'Princess Alexandra of Denmark' (Alexandra Carolina Marie Charlotte Louise Julia;
1 December 1844 –
20 November 1925) was
Queen Consort to
Edward VII of the United Kingdom and thus
Empress of India during her husband's reign. Prior to that, she was
Princess of Wales from 1863 to 1901 (the longest anyone has ever held that title). From 1910, until her death, she was the
Queen Mother, being a queen and the mother of the reigning monarch,
George V of the United Kingdom, though she was more generally styled "Her Majesty Queen Alexandra" (see
English Queen Mothers.)
Early life
'Princess Alexandra Carolina Marie Charlotte Louise Julia', or "'Alix'", as she was known within the family, was born at the
Yellow Palace, an 18th-century town house at 18 Amaliegade, right next to the
Amalienborg Palace complex in
Copenhagen.
[1] Her father was Prince Christian, later King
Christian IX of Denmark and her mother was Princess
Louise of Hesse-Cassel.
[2] Although two of her great great grandfathers,
George II and
Fredrick V were Kings, and she was of princely blood, her family lived a comparatively normal life, and, though they did not possess great wealth, they nevertheless made spectacular marriages. Her sister Princess Dagmar, for instance, would become
Maria Feodorovna, wife of Tsar
Alexander III of Russia and mother of
Nicholas II. As a result, her father became known as the "Father-in-Law of Europe."
Princess of Wales
Alexandra's fifth cousin, Albert Edward,
Prince of Wales, known as "Bertie", had already given his parents, Queen
Victoria and
Prince Albert, considerable cause for concern, and his mother, now widowed, was anxious for him to settle down.
On
24 September,
1861, Bertie's sister, the
Crown Princess of Prussia, introduced Bertie and Alix at
Speyer, but it was not until
9 September 1862 (after his affair with
Nellie Clifden and the death of his father), that Bertie proposed to Alix at the
Royal Castle of Laeken, the home of his uncle,
Leopold I of Belgium.
[3][4] Alix was not the Queen's first choice as a bride, since the Danes were at loggerheads with the Prussians over
Schleswig-Holstein, and most of the
British royal family's relations were German. However, on meeting the queen (who had also travelled to Laeken), the beautiful young Alix met with her approval and Alix then spent the November of 1862 at
Osborne House and
Windsor Castle before returning to
Denmark.
A few months later, Alix travelled from Denmark to the United Kingdom aboard the
HMY Victoria and Albert II for her marriage and arrived in
Gravesend, Kent on
7 March 1863.
[5] Sir Arthur Sullivan composed music for her arrival and
Alfred Tennyson, the Poet Laureate, wrote an ode in Alexandra's honour:
The couple were married on
10 March 1863;
[2][7] her father acceded to the throne of Denmark eight months later. The wedding took place at
St George's Chapel, Windsor, and the occasion was recorded in a commissioned painting by
William Powell Frith.
They were seen off on their honeymoon by the schoolboys of neighbouring
Eton College, including
Lord Randolph Churchill, father of
Winston Churchill, later
Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom.
The couple had six children in total:
Private life
Alix was devoted to her children and enjoyed many activities including dancing and ice-skating. Even after the birth of her first child, Prince Albert Victor ("Eddy") in 1864, she continued to behave much as before, and this led to some friction between the queen and the young couple. After the birth of her third child in 1867, however, complications threatened her life and she was left with a permanent limp. She also suffered an increasing degree of deafness, which was hereditary. Self-conscious about a scar on her neck (allegedly the result of a childhood accident), she tried to hide it by wearing high choker necklaces and dresses. A strikingly attractive woman, Alix's high necklines started a fashion craze.
Bertie and Alix made
Sandringham House their preferred residence, and their marriage was in many ways a happy one. However, Bertie did not give his wife or children as much attention as she would have liked, and they gradually became estranged, until his serious illness in the early 1870s brought about a reconciliation. Their relationship had its ups and downs over the years. Bertie, even after winning back his wife's affections, continued to keep mistresses, among them the actress
Lillie Langtry;
Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick; humanitarian
Agnes Keyser, and society matron
Alice Keppel.
Most of these were with the full knowledge of Alexandra. It is commonly stated that the Queen allowed
Alice Keppel to sit by the King's bedside as he lay dying. However, Alexandra was wholeheartedly against it; Keppel forced herself on
Sandringham House, and when asked by the Queen to leave the bedchamber, she created an embarrassing scene and had to be escorted out. She merely ''tolerated'' Keppel, but never accepted her. Alix did not like the fact that Keppel appeared everywhere that she and Bertie went. Of the other women involved with Bertie, Keyser was said to have been the best received in royal circles, due to her discreet and respectful nature and the fact that she herself was not married.
