Queen Elizabeth II shared an interesting relationship with her mother-in-law, Princess Alice of Battenberg. Admitting that Prince Philip's mother had "difficult quirks," Lady Pamela Hicks, the Duke of Edinburgh's cousin said that the Queen was "patient" and "kind" to her mother-in-law despite the challenges in navigating the late Princess' character.
Speaking to The India Hicks podcast, the royal cousin shared a lot of details about Princess Alice's "extraordinary" life, according to the Daily Express. One of the things that she shared was when the late Princess reportedly "burst into tears" after getting married to Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark.
Prince Philip's parents, Prince and Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark tied the knot in 1903. While the Prince was already 21-years-old at that time, Queen Elizabeth II's mother-in-law was only 18.
Presumably, as per claims, Princess Alice went in "tears" on the night of their wedding. As shared by her niece, Prince Andrew pulled a "prank" on her, which left her in "floods of tears."
Lady Pamela Hicks reportedly said that that the Duke of Edinburgh's father was a "great tease." She then claimed that the Prince told her wife that he had a "very special present" for her.
Just like every other girl, Princess Alice reportedly thought that the gift was a "diamond brooch." But, to her dismay, her husband said that it was not, and instead, he said "it is a motorcycle." Despite knowing that it was a joke, this reportedly made the late Princess cry that night.
For nearly three decades, Queen Elizabeth II's in-laws stayed together. However, they ended up in an "estranged" relationship in 1930 after Prince Philip's mother was reportedly diagnosed with schizophrenia.
After the diagnosis, she was reportedly admitted to a sanatorium in Switzerland. It is said that she was "seen" and treated by several famous medical professionals, including Sigmund Freud.
Following her release from the sanatorium, Princess Alice of Battenberg reportedly "broke off" contact and communications with her family. This only ended at the end of 1966 when Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip invited her to live with them in the United Kingdom.
In her stay with the royal couple at Windsor Castle, Lady Pamela Hicks told her audience that the Queen was always "marvelous" with her mother-in-law, according to 9Honey. She is "very calm" to individuals who everybody else finds as "tricky." She always gets the best out of them, the royal described.
