On the latest episode of the Daily Mail’s Reading the Royals, Richard Eden charts the extraordinary life of Princess Alexandra, an often forgotten royal whose 70 years of service have transformed the institution in ways few people know.
Alexandra was born on Christmas Day 1936, a moment of rare joy for a Royal Family reeling from the abdication of King Edward VIII just two weeks earlier.
When she was born, the now 89-year-old princess was sixth in line to the throne, a first cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Her father, Prince George, Duke of Kent, who tragically died during the Second World War when Alexandra was just five years old, was the son of King George V.
Beginning royal duties aged 15 in 1952, Alexandra came of age at a turning point for women in the Royal Family. In doing so, she forged a path for later royals to follow, including Princesses Anne, Sophie and Catherine.
As one of the most active working royals of the twentieth century, host Eden reveals the various ways Alexandra’s life altered Royal history, beginning with a medieval custom that died with her birth.
Alexandra was born on Christmas Day 1936, a moment of rare joy for a Royal Family reeling from the abdication of King Edward VIII just two weeks earlier
As one of the most active working royals of the twentieth century, host Eden reveals the various ways Alexandra’s life altered Royal history
How Princess Alexandra made history
Until 1936, all Royal births had to undergo an official process known as verification.
This centuries old custom saw the serving Home Secretary awkwardly sit in and watch the birth of a new prince or princess.
Verification began in the late 17th century, after rumours that a Catholic heir had been smuggled into the Royal bedchamber sparked the Glorious Revolution of 1688.
Alexandra’s birth was the last ever to be verified, as Eden explains: ‘It may sound ridiculous now, but the Home Secretary had to be present at the birth of any potential heir to the throne.
‘John Simon was the last Home Secretary ever to carry out this duty for Princess Alexandra.’
King George VI is believed to have formally abolished the practice shortly after Alexandra’s birth, having decided it served no practical purpose in the modern age.
The princess inadvertently made history once again just one year later, when she was christened in what is now known as the old chapel at Buckingham Palace.
The chapel was destroyed by a bomb during the Blitz in September 1940, one of nine direct hits sustained by the Palace, making Alexandra the last royal baby ever to be baptised there.
After the war, Alexandra’s mother Princess Marina of Greece made a radical decision over her daughter’s education, one that would rewrite the rules for every princess that followed.
Before 1947, royal children were taught exclusively by private tutors at home. Mixing with commoners was considered beneath the family’s station, leaving princesses isolated from the real world and the social education that came with it. With Alexandra, tradition was broken once again.
Eden said: ‘Alexandra was the first British princess to be sent to boarding school. She was sent away to the exclusive Heathfield school near Ascot in 1947.
‘Unknowingly, she opened the door for the likes of Princesses Anne, Beatrice and Eugenie and who knows, maybe Princess Charlotte will be next on that list.’
As a working royal, Alexandra has been exceptionally busy, serving as patron of more than 100 charities and at her peak undertaking over 120 engagements a year.
She even represented the Crown at Nigeria’s independence ceremony in 1960, such was the trust the Royal Family placed in her.
Another first for Alexandra came in 1964, when she was appointed founding Chancellor of Lancaster University, a post she would hold for 40 years.
Alexandra has served as an informal mentor to younger royals who married into the family, most notably Princess Sophie and Princess Catherine, guiding them through the demands of public royal life.
‘She may be a Princess you have never heard of until today, but now I am sure you will find it hard to forget her’, Eden said.
To hear Richard Eden’s full breakdown of Alexandra’s extraordinary life, subscribe to the Daily Mail’s Palace Confidential YouTube channel.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.celebrity.land.co.uk ’
