My latest article in the Canadian Encyclopedia is about Lady Grey, viceregal consort of Canada from 1904 to 1911. The article also discusses Rudyard Kipling’s poem Our Lady of the Snows. Born Alice Holford, Lady Grey shared her family’s interest in landscape gardening and was the patron of a wide variety philanthropic organizations in Canada.
Click here to read my article about Lady Grey in the Canadian Encyclopedia
My new article in the Historica Canada Canadiana Encyclopedia is about Princess Louise Margaret Alexandra Victoria Agnes of Prussia, Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn, vice-regal consort of Canada (1911–1916) and philanthropist. The Duchess of Connaught sponsored Red Cross hospitals for the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. The Duchess also sponsored art exhibitions in Canada and supported the work of Canadian artists.
Click here to read “Princess Louise Margaret, Duchess of Connaught” in the Canadian Encyclopedia
I have also written articles for the Canadian Encyclopedia about Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, Governor General of Canada from 1911 to 1916 as well as the Duke and Duchess of Connaught’s younger daughter, Princess Patricia of Connaught.
My latest article in the Canadian Encyclopedia is about Evelyn Emily Mary Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, vice-regal consort of Canada (1916–21) and Mistress of the Robes to Queen Mary (1910–16 and 1921–53). The Duchess of Devonshire resided in Canada from 1883 to 1888 when her father, Lord Lansdowne served as Governor General then returned to Canada as viceregal consort during the First World War. The Duchess of Devonshire traveled extensively in Canada and supported wartime charities.
Click here to read Evelyn Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire in the Canadian Encyclopedia
I am quoted in the final section of this week’s CBC Royal Fascinator newsletter, discussing Princess Patricia of Connaught’s time in Canada. Like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex), Princess Patricia and her husband Sir Alexander Ramsay enjoyed a royal romance that unfolded partly in Canada.
Click here to read “The Royal Fascinator: ‘Ripped up the royal rule book’: How Meghan is making waves.”
My latest article in the Canadian Encyclopedia is about Marie Evelyn Byng, Viscountess Byng of Vimy, viceregal consort of Canada (1921–26) and author.
Lady Byng donated the Lady Byng Trophy for good sportsmanship to the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1925 (it was renamed the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy after her death in 1949). She returned to Canada during the Second World War and wrote about her impressions of the country in her 1945 memoir, Up the Stream of Time.
Click here to read “Lady Byng of Vimy” in the Historica Canada Canadian Encyclopedia
I discussed Canadian Women’s Responses to Royal Tours from the Eighteenth Century to the present with the Royal Studies Journal, expanding on my article on the same topic that was published in the journal last year. In the interview, I discuss a variety of themes including the role of royal women as patrons of philanthropic endeavours benefiting women’s education, health and endeavours, changing views of women’s suffrage over the course of the 19th century, and the popular perception of Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Louise as viceregal consort of Canada.
Click here to read “Interview with Carolyn Harris” in the Royal Studies Journal
Princess Louise in Canada, dressed for an Ottawa winter during her time as vice regal consort of Canada from 1878 to 1883.
Abstract: In the United Kingdom and Canada, support for the monarchy is higher among women than men. From Walter Bagehot’s political theory in the nineteenth century to modern day polling data, monarchism among women is usually attributed to royal events in popular culture from nineteenth-century royal weddings to twenty-first century depictions of the royal family in television and film. Press coverage of royal tours of Canada in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries often depicted women as passive bystanders in crowds, only gradually adding depictions of women as active participants in welcoming royalty.
The history of Canadian women’s responses to royal tours and other public engagements by royalty in Canada from the eighteenth century to the present day reveals that there is a long history of women assuming active roles when royalty are present in Canada, seeking redress in legal cases in the eighteenth century, requesting patronage for organizations benefiting women in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and debating the future of the monarchy in Canada in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.
The impact of royalty in Canada on women’s lives has become part of Canadian culture and literature. The higher levels of support for monarchism among women compared to men should therefore not be assumed to be due to passively viewing royal weddings, fashions or popular culture alone, but should be placed within this context of women actively engaging with royalty during their public appearances in Canada, viewing royal occasions as opportunities to have their concerns addressed by prominent public figures.
Princess Margriet of the Netherlands attending the Tulip Festival in Ottawa in 2002
“Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet Francisca of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau, Princess of Lippe-Biesterfeld (born 19 January 1943 in Ottawa, ON) spent her early childhood in Canada during the Second World War. The annual Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa emerged from gifts of thousands of tulip bulbs from the Dutch royal family. Margriet continues to make regular visits to Canada, strengthening ties between Canada and the Netherlands.”
Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone
My latest article in the Canadian Encyclopedia is about Her Royal Highness Princess Alice Mary Victoria Augusta Pauline of Albany, Countess of Athlone, viceregal consort of Canada from 1940 to 1946 (born 25 February 1883 in Berkshire, United Kingdom; died 3 January 1981 in London, United Kingdom).
Princess Alice promoted Canadian culture and women’s contributions to the Second World War. She was the last surviving grandchild of Queen Victoria and the last member of the royal family to serve as viceregal consort of Canada.
Click here to read Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone in the Canadian Encyclopedia
Princess Patricia
My latest article in the Canadian Encyclopedia is a biography of Princess Patricia of Connaught.
Her Royal Highness Princess Victoria Patricia Helena Elizabeth of Connaught (born 17 March 1886 in London, United Kingdom; died 12 January 1974 in Windlesham, Surrey, United Kingdom). Patricia resided in Canada from 1911 to 1916 and acted as hostess for her father, the Duke of Connaught, during his term as governor general. She gave her name to Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry and became honorary colonel-in-chief in 1918. A talented artist inspired by Canadian landscapes, she exhibited her paintings in Canadian art exhibitions, and examples of her work remain part of Canadian collections.
Click here to read my article on Princess Patricia of Connaught in the Canadian Encyclopedia