Disability Throughout History: Princess Alexandrine of Prussia

When I am brainstorming post ideas, I often search for "famous people with _____." In this case, I wanted to know more about Down Syndrome. Because so many people with this were put into institutions and never spoken of again, it can be very difficult to find these stories. Every so often, though, an influential family had a child with Down Syndrome and chose to/had the resources to care for them at home. This is the case with our story today.

Alexandrine as a toddler

Princess Alexandrine Irene of Prussia was born to Wilhelm, German Crown Prince, and Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin on April 2, 1915. She was the fifth of six children: her older brothers Wilhelm, Louis Ferdinand, Hubertus, and Frederick and her younger sister, born two years later, Cecilie. Alexandrine was born at the Kronprinzenpalais (Crown Prince's Palace) in Berlin, Germany. Her middle name, Irene, means "peace" in Greek, named so for her birth during the devastation of World War I.

At the time of her birth, her grandfather, Wilhelm II, was the German Kaiser (Emperor) since his own father's death in 1888. His mother, Victoria, Princess Royal, was the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria, meaning Alexandrine was the second cousin, once removed, of Prince John of the United Kingdom, the subject of a previous blog post. Because of the extensive intermarriage of the European royals, World War I was a family affair. Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey made up the Central Powers while France, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, Japan, and the United States were the Allies. Many Americans, if they know of Kaiser Wilhelm II at all and if only at a surface level, picture him as the main "villain" of the war. The war caused unprecedented carnage and toppled many monarchies, including Germany's. Wilhelm II abdicated his throne in November 1918, ending the 300-year reign of the House of Hohenzollern. After fleeing from the Nazis to the Netherlands, he died in 1941, leaving his eldest son, Wilhelm, the head of the House. Today, the head and historic heir is Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia, Wilhelm II's great-great grandson.

Though her parents, Wilhelm and Cecilie, loved their children, their marriage was quite unhappy. The Crown Prince constantly had affairs, even though his wife was known for her elegance and fashion, and was quite controlling. For her part, the Duchess had a quick temper and did not tolerate contradiction. After hearing of one affair, she declared that she would drown herself. Even with this imperfect marriage, Cecilie gave birth to six children in eleven years. She herself would have a passionate emotional affair with her husband's aide de camp, Baron Otto von Dungern - though, when she found out he was having a physical affair with another woman in court, she confessed to her husband who then forced von Dungern's resignation.

Alexandrine as an infant, held by her father

The marriage was strained further by their first daughter's birth. Alexandrine, nicknamed "Adini" by her family, was born with Down Syndrome. This genetic disorder varies greatly in severity, but it causes intellectual disability and developmental delays, often along with heart and gastrointestinal disorders. Her mother was very distraught at this and, because of Hohenzollern court protocol, her daughter's diagnosis was not announced to the public. Cecilie was expected to carry on with her official duties as normal. This strain on the Duchess, combined with the immense toll the war had on the German people, losing numerous relatives in the Russian Revolution, and her father-in-law being forced to abdicate and end the monarchy, was devastating. During this revolutionary period at the end of the war, Cecilie and her six young children, all under the age of twelve, moved from their home, Ceciliahof, to Neues Palai, with her mother-in-law. Her husband was exiled but she and her children were eventually allowed to return to their home. Cecilie reduced her household staff by 50% and her two oldest sons were sent to the local school instead of having a tutor. Wilhelm was not allowed to return from his exile in the Netherlands until 1923.

Alexandrine as a child

Alexandrine and her sister as children

Despite the chaos around them, Cecile kept on Alexandrine's nanny, Selma Boese, to help care for her. By all appearances, her family loved her dearly. They were finally allowed to have her at public events and in official photographs, even with her diagnosis. Considering that she was born during the height of the eugenics movement, this is incredible. She even went to a school for young women with disabilities, the Trüpersche Sonderschule (special school) in Jena, from 1932-1934. This was the first educational institution in Europe that educated and artistically trained disadvantaged and disabled children. Alexandrine was also confirmed in the Lutheran church by Oberhofprediger (court preacher) Doehring in October 1934, when she was nineteen, along with her younger sister, Cecilie. Some allege that she was institutionalized when she turned twenty, but this appears to be untrue. However, after the death of her nanny, Boese, in 1936, Alexandrine left her parents house and was moved to Niederpöcking, Bavaria.

