Adelinde Dirksen
Adelinde Dirksen | |
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| Born | 15 February 1993 |
| Nationality | German-British |
| Education | University of Hanover |
| Occupation | Model Humanitarian |
| Organization | IMG Models United Nations |
| Parent(s) |
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Dame Adelinde Elisabeth Dirksen (born 15 February, 1993) DBE is a German-British model and humanitarian. She is best known as the purported pretender to the British throne, a claim popularised by her mother in the days following the coronation of Queen Alexandra.
Early Life
Adelinde was born on the 15th of February 1993 to a German-British citizen, Katharine Dirksen. Despite the general acceptance in the identity of her mother, the identity of her biological father however is heavily disputed, with the most popular claim being that of the late King William VI of the United Kingdom. Regardless, she was raised under a considerably modest household due to her mother's occupation as a government staff at the Foreign Sectetary's office. Officially, she went to the Heisterberg primary and secondary schools, where she was said to had performed well in her studies.
Adulthood
Modelling & Humanitarian Career
Upon completing her secondary education, Adelinde chose to pursue a master's degree in International Relations at the University of Hanover. At the same time, she was unexpectedly offered a career in the modelling field, to which she accepted with it initially being a part-time career as she concentrated on her studies. In 2014, upon earning her promised master's degree, her modelling career became a full time career. Remarkably, she was quick to achieve fame in just three months following her graduation from the university.
In early 2016, presumably encouraged by her mother, Adelinde began to deviate her attention once more to an another type of job. Initially, she was successfully hired as a government staff at the very same department her mother had worked in, until the latter's subsequent retirement a few days later. Adelinde held this post until the month of August in 2017 when with the knowledge of her mother, she successfully applied as an intern at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Since then, Adelinde reportedly became more vocal on humanitarian issues. In the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours, she was knighted as a Dame Commander of the Order of British Excellence, then formerly known as the Order of the British Empire.
Queen Alexandra's Succession Rights Controversy
In December 2017, in the days following the coronation of Queen Alexandra, she unexpectedly rose to national attention following a claim made by her mother that Adelinde was allegedly a legitimate descendant of the late William VI, citing an alleged private marriage and her purported genealogy which is rumoured to be that of the late king's. Adelinde, then a recently inaugurated intern at the United Nations quickly declared her contention in abandoning the claim, which she designated as a "regrettable, and unintentional error" in light of the mass criticism against her mother's claims. Additionally, Adelinde claimed zero knowledge on the actuality of her biological father's identity, stating that "while it is certainly a thrill to discover my real father, I wish to not do so however in honour of my country and Her Majesty". The claim subsequently was subsequently ignored overtime, with neither Adelinde nor her mother were charged for any offences.
In January 2018, she received a private, unexpected visit by the Queen herself. Following a brief rise in speculations, both parties promptly declared that the meeting had been in a "goodwill, and harmonious manner". On the month of May that year, she was formally knighted for her humanitarian services as part of the Queen's 2018 Birthday Honours.
Personal Information
A dedicated humanitarian worker, Adelinde is currently an intern at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. She is also a part-time model currently signed under IMG Models since 2015.
Despite being briefly rumoured to be in a relationship with the Duke of Cleveland, she promptly denied such accusations, declaring that she preferred for it not to interfere with her avid humanitarian work, though at the same time, she is further stated that she is "partially open to the committmment of a relationship". She currently lives in the city of Hanover, the capital city of Hanover.
Honours
National & Commonwealth
United Kingdom - Dame Commander of the Most Gallant Order of British Excellence