Alexandra of Yugoslavia: Difference between revisions
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====From Athens to Florence==== |
====From Athens to Florence==== |
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Despite these positive developments, the situation of Alexandra and her mother didn't improved. Indeed, Greece experiencing a [[Population exchange between Greece and Turkey|serie of military defeats against Turkey]] and a [[11 September 1922 Revolution|coup d’état]] soon forced King Constantine I to abdicate again, this time in favor of ''Diadochos'' [[George II of Greece|George]], on 27 September 1922.<ref>Vickers 2000, pp. 162–163.</ref><ref>Van der Kiste 1994, p. 137.</ref> Things from bad to worse for the country, a further coup forced the new ruler, his wife and his brother to leave the country on 19 December 1923. On 25 March 1924, the [[Second Hellenic Republic]] was proclaimed and both Aspasia and Alexandra are then the only members of the dynasty allowed to stay in Greece.<ref name="Mateos180"/><ref>Palmer and Greece 1990, p. 67.</ref><ref>Van der Kiste 1994, p. 144.</ref> |
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Penniless, Aspasia chooses to take the path of exile with her daughter in early 1924. The two princesses found refuge with Queen Sophia, who moved to the ''Villa Bobolina'' near [[Florence]], shortly after the death of her husband on 11 January 1923. The now Dowager Queen, who loves Alexandra, was thrilled, even if her financial situation was also precarious.<ref>Mateos Sainz de Medrano 2004, p. 92, 180 and 402.</ref><ref>Gelardi 2006, p. 357.</ref> With her paternal grandmother, the princess spent a happy childhood with her aunts [[Helen of Greece and Denmark|Crown Princess Helen of Romania]], [[Princess Irene, Duchess of Aosta|princesses Irene]] and [[Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark|Katerine of Greece]], and her cousins [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|Prince Philip of Greece]] (the future Duke of Edinburgh) and [[Michael I of Romania|Prince Michael of Romania]], which are her playmates during holidays.<ref>Mateos Sainz de Medrano 2004, p. 403 and 415–416.</ref> |
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====From London to Venice==== |
====From London to Venice==== |
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{{see also|Garden of Eden (Venice)}} |
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In 1927, Alexandra and her mother moved to [[Ascot, Berkshire]], in the [[United Kingdom]]. They were greeted by [[Sir James Horlick, 4th Baronet]] and his family, who harbored them in their castle near the hippodrome.<ref>Mateos Sainz de Medrano 2004, pp. 180–181.</ref> Now seven years old, Alexandra was enrolled in boarding schools in Westfield and [[Heathfield School, Ascot|Heathfield]], as was the custom for the upper class. However, the princess took very badly this experience:<ref name="Mateos402"/><ref>Van der Kiste 1994, p. 149.</ref> separated from her mother, she stops eating and eventually contracted [[tuberculosis]]. Alarmed, Aspasia thus moved her daughter to Switzerland for treatment.<ref name="Mateos402"/> Later, Alexandra was educated in [[finishing school]] in Paris, during which time they stayed at the Hotel Crillon.<ref name=Independent/><ref name=royal>{{cite web |url=http://royalfamily.org/?183%2Cen_repatriation-of-hm-queen-alexandra-remains-to-serbia-on-may-9 |title=Repatriation of HM Queen Alexandra Remains to Serbia |date=9 May 2013 |website=The Royal Family of Serbia }}</ref> |
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Eventually, the two princesses settled on the Island of [[Giudecca]] in [[Venice]], where Aspasia acquired a small property with her savings and Horlick's financial support.Former home of Caroline Eden, great-aunt of British Prime Minister [[Anthony Eden]], the villa and its 3.6 hectares of landscaped grounds are nicknamed the [[Garden of Eden (Venice)|''Garden of Eden'']], which delights the Greek princesses.<ref name="Mateos181">Mateos Sainz de Medrano 2004, p. 181.</ref><ref>[http://www.fictionalcities.co.uk/gardenofeden.htm Jeff Cotton: ''The Garden of Eden'']</ref> |
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Mother and daughter moved to Italy, then London, then lived at the [[Hotel Crillon]] in Paris.<ref name=Independent/> While in England, Alexandra was educated at [[Heathfield School, Ascot]]. This was followed by a [[finishing school]] in Paris, during which time they stayed at the Hotel Crillon.<ref name=Independent/><ref name=royal>{{cite web |url=http://royalfamily.org/?183%2Cen_repatriation-of-hm-queen-alexandra-remains-to-serbia-on-may-9 |title=Repatriation of HM Queen Alexandra Remains to Serbia |date=9 May 2013 |website=The Royal Family of Serbia }}</ref> |
