ALICE KEPPEL : LA MAITRESSE DU ROI IN FRANCE : STILL HE WAS NEVER FAITHFUL

The King spent much time in France at the seaside resort Biarritz on the Atlantic coast and France might have been where he felt most at ease. It was in France that Alice was treated as through she were the Queen. And if you're wondering, yes her family went along on many of these trips.

Excerpt page 229 ; " ... For the sake of appearances she would neither be met by the King nor accommodated in his hotel. Her host would be Sir Ernest Cassel, who would have rented the luxurious Vila Eugenie - the restored seaside residence of the Second Empire court - which would be run for him by his windowed sister. Alice Keppel would have a floor to herself, her daughters being accommodated in the nursery wing which had once housed the late Prince Imperial. ....

However, the King and Mrs. Keppel would stroll together on the promenade and they lunched together in his suite at the Hotel Du Palais. One of the reasons he preferred Biarritz, however, was because few royals went there, nor did politicians, and he was also not approached there by women who hoped to seduce him.  King Edward VII was not faithful to Alice Keppel - or any woman - in his lifetime. He was a philanderer and in his sixties he was still out and about with the ladies.  Some of his conquests are known by name and so I must wonder, yes he was a King, rich, but also balding, fat, and - well, some say he was actually unable to perform in the last decade or so of his life - so WHAT WAS IN IT FOR THE WOMEN - SOME WHO TRIED, SOME WHO SUCCEEDED, in SEDUCING HIM?  I tend to think that for some women in that time and place, seducing a King was like a groupie seducing a rock star.  One might not think a night of passion would lead to a relationship, but it might also be worth the chance, even knowing that other women had the very same mind-set.

In past posts in previous months, I've written about the final days of the King, and the way Alice reacted in grief.  No doubt about it, she loved Edward and the life he gave her and her family.

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Interested in Groupies?  You may want to go into my archives: 

October 2016

GROUPIES - Are They Really So Different Than Mistresses?

THE PRINCE DIDN'T AVOID THE WOMEN WHO'D BEEN HIS MISTRESSES IN THE PAST : LILLIE LANGTRY, DAISY WARWICK, and AGNES KEYSER BUT ALICE KEPPEL WAS HIS FAVORITE

As Princess and Queen, Alexandra busied herself with motherhood and other duties that came with her rank.  As Prince and King, Edward Albert kept up with some of the women who had been his mistresses in the past.  Or perhaps these relationships lingered?

He was not always successful in persuading hostesses to invite Alice Keppel as they favored or were better friends with these other mistresses.  Additionally, he had interest in children he had likely sired with other women. Lillie Langtry was one of these women, who endeavored to have a daughter she had with him presented to society so that she might make a good marriage.

Daisy Warwick was another mistress who he renewed his passion for. Very likely at least one of her children was his. And a the time, he was also involved with Agnes Keyser, our Mistress of the Month last, though this affair was thought by some to be a friendship.

His mother, Queen Victoria, had warned him that when he became King he would have to end his friendships but when he did become King at her death he did not break with Alice Keppel or anyone else.  What happened is that Alice was recognized as his favorite.

Excerpt page 210: "There were several reasons for her preeminent. The chief one was that the King was devoted to her. Physically, mentally, and socially, Alice Keppel meet his every requirement.  he not only adored her, he admired her. It was noticed that whenever they were in company together, he never took his eyes off her, and was on edge if he noticed her talking to another man.  This adoration was to have an echo in the love of his grandson, the future Edward VIII, for Wallis Simpson. He, too would keep a constant watch on his beloved and, if she left the room, would look anxious and fretful until he returned.

So attractive, so chic, Alice Keppel was a decorative addition to the King's circle. In many ways she epitomized the Edwardian society woman - worldly, witty, lighthearted. Unlike her royal lover, she was very articulate...

Excerpt page 211; Her outspokenness even extended to the King. Alice was one of the few people in the world to stand up to him... She knew exactly how far she could go with him.  Alice always handled the notoriously impatient monarch with great expertise... Her tact, her skill in keeping the King amused and diverted was greatly appreciated by his entourage....

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Missy here!  Reading about how well Alice handled the King made me think of another woman who I elected to be Mistress of the Month who was known for how she handled her man. Barbara Sinatra!  See those posts in my archive!

October 2018
BARBARA BLAKELEY MARX-SINATRA : Twice a Mistress Thrice a Wife : Singer Frank Sinatra.

PRINCESS ALEXANDRA OF DENMARK, THE WIFE OF EDWARD ALBERT, PRINCE OF WALES, DID NOT LIKE ALICE KEPPEL : BUT SHE LIKED HER MORE THAN OTHER MISTRESSES

Though their are legends about how well the Prince of Wales wife, Princess Alexandra of Denmark, accepted Alice as a mistress, this was probably not the case.  Yes, by the time Alice Keppel was the King's mistress, Queen Alexandra knew her husband had never been faithful to her. He'd had many mistresses and he was without apology.  However, she expected him and his women to be discreet. Alice Keppel might have been discreet in her way, but her personality was too big and she was so well know. She and the King were going here, there, and everywhere...

