An important and deeply personal ALS (Autograph Letter Signed) by Princess Sophie of Prussia (1870–1932), later Queen Sophia of Greece, granddaughter of Queen Victoria, daughter of Victoria, Princess Royal – Empress Frederick and Emperor Frederick III, and sister of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Written from Schloss Friedrichshof, Cronberg im Taunus, on 11 February 1901, less than three weeks after the death of Queen Victoria on 22 January 1901. The letter is written on royal stationery bearing a crowned monogram and headed: “SCHLOSS FRIEDRICHSHOF CRONBERG TAUNUS.” It is addressed: “Dear Lady Lytton.” The recipient is Edith Villiers, Dowager Countess of Lytton (1841–1936), widow of Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Earl of Lytton. In 1895 Queen Victoria personally invited Edith to become one of her Ladies-in-Waiting / Ladies of the Bedchamber. She remained close to the Queen until her death and was one of the two ladies-in-waiting who accompanied Victoria's coffin on its final journey from Osborne. Sophie writes following a letter of sympathy sent by Lady Lytton to her mother, Empress Frederick, after Queen Victoria's death. She explains that her mother is not well enough to reply herself and warmly thanks Lady Lytton for her sympathetic letter. The correspondence contains a particularly poignant first-hand account of Empress Frederick's grief: “You can well imagine what it is for mama to have been deprived of being with dear Grandmama & to be caged up here when her thoughts & her whole soul are in England.” Sophie then describes the comfort she derives from being able to remain with her mother: “It is such a comfort for me to be able to stay with my mother & to be able to be of use to her during her suffering & sorrow.” Towards the conclusion Sophie directly acknowledges Lady Lytton's close personal relationship with Queen Victoria: “I can well imagine how deeply you will feel the loss of dear Grandmama, who was such a true friend to you & yours.” This passage acquires particular significance through the identification of the recipient: Edith Villiers was indeed a close member of Queen Victoria's court during the final years of the Queen's life. The letter concludes with Sophie's autograph signature and title: “Sophie Duchess of Sparta .” At the time Sophie was married to Crown Prince Constantine of Greece and used the title Duchess of Sparta. She later became Queen Sophia of Greece. The letter was written during an exceptionally poignant period for the family. Sophie's mother, Empress Frederick, was seriously ill and died on 5 August 1901, only months after her mother Queen Victoria. An unusually evocative royal manuscript directly connecting three generations of the Royal Family – Queen Victoria, her daughter Empress Frederick and her granddaughter Sophie – with Edith Villiers, Dowager Countess of Lytton, a Lady-in-Waiting and close member of Queen Victoria's court, and providing a remarkable first-hand account of the family's grief in the immediate aftermath of the Queen's death. Dimensions of each page: 11.9 × 11.2 cm. The letter is written on a folded double sheet forming four pages, two of which are written.
Auction 01: Auction 01 – Historical Letters, Documents & Autographs — Melis Antiques & Art