Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

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Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Queen consort of Iceland
Tenure1 December 1918 – 17 June 1944
Born(1879-12-24)24 December 1879
Neustadt Palace Schwerin, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, German Confederation
Died28 December 1952(1952-12-28) (aged 73)
Copenhagen, Denmark
Burial
Roskilde Cathedral
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1898; died 1947)​
Frederick Francis III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
MotherGrand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia
SignatureAlexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin's signature

Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

Queen of Iceland from 1918 to 1944 as the spouse of King Christian X
.

Alexandrine was a daughter of

south of France. She married Prince Christian of Denmark
in 1898.

Alexandrine became

German occupation of Denmark during World War II
.

Early life

Birth and family

The childhood home of Duchess Alexandrine, the castle in Schwerin in Northern Germany

Alexandrine was born a

Frederick Francis II. Her mother was Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia, who was a granddaughter of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia.[1] Alexandrine was her parents' first child, and was born eleven months after their wedding in St. Petersburg. She was born in the Neustadt Palace (New Town Palace)[b] in Schwerin, which was her parents' residence in the city at the time.[2]

Cecilie, Alexandrine and Friedrich Franz of Mecklenburg-Schwerin with their mother Grand Duchess Anastasia.

Duchess Alexandrine had two younger siblings: her only brother was

Rasputin
.

Childhood and early adulthood

Villa Wenden in Cannes, photographed in 1900.

After their father's succession as Grand Duke upon the death of his father on 15 April 1883, Alexandrine grew up with her brother and sister at the

Edward VII of the United Kingdom
.

First years in Denmark

Engagement and marriage

Alexandrine on her wedding day in the Villa Wenden, Cannes
Princess Alexandrine and Prince Christian with their eldest son Prince Frederik in 1900

It was also in Cannes during the winter visit of 1897 that Duchess Alexandrine met her future husband, Prince Christian of Denmark, the eldest son of

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Louise of Denmark. The two young royals were engaged in Schwerin on 24 March 1897.[1] In April 1897, shortly after the engagement was announced, her father the Grand Duke died suddenly at the age of just 46 years. His sudden death was somewhat shrouded in mystery as it was first reported that he had committed suicide by throwing himself off a bridge.[4] However, according to the official report, he died in his garden when he fell over a low wall during a bout of shortness of breath.[5]

The wedding of Duchess Alexandrine and Prince Christian was celebrated on 26 April 1898 in Cannes, when she was 18 years old.[1] They had two children:

Early years in Denmark

Upon their arrival in Denmark, the couple were given

Klitgården in Skagen in Northern Jutland.[1]

On 29 January 1906, her husband's grandfather King

crown princess.[1]

Queen of Denmark

King Christian X and Queen Alexandrine, 1897.
Portrait of King Christian X and Queen Alexandrine by Michael Ancher, 1915.
Thorshavn during a visit to the Faroe Islands
in 1921.

On 14 May 1912, King Frederik VIII died suddenly in Hamburg, Germany, while returning from a recuperation stay in Nice in Southern France. Alexandrine's husband acceded to the throne as Christian X, and Alexandrine became queen consort of Denmark.[1] She is not considered to have played any political role, but is described as being a loyal support to her spouse.

She was interested in music, and acted as the protector of the musical societies Musikforeningen i København and Den danske Richard Wagnerforening. She was known for her needlework, which she sold for charitable purposes. After the death of her mother-in-law Louise of Sweden in 1926, she succeeded her as the official protector of the various charity organisations founded by Louise. She enjoyed golf and photography.

During

Bolsheviks
.

She survived the

1918 flu pandemic.[6]

World War II

The King and Queen arriving at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen on 9 May 1945 at the first opening of Parliament following the end of Nazi Germany's occupation of Denmark.
The King and Queen arrives at the first football match against Sweden after the liberation of Denmark in 1945.

The couple was given great popularity as national symbols during the World War II occupation, which was demonstrated during a tour through the country in 1946. Before the occupation, she and her daughter-in-law were engaged in mobilising the Danish women.

