Despite being Prince Philip’s mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, was a little-known member of the British royal family who is often falsely portrayed in film and television. She lived a tumultuous life filled with tragedy but also hallmarked by charity work and incredible acts of bravery. Born congenitally deaf at Windsor Castle in 1885, a birth witnessed by her great-grandmother Queen Victoria, she married Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark in 1903. From then on, her life was overshadowed by wars, revolutions, and periods of exile. She suffered a nervous breakdown and was diagnosed with schizophrenia and transferred in 1930—against her will—to a sanatorium in Switzerland. Noted biographer Hugo Vickers will explore the Princess’s remarkable life and describe how she overcame seemingly unsurmountable difficulties devoting herself to charity work and helping the poor. Mr. Vickers will talk about her royal beginnings and her married and family life; explain about her hospitalization and escape; and detail her move to Athens in 1938. He will describe her charity work before and during World War II—including hiding a Jewish family at her home at great personal risk—and her foundation of the “Christian Brotherhood of Martha and Mary.” Finally, he will illustrate her 1967 move to live with her son and his family at Buckingham Palace and discuss how her incredible philanthropic work led posthumous honors in Britain and Israel—where she is buried at the Convent of Saint Mary Magdalene in Jerusalem. Join Royal Oak as we learn about a remarkable member of the Royal family whose life was as tumultuous and extraordinary as the times in which she lived.

Hugo Vickers is well known as a biographer, lecturer and broadcaster, and is an acknowledged expert on the Royal Family. He has covered events from the first wedding of the Prince of Wales and other royal weddings; the funerals of the Queen Mother, Prince Philip, the State Funeral and Committal of The Queen; and the Coronation of Charles III. The Financial Times recently described him as ‘the most knowledgeable royal biographer on the planet.’ He has written many biographies of 20th-century figures, including Cecil Beaton, Vivien Leigh, the Duchess of Windsor, Princess Andrew of Greece, and the Queen Mother. In 2022, he published a book with HRH The Duke of Kent, entitled A Royal Life. In 2024, Mr. Vickers published a novel – Pining in Paradise – and his biography of Clarissa, Countess of Avon (widow of PM Anthony Eden). When not writing, he travels through the Commonwealth and Overseas Territories, establishing Commonwealth Walkways. Mr. Vickers is a Deputy Lieutenant for the Royal County of Berkshire and Captain of the Lay Stewards of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. He has given too many lectures in too many places to keep track.

Thursday, March 12 | 6:45 p.m. (ET)
Wine Reception Preceding the Lecture at 6:15 p.m.

Location: Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum
201 S. Washington Street, Alexandria, Virginia

In-Person:
$35 Members*; $45 Non-Members and Guests
*discount applied automatically when logged into your account