Royalty Digest

In 1886 an anonymous pamphlet Co-Regents and Foreign Influence in Germany, attacked the Crown Princess as a disloyal element, too much under the influence of her mother and too indiscreet in passing on confidential information, even in wartime. No one doubted that the writer was Ernst himself, but an attempt made, quite independently of the Crown Princess, to reveal his authorship in the courts failed for lack of evidence. 'What you told me of Uncle E and that pamphlet is simply monstrous', the Queen told her daughter on 22 June 1886. 'I assure you I felt great difficulty in writing to him for his birthday but I wrote it as short and cool as I could consistent with civility. He is a misfortune…'29 Misfortune or not, though, he was still Albert's brother. In 1891 the Queen had a meeting with him and Alexandrine in the south of France. Marie Adeane, her maid-of-honour, noted 'The old Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha has been here today with his wife. He is the Prince Consort's only brother and an awful looking man, the Queen dislikes him particularly. He is always writing anonymous pamphlets against the Queen and the Empress Frederick, which naturally creates a great deal of annoyance in the family.'30

Meanwhile to the younger generation Ernst had become a joke. Alfred's daughter Marie left an unforgettable picture of 'an old beau, squeezed into a frock-coat too tight for his bulk and uncomfortably pinched in at the waist', sporting a top hat, lemon coloured gloves, and a rosebud in his lapel.31 Ernst Ludwig of Hesse remembered the old man's vast behind, exaggerated fashions and dyed hair. He recalled how Alexandrine used to trail behind her husband calling 'Ernst, my treasure'. This caused particular embarrassment at the 1887 jubilee at Windsor when his brother-in-law Sergei took to imitating the old lady, wailing 'Ernst, my treasure' after Ernst Ludwig: 'Down the long corridor Sergei called me in this way, without seeing Uncle approaching from the other end. Instead he saw my aghast expression and turned, then we both fled, escaping into different rooms. I burst out laughing but for a long time Sergei was desperately worried, because he didn't know if Uncle had heard him.'32

Ernst died at Reinhardsbrunn on 22 August 1893, after a short illness. Perhaps it was easier for the Queen to be positive about him with the young, who had seen less of the anguish associated with his name. To her granddaughter Victoria of Battenberg she said, 'It was a gt. shock reminding of past happy days many years ago when poor dear Uncle used to come & see us so often & was very kind to me & also very kind to all our Children - & I cannot forget that he was darling Grandpapa's only Brother.' 33

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