Her Grand Ducal Highness Princess Marie of Hesse and the Rhine (24 May 1874 - 16 November 1878) was the youngest daughter of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom and Ludwig IV, the Grand Duke of Hesse. Her mother was the third daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. She had six older siblings, Victoria, Elisabeth, Ernest, Frederik, Irene and Alix. She was known as May in the family. May 24 is the 144th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (145th in leap years). ... 1874 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... November 16 is the 320th day of the year (321st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 45 days remaining. ... 1878 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Princess Alice (Alice Maud Mary), (25 April 1843 – 14 December 1878), was a member of the British Royal Family, the third child and second daughter of Queen Victoria. ... Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, K.G. (12 September 1837 in Bessungen, now Darmstadt - 13 March 1892 in Darmstadt), the ruler of the small German grand duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt (Hesse and by Rhine), was the husband... Victoria Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria) (24 May 1819–22 January 1901) was a Queen of the United Kingdom, reigning from 20 June 1837 until her death. ... Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (Francis Charles Augustus Albert Emmanuel, of the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha branch of the House of Wettin) (26 August 1819 - 14 December 1861) was the husband and consort of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ... Victoria, Marchioness of Milford Haven, née Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine (Victoria Alberta Elisabeth Mathilde Marie) (5 April 1863-24 September 1950) was the eldest daughter of Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine (1837-1892) and his wife Alice, Princess of Great Britain and... Grand Duchess Elizabeth Fyodorovna Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Elizabeth Fyodorovna of Russia (Елизавета Фёдоровиа), née Her Grand Ducal Highness Princess Elisabeth Alexandra Luise Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt (1 November 1864–18 July 1918), was the wife of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia, the fifth son of Emperor Alexander II... Ernst Ludwig v. ... Princess Alix of Hesse, as Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia (1872-1918) Her Grand Ducal Highness Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine (Alix Victoria Helena Louise Beatrice, 6 June 1872 - 17 July 1918), was the consort of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, the last Tsar of Russia. ...

Tragedy struck the Grand Ducal family in 1878 when May's eldest sister Victoria contracted diphtheria. Soon afterwards, Alix, May, Irene, Ernest and the Grand Duke became ill. Ella was the only one unaffected by the disease, as she was away at that time.

May died of diphtheria on 16 November 1878. She was only four years old. Weeks later, her mother Princess Alice also succumbed to the disease. November 16 is the 320th day of the year (321st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 45 days remaining. ... 1878 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...