Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Albany

Full name
	Alexandra Natalie Lauren William Louise

Alexandra
Alexandra
Duchess of Albany
First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff
Tenure	6 February 2006 - 11 July 2009
Preceded by	Alan West
Succeeded by	Jonathon Band
Governor-General of New Zealand
Tenure	15 March 1996 - 22 April 1999
Monarch	Charles III; Thomas
Preceded by	Catherine Tizard
Succeeded by	Silvia Cartwright
Prime Minister	Jim Bolger; Jenny Shipley;
4th Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations
In office	1 April 2000 - 6 February 2006
Head	Thomas
Preceded by	Emeka Anyaoku
Succeeded by	Don McKinnon
Chair	Thabo Mbeki (South Africa); John Howard (Australia); Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria); Lawrence Gonzi (Malta); Yoweri Museveni (Uganda);
Born	14 September 1970 (age 54); Buckingham Palace, London
Spouse	Thomas Lancaster (m. 1999)
Issue; Detail	Henry Lancaster; Lauren Lancaster; Alexandra Lancaster;
Full name
Full name
	Alexandra Natalie Lauren William Louise
House	Hanover
Father	Charles III
Mother	Lauren Bacall
Religion	Protestant
Military service
Branch/service	Royal Navy;
Years of service	1998-2010 (active service)
Rank	Admiral of the Fleet
Commands	HMS Manchester (2000-2003); HMS Governor (2003-2006); First Sea Lord (2006-2009
Battles/wars	Kosovo War; Sierra Leone Civil War; Iraq War

Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Albany (Alexandra Natalie Lauren William Louise; born 14 September 1970) is a former Royal Navy officer and diplomat, and a member of the British royal family. From 1996 to 1999, she was also the Governor-General of New-Zealand, and later the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations from 2000 to 2006, a post which was once held by its inaugural holder, that being her grand-uncle, Prince Frederick, Duke of Clarence and Avondale. Following in the footsteps of her predecessor, Princess Alice, she became the second female member of the royal family to hold the position of First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff, which she held from the year 2006 to 2009.

In January 1999, she married former Royal Navy Captain Thomas Lancaster, whom she had met while actively serving as a naval officer herself. The couple's marriage produced three children: Henry, Lauren, and Alexandra.

Thanks to a major reform undertaken by her father, Alexandra consequently became the first British, Dutch, and Luxembourgish princess in history allowed to have a ducal title of her own, as opposed to the traditional convention in which female members of the royal family could only hold a ducal title by virtue of marriage to their husbands. Evidently, on February 2006, she was made Duchess of Albany by her brother, King Thomas, not long after she was made First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy. Prior to this, she had initially rejected being made a duchess herself following her marriage to her husband in 1999, so as to allow her to be truly made a duchess in her own right. In addition to this, she was also given the right to pass down her own ducal title to her eldest child and heir, whom is expected to succeed her as the new Duke of Albany upon her passing in the future. However, such an idea has been negated after the duchess emphasised that no children of hers would ever be given a royal title for themselves.

Early Life

Alexandra was born on September 14th 1970 as the second daughter and youngest child of Charles III and former American actress turned queen consort Lauren Bacall. Along with her sister, Catherine, the Princess Royal, she and the former were the only females aside from their two older brothers. Her given name, Alexandra, while initially thought to had been derived from her grand-aunt, Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Uppland (whom was also the previous Princess Royal prior to her sister), it was later said to had instead came from the name of the Australian city of Alexandria, located in the state of New South Wales, which her mother had visited around a month prior to her birth. Then, due to the supposedly fond memories of the city held by Queen Lauren herself, Alexandra, whom was to be her youngest daughter and children, was subsequently named in honour of the city, albeit with a slight alteration to the name itself, hence her given name.

While it had been customary for newborn royal children to be assigned to a governess, the princess however, following in the footsteps of her elder siblings were brought up personally by their parents, with Queen Lauren having reportedly spent most of her time with Alexandra herself, whom was said to had been particularly doted on by her mother due to the difficulties surrounding her birth, likely caused by her mother's age at the time, during which the former was already forty-six years old.

Upon reaching the age of eleven, Alexandra was enrolled into the Brentford School for Girls, where she exhibited a considerable degree of success in her respective subject. At the same time, the princess took up horse riding under the guidance of a private instructor.

Adulthood

Career In The Royal Navy

Upon graduating secondary school, much to the surprise of her parents and peers, Alexandra showed great enthusiasm in a naval-based military career. While it had not been a common occurrence, her enlistment into the Royal Navy was made possible by the Princess Alice Act 1946, which established the precedence for women to enlist in combat roles, in regards to the previously established setting that had limited women mostly to support roles such as medics.

Personal Information

Following in the footsteps of her father, Alexandra pursued a much liberal-oriented lifestyle, then highlighted by her marriage to Royal Navy Captain Thomas Lancaster in 1996.

A dedicated enthusiast and a firm supporter of the Royal Navy, Alexandra is greatly known for her remarkable service in the armed forces, almost mirroring that of her third great-aunt Alice.

Titles & Honours

14 September 1970 - 2 January 2003 Her Royal Highness The Princess Alexandra
2 January 2003 - Present Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Albany