Excerpt page 195-196: "A legend persists, to this day, that the attitude of Alexandra, as Princess and Queen, towards her husband's affair with Alice Keppel was one of saintly forbearance.  She is popularly believed to have displayed all those qualities of charity and forgiveness for which she was renowned.  This is not quite accurate. In the first place, Alexandra was never the saint of popular imagination; she had many attractive quantities but could be stubborn and selfish.  her supposed acceptance of her husbands' mistress should simply have been a manifestation of self absorption.  And secondly, there where times when, far from approving of Mrs. Keppel, Alexandra revealed an active dislike.

It is true that the Princess of Wales preferred Alice Kepple to Daisy Warwick. .....And Alexandra would have approved of the fact that Mrs. Keppel did not flaunt her position to the extent that Daisy Warwick had once done. She would have been grateful to Alice Keppel for keeping the Prince in good temper.  But this did not mean that she found her almost continual presence any less irksome.

The Royal family also noted that Alexandra did not appreciate Alice's presence at events that they attended. And if she knew that Alice was going to be at an event, Alexandra was known to not be present.  She went on Mediterranean cruises, paid visits to her family and friends in Denmark, or traveled abroad.

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ALICE KEPPEL DECORATED THE HOUSES WITH AN ATMOSPHERE OF LUXURY : HER CHILDREN WERE KEPT ASIDE AND HER HUSBAND GAVE HER AND THE KING SPACE

Alice decorated the house to be approved of by the Prince, who it is reasonable to think was paying for most or all of it.  Eventually she would move to an even grander house in Grosvenor Street, and there also decorate to create an atmosphere of luxury.

Excerpt page 195: "The same "atmosphere of luxury" pervaded her bedroom. Its mounds of pillows, cut-glass vases filled with lilies and malmaisons and its rich velvet curtains drawn, in this instance, against  the daylight, all helped to create a suitably seductive setting for her extramarital assignations.  With George Keppel having obligingly gone off to his club - and later his job - for the afternoons, and with the staff remaining discreetly downstairs, the Prince and Mrs. Keppel would be certain of a couple hours to themselves.

The butler would make sure that the children and any visiting friends were kept away in the house, as the Prince showed up and left the house. Yet is is known that the children did understand that the man visiting their mother at the house was a special person.

Oh, I do wonder about so many accommodating husbands.  Let's just say that this was the way of the upper crust of society in those times and may still be the way today.

DO YOU DECORATE YOUR BEDROOM FOR SEDUCTION??

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ALICE KEPPEL AND HER FAMILY MOVED HOUSE SO AS TO BETTER ENTERTAIN AS A MISTRESS : SHE WAS GOOD TO THE SERVANTS

The Keppel family moved - George, Alice, and first child daughter Violet - from their home in Wilton Crescent to a more elegant home in Portman Square where Alice conducted her affair with the Prince of Wales.  

The house was six stories and the servants toiled all day but were expected to do their work without being seen.

Except page 191 -192 : ..."It had few of the amenities which were already being installed in comparable houses, such as central heating or the telephone, and food had to be kept cool in an outhouse in the area yard.  Yet it did boast some modern conveniences: it was lit by electricity instead of gas, and husband and wife had a bathroom each - an almost unheard of luxury for a London house. For most homes had no bathroom at all. Where, in some of the grandest country houses, there were one o two bathrooms, they were invariably huge, icy caverns situated at the end of unheateded corridors.

Additionally, the Keppels kept a modest two servants per, when it was typical of rich families to have up to eight servants per person. The servants were not paid well  A typical family had a housekeeper, cook, lady's maid, nurse, housemaids, kitchen maids, scullery maids, laundry maids, maids-of-all-work, as well as a butler, under butler, valets, footmen, pantry boys, lamp boys, odd-jo-men, and kitchen porters - and that was just for the inside of the house.  Much depended on how well they were treated by their employers.

Excerpt page 194: "By all accounts, Alice Keppel was an exceptionally considerate employer.... She was the kind of fair-minded and warmhearted mistress that servants appreciated.... As well as having a staff worthy of her Royal lover, Alice Keppel needed rooms worthy of him..."

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THE MARRIED ALICE KEPPEL HAD PERSONALITY AND BEAUTY BUT MONEY? - NO NOT SO MUCH

Alice's husband, the Honorable George Kepple, a third son, might have been swayed to marry for money, but he married Alice for love. She had no money to speak of herself. She was the youngest child of nine.

Excerpt page 190: "Marrying for love was one thing; trying to live in London society in the 1890's without money was quite another  before many years had passed, the increasingly worldly Alice Keppel had come to appreciate that there was only one sure way by which a married but impoverished society woman to get the bills paid.  This was by adopting that easy-going attitude towards adultery characteristic of the Marlborough House set; she must take a wealthy lover.  It was said that the father of her first daughter, Violet, born in 1894, was the rich Ernest William Beckett, the future Lord Grimthorpe.

