Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife
Encyclopedia
Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife (Alexandra Victoria Alberta Edwina Louise; née Duff; later Princess Arthur of Connaught; 17 May 1891 – 26 February 1959) was a member of the British Royal Family
, a granddaughter of King Edward VII
. Alexandra and her younger sister Maud
had the distinction of being two of only five female-line granddaughters of a British Sovereign to receive the style Highness
. (Three of Queen Victoria’s female-line granddaughters had previously been styled as Highness
, albeit holding the style from birth: Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein
, Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein
and Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg.) Alexandra and her sister also received the title of Princess but it was not specified that this conferred the title of Princess of Great Britain and Ireland
.
(1840–1912), the son of the 5th Earl of Fife
(1814–1879) and his wife, the former Lady Agnes Hay. Having succeeded his father as the 6th Earl of Fife
, he was elevated to Duke of Fife
and Marquess of Macduff in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
two days after his marriage in 1889 to Princess Louise of Wales, the eldest daughter of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) and Alexandra of Denmark
. Princess Louise accordingly became the Duchess of Fife.
Alexandra was born to them at East Sheen Lodge, Richmond on 17 May 1891. When it became apparent that the couple were unlikely to have a son, Queen Victoria renamed Alexander Duke of Fife and Earl of Macduff in the peerage of the United Kingdom in 1900, giving the second dukedom of Fife a special remainder in default of male issue to the Duke's daughters and their agnatic male descendants.
As a female-line great-granddaughter of the British monarch, (Queen Victoria), Alexandra was not entitled to the title of a Princess of Great Britain
or the style Royal Highness. Instead she was styled Lady Alexandra Duff, as the daughter of a Duke
. She was fifth in the line of succession
at the time of her birth.
Alexandra and her sister were unique among British princesses in that they were descended from both William IV
(through his mistress, Dorothea Jordan), and William IV's niece, Queen Victoria, who succeeded him because he had no legitimate issue.
. He further ordered Garter King of Arms to gazette Lady Alexandra Duff and her sister Lady Maud Duff with the style and attribute of Highness and precedence immediately after all members of the British Royal Family
bearing the style of Royal Highness. From that point, Her Highness Princess Alexandra of Fife held her title and rank, not from her father (a Duke), but rather from the will of the Sovereign (her grandfather).
Around 1910, she became secretly engaged to Prince Christopher of Greece, a son of George I of Greece
and Olga Konstantinovna of Russia
. The engagement was terminated when their disapproving parents learned of the liaison. As Prince Christopher's father was a younger brother of Princess Alexandra's maternal grandmother, the hopeful couple were first cousins once removed
.
. Although they escaped unharmed, Alexandra's father fell ill with pleurisy
, probably contracted as a result of the shipwreck. He died at Aswan, Egypt on 22 January 1912 and Princess Alexandra succeeded to his Dukedom, becoming the Duchess of Fife
and Countess of Macduff in her own right.
at the Chapel Royal
, St. James's Palace
, London
. Prince Arthur of Connaught was the only son of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
, the third eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and thus a younger brother of her maternal grandfather King Edward VII as. As such, Arthur and Alexandra were first cousins once removed
.
After their marriage, Alexandra was generally referred to as HRH Princess Arthur of Connaught, Duchess of Fife. This followed the tradition of a wife taking the style and title of her husband.
With her husband, Alexandra also carried out royal engagements on behalf of her uncle, King George V
, and later for her cousin, King George VI
. She also served as a Counsellor of State
between 1937 and 1944.
, Princess Arthur of Connaught served as nurse at St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington. When Prince Arthur was appointed governor general of the Union of South Africa
in 1920, she accompanied him to Pretoria and worked on behalf of local hospitals. Upon the couple's return to Britain, she continued to carry out royal duties. She died at her home near Primrose Hill
, London
in 1959 and was buried at Mar Lodge
chapel.
Her only son and the heir apparent to the Dukedom of Fife, Alastair Windsor, 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, died in Ottawa in 1943, a year after succeeding his paternal grandfather as 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn. When Princess Arthur of Connaught died, the Dukedom of Fife passed to her nephew, James George Alexander Bannerman Carnegie, Lord Carnegie
, the only son of her late sister Princess Maud, Countess of Southesk.
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
, a granddaughter of King Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
. Alexandra and her younger sister Maud
Princess Maud of Fife
-Titles and styles:*3 April 1893 – 5 November 1905: The Lady Maud Duff*5 November 1905 – 12 November 1923: Her Highness Princess Maud of Fife*12 November 1923 – 10 November 1941: Lady Carnegie...
had the distinction of being two of only five female-line granddaughters of a British Sovereign to receive the style Highness
Highness
Highness, often used with a possessive adjective , is an attribute referring to the rank of the dynasty in an address...
. (Three of Queen Victoria’s female-line granddaughters had previously been styled as Highness
Highness
Highness, often used with a possessive adjective , is an attribute referring to the rank of the dynasty in an address...
, albeit holding the style from birth: Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein
Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein
-Titles:*1870–1917: Her Highness Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein*1917–1948: Her Highness Princess Helena Victoria-Honours:British honours*VA: Lady of the Order of Victoria and Albert...
, Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein
Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein
-Titles:*1872–1891: Her Highness Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein*1891–1900: Her Highness Princess Aribert of Anhalt*1900–1917: Her Highness Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein...
and Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg.) Alexandra and her sister also received the title of Princess but it was not specified that this conferred the title of Princess of Great Britain and Ireland
British princess
This is a list of British princesses from the accession of King George I in 1714. This article deals with both princesses of the blood royal and women who become princesses upon marriage....
.
Lineage and early life
Alexandra's father was Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of FifeAlexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife
Alexander William George Duff, 1st Duke of Fife KG, KT, GCVO, PC, VD , styled Viscount Macduff between 1857 and 1879 and known as The Earl Fife between 1879 and 1889, was a British Peer who married Princess Louise of Wales, the third child and eldest daughter of King Edward VII and Alexandra of...
(1840–1912), the son of the 5th Earl of Fife
James Duff, 5th Earl Fife
James Duff, 5th Earl Fife was a Scottish nobleman.Duff was the son of Sir Alexander Duff, younger brother of James Duff, 4th Earl Fife and Anne Stein, the daughter of James Stein of Gilbogie....
(1814–1879) and his wife, the former Lady Agnes Hay. Having succeeded his father as the 6th Earl of Fife
Earl of Fife
The Earl of Fife or Mormaer of Fife referred to the Gaelic comital lordship of Fife which existed in Scotland until the early 15th century....
, he was elevated to Duke of Fife
Duke of Fife
Duke of Fife is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, named after Fife in Scotland. There have been two creations of the title, the first in 1889 and the second in 1900, both in favour of Alexander Duff, 6th Earl Fife in the Peerage of Ireland and 1st Earl of Fife in the Peerage of the...
and Marquess of Macduff in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
Peerage of the United Kingdom
The Peerage of the United Kingdom comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Act of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great Britain...
two days after his marriage in 1889 to Princess Louise of Wales, the eldest daughter of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) and Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark was the wife of Edward VII of the United Kingdom...
. Princess Louise accordingly became the Duchess of Fife.
Alexandra was born to them at East Sheen Lodge, Richmond on 17 May 1891. When it became apparent that the couple were unlikely to have a son, Queen Victoria renamed Alexander Duke of Fife and Earl of Macduff in the peerage of the United Kingdom in 1900, giving the second dukedom of Fife a special remainder in default of male issue to the Duke's daughters and their agnatic male descendants.
As a female-line great-granddaughter of the British monarch, (Queen Victoria), Alexandra was not entitled to the title of a Princess of Great Britain
British princess
This is a list of British princesses from the accession of King George I in 1714. This article deals with both princesses of the blood royal and women who become princesses upon marriage....
or the style Royal Highness. Instead she was styled Lady Alexandra Duff, as the daughter of a Duke
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
. She was fifth in the line of succession
Line of succession to the British Throne
The line of succession to the British throne is the ordered sequence of those people eligible to succeed to the throne of the United Kingdom and the other 15 Commonwealth realms. By the terms of the Act of Settlement 1701, the succession is limited to the descendants of the Electress Sophia of...
at the time of her birth.
Alexandra and her sister were unique among British princesses in that they were descended from both William IV
William IV
William IV may refer to:* William IV of the United Kingdom * William IV, Duke of Aquitaine * William IV of Provence * William, Margrave of Meissen , also William IV of Weimar* William IV, Count of Toulouse William IV may refer to:* William IV of the United Kingdom (1765–1837)* William IV, Duke of...
(through his mistress, Dorothea Jordan), and William IV's niece, Queen Victoria, who succeeded him because he had no legitimate issue.
Princess Alexandra
On 5 November 1905, King Edward VII declared his daughter Princess RoyalPrincess Royal
Princess Royal is a style customarily awarded by a British monarch to his or her eldest daughter. The style is held for life, so a princess cannot be given the style during the lifetime of another Princess Royal...
. He further ordered Garter King of Arms to gazette Lady Alexandra Duff and her sister Lady Maud Duff with the style and attribute of Highness and precedence immediately after all members of the British Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
bearing the style of Royal Highness. From that point, Her Highness Princess Alexandra of Fife held her title and rank, not from her father (a Duke), but rather from the will of the Sovereign (her grandfather).
Around 1910, she became secretly engaged to Prince Christopher of Greece, a son of George I of Greece
George I of Greece
George I was King of Greece from 1863 to 1913. Originally a Danish prince, George was only 17 years old when he was elected king by the Greek National Assembly, which had deposed the former king Otto. His nomination was both suggested and supported by the Great Powers...
and Olga Konstantinovna of Russia
Olga Konstantinovna of Russia
Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna of Russia , later Queen Olga of the Hellenes , was the queen consort of King George I of Greece and briefly in 1920, Queen Regent of Greece...
. The engagement was terminated when their disapproving parents learned of the liaison. As Prince Christopher's father was a younger brother of Princess Alexandra's maternal grandmother, the hopeful couple were first cousins once removed
Cousin chart
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
.