Alexandrine, her mother, and her sister, 1934

Though her father, Wilhelm, was able to return to Germany with the agreement that he would stay out of politics, he did not comply. Between 1926 and 1935, Adolf Hitler visited Ceciliahof three times. Wilhelm himself wanted to hold political office but his father talked him out of it. Instead, he supported Hitler as he rose to power in Germany, thinking that the monarchy would be restored. After about 1934, when Wilhelm realized that Hitler had no intention of this, their relationship cooled. However, it was still strong enough the Alexandrine was protected from the Nazi regime. The Nazis were determined to create a perfect race of humans and murder all "undesirables," such as Jews, Communists, Romani people, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and anyone else who contradicted them. The euthanasia program was officially authorized in 1939, with approximately 200,000 people with disabilities being systematically murdered between 1940 and 1945. Because of her father, Alexandrine was not one of them. On the other side of the conflict, another previous blog post subject, Anne de Gaulle, who also had Down Syndrome, fled from the Nazis in France. Thanks to her family, she, too, survived the war.

Her oldest brother, Wilhelm, was killed during the invasion of France in May 1940 while serving in the Wehrmacht, the German armed forces. He had, in 1933, given up all rights of succession for himself and his future children in order to marry a woman of minor noble family. Even with this, his funeral drew an audience of 50,000 mourners. The German public still had great sympathy for the former royal family, causing alarm for Hitler. He realized that the Hohenzollerns were a threat to his rule and decreed that no members of the former German royal houses could serve in the Wehrmacht. Alexandrine's brother Frederick had long since moved to England to study at the University of Cambridge, but her other two brothers were forced to resign from their military service. The family tried to distance themselves further from Hitler as World War II raged. In 1941, upon Wilhelm II's death, Alexandrine's father became the head of the House of Hohenzollern. Some military men and diplomats approached him, wanting him to replace Hitler, but he refused. Though none of the family were involved in the July Plot to kill Hitler in 1944, the Hohenzollern men were interrogated and tailed by the Gestapo, the Nazi secret police.

Alexandrine's parents had already lived apart for quite some time as the war finally came to an end. Her father left for the Bavarian Alps in January 1945 for medical treatment and her mother fled from Berlin ahead of the Red Army in February 1945. Ceciliahof was captured by the Soviets and Wilhelm was arrested in Austria as a (World War I) criminal and briefly placed under house arrest. Cecilie had fled to Bavaria and, after the war, was sometimes visited there by her husband and children.

Tragedy continued to haunt the former royal family, with Alexandrine's brother, Hubertus, dying of appendicitis in 1950 and her father Wilhelm dying of a heart attack the following year. Duchess Cecilie published her memoirs the year after her husband died, herself passing away shortly after in 1954. Alexandrine's brother Frederick died in 1966 from drowning in the Rhine River, either by accident or suicide. Her sister Cecilie died in 1975.

Alexandrine as a young adult

Where was Alexandrine during these tumultuous times? The record is vague. She lived from 1936 and on in Bavaria, living in Niederpöcking during World War II and spending her time there "in seclusion." At the end of 1945, she moved into a small house on Lake Starnberg. It is said that she was visited regularly by her family, especially her brother Louis Ferdinand, who was also the only family member to outlive her, dying in 1994. She died in 1980 at the age of 65, a remarkable feat for a person with Down Syndrome. Even today, the average life expectancy is only about 60 (in 1983, it was only 25). She was buried at Hohenzollern Castle, near her parents and brother Frederick.

I wish that I knew more about Alexandrine. I don't know how she communicated or what her hobbies were or what her family thought of her. I can speculate that, because of their continued care for her and that they reportedly visited her for as long as they lived, her family loved her. I hope that Alexandrine's secluded life was a happy and peaceful one.

Most sincerely,

Clem

Disability Throughout History

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Tuesday, September 14, 2021

Princess Alexandrine of Prussia - Hope for Peace