Alexandra, Princess Royal

Alexandra
Princess Royal Duchess of Uppland
Governor-General of New Zealand
In office	26 November, 1924 - 5 June, 1934
Monarch	Edward VII
Preceded by	The Viscount Jellicoe
Succeded by	The Viscount Galway
Prime Minister	William Massey Francis Bell Gordon Coates Joseph Ward George Forbes
Born	Alexandra Sophia George Frederick Victoria (1898-05-11)11 May 1898 Rideau Hall, Ottawa, Canada
Died	2 December 1974(1974-12-02) (aged 76) Stockholm, Sweden
Burial	5 December 1974 Royal Cemetery, Solna, Sweden
Spouse	Prince Sigvard, Duke of Uppland (m. 1933)
Issue Detail	Prince John, Duke of Uppland Princess Sophia
Full name Alexandra Sophia George Frederick Victoria
House	Hanover (by birth) Bernadotte (by marriage)
Father	George V
Mother	Sophia of Prussia
Religion	Protestant

Alexandra, Princess Royal (Alexandra Sophia George Frederick Victoria; 11 May, 1898 - 2 December, 1974) was Duchess of Uppland through her marriage with Prince Sigvard, Duke of Uppland. The eldest daughter of King George V and Princess Sophia of Prussia, Alexandra was generally known for her somewhat notably eccentric lifestyle and her progressive take on both domestic and foreign issues. Like her father whom was generally revered for his own statebuilding efforts in Canada, Alexandra herself was mostly involved in the development of New Zealand itself, when she was its Governor-General from the year 1924 to 1934. During her decade long tenure as the country's Governor-General, she mainly oversaw efforts in combating rising unemployment directly caused by the Great Depression in 1929.

Her grandnephew, the Duchess of Albany, and her great-grandnephew, the current Queen Alexandra were believed to had been named after her.

Early Life

Alexandra was born on May 11th, 1898 as the second child of the then George, Prince of Wales and Princess Sophia of Prussia. The eldest born daughter of the princely couple, she was given the name "Alexandra", meaning "defender/protector of man" as to purportedly emphasize her status as the eldest daughter of the family, though it was reportedly meant as a tribute instead to the Russian empress, Maria Alexandrovna, whom Alexandra's father considered as a mother figure during his early years. Nevertheless, she was subsquently named first after her own parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales, before being followed by that of her maternal grandparents, the late Frederick III, German Emperor and the former German Empress Victoria. Due to her parents' tendency to apply nicknames towards their children, Alexandra was simply known as "Alix", a shortened form of her given name throughout her childhood years, while her sister Henrietta was respectively referred to as "Hetty" by their parents.

Unlike most of her British royal relatives at the time, Alexandra, like her brother Edward, and her later siblings were all born in the country of Canada instead, due to their parents' affinity for the country and the fact that Alexandra's father, George, Prince of Wales was then serving as a Governor-General of Canada. Regardless, despite the much less pompous nature of her family's residence, Alexandra and her siblings enjoyed a relatively prosperous and happy upbringing in the personal hands of their parents whom, despite their gubernatorial commitments were able to passionately devote their time and effort towards their own children. For instance, Alexandra's father, being a particularly learned man in the liberal arts would often spend a considerable amount of his own free time in educating the young Alexandra in general subjects including mathematics, science, and history, while her mother, Princess Sophia would often become the young princess's companion in womanly activities such as dancing and cooking. In terms of sports, Alexandra generally excelled in almost all the sports taught by her privately hired tutors though she was often said to had been particularly excellent and unrivaled in the sport of archery, which was said to had contributed to her distinctly toned arms.

Though she shared a generally warm relationship with all her siblings, Alexandra was noted to had been more particularly close to her younger brother Frederick, whom like Alexandra herself was described as being of the "more louder, and more vigorous" of the four, in contrast to the other two, Edward and Henrietta, whom were deemed as being of the more "reserved, and quite" type of siblings.

