Princess Anna of Baden

Her Grand Ducal Highness, Princess Anna of Baden was born in Baden-Baden in the Grand Duchy of Baden in Germany on the 1st of December, 1907 as Bonifacia Anna Hedwig Helena. She was called by the German nickname of Helena, Helenchen, by her family members, but known as Anna to the public and Christened as Bonifacia. Anna grew up at her family's residence, the Haus of Baden in Baden-Baden. Her father was Ernst, Grand Duke of Baden and her mother was the Grand Duchess, Princess Elvira of Luxembourg, better known as Ella. Anna had an older brother, Prince Friedrich, the future Prince Consort of Queen Isabella II of Portugal and a second older brother, Prince Gerard, who would later become Grand Duke himself. Anna's life in Germany with her brothers was rather relaxed and she was very close to her cousins, Princesses Sandra Sophia and Luciana Hedwig of Leiningen. When Anna was eleven, she attended Beauxbatons. When she was thirteen, she went to America for the first time, but Anna had always had trouble with English and preferred to speak French, so she enjoyed Montreal and Quebec much more than she enjoyed New York City. When Anna was fourteen, she and her father took a trip to England, and there they made a royal visit to a couple noble families and Anna met the nineteen year old son of the Earl of Abingdon. Not much was thought about the encounter at the time, other than the fact that Anna was impressed by the son of the Earl, whose name was Rupert, as he spoke very good German as opposed to her poor English. When Anna was sixteen, the two met again in a cafe in Germany whilst Rupert was on a trip for work. Rupert almost did not recognize Anna, who had grown up significantly. The two really hit it off once again, and spoke German to each other. The two met up again multiple times throughout Rupert's multiple month trip, however, he had to return to the UK and she had to return to school, so they stopped talking to each other mostly, until later in the year, Anna got a letter from Rupert in which he stated that he couldn't stop thinking about her, and the two continued to write each other letters in German throughout the next two years of Anna's education. The two also visited each other every summer. When Anna graduated, however, she wanted to move back home and find a suitable husband there, so she went home to pursue a career as a violinist. She made somewhat of a name for herself and continued to communicate with Rupert, but it was difficult after all of the years they had spent trying to stay connected and she caved and moved to England, but it was very difficult for her to find work due to her poor comprehension of English. Rupert helped her get a job and Anna was forever grateful to him for her success, as she rose to prominence much quicker in England than she had been in Germany. The same year, Rupert proposed marriage to Anna and she agreed. They then took a trip to Baden to ask permission of Anna's father, who also approved of the match, and they were married in Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England the following year. The two continued to speak German together, but with some assistance, Anna was able to somewhat improve her English, at least enough to get around without help at her job and in the city. In 1929, the two had their first child, a son whom they named Tanner. In 1932, they had their second son, Cornelius, and in 1937 they had a daughter, Emilia. Because of Anna's work, she was able to spend time with her children and continue her career as a successful violinists. Anna and Rupert continued to prefer speaking German together but made an effort to speak English with their children. Anna enjoyed being a mother and wife, and enjoyed her simple life in England, where Anna lived as a Lord's wife rather than her previous life as a Grand Duke's daughter, which didn't hold much. However, in 1941, Anna's father in law died and her husband became the Earl whilst she became the Countess of Abingdon and had to move from the cottage she loved so much to Rupert's family estate, which she felt to be empty and lifeless. Despite her opinions on the estate, she was very good at managing it and whilst her husband worked and her children attended school, when Anna wasn't playing violin she was managing the estate which included her mother in law's health, the family finances, and housekeeping. She generously overpaid the staff of the house, feeling that the people that tended their gardens and made their meals deserved more than what they were getting. Anna, who had previously worked in a group of violinists, got her big break as a solo musician and she and Rupert travelled to Austria in 1947 so that she could play for the Archduke, who loved her work and was on good terms with her father, which gave her even more exposure. In 1951, Anna and Rupert took their family on a vacation to Switzerland and Anna absolutely fell in love with the culture and felt at home speaking German and French and walking the cool streets, where the sun shone much more often than England yet she could also enjoy the weather. Because Anna was so charmed by Switzerland, Rupert decided to pass his duties onto his oldest son, Tanner, who had married just three years earlier as he felt that he in his youth could do a better job and that Rupert and Anna could go into retirement in Switzerland. There, Rupert became and avid writer and Anna was able to devote her time to playing violin and composing, eventually returning to Baden to play for her brother and also playing for the Grand Dukes of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Mecklenburg-Schwerin. In 2000, Anna's husband Rupert died at the age of 98 and she was devastated. Though she had loved Switzerland and also made many good memories, she wanted to be closer to her family and decided to move back to England, where she bought the cottage that she and Rupert had first lived in. She died there peacefully in her sleep at the age of 100 in 2007 and was buried next to Rupert at the local cemetery. Her memory lives on through her music as well as her children and grandchildren.