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==Marriage and later life== |
==Marriage and later life== |
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* Julia Gelardi, ''Born to Rule : Granddaughters of Victoria, Queens of Europe'', Headline Review, 2006 ISBN 0-755-31392-5. |
* Julia Gelardi, ''Born to Rule : Granddaughters of Victoria, Queens of Europe'', Headline Review, 2006 ISBN 0-755-31392-5. |
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* Marlene Eilers König, ''Descendants of Queen Victoria''. |
* Marlene Eilers König, ''Descendants of Queen Victoria''. |
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* Hugo Vickers, ''Alice, Princess Andrew of Greece'', London, Hamish Hamilton, 2000 ISBN 0-241-13686-5. |
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{{Commons category|Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia}} |
{{Commons category|Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia}} |
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Alexandra of Greece and Denmark | |
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Queen consort of Yugoslavia | |
Tenure | 20 March 1944 – 29 November 1945 |
Born | Athens, Greece | 25 March 1921
Died | 30 January 1993 East Sussex, England | (aged 71)
Burial | 7 February 1993 Royal Cemetery, Tatoi Palace, Greece (1993—2013) Royal Mausoleum Oplenac, Topola, Serbia (since 2013) |
Spouse | Peter II of Yugoslavia |
Issue | Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia |
House | Glücksburg |
Father | Alexander of Greece |
Mother | Aspasia Manos |
Religion | Eastern Orthodox |
Styles of Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia | |
---|---|
Reference style | Her Majesty |
Spoken style | Your Majesty |
Alternative style | Ma'am |
Alexandra of Greece and Denmark (Greek: Αλεξάνδρα, Serbian: Александра/Aleksandra; 25 March 1921 – 30 January 1993), was a Princess of Greece and Denmark member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg by birth and Queen consort of Yugoslavia by marriage.
Posthumous daughter of King Alexander I of Greece and his morganatic wife Aspasia Manos, Alexandra wasn't part of the Greek Royal Family until July 1922, when at the behest of her paternal grandmother Queen Sophia, a law was passed who retroactively recognize marriages of members of the Royal Family, although on a non-dynastic basis; in consequence, she obtained the style name of Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark. In the same time, a serious political and military crisis, linked to the defeat of Greece against Turkey in Anatolia, gradually led to the deposition and exile of the royal family, beginning in 1924. Being the only members of the dynasty allowed to remain in the country by the Second Hellenic Republic, the princess and her mother later found refuge in Italy, with Dowager Queen Sophia.
After three years with her paternal grandmother, Alexandra leave Florence to continue her studies in the United Kingdom, while her mother Aspasia settled in Venice. Separated from her mother, the princess finally fell ill, forcing Aspasia to make her leave the boarding school where she was studying. After the restoration of her uncle King George II on the Hellenic throne in 1935, Alexandra performs several stays in her native country, but the outbreak of the Greco-Italian War, in 1940 , forcing her and her mother to settled in Athens. The invasion of Greece by the Axis powers in April-May 1941, however, led to their moving to the United Kingdom. Again exiled, Alexandra met in London the young King Peter II of Yugoslavia, who also went to exile after the invasion of his country by the Germans.
Quickly, Alexandra and Peter II fell in love and planned to marry. However, the opposition of both Queen Mother Maria of Yugoslavia (Peter II's mother) and the Yugoslav government in exile forced the couple to delay their marital projects for two years, until 1944, when they finally celebrated their wedding. A year later, Alexandra gave birth to her only son, Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia. However, the happiness of the family was short-lived: on 29 November 1945, Marshal Tito proclaimed the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Alexandra, who has never set foot in her adopted country, was left without crown.
The abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy has very serious consequences for the royal couple. Penniless and unable to adapt to the role of citizen, Peter II turned into alcoholism and multiplies affairs with other women. Depressed by the behavior of her husband, Alexandra neglects her son and made several suicide attempts. After the death of Peter II in 1970, Alexandra's health continues to deteriorate. She died of cancer in 1993 and her remains were buried in the Royal Cemetery Plot in the park of Tatoi in Greece, before being transferred to the Royal Mausoleum of Oplenac in 2013.
Life
A birth surrounded by intrigues
The issue of the Greek succession
Princess Alexandra was born in a difficult environment. Five months before her birth, her father, King Alexander I, died of sepsis following a monkey bite who occurred in the gardens of Tatoi.[1][2] The unexpected death of the sovereign caused a serious political crisis in Greece, at a time when public opinion was already divided by the events of the World War I and the Greco-Turkish War. The late King concluded an unequal marriage with Aspasia Manos,[a][5] and in consequence their offspring wasn't dynastic and, due to the lack of another candidate for the throne, Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos was soon forced to accept the restoration of his enemy, King Constantine I, on 19 December 1920.[6][7] Alexander I's brief government was officially treated as a regency, which meant that his marriage, contracted without his father's permission, was technically illegal, the marriage void, and the couple's posthumous child illegitimate.
The last months of pregnancy Aspasia are surrounded by intrigue. In the case that she gave birth a boy (who would be named Philip, as the father of Alexander the Great),[8] rumours soon assured that she was determined to place him on the throne after his birth.[9][10] True or not, this possibility worries the Greek royal family, who fears about the birth of a male child were exploited by the Venizelists to revive the succession crisis. The birth of a girl, on 25 March 1921 was a great relief for the dynasty[b] and both King Constantine I and his mother Queen Dowager Olga accept to be the godparents of the newborn.[12][13]
Integration into the royal family
Still, neither Alexandra nor Aspasia receive more official recognition: from a legal point of view, they are commoners with any rights into the royal family. Things change from July 1922, when after the internvention of Queen Sophia, was passed a law who retroactively recognize marriages of members of the Royal Family, although on a non-dynastic basis; with this legal subterfuge, the little princess obtained the style of Royal Highness and the title of Princess of Greece and Denmark. Thus, Alexandra' birth became legitimate in the eyes of Greek law, but since the marriage was recognized on a 'non-dynastic basis,' her royal status was tenuous at best; however, this belated recognition made it possible for her to make a later advantageous marriage, which would not have been possible if she was nothing more than the daughter of the King's morganatic spouse.[14][15]
Aspasia, however, wasn't mentioned in the law and remains a commoner in the eyes of protocol.[16] Humiliated by this difference in treatment, she begs Prince Christopher of Greece (whose commoner wife Nancy Stewart Worthington Leeds was entitled as Princess of Greece), to intercede on her behalf. Moved by the arguments of her niece-in-law, he approached to Queen Sophia, who eventually change her opinion. Under pressures from his wife, King Constantine I issued a decree, gazetted 10 September 1922 under which Aspasia received the title Princess of Greece and Denmark and the style of Royal Highness.[16][17][18]
Childhood in exile
From Athens to Florence
Despite these positive developments, the situation of Alexandra and her mother didn't improved. Indeed, Greece experiencing a serie of military defeats against Turkey and a coup d’état soon forced King Constantine I to abdicate again, this time in favor of Diadochos George, on 27 September 1922.[19][20] Things from bad to worse for the country, a further coup forced the new ruler, his wife and his brother to leave the country on 19 December 1923. On 25 March 1924, the Second Hellenic Republic was proclaimed and both Aspasia and Alexandra are then the only members of the dynasty allowed to stay in Greece.[16][21][22]
Penniless, Aspasia chooses to take the path of exile with her daughter in early 1924. The two princesses found refuge with Queen Sophia, who moved to the Villa Bobolina near Florence, shortly after the death of her husband on 11 January 1923. The now Dowager Queen, who loves Alexandra, was thrilled, even if her financial situation was also precarious.[23][24] With her paternal grandmother, the princess spent a happy childhood with her aunts Crown Princess Helen of Romania, princesses Irene and Katerine of Greece, and her cousins Prince Philip of Greece (the future Duke of Edinburgh) and Prince Michael of Romania, which are her playmates during holidays.[25]