Duchess of Fife
In December 1911, the Fife family were shipwrecked off the coast of MoroccoMorocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. Although they escaped unharmed, Alexandra's father fell ill with pleurisy
Pleurisy
Pleurisy is an inflammation of the pleura, the lining of the pleural cavity surrounding the lungs. Among other things, infections are the most common cause of pleurisy....
, probably contracted as a result of the shipwreck. He died at Aswan, Egypt on 22 January 1912 and Princess Alexandra succeeded to his Dukedom, becoming the Duchess of Fife
and Countess of Macduff in her own right.
Marriage
On 15 October 1913, Princess Alexandra married Prince Arthur of ConnaughtPrince Arthur of Connaught
Prince Arthur of Connaught and Strathearn was a member of the British Royal Family, a grandson of Queen Victoria. Prince Arthur held the title of a British prince with the style His Royal Highness...
at the Chapel Royal
Chapel Royal
A Chapel Royal is a body of priests and singers who serve the spiritual needs of their sovereign wherever they are called upon to do so.-Austria:...
, St. James's Palace
St. James's Palace
St. James's Palace is one of London's oldest palaces. It is situated in Pall Mall, just north of St. James's Park. Although no sovereign has resided there for almost two centuries, it has remained the official residence of the Sovereign and the most senior royal palace in the UK...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Prince Arthur of Connaught was the only son of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a member of the shared British and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha royal family who served as the Governor General of Canada, the 10th since Canadian Confederation.Born the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and...
, the third eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and thus a younger brother of her maternal grandfather King Edward VII as. As such, Arthur and Alexandra were first cousins once removed
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
.
After their marriage, Alexandra was generally referred to as HRH Princess Arthur of Connaught, Duchess of Fife. This followed the tradition of a wife taking the style and title of her husband.
With her husband, Alexandra also carried out royal engagements on behalf of her uncle, King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
, and later for her cousin, King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
. She also served as a Counsellor of State
Counsellor of State
In the United Kingdom, Counsellors of State are senior members of the British royal family to whom the Monarch, currently Elizabeth II, delegates certain state functions and powers when she is in another Commonwealth realm, abroad or unavailable for other reasons...
between 1937 and 1944.
Career
During World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Princess Arthur of Connaught served as nurse at St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington. When Prince Arthur was appointed governor general of the Union of South Africa
Union of South Africa
The Union of South Africa is the historic predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into being on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the previously separate colonies of the Cape, Natal, Transvaal and the Orange Free State...
in 1920, she accompanied him to Pretoria and worked on behalf of local hospitals. Upon the couple's return to Britain, she continued to carry out royal duties. She died at her home near Primrose Hill
Primrose Hill
Primrose Hill is a hill of located on the north side of Regent's Park in London, England, and also the name for the surrounding district. The hill has a clear view of central London to the south-east, as well as Belsize Park and Hampstead to the north...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1959 and was buried at Mar Lodge
Mar Lodge
Mar Lodge is a sporting lodge, the principal building on the Mar Lodge Estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.-Location:Mar Lodge is a sporting lodge built for the use of the Duke and Duchess of Fife...
chapel.
Her only son and the heir apparent to the Dukedom of Fife, Alastair Windsor, 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, died in Ottawa in 1943, a year after succeeding his paternal grandfather as 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn. When Princess Arthur of Connaught died, the Dukedom of Fife passed to her nephew, James George Alexander Bannerman Carnegie, Lord Carnegie
James Carnegie, 3rd Duke of Fife
James George Alexander Bannerman Carnegie, 3rd Duke of Fife is a great grandson of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and a member of the extended British Royal Family, in the line of succession to the British Throne...
, the only son of her late sister Princess Maud, Countess of Southesk.
Titles and styles
- 17 May 1891 – 5 November 1905: The Lady Alexandra Duff
- 5 November 1905 – 22 January 1912: Her Highness Princess Alexandra of Fife
- 22 January 1912 – 15 October 1913: Her Highness Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife
- 15 October 1913 – 26 February 1959: Her Royal Highness Princess Arthur of Connaught, Duchess of Fife
Honours
- Royal Red Cross, 1st ClassRoyal Red CrossThe Royal Red Cross is a military decoration awarded in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth for exceptional services in military nursing.The award was established on 27 April 1883 by Queen Victoria, with a single class of Member...
- Dame Grand Cross of the Most Venerable Order of St John of JerusalemVenerable Order of Saint JohnThe Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and...
(elevated from Dame of Justice) - Royal Family Order of King Edward VIIRoyal Family Order of King Edward VIIThe Royal Family Order of King Edward VII was a high honour bestowed as a mark of personal esteem on titled female members of the British Royal Family for personal service to King Edward VII...
- Royal Family Order of King George V (4th class)Royal Family Order of King George VThe Royal Family Order of King George V was a high honour bestowed as a mark of personal esteem on titled female members of the British Royal Family for personal service to King George V.Queen Elizabeth II is the only surviving member of the Order....
Issue
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prince Alastair of Connaught | 9 August 1914 | 26 April 1943 | later styled Earl of Macduff and 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn Duke of Connaught and Strathearn The title Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was granted by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to her third son, Prince Arthur.... |