Royal History: Queen Alexandra Dies

Queen Alexandra

From The Morning Leader, November 21, 1925

Queen Alexandra is Dead.

The whole empire will be saddened by the death of the Queen Mother, Alexandra. News of her serious illness on Thursday came as a shock, and the suddenness of her passing adds to the grief that will be felt, for while it had been known that she was in failing health, her death at this time had not been looked for.

Queen Alexandra was loved and revered wherever British people are. Widowed by the death of King Edward VII, one of the most popular monarchs that Britain and the Empire have had, British subjects everywhere had felt towards her an even deeper affection and reverence that she had enjoyed before.

Furthermore, her truly queenly qualities, her largeness of heart, her sympathetic outlook, and her friendly interest in all that might contribute to human happiness, she had endeared herself in, exceptional degree to British hearts throughout the world.   The British royal family will have much sympathy in their personal loss. The King has lost his mother, and the whole empire will share his grief.

Queen Alexandra was born Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia on Dec. 1, 1844. Her father was  Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. Her mother was Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel. Princess Alexandra's family was rather obscure and impoverished. Due to the succession crisis that ensued on the accession of King Frederick VII of Denmark, Christian and his family were propelled into the limelight. With the backing of the Great Powers, Christian was declared heir to the throne and, eventually, ruled as King Christian IX in 1863.

In 1862, Princess Alexandra was engaged to Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, eldest son of Queen Victoria of England. She arrived in London on March 7, 1863 and her singularly beauty and charm immediately won her the affection of the English people. Poet Laureate Alfred, Lord Tennyson, wrote an ode in Alexandra's honour, A Welcome to Alexandra. Their marriage was celebrated March 10 at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.

Throughout her tenure as Princess of Wales (she was the longest-serving Princess of Wales), Alexandra was exceedingly popular, thanks to her selfless devotion to charities and her quiet dignity despite her husbands misgivings and extramarital affairs. A fashion icon, her style of dress was copied by the fashion-conscious of her days. She even popularized the wearing choker necklaces and high necklines, which was a fad for over 50 years.

Royal History: The Coronation Procession of Edward VII

The Coronation Procession. Image: National Army Museum

London, Aug. 9, 1902

The New York Times reports the sequence of the Coronation Procession of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.

The first section of the coronation procession to Westminster Abbey will start at Buckingham Palace at 10:30 am consisting of dress carriages with pairs. It will be headed by trumpeters, the Royal Horse Guards' Band, First Life Guards, and Royal Horse Guards.

Then comes the carriages occupied by members of the Royal Family:

First - The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Frederick.

Second - Princes Andrew and George of Greece and Princesses Victoria and Louise of Battenberg.

Third - Princes Maurice, Leopold and Alexander and Princess Victoria Eugenia of Battenberg and Princess Henry of Battenberg.

Fourth - The Duchess of Albany, the Duchess of Argyll, the Crown Prince and Princess of Roumania.

Fifth - Prince and Princess Christian and their daughters, Princesses Marie Louise and Helena Victoria.

Sixth - The Duchess of Connaught and daughters Princesses Patricia and Margaret, and the Grand Duke of Hesse.

Seventh - The Duke and Duchess of Sparta and Prince and Princess Henry of Prussia.

Eighth (drawn by six black horses) - The King's daughters, the Duchess of Fife, Princess Victoria and Princess Maud, with her husband Prince Charles of Denmark.

Next comes the Prince of Wales' procession, which will commence at York House at 10:45 am. The advance guard will consist of a detachment of the Royal Horse Guards, followed by two carriages containing the members of the Prince's household, more Horse Guards, the carriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales, and another tropp of Horse Guards.

The King's procession will leave Buckingham Palace at 11 am. His will be escorted by the Horse Guards the King's Barge-master and twelve watermen. The carriages of the king's and queen's households and staffs will follow suit, to be followed carriages of officers and staffs of the armed forces, aides-de-camp, and various regiments, nearly all of which are peers of the realm.

Then will come the state coach where Their Majesties are riding inside, attended by the Duke of Connaught and Prince Arthur of Connaught, followed by the royal standard and an escort.

Following the state coach are the Duke of Buccleuch (Captain General of the Royal Company of Archers), The Earl Walgrave (Captain of the Yeoman of the Guard) and the Duke of Portland (Master of the Horse), followed by the equerry in waiting and the royal grooms.