From London to Venice
In 1927, Alexandra and her mother moved to Ascot, Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. They were greeted by Sir James Horlick, 4th Baronet and his family, who harbored them in their castle near the hippodrome.[26] Now seven years old, Alexandra was enrolled in boarding schools in Westfield and Heathfield, as was the custom for the upper class. However, the princess took very badly this experience:[10][27] separated from her mother, she stops eating and eventually contracted tuberculosis. Alarmed, Aspasia thus moved her daughter to Switzerland for treatment.[10] Later, Alexandra was educated in finishing school in Paris, during which time they stayed at the Hotel Crillon.[5][28]
Eventually, the two princesses settled on the Island of Giudecca in Venice, where Aspasia acquired a small property with her savings and Horlick's financial support.Former home of Caroline Eden, great-aunt of British Prime Minister Anthony Eden, the villa and its 3.6 hectares of landscaped grounds are nicknamed the Garden of Eden, which delights the Greek princesses.[29][30]
Marriage and later life
In 1944, she moved to London, where on 20 March at the Yugoslav Legation[31] she married her third cousin, the young King of Yugoslavia, Peter II, whom she had met in 1942. (Both were great-great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria, she through her paternal grandmother Sophia, Queen of the Hellenes, and he through his maternal grandmother, Queen Marie of Romania). Guests at the wedding included members of the British royal family, including King George VI and Queen Elizabeth; Henry, Duke of Gloucester; Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent; as well as other European royalty in exile, such as King Haakon VII of Norway and Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands.[32]
On 17 July 1945 she gave birth to the Crown Prince in Suite 212 of Claridge's Hotel in Brook Street. The British Government ceded sovereignty over the suite to Yugoslavia just for one day, so that the prince would be born in Yugoslav territory, which was to be the only time Queen Alexandra was in Yugoslavia.[5]
The marriage deteriorated after the war and the declaration of a Communist republic in Yugoslavia; in the late 1940s Queen Alexandra left her husband, taking their son with her, after he had sold her jewels and most of their other remaining property.
After his death in 1970, she settled in East Sussex, where she died on 30 January 1993 after suffering for several years from cancer.[5][31]
She was buried in the former private Greek royal residence at Tatoi in Greece. In May 2013, her remains were transferred to Serbia for reburial in the crypt of the Royal Mausoleum at Oplenac. The reburial of HM King Peter II and his mother, HM Queen Maria of Yugoslavia, also took place at the same time, on 26 May 2013.[33]
Publications
She published an autobiography in 1956[34] and a biography of her fathers cousin, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1961.[35]
Titles, styles, honours and arms
Titles and styles
- 25 March 1921 – 20 March 1944: Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark
- 20 March 1944 – 29 November 1945: Her Majesty The Queen of Yugoslavia
- 29 November 1945 – 30 January 1993: Her Majesty Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia
- In pretense: 29 November 1945 – 3 November 1970 : Her Majesty The Queen of Yugoslavia
- In pretense: 3 November 1970 – 30 January 1993 : Her Majesty The Queen Mother of Yugoslavia
Honours
- Greek Royal Family: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Olga and Sophia[36]
- House of Karađorđević: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Karađorđe[37]
- House of Karađorđević: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the White Eagle[37]
- House of Karađorđević: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St. Sava[38]
- House of Karađorđević: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Yugoslav Crown
Ancestry
Notes
- ^ The ancestors of Aspasia Manos be from the high Phanariot aristocracy and she count several Voivodes of the Danubian Principalities among her ancestors; however, her rank was deemed insufficient to allow her to marry with a member of European royalty. That's why the wedding of Alexander I wasn't approved by either his family, the Hellenic Government or Metropolitan Meletius III of Greece.[3][4]
- ^ Greece applying a semi-Salic succession until 1952; in consequence, Alexandra can't claim the Hellenic throne.[11]
References
- ^ Van der Kiste 1994, pp. 122–123.
- ^ Palmer and Greece 1990, p. 63.
- ^ Mateos Sainz de Medrano 2004, p. 177.
- ^ Van der Kiste 1994, p. 119.
- ^ a b c d "Obituary: Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia". The Independent. 2 February 1993.
