ALEXANDRA OF DENMARK

'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.)

Contents

Early life

Princess of Wales

Private life

Queen Alexandra

Legacy

Ancestors

Titles from birth to death

Arms

Notes and references

See also

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:

Name	Birth	Death	Marriage
Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence	8 January 1864	14 January 1892	No issue.
King George V	3 June 1865	20 January 1936	Mary of Teck (26 May 1867 – 24 March 1953) Had issue.
Princess Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife	20 February 1867	4 January 1931	Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife (10 November 1849 – 12 January 1912) Had issue.
Princess Victoria Alexandra	6 July 1868	3 December, 1935	No issue.
Princess Maud	26 November, 1869	20 November 1938	Prince Carl of Denmark, later King Haakon VII of Norway (3 August 1872 – 21 September 1957) Had issue.
Prince Alexander John	6 April 1871	7 April 1871

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

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 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