Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife
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Princess Alexandra | |
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Princess Arthur of Connaught St John's Wood, London, England | |
Burial | 3 March 1959 , Scotland |
Spouse | |
Issue | Alastair Windsor, 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn |
Father | Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife |
Mother | Louise, Princess Royal |
Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife
Lineage and early life
Alexandra's father was
Alexandra was born at East Sheen Lodge, Richmond on 17 May 1891. After ten years of marriage and the birth in 1893 of Alexandra's younger sister Maud, no more children would be born to Alexandra's parents and the dukedom and marquessate of Fife were headed toward extinction since only a male heir could inherit those titles. On 24 April 1900, Queen Victoria granted Alexander Duff a second dukedom of Fife, along with the earldom of Macduff, stipulating by special remainder that these two titles would jointly devolve, in default of sons born to him and the Queen's granddaughter, upon their daughters in order of seniority of birth, and upon their respective agnatic male descendants in the same order.[4] After her father's death in 1912, therefore, she inherited the Dukedom of Fife in her own right.
As a female-line granddaughter of the British monarch, Alexandra was not entitled to the title of "Princess", nor to the style of
She was baptised at the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace on 29 June 1891 by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Edward White Benson. Her godparents were Queen Victoria and the Prince and Princess of Wales.[6]
Princess Alexandra
On 9 November 1905, King Edward VII declared his eldest daughter
Around 1910, Alexandra became secretly engaged to Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark, a son of King George I of the Hellenes. The engagement was terminated when their disapproving parents learned of the liaison.
Marriage and issue
On 15 October 1913, Princess Alexandra
The bride's attendants were:[9]
- Princess Maud, the bride's sister.
- Princess Mary of the United Kingdom, the bride's maternal first cousin and daughter of King George V.
- Princess Helena of Teck, daughters of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Teck(brother of Queen Mary).
- Princess May of Teck, the bride's maternal second cousin and daughter of Prince Alexander of Teck (brother of Queen Mary) and Princess Alice of Albany.
Prince Arthur of Connaught was the only son of the Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, third son of Queen Victoria and thus a younger brother of her maternal grandfather, King Edward VII. As such, Arthur and Alexandra were first cousins once removed.
After their marriage, Alexandra was referred to as HRH Princess Arthur of Connaught, in accordance with the tradition that a wife normally shares the title and style of her husband.
With her husband, Alexandra also carried out royal engagements on behalf of her uncle,
The couple's only child, their son Alastair Windsor, 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, was born on 9 August 1914.
Nursing career
When her husband was appointed governor-general of the Union of South Africa, Princess Arthur ably seconded him and shared his popularity. Her tact and friendliness made her many friends among the South Africans, who also greatly admired the interest which she displayed in hospitals, child welfare, and maternity work throughout the Union. To these subjects she brought her personal knowledge and experience, which enabled her to make effective and valuable suggestions.
On her return to London in 1923, Princess Arthur resumed her nursing career at University College Hospital, where she was known as Nurse Marjorie, and subsequently at Charing Cross Hospital. At this time she specialised in surgery, proving herself a competent theatre sister capable of performing minor operations herself and of instructing juniors. Her services to the nursing profession were recognized in July 1925, when she was awarded the badge of the Royal Red Cross by George V.
The outbreak of World War II in 1939 afforded Princess Arthur further scope for her nursing abilities. She refused the offer of a post as matron of a hospital in the country, preferring to become sister-in-charge of the casualty clearing station of the Second British General Hospital set up to treat the troops retreating from Dunkirk. Shortly thereafter, she opened the Fife Nursing Home in Bentinck Street which she personally equipped, financed, and administered as matron for ten years.[10]
On 26 April 1943 her only child, Alastair, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, died unexpectedly (and in ill-defined circumstances) whilst staying at Rideau Hall in Ottawa with his relative the Governor-General of Canada, the Earl of Athlone.[11]
Later life and death
In 1949 the
At her request she was cremated, and her ashes laid in St Ninian's Chapel, Braemar, on the Mar Lodge estate alongside her parents' and son's. Her will was sealed in London after her death in 1959. Her estate was valued at £86,217 (or £1.4 million in 2022 when adjusted for inflation).[12]
Titles, styles, honours and arms
Titles and styles
- 17 May 1891 – 9 November 1905: Lady Alexandra Duff
- 9 November 1905 – 29 January 1912: Her Highness Princess Alexandra
- 29 January 1912 – 15 October 1913: Her Highness Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife
- 15 October 1913 – 26 February 1959: Her Royal Highness Princess Arthur of Connaught, Duchess of Fife
Despite the fact that Alexandra and her sister were not daughters of a
Honours
- Royal Red Cross
- Dame Grand Cross of the Most Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem(elevated from Dame of Justice)
- Royal Family Order of King Edward VII
- Royal Family Order of King George V
Honorary military appointments
- Colonel-in-chief, Royal Army Pay Corps
Arms
Coat of arms of Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife |
Ancestry
Ancestors of Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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References and notes
- ^ "No. 27852". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 November 1905. p. 7495.
- ^ The distinction lies in being granted the styles of both Princess and Highness. Other female-line descendants of a British sovereign, such as the children of Prince and Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein and of Prince and Princess Henry of Battenberg, had been granted the style of Highness, but not that of prince or princess, presumably because they derived a princely style from their fathers, which was not the case of Princesses Maud and Alexandra. Their cousin Princess Victoria Eugénie of Battenberg was born "Highness" by virtue of an 1885 warrant of Queen Victoria and was created "Royal Highness" by Edward VII immediately prior to her 1906 marriage to the king of Spain: "No. 27901". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 April 1906. p. 2421.
- ^ "No. 25958". The London Gazette. 27 July 1889. p. 4077.
- ^ a b c d Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser Band III. "Fife". C.A. Starke Verlag, 1955, pp. 336–337. (German).
- ^ Eilers, Marlene (1987). Queen Victoria's Descendants. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co. p. 176.
- ^ Queen Victoria's Journals – Monday 29th June 1891
- ^ Prince Arthur is the first cousin of Alexandra's mother, Louise, Princess Royal, as both are grandchildren of Queen Victoria.
- ^ "Royal Wedding Group". National Portrait Gallery, London.
- ^ "H.R.H. Princess Arthur of Connaught (the Duchess of Fife) and her bridesmaids". National Portrait Gallery.
- ^ Princess Arthur of Connaught dated 29 November 2010 at royalmusingsblogspotcom
- ^ "Death of Duke of Connaught in Canada". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 30, 162. Victoria, Australia. 28 April 1943. p. 3. Retrieved 17 April 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Evans, Rob; Pegg, David (18 July 2022). "£187m of Windsor family wealth hidden in secret royal wills". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ISBN 0-220-66222-3
- ^ "No. 28401". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 July 1910. p. 5475.
- ^ "No. 28535". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 September 1911. p. 7079.
- Ronald Allison and Sarah Riddell, eds., The Royal Encyclopedia (London: Macmillan, 1991); ISBN 0-333-53810-2
- Marlene A. Eilers, Queen Victoria's Descendants (New York: Atlantic International Publishing, 1987); ISBN 91-630-5964-9
- Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Families: the Complete Genealogy, rev. ed. (London: Pimlico, 1996); ISBN 0-7126-4286-2