Husband Gallery

The Hesse-Cassel and Greek royal families

The youngest daughters of Vicky, Princess Royal of Great Britain and Empress of Prussia, the Princesses Sophie and Margarete of Prussia with their husbands and children at Friedrichshof in 1904. Sophie is in the darker dress, standing beside her husband Constantine, Duke of Sparta. Margarete ('Mossy') is on the right, next to her husband Friedrich Karl of Hesse-Cassel. The children are, from the left, George of Greece (standing), Philipp of Hesse-Cassel, Helen of Greece, Maximilian of Hesse-Cassel, Paul of Greece (behind, in a dress), Wolfgang of Hsse-Cassel, directly in front of his elder brother Friedrich Wilhelm, Alexander of Greece in front of Richard of Hesse-Cassel and Christoph of Hesse-Cassel. Margarete was unusual in that out of her six sons, four of them were sets of twins

© Charlotte Zeepvat/ILN/Mary Evans Picture Library

Wedding Bells of the 1913 Season Freda Dudley Ward

Winifred Birkin on her wedding day arriving at St. Margaret's, Westminster for her marriage to William Dudley Ward. Winifred, better known as Freda Dudley Ward (1894-1983), was the mistress of the Duke of Windsor when he was Prince of Wales and widely acknowledged as his first great love. She divorced her first husband and married Pedro, Marquess de Casa Maury

© Illustrated London News Ltd/Mary Evans

Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg with family

Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg (1884-1966), fourth and youngest daughter of Prince Alfred of Edinburgh and his wife, Maria Alexandrovna (later Duke and Duchess of Saxe-Coburg), shown here with her husband, Alfonso, 5th Duke of Galliera (1886-1935) and her three sons, from left, Alonso (1912-1936), Ataulfo (1913-1974) and Alvaro, 6th Duke of Galliera (1910-1997). Known as Baby Bea in the family, she married King Alfonso XIII's cousin but refused to convert to Catholicism. Alfonso was compelled to take away his cousin's army commission and titles. After spending time at homes in Coburg and Switzerland, the couple returned to Spain in 1912 where Beatrice aggravated tensions between Alfonso and his wife Queen Ena (Beatrice's cousin), openly flirting with the king and allegedly procuring mistresses for him. Eventually, she was ordered to leave Spain once more, although she did return, bravely remaining behind in 1931 after the proclamation of the Spanish Second Republic, to look after the King's elderly aunt

© Charlotte Zeepvat/ILN/Mary Evans Picture Library