Victoria Melita of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg (1876-1936) in 1909 with her children by her second husband, Grand Prince Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia; Maria (standing) and Kira. Divorce was rare in the early 1900 and so when Victoria Melita (known as 'Ducky' in the family) decided to end her unhappy marriage to her cousin Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse-Darmstadt after seven years of unhappiness and marry Kirill, the decision shocked her family. Victoria Melita was the second daughter of Prince Alfred and his wife Maria Alexandrovna of Russia.