Alexandra Duff, 2nd Duchess of Fife
Alexandra Victoria Alberta Edwina Louise Duff, 2nd Duchess of Fife (born May 17, 1891 in East Sheen Lodge, Richmond , London , † February 26, 1959 in Primrose Hill , London) was a member of the British royal family .
Life
Lady Alexandra Victoria was the eldest daughter of Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife (1849–1912) and his wife Princess Louise (1867–1931), daughter of the British King Edward VII. At her birth, she was fourth of the British Succession to the throne . Together with her younger sister, Maud (1893-1945), she grew up in London and at Windsor Castle . Her upbringing and schooling was in the hands of several tutors and governesses.
In 1905 Alexandra Victoria and her sister were declared princesses by their grandfather, King Edward VII, in deviation from the general rules according to which this privilege is only granted to children of the monarch's sons . They were given the title of nobility Highness (Highness) awarded and in the protocol Aryan hierarchy they followed immediately after the strict royal family over all other nobles.
In 1910 Princess Alexandra Victoria had a relationship with her second cousin, the Danish Prince Christoph, called Christo (1888-1940), the youngest child of King George I of Greece and Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna Romanova . When her parents found out about it, they disapproved of a connection with a member of the German-born House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg .
The family was shipwrecked off the coast of Morocco on a trip to Egypt in December 1911 . Although no one was directly injured, her father developed pleurisy in Egypt, possibly because of it . He died in Aswan in January 1912 . One of the father's two dukedoms passed to his daughter Alexandra when he died, because this title could also be passed on to the duke's daughters and their male descendants, in deviation from the norm. Alexandra thus carried the title in her own right, even if, as a woman, she could not take the seat in the House of Lords .
On October 15, 1913, Lady Alexandra Victoria Duff, 2nd Duchess of Fife, married her second uncle, Major General Arthur Frederick Patrick Albert of Connaught (1883–1938), Arthur's only son , Duke of Connaught and at St James's Palace , London Strathearn , and Princess Luise Margareta of Prussia . Her father-in-law was the third son of Britain's Queen Victoria . The marriage had a son, Alastair Arthur Windsor, 2nd Duke of Connaught (1914-1943).
Together with her husband, they took on various official duties on behalf of their uncle, King George V , and later for their cousin, King George VI. , true. During the First World War she worked as a nurse at St. Mary's Hospital, Paddington , London. In 1920 her husband was appointed Governor General of South Africa and they went to Pretoria together , where she worked in the local hospitals. After returning to the United Kingdom, the couple went back to their official duties. Alexandra was also State Councilor from 1937 to 1944 . Alexandra Duff, 2nd Duchess of Fife, died on February 26, 1959 near Primrose Hill, London and was buried in the family chapel, Mar Lodge Chapel, Braemar . Her title passed to her nephew James Carnegie, 12th Earl of Southesk , because her own son had already passed away.
Name in different phases of life
- 1891–1905: Lady Alexandra Duff
- 1905–1912: Her Highness Princess Alexandra of Fife
- 1912–1913: Her Highness Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife
- 1913–1959: Her Royal Highness Princess Arthur of Connaught, Duchess of Fife
Awards
- Royal Red Cross , 1st Class
- Dame Grand Cross of the Most Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem
- King George V Royal Family Order, 4th Class
Military honors
- Honorary Colonel of the Royal Army Pay Corps (RAPC)
literature
- Ronald Allison and Sarah Riddell: 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 , London: Pimlico (1996) ISBN 0-7126-4286-2
Web links
Remarks
- ↑ Alexandra Victoria Alberta Edwina Louise Duff, 2nd Duchess of Fife on thepeerage.com , accessed October 4, 2015.
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Alexander Duff |
Duke of Fife 1913-1959 |
James Carnegie |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Duff, Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Lady Alexandra Victoria Alberta Edwina Louise, Duchess of Fife |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Member of the British Royal Family |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 17, 1891 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | East Sheen Lodge, Richmond , London |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 26, 1959 |
| Place of death | Primrose Hill, London |