Alexandra of Denmark
A queen whose enduring popularity, marked by grace and quiet strength, masked a life of personal heartache and physical disability.
1844–1925 (age 81)·Queen of the United Kingdom from 1901 to 1910·Birthday: December 1
Biography
Born a Danish princess, Alexandra's marriage to Queen Victoria's eldest son, Albert Edward, was a strategic alliance that made her Princess of Wales for nearly four decades. Her striking beauty and elegant, if sometimes elaborate, fashion sense made her a public darling, a figure of glamour in the Victorian court. Behind the public image, however, was a woman who navigated her husband's frequent infidelities with dignified silence and devoted herself to her children and charitable work, particularly in nursing and support for the deaf. A severe bout of rheumatic fever in her youth left her with a permanent limp and increasing deafness, challenges she bore without public complaint. As queen consort for only nine years, her lasting impact was in shaping the style and compassionate image of the monarchy during a period of immense social change.
#1 When Alexandra Was Born
The biggest hits of 1844
Alexandra's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1844Born
1849Started school
1857Became a teenager
1860Could drive
1862Could vote
President: Abraham Lincoln
1865Turned 21
President: Andrew Johnson
1874Turned 30
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1884Turned 40
President: Chester A. Arthur
1894Turned 50
President: Grover Cleveland
1904Turned 60
New York City opens its first subway line
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1914Turned 70
World War I begins
President: Woodrow Wilson
1924Turned 80
First Winter Olympics held in Chamonix, France
President: Calvin Coolidge"It Had to Be You" — Isham Jones
1925Died at 81
The Scopes Trial debates evolution in schools
Home: $4,366President: Calvin Coolidge"Sweet Georgia Brown" — Ben Bernie
Key Achievements
- Served as the long-term Princess of Wales for 38 years, the longest holder of that title until Princess Diana.
- Was a pioneering patron of the British Red Cross and played a significant role in promoting nursing services.
- Her style, particularly high 'dog-collar' necklaces, set fashion trends throughout the British Empire.
Did You Know?
She introduced the practice of wearing evening gowns with a matching 'tiara and tails' for formal state banquets.
Alexandra had a pet parrot which she taught to whistle at her husband's mistresses.
A childhood illness left her with a noticeable scar on her neck, which she often covered with choker necklaces, starting a major fashion trend.
“I am a Dane through and through, and that I shall remain.”