(Violet herself hinted that her father was the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII but this is not likely true for they had not met five years earlier.)

No matter where it was that the King and Alice met, it was the Keppel's home where Alice and her husband entertained the him when he was Prince o Wales. The author, Theo Aronson, has something interesting to say about why Alice proved to be the ideal mistress.

Excerpt page 191: "Alice proved to be the ideal mistress for an ageing man She was attractive enough to interest him sexually; entertaining when he was bored, patient when he was cantankerous, sympathetic when he was ill, unobtrusive when he appeared in public.  In his company she was amusing, even-tempered, uncomplaining  Like all successful mistresses, Alice was part-lover, part-wife, part-mother. An added attraction was that she was an accomplished  bridge player.  For the Prince was reaching the ae when a man values a good partner at bridge table as highly as a good partner in bed.  Before long, Alice Keppel had become an indispensable part of the Prince's life: a brilliant threat running through the fabric of his days.

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QUEEN VICTORIA WORE A SNAKE RING : ALICE KEPPEL GAVE THE KING A SNAKE RING TOO : VICTORIAN ERA LOVE MOTIFS

I thought you might be interested in this article about the symbolism of snake jewelry in the Victorian era. It has a drawing of Queen Victoria's snake ring! Snake rings are back in style now.

Excerpt: Serpent motifs became particularly prominent during the reign of Queen Victoria, who received an engagement ring from Prince Albert featuring a snake with an emerald-set head and ruby eyes. This sparked a fascination with snake-inspired designs, making them a defining trend of the Victorian era.

Today, it is believed the ring is buried with Queen Victoria at the Royal Mausoleum at Frogmore.

Link here for more interesting information and photos 

LAPADA ORG GUIDE TO VICTORIAN JEWELRY

Now the image above is of a snake swallowing its own tail. I posted it here because our Mistress of the Month, Alice Keppel, gave King Edward VII a diamond ring with this eternal love motif.

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ALICE KEPPEL : THE "MISTRESS IN CHIEF" OF KING EDWARD VII : SHE CALLED HIM 'KINGY' : HE WAS ACCEPTED INTO HER HOME BY HER HUSBAND AND DAUGHTERS TOO

 

ALICE KEPPEL

 Alice Frederica Edmonstone***

"Freddie"

image from Wikimedia Commons

dated as originally painted between 1890 and 1900

1868 - 1947

Our Mistress of the Month here at MISTRESS MANIFESTO is Alice Keppel  who was very well known as King Edward VII's mistress - one of his last extramarital relationships that the very busy King had while married to Queen Alexandra - in her time. Perhaps she is best known today because Queen Camilla is one of her descendants. She was one of Queen Camilla's great grandmothers. ***  Over the last few months I've focused on King Edward VII's mistresses, having read over three books by three authors, that include Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick, Agnes Keyser, and Alice Keppel. Alice lived until 1947 making her almost contemporary. But as the King died in 1910, we can say that her relationship with him, that began in about 1898 when she was about 30, lasted until she was about 42 years old. We also know that she was with him to the very end and went hysterical with grief. Perhaps he was the love of her life?

This month I will start with what I noted while reading the book Edward VII's Last Loves by Raymond Lamont-Brown.

Born Alice Frederica Edmonston, by the time she, as Mrs. George Keppel, met the then Prince of Wales he had been married six years and had four children by his wife. Born in 1841, the King was also seventeen years her senior - and had a history of taking much younger mistresses and, as I see it, was totally incapable of limiting himself when it came to women.

Alice came from the upper class of Scottish society, educated people, good schools for the boys, home schooling for the girls - nobility. She was raised by a nanny and a governess and was destined to be an idle married woman of the upper class, but she was a tomboy that her family called "Freddie" and 'outspoken for a girl.'  She was one to want more.

Alice grew up in a castle that had been home to the Edmonstons since the 4th century and had been a gift to them from King Robert III of Scotland. She was the youngest daughter of Sir William Edmonstone, 4th Baronet of Duntreath, and Mary Elizabeth Parsons. Her father died when she was 20. At 23 she married the Honorable George Keppel, the son of the 7th Earl Albemarle, whose family had a history of service to the Royal family. He was not rich though, and had no inheritance to look forward to. She remained married to him.

Alice had two daughters, whose paternity is questioned as not sired by her husband, Violet, a lesbian who became a bit infamous in her time, was born in 1894, and Sonia, whose descendants include Queen Camilla, was born in 1900.  Sonia has been suspected as having been fathered by Edward Albert, Prince of Wales.

As members of Edward Albert's Marlborough House set, Alice had a series of affairs. Her husband did not object when she became the prince's mistress. Once she was Edward's mistress, prior to his becoming King Edward VII, the family benefitted from the King's largess. They moved into a better house where Alice could entertain the King and her daughters came to accept 'Kingy', as their mother called him, as a special visitor. He was good to her children and, to put it right, they knew how to get lost. 

