Prince Friedrich of Hesse and by Rhine facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Prince Friedrich |
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Prince Friedrich, around 1872.
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| Born | 7 October 1870 New Palace, Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse, German Empire |
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| Died | 29 May 1873 (aged 2) New Palace, Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse, German Empire |
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| House | Hesse-Darmstadt | ||||
| Father | Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse | ||||
| Mother | Princess Alice of the United Kingdom | ||||
| Religion | Lutheran | ||||
Prince Friedrich of Hesse and by Rhine (born Friedrich Wilhelm August Victor Leopold Ludwig) was a young prince. He was born on October 7, 1870, and sadly passed away on May 29, 1873. His parents were Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse, and Princess Alice of the United Kingdom. This made him a grandson of the famous Queen Victoria.
Prince Friedrich was also related to other important royal figures. He was the great-uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. This connection came through his older sister, Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine.
Prince Friedrich's Early Life
Friedrich was born at the New Palace in Darmstadt. He was the fifth child and second son of his parents. At the time, they were known as Prince and Princess Louis of Hesse and by Rhine.
Because his mother was Princess Alice, Friedrich was a grandchild of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He had several siblings, including Viktoria, Elisabeth, Irene, Ernst Ludwig, Alix, and Marie.
Friedrich was known as "Frittie" by his family. He was a happy and lively child. One of his names, "Leopold," was given in honor of his uncle, Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany. Prince Leopold was also Friedrich's godfather.
Understanding Haemophilia
Prince Leopold had a special blood condition called haemophilia. This condition means that a person's blood does not clot properly. Even a small cut can lead to a lot of bleeding.
In February 1873, when Friedrich was a toddler, doctors discovered he also had haemophilia. He fell and cut his ear, and it bled for three days. Even with bandages, the bleeding would not stop easily. This showed his family that he had the same condition as his uncle.
A Tragic Accident
On May 29, 1873, a very sad accident happened. Friedrich was playing with his older brother, Ernst. They were in their mother's bedroom. Ernst ran to another room and looked through a window at his younger brother.
Their mother, Princess Alice, went to get Ernst away from the window. While she was out of the room, Friedrich climbed onto a chair. He wanted to see his brother better through an open window in his mother's room. The chair tipped over, and Friedrich fell out of the window. He dropped about 20 feet (6 meters) onto a balustrade below.
He survived the fall at first. However, because of his haemophilia, he could not recover. He died just a few hours later from bleeding in his brain.
Family's Sadness
Friedrich's death was very hard for his mother. She often visited his grave and remembered important dates from his short life. His brother, Ernst, was also very sad. He told his mother that he wished their whole family could die together, not alone like "Frittie."
Sadly, two of Friedrich's sisters, Irene and Alix, also had sons who were born with haemophilia.
