Carl, Prince of Leiningen was the only son of Victoria, Duchess of Kent, by her first marriage to Emich Charles, 2nd Prince of Leiningen.
“The morning was fine & bright, though cold. We walked out with Fritz & Vicky. — No letters arrived, which worried me a good deal. — It being really fine, we drove out with Vicky & Fritz, Alice, going in the 2nd carriage. — The evening messenger came & still no letters, which was very trying. While I was writing a telegram, addressed to me, was brought in. Store it open, & with horror, & I own quite thunderstruck, I read the following words from Feodore: “Dear Charles died this morning at 11, quite calm & without suffering.” Great was my grief. Went at once to beloved Albert who was so grieved & shocked, & so kind & feeling. I cannot realise that my dearly loved only brother has been taken from us! Whilst I write this, I feel as if it could only be a bad dream, from which I might yet awake, to see his dear face, hear his joyous voice & laugh, & enjoy his delightful company. It seems quite impossible, that dear Charles, the personification of life, health, & merriment, whom I can only see as such before me, — should be no longer in this world, & that I shall never see him againt it is too dreadful, too hard! Be we must submit to God’s will, & I do feel, that in poor dear Charles’s case, his passing away is a mercy. He never could have recovered sufficiently to lead anything but a miserable life of infirmity, with the constant dread, — indeed certainly, before him, of the repetition of an attack, which would he sure to be fatal. And the, without a settled home, or wife, or Children, to nurse, & cheer him, — for a man like Charles, it would have been dreadful. God may have taken him in time to save him from many evils, & this we both, & dear Mama, also, feels, but it does not lessen our grief, & cannot replace the loss of one so near & dear! Strange to say, I had felt more hopeful this morning. Albert too, loved dear Charles tendedly, who lived so much at Coburg, that he said he was the connecting link between past & present times. Ernest & Albert quite grew up with Charles; all their recollections of childhood & boyhood, were bound up with him! Then, the thought of poor beloved Mama was so heartrending. In her old age, to have lose her only son, is too distressing. Albert, who has so often had to break sad news to her, decided to go down to Frogmore to see her, & I, was to follow. We went in & told the news to Vicky, who was dreadfully distressed, as she adored “dear Uncle Charles”, & he loved her so much too. Bertie & Alice were equally shocked & grieved. — At 1/2 p. 7 I went to Frogmore going upstairs to poor dear Mama, who was sitting in her dressing gown, in her room, — Albert with her. The meeting was a very sad one, but after the 1rst burst of grief, she became calm, & talked of dearest Charles, saying she felt it was better thus, that her dear child had been taken in time to prevent a life of suffering. She was really better & calmer, than it was possible to expect, & her great relief was talking everything over us. — Took a little dinner, by myself, in the Audience Room. Afterwards Albert brought in Vicky & dear Fritz who was most kind & feeling.”
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