Like other Royal mistresses, notably Daisy Warwick and Lillie Langtry,  Alice was blessed with glorious red hair. Her skin was alabaster and her eyes described as 'turquoise!" *** She was considered intelligent and informed - a good conversationalist. She traveled with the King, to Paris, to resorts, and was accepted by his court. As a result she was called 'Mistress in Chief" by them. The nick-name implies that they accepted that she was in charge of him, though it's clear there were aspects of his life that she had no say in. However, the notion that she was befriended by the Princess Alexandra, 'Alix," the Prince of Wales' wife, as reported by author Raymond Lamont-Brown, is denied in other books.

Now I will continue with this month's primary reference, the third book I read about King Edward VII and his mistress Alice Keppel. Theo Aronson's The King In Love.

She was the youngest of nine children, a girl with an independent spirit.

There are many versions of who introduced Alice and the King but the memories are unified in that the 56 year old King was at once wildly attracted to the 29 year old Mrs.George Keppel. She had the ideal curvatons Victorian figure, glorious hair, small hands and feet. But her personality also shone through.

Excerpt Page 187 : With her short but generously proportioned figure, Alice Keppel exuded an unmistakable sensuousness; there was a warm, almost Mediterranean quality about her appearance. This same exotic aura characterized her manner.  She was vivacious, extrovert, expansive.  Her voice was low and seductive.  In old age one admirer remembered her as having a 'deep throat voice like Garbo.'  Even in those less emancipated days she smoked, using a long cigarette holder; it emphasized her air of sophistication. She dressed with great panache and, after becoming the Prince of Wales' mistress, with greater panache still.  (She did have a Greek grandmother.)

Excerpt page 189 : As she matured, Alice Edmonstone - in spite of her Latin looks - appeared to be developing into a typically aristocratic young Scotswoman; honest, energetic, practical. She had, as they would say, her head screwed on correctly.  But there was more to her than this. Alice Edmonstone had a genuinely kind heart; her nature was without pettiness, prejudice or malice.  She never spoke ill of anyone; she almost never lost her temper. Even as a girl, her tact was remarkable. It was always she who kept the peace between her frequently bickering sisters; who formed the bridge between those who were dogmatic and those who were diffident. Her impartiality her willingness to make allowance, were to become proverbial.

Though we have this lovely portrait to refer to, let it be noted that bit by bit Alice Keppel became fat, dining so well and often with the portly King.

And with that, I say - The next post is coming soon!

Missy

Notes regarding Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom, upon the death of Queen Elizabeth upon her marriage to Prince Charles known as the Duchess of Cornwall. Camilla Parker Bowles's official title is Queen Camilla (or simply Her Majesty The Queen) following the coronation of King Charles III in May 2023. While she was initially referred to as "Queen Consort" upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the title was updated to "Queen" to reflect her position as the wife of the monarch. 

*** I've heard that Princess Diana's eyes were also considered to be turquoise.

*** Camilla denies that she ever offered Charles, Prince of Wales, to be his mistress back in the day when they first had a relationship.)

*** I've seen it spelled both Edmonstone and Edmonston...

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WORLD WAR TWO : AGNES KEYSER'S HOSPITAL BOMBED : SHE IS ACCEPTED FULLY BY KING GEORGE V AND QUEEN MARY ENJOYS A FRIENDSHIP WITH THE ROYAL FAMILY

 

In 192Agnes suffered the loss of her beloved sister Fanny who had been so instrumental in founding and administering the King Edward VII Hospital for officers. However, by the 1920's the hospital was not well enough funded. The location of the hospital was moved again and again as it struggled to survive. In January 1941, when the hospital was back to its original location at Grosvenor Crescent, the house was bombed in an air raid. "Agnes Keyser was never to recover from the shock of seeing her life's work so shattered. (Page 173)

However, she had not only the patronage of the King and Queen and their connections for her life's work - the hospital had provided medical care for hundreds of officers in three wars - but the respect she deserved for her unselfish efforts.

In her old age, the never married and childless Agnes, enjoyed invitations and outings with the Royals.

Excerpt page 173: "The diaries of King George V and Queen Mary confirm that Agnes Keyser was invited to stay at Abergeldie and dine at Balmoral for a few days each year between 1921 and 1935.  There she regularly joined the royal family on motor trips and picnics, cutting a rather eccentric figure striding over the heather in a bright mauve suit and an orange wig.  Their Balmoral garden walks were a special delight for Agnes at the king described his plans for a new pansy garden and alpine feature that was to evolve as ' Queen Mary's Garden'.  .... Sister Agnes could be relied upon to enliven the Balmoral conversation by repeating, not always with useful results, the talk of the town.  Agnes' gossip was said to include tidbits about the current indiscretions of the Prince of Wales; in this Agnes was deemed a part of an 'intelligence network' said to include Princess Victoria (King George's unmarried sister.)