First World War

On January 30th, 1913, with the death of Alexandra's grandfather, King William V, her father, as the heir apparent subsequently became King of the United Kingdom, under the regnal name of George V. Almost immediately, Alexandra and her siblings were forced to return from Canada to the United Kingdom, where she, alongside her sister lived alongside their parents with the notable exception of their brothers, Edward and Frederick whom had been sent to live in exile in Sweden instead, alongside Alexandra's recently wedded sister-in-law, Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia. During their subsequent stay in the United Kingdom, despite the two princesses remaining generally close to their ever-loving parents, they nevertheless found themselves being the subject of ridicule and contempt, particularly by British nationalists whom were particularly irked by the heavy German background of Alexandra's mother, Sophia. Nevertheless, amidst the wave of criticism directed towards the royal family at the time, which were said to had occassionally brought Alexandra's mother, Queen Sophia to tears, both mother and daughter were said to had generally grew much more emotionally closer to one another, as the younger Alexandra would often comfort her distressed mother at almost every opportunity, whilst acting as the latter's close confidante. Furthermore, despite having been separated from her brothers in Sweden, Alexandra generally maintained close relations with them through the exchange of letters and telegrams, through which she would occassionally plead for their return.

Adulthood

In the years following the end of the First World War up until the death of their father, King George V in 1923, Alexandra, together with her brother Edward, whom had then just returned from his exile in Sweden diligently took care of their parents' wellbeing on a daily basis, due to their father's deteriorating conditions as a consequence of wartime exposure. In the year 1921, Alexandra was sent to Malta where she oversaw the establishment of the first Maltese parliament, during which she was also introduced to the new Prime Minister of Malta, Joseph Howard.

Marriage

At the time of her birth, Alexandra's position as the eldest daughter of a future monarch initially prompted the then King William V to potentially arrange a dynastic marriage with the other European monarchies through Alexandra herself. However, her slightly younger stature, and the death of the king when the princess was only fifteen years old, thus eliminated all possibilities of her being arranged with a political marriage as her parents, the new King and Queen generally detested such a concept, preferring for their eldest daughter to seek her own reputable partner. These circumstances were later said to had been the driving factor behind Alexandra's later open and somewhat eccentric lifestyle, known for its string of affairs and her general openness with members of society, regardless of class and social standing.

POST-WWI

following the end of the First World War, the now twenty year old Alexandra experienced her first romantic experience when she was introduced to Prince Knud of Denmark, whom she initially found attractive due to his military education, though no further prospects arose between them, with Knud himself later marrying Alexandra's sister, Princess Henrietta.

de Caro Incident

On October 1921, having been sent to Malta to oversaw the inauguration of its very first Parliament, Alexandra, as a result of her general eccentricity, quickly became the subject of aspiration for many local Maltese men, as they would often be addressed by the princess whom reportedly frequented homes and taverns around the island. Eventually, at one certain point, Alexandra came into contact with a man by the name of Guzeppi de Caro, a renowned businessman in Malta, and whom was almost twice her age. Reportedly, amidst the intense coverage surrounding herself during her stay in the country, both the princess and de Caro were said to had promptly initiated a romantic relationship upon their first encounter.

For the first couple of weeks, the nature of their relationship remained generally concealed due to the extreme lengths taken by both sides to maintain the status quo. However, entering the third week, the princess and de Caro were finally identified by the locals as a romantic couple, which subsequently earned the ire of some Maltese nationalists whom perceived Alexandra to be that of a foreigner despite her apparent closeness with the general public. On approximately October 30th that year, their relationship came to a head when local authorities discovered a dismembered de Caro off the shores of Marsamxett Harbour. Initially, de Caro's death was ruled as an accidental drowning but it was soon changed to that of a murder once signs of a gunshot were discovered on de Caro's corpse. Almost immediately, Alexandra, whom had then been living for some time in the country quickly came under scrutiny as some asserted that on the night before, de Caro was allegedly seen leaving the princess's residence, before his body was subsequently discovered the next morning. Ultimately, none, including Alexandra herself was ever charged for de Caro's murder but the speculations surrounding the latter's demise, with rumours of a nationalist plot being responsible prompted the princess to finally depart from Malta.

Titles & Honours

• 11 May 1898 - 30 January 1913 Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra of Wales
• 30 January 1913 - 21 August 1931 Her Royal Highness The Princess Alexandra
• 21 August 1931 - 4 January 1933 Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal
• 4 January 1933 - 2 December 1974 Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Uppland

Ancestry

Ancestors of Alexandra, Princess Royal

8. William IV of the United Kingdom 4. William V of the United Kingdom 9. Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen 2. George V of the United Kingdom 10. Leopold I of Belgium 5. Charlotte of Belgium 11. Louise of Orléans 1. Princess Alexandra of the United Kingdom 12. William I, German Emperor 6. Frederick III, German Emperor 13. Princess Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach 3. Sophia of Prussia 14. Albert, Prince Consort 7. Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom 15. Victoria of the United Kingdom