Page "Francis, Duke of Teck" Paragraph 17

With an Order in Council on 1 July 1887, Queen Victoria granted Francis the style Highness, as a gift to celebrate her Golden Jubilee.

Despite this, the Tecks were still seen as minor relatives, with little status or wealth.

Their fortunes improved when their only daughter, Princess Victoria Mary of Teck ( known as May to her family ) became engaged to the second-in-line to the British throne, Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence.

There was initial opposition to the match from the Duke of Clarence's parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales: Arthur Balfour wrote to Lord Salisbury in 1890 that "( t ) he Teck girl they won't have because they hate Teck and because the vision of Princess Mary haunting Marlborough House makes the Prince of Wales ill ." Nevertheless, the Queen gave her official consent to the engagement on 12 December 1891.

The death of the Duke of Clarence only six weeks later looked like a cruel blow.

However, Queen Victoria was fond of Princess May and consented when the Duke of Clarence's brother ( and next in the line of succession ), Prince George, Duke of York, decided to marry her instead.