Louisa Caroline Alberta, the fourth daughter and sixth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, led one of the most colourful royal lives.
Born 18 March 1848 as the daughter of the sovereign, Louise would also serve as the vice-regal consort of Canada when her husband served as Governor General, and devoted her public causes to the arts, higher education for women, and feminist causes—radical issues for the time.
Princess Louise was 13 when her father died of typhoid fever, and her mother’s court was plunged into semi-permanent mourning. As she grew, she became a sort of secretary for her mother while also focusing on her art.
She did not wish to marry a prince and made her feelings well-known on the subject. Instead, she announced that she wished to marry John Campbell, the eventual 9th Duke of Argyll, and the couple were married on 21 March 1871. They did not have children.
In 1878, John was appointed Governor General of Canada by his mother-in-law, and the couple sailed over to their new home. Louise was terribly homesick for the UK but focused her public work on advancing feminist causes, education, and the arts while in Canada. She left the country permanently in 1883 but continued to be kept abreast of what was happening.
For her contribution to Canadian society, the province of Alberta was named after her in 1905 (her middle name), and Lake Louise and Mount Alberta are also named in her honour.
In her later years, she continued with her royal work, but often as an outsider as she didn’t get along with her siblings, including her older brother and future king, Edward VII. When he ascended, she found herself on the outskirts of his social circle.
Louise and John were estranged for a period, but they reconciled, and Louise nursed him through his final illness. John succumbed to bronchial issues on 2 May 1914, and Louise had a nervous breakdown.
She became reclusive and only carried out a few public engagements following her husband’s death; she lived at Kensington Palace during this time, living next door to her younger sister, Princess Beatrice. She died at the age of 91 on 3 December 1939, and her ashes were buried at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore the following month.
