The life of Princess Alice was no less affected by this historic change. She had to adjust, almost literally overnight, from being the dutiful wife of an officer to one of the principals in the state. The variety and importance of her official responsibilities show how magnificently she met this challenge. In 1937 she received the Freedom of Edinburgh and in 1939 of Gloucester. Among the first patronages she accepted was one for an organisation called Invalid Kitchens, forerunner of Meals on Wheels, and as president of the Royal Academy of Music she presided over an institution in which male prejudice against the study of music diminished to the point where boys sometimes outnumbered girls among the students.