 1938, six days before her 69th birthday and on the 13th anniversary of her mother's death. Norwegian newspapers were allowed to break the law forbidding publication on Sundays in order to notify the Norwegian public of her death. King Haakon returned Appleton House to the British royal family. Her body was returned to Norway on board , the flagship of the Second Battle Squadron of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet. Her body was moved to a small church in Oslo before the burial. Queen Maud was buried in the royal mausoleum at Akershus Castle in Oslo. At her death, Queen Maud was the last surviving child of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. Her will was sealed in London in 1939. Her estate in England and Wales was valued at £7,941 (or £362,400 in 2022 when adjusted for inflation). Queen Maud Land and Queen Maud Mountains in Antarctica;
Queen Maud Secondary School Hong Kong and Macau Lutheran Church Queen Maud Secondary School () is located in Hau Tak Estate, Tseung Kwan O, New Territories, Hong Kong. It is a memorial school for the Norwegian queen Maud of Wales Maud of Wales (Maud Charlotte Mary Vi ...
in Hong Kong; and Queen Maud Gulf (including
Queen Maud Gulf Migratory Bird Sanctuary The Queen Maud Gulf Migratory Bird Sanctuary is Canada, Canada's largest federally owned protected area, encompassing some of the Arctic Circle coastline. are Marine (ocean), marine, and are terrestrial.
) in
Nunavut Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' ...
, Canada, are named after Maud. The ship '' Maud'', designed to the specifications of Roald Amundsen for service in the Arctic Ocean and launched in 1916 to traverse and explore the
Northeast Passage The Northeast Passage (abbreviated as NEP) is the shipping route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, along the Arctic coasts of Norway and Russia. The western route through the islands of Canada is accordingly called the Northwest Passage (N ...
, was christened in honor of Maud of Wales. The replenishment ship HNoMS ''Maud'' of the Royal Norwegian Navy has also been named for her. The
Queen Maud fromage Queen Maud fromage or Queen Maud (; also called Haugesund Dessert) is a dessert that predominantly consists of cream, kogel mogel and chocolate. Named after Queen Maud of Norway, daughter of King Edward VII. The dessert was developed and introduced ...
(a sweet dessert) is named after her.


Titles, styles, and arms


Titles and styles

* 26 November 1869 – 22 July 1896: ''Her Royal Highness'' Princess Maud of Wales * 22 July 1896 – 18 November 1905: ''Her Royal Highness'' Princess Charles of Denmark * 18 November 1905 – 20 November 1938: ''Her Majesty'' The Queen of Norway


Arms

Upon her marriage, Maud was granted the use of a personal coat of arms, being those of the kingdom, with an inescutcheon of the shield of Saxony, differenced with a label argent of five points, the outer pair and centre bearing hearts gules, the inner pair crosses gules.Heraldica – British Royal Cadency
/ref> The inescutcheon was dropped by royal warrant in 1917.


Ancestors


Citations and references


Citations


References

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External links



* * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Maud of Wales 1869 births 1938 deaths 19th-century British people 20th-century British people 19th-century British women 20th-century British women British princesses British people of German descent British people of Danish descent Burials at the Royal Mausoleum (Norway) Companions of the Order of the Crown of India Dames Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Dames Grand Cross of the Order of St John House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (United Kingdom) Ladies of the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert Members of the Royal Red Cross Norwegian royal consorts Norwegian people of English descent Norwegian people of German descent Norwegian people of Danish descent People from Westminster Women of the Victorian era Children of Edward VII Daughters of emperors Daughters of kings