Agnes moved to the countryside due to the bombings and declining health and passed in May of 1941. She left a personal estate of only 68,272 pounds. Her will provided that her property that had been used as the hospital and 25,000 pounds to continue as the hospital.  Small bequests such as personal items were distributed.

Excerpt pages 174-175 : ..."To Queen Mary she left two tables from her dining room at 16 Grosvenor Crescent, to Princess Mary (The Princess Royal) she left her "Elephant" cigarette lighter which King Edward VII had given her.... To Florence, Lady de la Rue, went the gold purse gifted to her by King George and Queen Mary and the gold cup given by Edward VII....

Note: Upon reading this I'm a bit surprised to learn that the King had gifted her some valuable treasures.

AGNES KEYSER DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR : THE KING EDWARD VII HOSPITAL FOR OFFICERS EXPANDED TO THE HOMES OF THE PEERAGE

 

Agnes Keyser maintained her social position and busied herself at the hospital she and her sister had founded and the King had been the patron of.  After his death, King Edward VII's son, King George V became the patron of King Edward's VII Hospital for Officers. The hospital that had treated officers injured in the war in South Africa now cared for the injured of World War I.

Excerpt page 144: "For Agnes Keyser the First World War was to bring a great increase in the work and expansion of her hospital. Now many of Agnes' and Alice's mutual friends were opening up their homes for the hospital's overflow of sick and wounded officers.  Agnes had succeeded in negotiating the use of several houses in London's Belgravia which belonged to such as Mrs. Rupert Beckett, Sire Walpole Greenwell, Lady Maxwell, Mr. Pandelli Ralli and Mrs. Clarence Watney. An added cachet was given to all these owners by visits to their properties by King George and Queen Mary to see the patients.  A fleet of special ambulances was also organized to meet hospital trains and ships to bring the wounded officers to the hospital.

The war effort was tremendous. Many owners of estates opened their homes for the same purpose.  There was the British Red Cross and the order of St John of Jerusalem combined to form th Joint War Committee to carry out charity work.  Many society women got involved. Alice Keppel did.

A historical note from AI and Wikipedia: On July 17, 1917, King George V officially changed the British royal family's name from the German-sounding Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to the British-sounding Windsor. Driven by intense anti-German sentiment during World War I, this decision was also meant to distance the monarchy from its German roots and the Kaiser. The King's cousin was Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. In 1960, Queen Elizabeth II decreed that her descendants (not in the direct line of succession) would bear the surname "Mountbatten-Windsor"

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KING EDWARD VII DIES : AGNES KEYSER GOES INTO MOURNING : ALICE KEPPEL MUST WITHDRAWL - AGNES KEYSER'S DISCRETION MEANS AN INVITE TO THE FUNERAL

He had been smoking and coughing and falling asleep sitting up but had continued to get up each day to fulfill whatever Royal Duties he still could... He was with Alice Keppel at a hotel in Paris. His wife, Queen Alexandra, was on a cruise in the Mediterranean. They both knew he was dying. The day of his death in London, he had a cigar, saw an old friend, had a winning horse at Kempton Park, but the King also fainted twice and then fell into a coma.

Excerpt pages 129-130: ..."Before he passed into a final comatose state Queen Alexandra gave instructions that any close friends he wished to see should be allowed to visit the king. Out of this invitation Alice Keppel was to build a curious story, her version of which she was to assert for the rest of her life.

Agnes claimed she was "summoned" by the Queen to see the dying King Edward VII. Many, including courtiers, say otherwise.

Excerpt page 130: During the last days of the king's life, Alice was frantic. She knew that her lover was dying and asked to be with him. The queen had not sent for her, although, according to Sir Francis Laking, Alice had been a constant visitor to Buckingham Palace before the Queen came back from the Mediterranean.  Alice played what she thought was her trump card - she sent the Queen the letter that the King had sent her at the time of his appendix operation in 1902 which had said that if he was dying he was certain that the Queen would allow Alice to come to him.  The letter, and a further wish of the King's that Alice be invited, persuaded the Queen to allow Knollys (the King's private secretary) to contact Alice.

Alice did go to the King but she also lied that the King had asked the Queen to kiss Alice - to unite in his last hours. Alice also said that he had asked that the Royal Family look after her after his death, suggesting she expected ongoing money. Rather a witness said that the Queen shook hands with Alice and suggested that she had always been a good influence over him. Actually, she might have said that sarcastically, as reportedly Alice ran from the room and was in hysterics. In actuality the King barely recognized people at this point in his dying process.

Alice knew that she would be swamped with publicity, and so she fled to a friend's with her entourage. She was in deep grief. But she did the best thing she could to guard her position in society and went to sign a public book of condolences, as if she were just one of many people to give her regards. She found herself snubbed by the new King, Wilhelm II, who disapproved of her and would not receive her.

But Agnes Keyser and her family were acceptable.

