Ten Facts About an Overlooked British Queen- Alexandra

Queen Alexandra when Princess of Wales Royal Collection.

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1. She was Danish- As her name suggests, Queen Alexandra was originally from Denmark. She was from the house of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderberg-Glucksberg, a cadet branch of the House of Oldenberg. Her father was actually chosen to succeed his second cousin as King of Denmark, so she did not grow up like a royal princess. 

2. She was Related to Prince Philip- When her father became King of Denmark, her brother was appointed King George I of Greece, and he was the Grandfather of Prince Philip, making Queen Alexandra Prince Philip’s great aunt.

   

   Sisters Dagmar, Thyra and Alexandra

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3. She was the longest serving Princess of Wales- A century before the craze for Princess Diana, there was a huge love for Alexandra, Princess of Wales. She was Princess of Wales from 1863, when she married Prince Edward, to 1901, when she and Edward became King and Queen.

   

   Alexandra of Denmark by Lauchert

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4. She was the Style Icon of her time- Renowned for her beauty and fashion like Princess Diana and Princess Catherine today, when Queen Alexandra was Princess of Wales, she was also a major style influencer. Her style was so loved in fact that women of the day wore high necklines and often walked with a slight limp, just like Alexandra did. Little did they know that her necklines were used to cover a scar, and her limp was a disability. (More on that below!)

5. Her Nephew was the murdered Tzar Nicholas II- Queen Alexandra’s sister was Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia, the Mother of Tsar Nicholas II, who was brutally murdered during WWI. The dowager empress was brought to England by her sister, Queen Alexandra, and they lived together for many years.

   

   Alexandra and her sister, Empress Maria Feodorovna

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6. She set the standard for jobs that Royal Women undertake today- Before Princess Diana was shaking things up by holding and hugging people in hospitals, Queen Alexandra was actually the first to do that. She often sat and listened to people’s problems, hugged them in their grief, and even showed them that a disability wouldn’t slow them down, as she had her very own! Alexandra very much changed the way that women in the Royal family operated.

7. She had health problems- Alexandra struggled throughout her life with an inherited deafness, which gradually became worse with age. Furthermore, after the birth of her third child, the then Princess Alexandra came down with a terrible rheumatic fever that left her with a permanent limp which lead to scoliosis. Interestingly, women of her time thought her so fashionable, that they too began to walk with limps. In her hospital work, Alexandra would actually hold her leg up and show people that she too had a disability!

   

   Alexandra as Princess of Wales with her two eldest sons, Prince Albert Victor who sadly died, and Prince George who became George V.

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8. She loved her family and cared for them until the end- Alexandra once said that if she wasn’t a royal, she would have been a nurse and this rang true with her own family. She spent a lot of time mothering her children and in their nursery. She also nursed her husband faithfully when he was ill, and on his deathbed. George V once said that his “Mama” was really so selfish because she always wanted her family around her and to know their business! 

   

   Alexandra when POW with her firstborn daughter Louise

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9. She invited her husbands mistress in to say goodbye on his deathbed- While it is no secret that Edward VII was a philanderer, he and Alexandra did care for one another very deeply. They had a big and loving family, and they had a strong relationship. Perhaps one of the biggest, and most loving things that the Queen did, was ask her husband’s long time mistress, Alice Keppel to join the family in saying goodbye to the king when his time was near. (Interestingly, Alice Keppel is the great grandmother of the present Queen, Camilla.)

10. She lived for another 15 years after her husband’s death- In her time as the Queen Mother, Alexandra still held engagements, worked for her charities and helped guide the country through WWI. She also carried on being an involved and doting grandmother to her grandkids, as she and Edward had been before his passing.

    

    Princess Alexandra with her Fiancé, the Prince of Wales

Queen Alexandra, is sometimes an overlooked royal today, but in her time, she was astonishingly popular, the pinnacle of fashion and she brought new life to and love for the royal family. She is a historical figure who’s life I wish I could have witnessed. These ten facts just scratch the surface of her life, so please let me know in the comments below if you would like a future post about her in more detail!

Until Next Time,

McKenzie

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