Author Raymond Lamont-Brown wrote in his book ''Edward VII's Last Loves: Alice Keppel and Agnes Keyser'', that the positive influence that his last two extra-marital relationships had on him cannot be understated. He was referring to Alice Keppel and Agnes Keyser, kept simultaneous to one another both beginning between 1898 and 1900, and continuing until his death.
[1]
Alexandra herself remained faithful throughout her marriage.
The death of
Prince Albert Victor in 1892 was a serious blow to the tender-hearted Alix, and she insisted on keeping his room and possessions exactly as he had left them, much as did her mother-in-law after the death of
Prince Albert in 1861. Alix herself remained youthful looking into her senior years, thanks to elaborate veils and very heavy makeup (an observer described her as looking enamelled).
Queen Alexandra
Frontispiece to ''Queen Alexandra's Christmas gift book'', containing royal photographs published to raise money for charities
As Queen from 1901 to 1910, and Queen Mother thereafter, Alix was greatly loved by the British people. She was associated with many charities, the most notable being
Alexandra Rose Day. During the
Boer War, she founded
Queen Alexandra's Nursing Corps, which became known as the "Q.A.s". There is no evidence to suggest that she lacked political acumen. She had a distinct dislike of the Germans, a hatred that stemmed from the Prussian conquest of the formerly Danish lands
Schleswig and
Holstein during the
Second War of Schleswig in 1864. During the
First World War, it is said that her son,
George V, ordered all the
Order of the Garter arms of those who fought for
Germany removed from
St. George's Chapel, Windsor at her insistence. A further reason for expelling the Germans from the Order of the Garter was that a Knight of the Garter swears an oath never to take up arms against the British Sovereign. During the First and Second World Wars, this became an embarrassing mockery, and the German members of the Order were expelled therefrom in 1915 in a solemn ceremony at St. George's Chapel. During the Second World War, Hirohito, the Emperor of Japan, was also expelled from the Order. Today, the Order of the Garter, the bestowing of which is the exclusive gift and perogative of the Sovereign, is awarded much more sparingly.
[8]
Like many royals of her generation, Queen Alexandra had no understanding of money despite the endeavours of her loyal Comptroller, Sir Dighton Probyn VC, who had a similar role when her husband was Prince of Wales and later as King Edward VII.
She was the first woman to be made a
Lady of the Garter since 1488.
[9]
She died on
20 November 1925 after suffering a
heart attack, at
Sandringham, and was buried in an elaborate tomb next to her husband in St.George's Chapel at
Windsor.
[1]
Legacy
Alexandra Palace in
North London, the
Royal Alexandra Theatre in
Toronto and
Queen Alexandra Bridge in
Sunderland are named after her.
Crewe Alexandra F.C. is thought to be named in the Princesses' honour.
Queen Alexandra was portrayed by
Maggie Smith in the
BBC tv film ''
All the King's Men''.
Ancestors
Titles from birth to death
★ ''Her Serene Highness'' Princess Alexandra of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (1844–1853)
★ ''Her Highness'' Princess Alexandra of Denmark (1853–1858)
★ ''Her Royal Highness'' Princess Alexandra of Denmark (1858–1863)
★ ''Her Royal Highness'' The Princess of Wales (1863–1901)
★ ''Her Majesty'' The Queen (1901–1910)
★ ''Her Majesty'' Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom (1910–1925)
Arms
Queen Alexandra's standard, recovered by
Sir Ernest Shackleton from the ship ''Endurance'' before she sank
Queen Alexandra's arms were the
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom impaled with the arms of her father, King Christian IX of Denmark.
Notes and references
1. Eilers, Marlene A. - ''Queen Victoria's Descendants'', p.171
2. Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh - ''Burke's Royal Families of the World, vol.1'', p.70''
3. Edward VII: Image of an Era 1841-1910, , Dana, Bentley-Cranch, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1992,
4. Bentley-Cranch, p.44
5. ''The Landing of HRH The Princess Alexandra at Gravesend, 7th March 1863''
6. Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh - ''Burke's Royal Families of the World, vol.1'', p.70''
7. Her bridesmaids were The Ladies Diana Beauclerk, Victoria Montagu-Douglas-Scott, Victoria Howard, Elma Bruce, Agneta Yorke, Emily Villiers, Eleanor Hare and Feodora Wellesley
8. A. Michie, God Save The Queen, published in 1952.
9. Weir, Alison - ''Britain's Royal Family: A Complete Genealogy'', p.319
10. Eilers, Marlene A. - ''Queen Victoria's Descendants'', p.171
See also
★
Crown of Queen Alexandra
العربية
ä¸å›½
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिनà¥à¤¦à¥€
Italiano
日本語
Português
РуÑÑкий
Español