Excerpt page 133 -134: Agnes Keyser's mourning was to be discreet, Alice Keppel's depressive and demonstrative. Leading up to the state ceremonial on 20 Ma6y there was a three-day-lying-in-state at Westminster Hall, before interment at St. George's Chapel, Windsor.  Keppels were to play a prominent part in the funeral cortege. .....  From Marlborough House, the new King's private secretary Sir Arthur Bigge wrote to the Duke of Norfolk that it was the monarch's wish that Agnes and Fanny Keyser were to be allocated seats for the funeral service at Stl George;'s Chapel, Windsor.

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AGNES KEYSER'S ROYAL ADMIRER INSISTS THE HOSPITAL REMAIN OPEN : BUT HE IS ALSO OPENLY IN RELATIONSHIP WITH ALICE KEPPEL : QUEEN ALEXANDRA APPRECIATES AGNES

The hospital was renamed to King Edward's VII Hospital  for Officers: Sister Agnes Founder but the King became its first patron and the Prince of Wales became its first President.  Edward VII was a regular visitor to the hospital and the officers who were treated there. But it was also likely the scene of their dalliances. When Agnes appealed to the King, he got donors to keep the hospital open, though Agnes had used her own funds to endowing the foundation trust. Many of the donors were Anglo-Jews.

Excerpt pages 112:  "Like Alice Keppel, Agnes Keyser was becoming an indispensable part of the king's life. He enjoyed being bullied by Agnes concerning his heath I paying no practical attention the while) and her disapproval of his heavy smoking provoked his guttural laughter. Yet no one could sooth him half so well as Agnes, as he recovered from his Corona y Coronas cigar-induced coughing fits in which he went a deep shade of purple.

It can't be stated enough, the King continued his very open relationship with Alice Keppel. They went together to the resorts - Biarritz - Paris. It is said that sometimes she embarrassed the King's wife, Queen Alexandra. Alice Keppel also noticed the King's declining health and worried and his doctor was distressed. The Queen was angry that he was still going off with his mistress. But Queen Alexandra had a different relationship with Agnes. She appreciated her.

Excerpt page 125 : At 17 Grosvenor Crescent (Agnes' home), Agnes Keyser anxiously noted that the king's health was deteriorating; he had more frequent bouts of coughing as they talked, and a bad kink left him gasping for breath for a quarter of an hour. Agnes could see he was becoming increasingly depressed about the future, and he was talking more and more about bad omens. And an event at Sandringham at New Year 1910 did not improve his state of mind.

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AGNES AND FANNY KEYSER SET UP KING EDWARD VII's FAVORITE CHARITY THEME : A HOSPITAL FOR BOAR WAR SOLDIER GENERALS IN LONDON

Yes the hospital was only for the elite of the military who had been wounded. Was Agnes a snob? She and her sister were unified in establishing a hospital.

Excerpt page 77:  "From the early days of his public duties, the Prince of Wales had shown great interest in promoting and supporting hospitals. In the year of his marriage (1863) he became patron of eight hospitals alone, including the London Fever Hospital. In the Keyser sisters he saw worthy (and wealthy) promoters of his favorite charity theme and suggested that they set up a hospital for sick and wounded in the current war So in 1899 a hospital was founded at the sisters home at 17 Grosvenor Crescent...."

... Funded by the two sisters the hospital was to nurse 275 officers during the period of the war and Agnes showed herself to be an able administrator, although she had no medical training  The hospital was not to take the whole of Fanny Keysers efforts. She decided to go to South Africa. Before 1899 there were few female nurses in the British Medical Corps, and at first there was an official reluctance to send women as nurses to South Africa. Fanny Keyser joined a civilian hospital at Johannesburg from 5 November 1900 to 28 February 1901, whereupon she rejoined her sister. Meanwhile brother Charles Edward Founded a Home for the Convalescent Soldiers at Aldermaston.

While the Keyser sisters busied themselves with war work, Alice Keppel was establishing herself in royal circles and began to appear regularly at the Prince of Wales's main haunts....

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PRINCE EDWARD ALBERT WAS FIFTY-NINE YEARS OLD WHEN HE FINALLY BECAME KING

image from Wikimedia Commons identified as 

Edward Albert, Prince of Wales wearing the uniform of the Admiral, 

dated 6 August 1891

He was 59 years old when he became King in 1901 at his mother, Queen Victoria's death and ruled until May of 1910. He was in waiting for the throne for most of his life and had plenty of time for pleasure which he indulged in without much concern that he would ever be confronted with scandal over it. His wife, Princess Alexandra of Denmark, had no choice but to tolerate his womanizing. 

He was short, said to be about five foot eight, maybe with lifts in his shoes, and he was portly, but his clothing was tailored to him and there have always been those who like a man in a uniform...

AGNES KEYSER'S PARENTS WERE NEW MONEY PEOPLE ACCEPTED INTO THE PEERAGE : SHE DIDN'T WANT HIS MONEY BUT THE KING NEEDED HER

In Queen Victoria's time, there were about 1500 families who dominated London Society based on their pedigree rather than their money. But room was being made for the likes of the Keyser's. Excerpt page 55 : ... "By the 1890's stocks, shares, and money-making skills pushed into the social limelight a whole range of families backed by purchased land and money which had not been inherited... 