- ^ Van der Kiste 1994, pp. 124–126.
- ^ Mateos Sainz de Medrano 2004, p. 91 and 179.
- ^ Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia, For Love of a King, New York, Doubleday, 1956, p. 17.
- ^ Marlene Eilers Koenig: A girl for Aspasia Manos [retrieved 21 July 2016].
- ^ a b c Mateos Sainz de Medrano 2004, p. 402.
- ^ Mateos Sainz de Medrano 2004, p. 238.
- ^ Van der Kiste 1994, pp. 125–128.
- ^ Mateos Sainz de Medrano 2004, p. 179.
- ^ Diesbach, Ghislain de (1967). Secrets of the Gotha. translated from the French by Margaret Crosland. London: Chapman & Hall. p. 225.
- ^ Valynseele, Joseph (1967). Les Prétendants aux trônes d'Europe (in French). Paris. p. 442.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b c Mateos Sainz de Medrano 2004, p. 180.
- ^ Gelardi 2006, pp. 309–310
- ^ Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh, ed. (1973-03-06). Burke's Guide to the Royal Family. London: Burke's Peerage. ISBN 978-0-220-66222-6.
- ^ Vickers 2000, pp. 162–163.
- ^ Van der Kiste 1994, p. 137.
- ^ Palmer and Greece 1990, p. 67.
- ^ Van der Kiste 1994, p. 144.
- ^ Mateos Sainz de Medrano 2004, p. 92, 180 and 402.
- ^ Gelardi 2006, p. 357.
- ^ Mateos Sainz de Medrano 2004, p. 403 and 415–416.
- ^ Mateos Sainz de Medrano 2004, pp. 180–181.
- ^ Van der Kiste 1994, p. 149.
- ^ "Repatriation of HM Queen Alexandra Remains to Serbia". The Royal Family of Serbia. 9 May 2013.
- ^ Mateos Sainz de Medrano 2004, p. 181.
- ^ Jeff Cotton: The Garden of Eden
- ^ a b "Alexandra of Yugoslavia Is Dead; Queen Without a Throne Was 71". The New York Times. 1 February 1993.
- ^ "Wedding of HRH Princess Alexandra of Greece & Denmark to King Peter II of Yugoslavia. 20th March 1944, London". Flickr.com.
- ^ Mendick, Robert; Sawer, Patrick (28 April 2013). "Yugoslavia's exiled Queen returns home at long last". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ For a king's love: the intimate recollections of Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia. London: Odhams. 1956. OCLC 752753235.
{{cite book}}
: Unknown parameter|authors=
ignored (help) - ^ Prince Philip. London: May Fair. 1961. OCLC 752753242.
{{cite book}}
: Unknown parameter|authors=
ignored (help) - ^ Royal Magazine
- ^ a b , [1] queen Alexandra wears the Star of Karađorđe on her right shoulder and star of the White Eagle on her right stomach
- ^ Royal Family
Sources
- John Van der Kiste, Kings of the Hellenes: The Greek Kings, 1863-1974, Sutton Publishing, 1994 ISBN 0-750-92147-1.
- Alan Palmer and Michael of Greece, The Royal House of Greece, Weidenfeld Nicolson Illustrated, 1990 ISBN 0-297-83060-0.
- Ricardo Mateos Sainz de Medrano, La Familia de la Reina Sofίa, La Dinastίa griega, la Casa de Hannover y los reales primos de Europa, Madrid, La Esfera de los Libros, 2004 ISBN 8-497-34195-3.
- Julia Gelardi, Born to Rule : Granddaughters of Victoria, Queens of Europe, Headline Review, 2006 ISBN 0-755-31392-5.
- Marlene Eilers König, Descendants of Queen Victoria.
- Hugo Vickers, Alice, Princess Andrew of Greece, London, Hamish Hamilton, 2000 ISBN 0-241-13686-5.
External links
- Greek princesses
- Danish princesses
- Yugoslav queens consort
- House of Glücksburg (Greece)
- People from Athens
- 1921 births
- 1993 deaths
- Karađorđević dynasty
- Burials at the Mausoleum of the Royal House of Karađorđević, Oplenac
- Burials at Tatoi Palace Royal Cemetery
- People educated at Heathfield School, Ascot
- Greek people