Prince Friedrich of Hesse and by Rhine

Friedrich, called "Frittie" by his family, was a cheerful and lively child.

"Leopold" was added as one of his names in honour of his mother's brother, Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany. Prince Leopold, who was Friedrich's godfather, had the blood disorder haemophilia.

In February 1873, he was diagnosed with haemophilia when he cut his ear and it bled for three days. Bandages could not stanch the flow of blood.[1]

In late May 1873, Friedrich and his older brother Ernst were playing together in their mother's bedroom. Ernst ran to another room, which was set at right angles to Alice's bedroom and peered through the window at his younger brother. Alice ran to get Ernst away from the window. When she was out of the room, Friedrich climbed onto a chair next to an open window in his mother's bedroom to get a closer look at his brother. The chair tipped over and Friedrich tumbled through the window, falling 20 feet (6.1 m) to the balustrade below. He survived the fall and may have lived had he not had haemophilia. He died hours later of a brain hemorrhage.[1]

Following Friedrich's death, his distraught mother often prayed at his grave and marked anniversaries of small events in his life. His brother Ernst told his mother he wanted all of the family to die together, not alone "like Frittie." Two of Friedrich's sisters, Irene and Alix, also had sons with haemophilia.[2]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Prince Friedrich of Hesse and by Rhine.

• Mager, Hugo (1998). Elizabeth: Grand Duchess of Russia. Carroll and Graf Publishers, Inc. ISBN 0-7867-0678-3