Edward Albert, Prince of Wales, finally became King in 1901 when his mother, Queen Victoria, died.  There was much anticipation because the people wanted change. It was well known that he was involved with Alice Keppel, but well, it was always said that the King had "democratic tastes" in women.  And he was involved with both Alice Keppel and Agnes Keyser

Excerpt page 75:  "The Prince of Wales association with Agnes Keyser developed at a much slower pace than his with Alice Keppel, and was not to increase in intensity until after he became King and his health entered its steady decline.  Alice would never lose her lace as maltress du roi (mistress of the King), but the monarch's need for Agnes evolved as a loving friendship.  It is likely too, that Edward was a regular visitor to the London house of the Keyser sisters at 17 Grosvenor Crescent, which the family leased from the Duke of West minister.

Exactly when and where the Prince of Eales and Agnes Keyser met for the first time in 1898 is difficult to tell. The prince - with Alice Keppel - was to visit the former Keyser home of Warren House on a number of occasions and knew the Keysers well, but it is likely that they first met in London through mutual friends, within the network of Anglo-Jewry which vacillated at the edge of Edward's court.  In particular the Bishcoffsheims and their relatives the Goldschmidts, the Sassoons, the Cassels, and the Wernhers, were all members of the princes' court circle. Many of their friends were to be further linked with Agnes and her new royal admirer through the advent of the South African War.

Agnes and her sister, Fanny, were volunteers in nursing service and relief organizations.

Here is how AI (using Wikipedia) defines the South African War:

The Second Boer War (1899–1902) was a major conflict where the British Empire fought two independent Boer republics—the Transvaal and the Orange Free State—for control of South Africa. Driven by imperial expansion and the desire to control gold resources, Britain utilized a massive army to overcome early Boer guerrilla tactics, concluding with the Treaty of Vereeniging, which annexed the republics.

Causes: The conflict arose from disputes over British "Uitlanders" (foreigners) in the gold-rich Transvaal, political friction between imperial expansionists (e.g., Lord Milner) and Boer leaders (e.g., Paul Kruger), and the aftermath of the 1895 Jameson Raid.

British Tactics & Consequences: To counter guerrilla tactics, the British implemented a "scorched earth" policy and established concentration camps for Boer civilians, causing over 26,000 deaths from disease and malnutrition. This sparked significant controversy in Britain.

Outcome: The war was the longest, most expensive (200 million pounds)
and bloodiest war for Britain between 1815 and 1914, costing over 20,000 British lives.

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AGNES KEYSER : "SISTER AGNES" WAS A NEVER MARRIED CHILDLESS WOMAN WHO LOVED THE AGING MONARCH KING EDWARD VII AND NEED NOT TAKE A DIME FROM HIM

Agnes Keyser as "Sister Agnes"

painting by Miss Maude Coleridge which appeared in tabloidish The Tatler, 16 September 1914.

image from Wikipedia

AGNES KEYSER

1852 – 1941

Raymond Lamont-Brown authored this book, which compares and contrasts the two acknowledged mistresses of King Edward VII's last years. It serves as the primary reference for this month's posts.

The magazine illustration above shows Agnes as a nurse, and called "Sister Agnes."  However, she had no nurse training. She could be called nurturing but commanding. The King was ailing, obese, in pain.

On the book cover here, Agnes is the one depicted to the top left, and Alice Keppel the bottom left. Lamont-Brown's book is about the last two loves of this King, who had devoted most of his life to pleasure whenever possible, during the last few years of his life.  

How to describe Agnes Keyser? One might suggest that she was so unlike the other mistresses of Edward Albert, the Prince of Wales who became King Edward VII, so unlikely to be a mistress, that she's remarkable in that way ... There is some speculation that he and Agnes had a love that was devoid of sexuality.  Though that may or may not be true, once again we make our way through the  mistress stereotype, that the relationship is about sex.

I want to start by posting what I learned about Agnes Keyser from reading the book I featured last month: Catherine Arnold's.

The King and his wife lived at Sandringham House which is today the preferred family home of King Charles III, but his wife felt herself to be a prisoner there because she was left home while the King was openly in a relationship with Alice Keppel. Everyone seemed to know their place in the scheme of things, for, according to author Raymond Lamont-Brown, that the King's entourage for his coronation  included other mistresses such as Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick, Lillie Langtry, and Sarah Bernhardt. 

There is also the question of just how many children the Prince of Wales, who became King Edward VII late in life, had begot outside of his marriage. Some of the people who attended the coronation may have been the "bratlings" he had fathered.

The King was an aging, arguably sickly, portly, 58 year old when he met Agnes Keyser.  She, at 46 years old, was a prim "bachelor girl" (spinster) who had never married or had children. Her family was not quite to-the-manner-born as some of his mistresses had been, but they were rich and influential enough to have Agnes presented to Queen Victoria at court. Her parents were at least partially of Jewish heritage. Her father was a member of the Stock Exchange. She was an heiress and had the independence and freedom that most women of her era did not. It has been remarked upon that from an early age she did not much like women but she loved men. Speculation is that her own nanny was too harsh with her.