Her rejection of Major General Kurt Himer, Chief of Staff to General Kaupisch on 9 April 1940 became a symbol for her loyalty toward Denmark before her birth country Germany.[7] When General Himer asked for an audience with the monarch, Christian was persuaded to receive him by his daughter-in-law as he would any other, which was supported by Alexandrine.[8] He asked to do so alone, but Alexandrine told him she would interrupt them. When the General was about to leave, she came in; and when he greeted her, she said: "General, this is not the circumstance in which I expected to greet a countryman."[8]

It was reported, that although Alexandrine was seen as shy and disliked official ceremonies, she had a "sharp" intelligence, and she was, together with her daughter-in-law, Ingrid of Sweden, a true support of the monarch and a driving force for the resistance toward the occupation within the royal house.[8] It was also reported, that in contrast to the monarch himself and the Crown Prince, the Queen and the Crown Princess never lost their calm when the nation was attacked.[8] As she was not the Head of the Royal House, she could show herself in public more than her spouse, who did not wish to show support to the occupation by being seen in public, and she used this to engage in various organisations for social relief to ease the difficulties caused by the occupation.[7] Kaj Munk is quoted to describe the public appreciation of her during World War II with his comment: "Protect our Queen, the only German we would like to keep!"[7]

Later life

Alexandrine's and Christian's sarcophagi at Roskilde Cathedral.

In 1947, she was widowed; she became the first queen dowager of Denmark to opt not to use that title. In her later years, Alexandrine stayed longer and longer at Marselisborg Castle in Jutland. She remained very active until the end of her life, continuing her work as a patron and her charitable work;[9] she was also an avid golfer and photographer, and produced excellent needlework.

Queen Alexandrine died on December 28, 1952 after a long illness and was buried at the traditional burial place of the royal family in Roskilde Cathedral.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Arms of alliance of Queen Alexandrine.
Monogram of Queen Alexandrine.

Honours

National honours

Foreign honours

Ancestors

Notes

  1. ^ In Iceland her name was officially Alexandrína
  2. ^ Also known at the time as the Erbgroßherzogpalais (Hereditary Grand Duke's Palace).
  3. Levetzau's Palace
    .

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Engelstoft 1933, p. 239.
  2. ^ "Neustädtisches Palais". Residenzensemble Schwerin – Obtaining world cultural heritage. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  3. ^ Zeepvat 2006, p. 5.
  4. ^ "The Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Shown to Have Committed Suicide" (PDF). The New York Times. 13 April 1897. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2007.
  5. ^ "The Grand Duke of Mecklenburg Schwerin Did Not Commit Suicide" (PDF). The New York Times. 15 April 1897. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2007.
  6. ^ Collier 1974.
  7. ^ a b c Börge Outze & Aage Svendstorp (in Swedish): 5 år i bojor. Danmark under ockupationen 1940–1945 (5 years in chains. Denmark during the occupation) Aktiebolaget boktryck (1945) Hälsingborg.
  8. ^ a b c d "3".
  9. ^ Busck, Jens: Christian 10. og Dronning Alexandrine. Biografie, herausgegeben vom Amalienborg-Museum. Kopenhagen 2012. ISBN 978-87-89542-98-0. S. 45, S. 47.
  10. ^ Image BP Blog
  11. ^ Alexandrine of Denmark Wikimedia
  12. ^ Wedding of Alexandrine of Denmark Wikimedia
  13. ^ a b c blogspot.com, Queen Alexandrine wearing her Danish decorations
  14. ^ a b c Flickr.com, Queen Alexandrine wearing her Danish Orders
  15. ^ a b c d Pinterest.com, Queen Alexandrine wearing decorations
  16. ^ Image BP Blog
  17. ^ a b Pinterest.com, Queen Alexandrine wearing the Seraphim Order and 90th birthday medal
  18. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 20 February 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.
Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Cadet branch of the House of Mecklenburg
Born: 24 December 1879 Died: 28 December 1952
Danish royalty
Preceded by
Queen consort of Denmark

1912–1947 		Succeeded by
New title
Queen consort of Iceland

1918–1944 		Vacant
Republic of Iceland
created
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