Later Life
As the years went by, Ernest's behavior and manner of dress increasingly became a joke to younger generations. A daughter of Ernest's nephew and successor Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh later recalled Ernest as "an old beau, squeezed into a frock-coat too tight for his bulk and uncomfortably pinched in at the waist', sporting a top hat, lemon coloured gloves, and a rosebud in his lapel". Prince Ernest Louis of Hesse recalled how Alexandrine used to trail behind her husband calling, "Ernst, my treasure"; this caused particular embarrassment at the 1887 Windsor jubilee when Ernst Ludwig's brother-in-law Grand Duke Sergei imitated Alexandrine, calling out to Ernest Louis "Ernst, my treasure", not realizing that the Duke was approaching from the other end of the room. "He saw my aghast expression and turned, then we both fled, escaping into different rooms. I burst out laughing but for a long time Sergei was desperately worried, because he didn't know if Uncle had heard him".
Ernest died on 22 August 1893 after a short illness. Alexandrine survived him by eleven years, finally dying on 20 December 1904.
Read more about this topic: Princess Alexandrine Of Baden
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