Lady May Abel Smith

Lady May Abel Smith

Lady May Abel Smith born Princess May of Teck ("May Helen Emma Abel Smith") (23 January 1906–29 May 1994) was a descendant of the British Royal Family, a great granddaughter of Queen Victoria. From her birth she was known as Princess May of Teck, a title in the Kingdom of Württemberg. She later was styled The Lady May Cambridge after the British Royal Family and its relatives ceased using their German titles in 1917 and Lady May Abel Smith after her marriage in 1931.

Early life

Princess May was born at Claremont House in Surrey, England. Her parents were Prince Alexander of Teck (later the 1st Earl of Athlone), the youngest son of Prince Francis, Duke of Teck and Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge. Her mother was Princess Alexander of Teck (nèe Princess Alice of Albany), the daughter of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and a granddaughter of Queen Victoria.

As a daughter of Prince Alexander of Teck, she was styled "Her Serene Highness Princess May of Teck" at birth.

Lady May Cambridge

During World War I, anti-German feeling in the United Kingdom led Princess May's uncle, King George V, to change the name of the royal house from the Germanic House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to the more English-sounding House of Windsor. The King also renounced all his Germanic titles for himself and all members of the British Royal Family who were British subjects.

In response to this, May's father, Prince Alexander, renounced his title of a Prince of Teck in the Kingdom of Württemberg and the style "His Serene Highness". Alexander, along with his brother, Prince Adolphus of Teck, adopted the name Cambridge, after their grandfather, Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge.

A few days later, the King created Alexander Earl of Athlone and Viscount Trematon. Alexander was now styled The Right Honourable The Earl of Athlone. His daughter was now styled Lady May Cambridge, and his surviving son adopted the courtesy title of Viscount Trematon. Alexander's wife, Alice, retained her title of a British princess with the style Her Royal Highness and became known as Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone.

Marriage & Issue

Lady May married Henry Abel Smith (later Sir Henry) on 24 October 1931 and had three children:

Lady May's wedding party included:
*The Hon. Imogen Rhys
*Miss Kathleen Alington
*Princess Ingrid of Sweden, future Queen Consort of King Frederick IX of Denmark
*Maj. The Hon. Cecil G. Weld-Forester
*Miss Jennifer Bevan
*Miss Wenefryde Tabor
*Lady Mary Cambridge, the bride's first cousin once removed
*Princess Elizabeth of York, future Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, the bride's first cousin once removed
*Miss Rosemary Fraser
*Lady Alice Scott

Later life

Lady May did not carry out any royal duties as she was not British royal. She did attend some major royal events such as the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer.

Between 1958 and 1966, Sir Henry Abel Smith served as the Governor of Queensland. May accompanied Henry to Brisbane, as vice-regal consort.

Lady May died one year after her husband. They are both buried at Frogmore in the Royal Burial Ground not far from Windsor Castle. Her funeral was attended by members of the Royal Family.

Titles

* "Her Serene Highness" Princess May of Teck (1906–1917)
* Miss May Cambridge (1917–1917)
* The Lady May Cambridge (1917–1931)
* Lady May Abel Smith (1931–1994)

Ancestry

ahnentafel-compact5
style=font-size: 90%; line-height: 110%;
border=1
boxstyle=padding-top: 0; padding-bottom: 0;
boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe;
1= 1. Lady May Abel Smith
2= 2. Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone
3= 3. Princess Alice of Albany
4= 4. Francis, Duke of Teck
5= 5. Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge
6= 6. Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany
7= 7. Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont
8= 8. Duke Alexander of Württemberg
9= 9. Claudine Rhédey von Kis-Rhéde
10= 10. Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge
11= 11. Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel
12= 12. Albert, Prince Consort
13= 13. Victoria of the United Kingdom
14= 14. George Victor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont
15= 15. Princess Helene Wilhelmine of Nassau-Weilburg
16= 16. Duke Louis of Württemberg
17= 17. Princess Henriette of Nassau-Weilburg
18= 18. László, Count Rhédey of Kis-Rhéde
19= 19. Agnes Inczédy of Nagy-Várad
20= 20. George III of the United Kingdom
21= 21. Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
22= 22. Prince Frederick of Hesse
23= 23. Princess Caroline Polyxene of Nassau-Usingen
24= 24. Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
25= 25. Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
26= 26. Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent and Strathearn
27= 27. Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
28= 28. George II, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont
29= 29. Princess Emma of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg
30= 30. William, Duke of Nassau
31= 31. Princess Pauline of Württemberg


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Lady May Abel Smith — Esta página ha sido borrada. El registro de borrado y traslados de la página se proveen debajo para más detalle. 06:23 21 nov 2011 Taichi (discusión | contribuciones) borró «Lady May Abel Smith» ‎ (A2: artículo demasiado reducido) Wikipedia aún… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Henry Abel Smith — Colonel Sir Henry Abel Smith KCMG KCVO DSO (8 March 1900 ndash;24 January 1993) was a British Army officer and a Governor of Queensland. He was born on 8 March 1900, the son of Francis Abel Smith and wife Madeline St. Maur, from a branch of the… …   Wikipedia

  • Abel Smith (disambiguation) — Abel Smith may refer to: * Abel Smith (c. 1690 1756), a Nottingham banker * Abel Smith (1717 1788), son of the above, also a banker and Member of Parliament (1774 1788) for Aldborough, St Ives and St Germans * Abel Smith (1748 1779), his eldest… …   Wikipedia

  • Richard Abel Smith — Colonel Richard Francis Abel Smith (11 October 1933 23 December 2004) was a British Army officer.He was the son of Colonel Sir Henry Abel Smith (1900 1993) and Lady May Abel Smith (1906 1994). He was born at Kensington Palace in London, England.… …   Wikipedia

  • Henry Abel Smith — Sir Henry Abel Smith (1900 1993, KCMG, KCVO, DSO, KStJ) était un militaire britannique et gouverneur du Queensland. Il fut officier des Horse guards. Sommaire 1 Biographie 2 Honneurs et distinctions …   Wikipédia en Français

  • May Smith — For the British royal, see Lady May Abel Smith. May Anne Smith (1906–1988) was a painter, engraver, textile designer and textile printer. May Smith was born in Simla, India, in 1906. At that time Simla was the summer headquarters of British India …   Wikipedia

  • Conolly Abel Smith — Edward Michael Conolly Abel Smith Born 3 December 1899(1899 12 03) Branston, Lincolnshire Died 3 December 1985(1985 12 03) (aged 86) Alle …   Wikipedia

  • Henry Abel Smith — Sir Henry Abel Smith KCMG KCVO DSO (* 8. März 1900 in London; † 24. Januar 1993 in Wellington Lodge, Winkfield, Berkshire) war britischer Offizier und Gouverneur von Queensland. Leben Henry Abel Smith wurde als Sohn von Francis Abel Smith und… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • People with the surname Smith — Smith is one of the most widely distributed surnames in the English speaking world. Following is a list of notable people with the surname Smith:People known primarily as having the surname Smith Common combinations of given name and surname… …   Wikipedia

  • Lady Florence Dixie — Lady Florence Caroline Dixie (24 May 1855 ndash; 7 November 1905) was a British traveller, war correspondent, writer and feminist.Dixie was a sister of the 9th Marquess of Queensberry, who gave his name to the rules of boxing and who brought down …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”