Fans of “The Crown” and “Downton Abbey” would love the tale of Patsy Ramsay. The Princess who married the Commoner.

When she was born on St Patricks Day 1886 she was a Princess. She was christened Victoria Patricia Helena Elizabeth of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. She was a grand-daughter of Queen Victoria through her Father; Prince Arthur, the Duke of Connacht and Strathearn. Her mother was a Prussian Princess. Patsy became Princess Patricia of Connacht.

In 1911 the family moved to Canada when her father was made Governor General of the Dominion.

In 1917 due to anti-German sentiments during WW1 the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha family were rebranded as the “House of Windsor”.

She grew up to become one of the prettiest of the Windsor princesses. There was much interest in her marriage prospects. Royalty all across Europe competed for her hand, from the Spanish and Portuguese Crown Princes in the West to the younger brother of the Czar of Russia in the East. She was big news in all the gossip columns of the day.

In a story that was to be mirrored later by Princess Margaret the young Patsy lost her heart to a man within arms reach. Commander Alexander Ramsay was a commoner, and aide-de-camp to her father. Although “commoner” is a relative term when it comes to the Royal Family of Great Britain. Alexander was the 3rd son of Lord Ramsay, the Earl of Dalhousie. So not exactly a boot boy.

He proposed to her in a fishing lodge in Nova Scotia, well free of the goldfish bowl atmosphere of the Royal Court in England.

In order to marry Ramsay Patsy needed a Royal Warrant to relinquish her royal title as a Princess and became simply Lady Victoria Patricia Helena Elizabeth Ramsay. They were married in 1919 in a full royal spectacle in Westminster Abbey.

Her husband went on to rise to the rank of Admiral and was Knighted in 1932. Their one and only son served and lost a leg in North Africa during WW2, and went on to become Alexander Ramsay of Mar, but he did marry a Lady.

Although now a “commoner” Patsy was included in all the Royal functions, spectacles and events. She even got to wear a coronet at the coronation of Queeen Elizabeth II. Patsy had the life that Elizabeth denied her own sister; Princess Margaret.

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