Ena, princess of Battenberg (1887-1969)

Granddaughter of Queen Victoria and Queen of Spain

Victoria Eugenie Julia Ena, princess of Battenberg was the first royal child to be born in Scotland since Charles I in 1600. She was known by her Gaelic name, Ena, which had been chosen to mark the occasion. On 31 May 1906 she married King Alfonso XIII of Spain. Through her grandmother, Queen Victoria, she was a carrier of the blood disorder haemophilia and two of her sons inherited the disease. She had to leave Spain in 1931 prior to the abdication of her husband from whom she separated. She settled in Switzerland and died at Lausanne on 15 April 1969. Her remains were reinterred at the royal mausoleum at The Escorial.

Further information about her childhood can be found in the feature Scotland's history: the Balmoral Estate on our ScotlandsPeople website.

Birth in 1887

Victoria Eugenie Julia Ena of Battenberg was born at 3:45 pm on 24 October 1887. The entry in the statutory register of births for the parish of Crathie and Braemar in the county of Aberdeen gives the place of birth as Balmoral Castle. Her parents are recorded as Henry Maurice Battenberg, prince of Battenberg and Beatrice Battenberg, princess of Great Britain and Ireland. This entry is indexed under the surname Battenberg.

Birth entry for Ena, princess of Battenberg (66 KB jpeg)
National Records of Scotland, 1887/182/21