The Imperial War Graves Commission, the war dead and the burial of a royal body, 1914–32

The mass deaths of British and imperial soldiers during the First World War created a crisis of commemoration. How could the bereaved come to terms with the losses when their deceased loved ones were buried so far from home, or had disappeared completely? Attempting to impose a common solution, the Imperial War Graves Commission (founded in 1917) committed itself to non-repatriation of bodies and standard treatment of war graves. In doing so, it ran the risk of contradicting the wishes of bereaved families. This article explores how the grave of Prince Maurice of Battenberg became a test case for the Commission in its quest for legitimacy and the aptness of its approach against the opposition of Maurice’s mother, Princess Beatrice, daughter of Queen Victoria. It reveals the I.W.G.C.’s desire to avoid public controversy while sticking to its guiding principles, and its belief that far from being exempt from those principles through her royal status, Princess Beatrice had a moral obligation to accept and embrace them.