Alice Maud Mary of the Royal House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was a Princess of the United Kingdom, and later through marriage, the Princess and the Grand Duchess of Hesse and By Rhine. The second daughter and third child of Queen Victoria and Albert, Prince Consort, Alice is remembered as a prolific advocate of women’s causes and for her tireless efforts to provide healthcare during Austro-Prussian War. She grew up travelling between several British royal residences along with her parents and siblings. She was taught English, French and German, and practical skills like needlework, cooking, gardening, and carpentry. When her father fell ill with typhoid fever in 1861, Alice took care of him until his death. Following this, with her mother having entered a period of intense mourning, Alice acted as the Queen’s unofficial secretary. At the age of 19, she married Prince Louis of Hesse, a minor German royal and the nephew of the Grand Duke of Hesse. Her married life in Darmstadt was quite disconsolate, filled with hardships, family tragedies, and the gradual degradation of relations with her mother and husband. Upon the crowning of her husband in 1877, Alice became the Grand Duchess. In 1878, an outbreak of diphtheria hit the Hessian court and the ducal family was affected. Alice nursed her children before falling victim to the disease herself.