Agnes probably met the king in 1899.  The Boar war broke out and she and her younger sister, Fanny, set up a nursing home for officers.  Just officers. The King, called "Bertie." set up a trust to finance this nursing home.  Several of the donors were also of some Jewish descent. It became King Edward's Hospital for Officers.  She was thus called "Sister Agnes."

Now, from the Raymond Lamont-Brown book, we learn that both women likely got involved with the King around the same time in 1898.  In the mid 1800's in the United Kingdom there was a man-shortage. Around 20 percent of the women who were born about the same time as she never married. Not only that but the age of first marriage for women of her class had risen to 26 years old. But this isn't offered as an explanation for her resistance to marriage, which had been expected of her.  "She found the social ideal of women subjugating herself to a man in matrimony abhorrent." The Englishwoman's Review summed up her attitude perfectly when in its columns it averred that 'the higher a woman's nature is, the more likely it is that she will prefer to forgo marriage altogether, than surrender herself to a union that would sink her below her own ideal.' Because Agnes Keyser was wealthy she was never considered a social failure.

Furthermore, as a spinster, Agnes Keyser was far more independent than a married woman, being able to act as a trustee, an executrix, or an administratrix should she wish to, and to enjoy a franchise in parish matters.  Agnes Keyser became a member of the Victorian group of women who slowly developed new lifestyles which in time would influence all women. And as a terrible snob, Agnes intended to be somebody.  (Excerpts from page 45.)

The King had certainly no need of Agnes' money and she was not one to expect his financial support or generosity. But of course, what I do wonder, is if having two very different women in his life at the same time was necessary for the King to have all that he wanted and needed, if the two of them had qualities that balanced each other. For Agnes, if she thought of her as competition or not, the other woman was not the King's wife but Alice Keppel, a flamboyant personality who loved riches. Edward had been a Prince in waiting for the throne the majority of his life and his mother, Queen Victoria, was formidable. His wife, Princess Alexandra of Denmark, and he, had done their duty in bringing children into their world, but it was not a true love match. Divorce was impossible but who knows if Alexandra ever thought about it. She prevailed in the end having had the man in her life longer than any other woman.

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DAISY GREVILLE COUNTESS OF WARWICK'S LAVISH BALL LEADS TO HER CONVERSION TO SOCIALISM

The Palace of Versailles party was highly criticized in a small newspaper called Clarion would lead to a sort of conversion for Daisy Greville.

Excerpt page 205: "Daisy's fancy dress all was hailed as a triumph. "The throng of splendidly gowned and costumed men and women in the setting of the noble rooms of the castle seemed at the time to make the gathering worthwhile.  Daisy recalled, arguing that not only had the ball been great fun, but she had provided employment for dozens of servants, dressmakers, musicians, caterers, and florists.  "I felt happy in the belief that our ball was giving work to so many people who would otherwise have been idle. The festivities of the Lords and Ladies Bountiful were being translated into terms of meat and bread for the workers....

But then she saw the article in Clarion in which she was accused of sham benevolence."  Today we would say she needed a wake up call or that she was clueless. She went to see the editor, Robert Blatchford.

Excerpt page 205 -206 : ... "Daisy was so infuriated by this article that she jumped out of bed and took the next train to London."

"And then Robert Blanchford told Daisy, as a socialist and democrat, what he thought of charity bazaars and ladies bountiful.  Blatchford made plain the difference between productive and unproductive labor, and said that labor used to produce finery was as much wasted as if it were used to dig holes i the ground and fill them up again.

By this new standard, Daisy came to understand that nine-tenths of the money spent on the Warwick ball had been wasted.  Such elementary economics as that the only useful labor was labor that produced useful articles, which in turn helped labor produce again was all new to her...."

When Daisy got back to Warwick Castle, the party was still going on.  But Blanchford had made his point. She ordered dozens of books on socialism and read them. She was converted to new notions about social justice. Financing a school for local children and a needlework business for local women were just some of her efforts.

Her private life still included the Prince. In 1897 she wrote to him that she was pregnant again but the affair had ended. The son she gave birth to was perhaps not the Prince's but that of her latest lover, Captain Joe Laycock of the Blues, who was one of the riches men in England and a war hero. Pregnant, she decided this time to have an abortion. It was a horror and she almost died of infection, but she recovered, only to become pregnant again at the age of forty-two. She gave birth to Laycock's child in 1904.

The Prince, of course, had other mistresses, notable were Agnes Keyser, and his last, Alice Keppel.  The Prince became King Edward VII at age 59, after the death of his mother, Queen Victoria. in 1901.

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Note: I personally think Banchford's thinking was extreme. I do see value in all labor including the expensive fashion and entertainments. Today many thousands of people are employed in those industries. It is mindful not to be wasteful but I dread to think what would happen if so very many were put out of work.