Alexandra of Denmark

Biography

Alexandra was born in Copenhagen in 1844, the eldest daughter of Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and Louise of Hesse-Kassel. Her family lived modestly until her father was chosen in 1852 as heir to the Danish throne; he became King Christian IX in 1863, the same year her brother William was made King George I of Greece. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert selected her as a bride for their son Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, and the couple married at St George's Chapel, Windsor, on 10 March 1863.

As Princess of Wales from 1863 to 1901, the longest anyone has held the title, she became very popular and set fashions in dress. She had six children, among them the future George V. Rheumatic fever in 1867 left her with a lasting limp, and hereditary deafness increasingly isolated her. Kept away from political power, she tried without success to influence ministers in favour of Danish and Greek interests and remained hostile to Prussia and later to Germany. Her public work centred on charities and hospitals, notably the London Hospital.

When her husband succeeded as Edward VII in 1901 she became queen consort and Empress of India, and the two were crowned together on 9 August 1902. She was largely excluded from state papers, but in 1910 she became the first queen consort to watch a debate in the House of Commons. After the King's death in May 1910 she lived as queen mother at Marlborough House and Sandringham, founding Alexandra Rose Day for hospital charities. She died at Sandringham in November 1925 and was buried beside her husband at Windsor.