Queen Alexandra celebrates birthday

Queen Alexandra (right), with Princess Victoria (left) and
King Edward VII (seated)

London, Dec. 1, 1903-- The New York Times reports that festivities surrounding Queen Alexandra's 59th birthday were dashed by intermittent snowfalls. Alternating sunshine and snowfalls marked the celebration at Sandringham. In the morning, the Queen was preoccupied receiving and replying greetings to and from well-wishers. In the afternoon, all the children on the royal estate were entertained at tea, the Queen personally supervising the needs of her guests.


Royal salutes were fired at all the naval and military stations at home and abroad, the warships were dressed and there was a liberal display of bunting on the public buildings.

How Queen Victoria drove King Edward VII to debauchery

Edward VII

It’s been a known fact that King Edward VII was known for his womanizing and carefree lifestyle while he was Prince of Wales. But he was not completely to blame.


In a two-part article published in Daily Mail, Jane Ridley , who made a comprehensive research at the Royal Archives, found out what went wrong with the Prince’s life.  From the time he was born, Prince “Bertie,” as what he was known in the family, was never loved at all.  When she was born, her mother Queen Victoria complained that she was large, at 4 ft 11 in. The Queen herself suffered from depression right after bearing her. Sooner than later, his care was relegated to a wet nurse and his mother thought of him as ugly and “too frightful,” not worthy of being called Albert. In fact, he was simply referred to as “The Boy.”  Out-witted, out-charmed and out-loved by his elder sister, Vicky, he saw less and less of his parents’ attentions and affection upon the coming of her pretty sister Alice and clever brother Alfred.

Queen Victoria

The result? The Prince became an attention seeker, common among children who were less loved by their parents. What was worse was that Dr. Andrew Combe, a quack doctor who believed that a person’s intellect could be measured by the size of the skull, to whom the Queen and Prince Albert consulted Bertie’s attention-seeking behavior, suggested that the Prince should be subjected to rigorous  education to put his mind to exercise. So, while the rest of the Royal Family was on holiday at the countryside, the Prince was left at Eton with his tutors studying. When he did something good, Prince Albert, it seemed was never satisfied of it and wanted more from him. But when something went all, Bertie was severely punished. In his parents eyes, the more he grew older, the more everything became wrong in him. And so, they decided to marry him off but there was not that much a good candidate until Princess Alexandra of Denmark came along. But Bertie knew nothing of this wedding plans as he was very satisfied with his sexual escapades with the prostitute Nellie Clifden. Things changed when Prince Albert died. Wanting to console her mother, the Prince had finally decided to acquiesce to the wedding plan that Prince Albert had earlier instigated but that never tamed him.

Ridley succinctly tells about Bertie’s escapades and corridor-creepings. “In Paris, he cavorted with prostitutes in a copper bath filled with champagne, had his own regular room in a brothel and even commissioned a ‘seat of love’, featuring a complicated design of stirrups and supports,” while at home, “he insisted on being introduced to the latest society beauties and commanded friends to invite his mistresses to house parties.”

King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in their coronation regalia

When asked about his long-suffering wife, Princess Alexandra — known as Alix — he’d say: ‘She is my brood mare. The others are my hacks.” But no matter how many mistresses the King kept, still she looked upon Alexandra with love, respect and affection.

And then came Queen Victoria’s meddling. The Prince had wanted to take an active role in the government and his own capacity do something to support the cause of the Crown but Queen Victoria never wanted to hear anything of it. And so, he came back to his old self. The one suffering the most was Princess Alexandra, who became increasingly deaf, something that did her well also as she made this ailment the reason not to listen to things that she didn’t want to.

In 1877 came Lillie Langtry, perhaps the longest serving and the most visible of all the King’s mistresses. In fact, she was seen with Bertie and she was even together with the King and Queen Alexandra. She was everywhere even on holidays, which irritated the Queen to the core. But the Queen has something to thank to because little put a period on all of the prince’s fling.

Please read Ridley’s two part abstract about King Edward VII, his relationships with his mother, Queen Victoria, and his wife, Queen Alexandra, and her numerous escapades with his mistresses:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2186847/Queen-Victoria-Letters-released-Palace-reveal-Edward-VII-driven-life-debauchery.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2187400/Night-Lord-crept-mistresss-bedroom--Edward-VII-beaten-it.html