Tue. Oct 6th, 2026

Ernie and Ducky's wedding day, by originaly uploaded by LeighBCD, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

S23E10: The Darmstadt Divorce | Ernest Louis and Princess Victoria Melita (Trashy Royals Crossover)

We’ve noticed a lack of royal divorce stories since we kicked off our sibling podcast Trashy Royals more than a year ago now (!). Today, Alicia is bridging that gap by bringing together – and busting apart – two of Queen Victoria’s grandchildren. Yes, the long tradition of royal cousins getting hitched. These are Grand Duke Ernest Louis of Hesse and by Rhine (nickname: Ernie) and Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (nickname: Ducky). The two became the subject of intense royal meddling as Victoria, imagining herself a skilled matchmaker, pushed Ernie to propose to Ducky, not realizing Ernie was more of a man’s man, if you get our drift. The whole thing, marriage and divorce, turned into a massive scandal that rocked Europe. Enjoy this crossover, and if you like what you hear, go check out Trashy Royals, wherever you’re listening right now!

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Alicia’s Receipts

Princess Victoria Melita: Grand Duchess Cyril of Russia, 1876-1936, by John Van Der Kiste (Amazon)

Alice: Princess Andrew of Greece, by Hugo Vickers (Amazon)

Grandmama of Europe: The Crowned Descendants of Queen Victoria, by Theo Aronson (Amazon)

Queen Victoria’s Matchmaking: The Royal Marriages that Shaped Europe, by Deborah Cadbury (Amazon)

Marie of Romania: The Intimate Life of a Twentieth Century Queen, by Terence Elsberry (Amazon)

Queen Victoria’s Granddaughters: 1860-1918, by Christina Croft (Amazon)

Queen Victoria’s Grandsons (1859-1918), by Christina Croft (Amazon)

Seven Royal Marriages Almost as Disastrous as Catherine the Great’s | Vanity Fair

Princess Victoria Melita: the British princess who scandalised the royal family (historyextra.com)

Royal divorce: The princess whose divorce scandalised the royal family (express.co.uk)

DUCKY AND THE GRAND DUKE – The Washington Post

 

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