Following the declaration of war in 1939, it was felt that the next Governor General of Canada should have a martial character. To this end, the Earl of Athlone was selected. Athlone, otherwise known as Alexander Cambridge, the Prince of Teck, had actually been nominated for the position once before, in 1914; then, however, he had refused the honour so that he might serve in the First World War.[1] Now that the Second World War had begun and found him too old to serve actively, Athlone accepted the position and arrived in Canada in the spring of 1940, following the tragic death in office of Lord Tweedsmuir, his predecessor. Athlone was not just a soldier, however; he was also a member of the royal family. He had married Princess Alice, who when she died in 1981 was the final surviving granddaughter of Queen Victoria; Athlone’s sister also became Queen Mary, the consort of King George V.[2] In short, few individuals could have been better calculated to promote imperial unity in Canada.
Athlone’s time in office was royal for other reasons as well. Much of Europe’s royalty had been displaced by the German conquest of countries such as the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Norway; many of these royals made the voyage to Canada, whether for the duration of the war or for briefer visits, and many would stay in Rideau Hall. One of the most commonly remembered examples is the stay of Princess (later Queen) Juliana of the Netherlands and her mother, Queen Wilhelmina. Of Wilhelmina, RH Hubbard writes “that stout and determined lady’s stay will long be remembered in Ottawa for her attempts to be democratic. She insisted on going shopping unaccompanied, but when she wished to cross a street in the centre of Ottawa, she simply raised her hand to halt the traffic.”[3] Juliana also gave birth to a daughter, Princess Margaret, in Ottawa; for this occasion a room in the Ottawa Civic Hospital was declared to be Dutch territory so that Margaret would not be excluded from the line of succession (due to dual citizenship).[4] The kindness of Ottawa to the Dutch royal family was never forgotten; with this and the Canadian army’s liberation of the Netherlands, Queen Juliana decreed that thousands of tulip bulbs would be sent to the city every year. Today, they form the basis of the Tulip Festival which can be seen in May, and particularly the spectacular tulips in Commissioners Park.
The Dutch royals were not the only example, however; Ottawa played host to a succession of foreign royals during this period. Prince Olav and Princess Martha of Norway, Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, the dispossessed former Empress Zita of Austria, King George of Greece, King Peter of Yugoslavia (who would not retake his throne), Madame Chiang Kai-shek (the wife of the ruler of China during this period), and a succession of elected leaders paid a visit to the Athlones in Rideau Hall.[5] Many of these royals stayed in the building, which certainly lends it credence as the home of the monarchy in Canada; many would also retrace their voyages in the years after the war, particularly those whose thrones fell out from under them, as in the cases of Greece and Yugoslavia.[6] The Athlones also played host to both of the Quebec Conferences, which saw FDR and the Churchills meeting in Canada to discuss wartime strategy; as a result, this particular viceregal couple probably took the most active role in Canadian foreign affairs in the history of the position.[7] For a brief period in the 1940s, Ottawa was the home of royalty.
References:
1 The Canadian Encyclopedia. Alexander Cambridge, Earl of Athlone. Last modified December 2013.
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/alexander-cambridge-earl-of-athlone/
2 “Princess Alice, At London Home: A Grandchild of Queen Victoria.” The New York Times. January 4, 1981.
3 Hubbard, R.H. Rideau Hall: An illustrated History of Government House, Ottawa, from Victorian times to the present day. Montreal: McGill-Queens University Press, 1977. 204.
4 Hubbard, R.H. Rideau Hall: An illustrated History of Government House, Ottawa, from Victorian times to the present day. Montreal: McGill-Queens University Press, 1977. 199.
5 Hubbard, R.H. Rideau Hall: An illustrated History of Government House, Ottawa, from Victorian times to the present day. Montreal: McGill-Queens University Press, 1977. 201-203.
6 Hubbard, R.H. Rideau Hall: An illustrated History of Government House, Ottawa, from Victorian times to the present day. Montreal: McGill-Queens University Press, 1977. 238.
7 Hubbard, R.H. Rideau Hall: An illustrated History of Government House, Ottawa, from Victorian times to the present day. Montreal: McGill-Queens University Press, 1977. 204, 206.
Wilhelmina and Athlone images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
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