Queen alexandra of great britain old

Death and funeral of Alexandra of Denmark

death and funeral of the United Kingdom's queen mother

Tomb of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra

Date
  • 20&#;November&#;&#;()
  • (death)
  • 27&#;November&#;&#;()
  • (funeral)
Location
ParticipantsBritish royal family

The funeral of Queen Alexandra (formerly Princess Alexandra of Denmark), widow to King Edward VII and mother to King George V, occurred on Friday, 27 November at Westminster Abbey, following her death on 20 November.

Queen-consort of King Edward VII of Great Britainremembered for her classical beauty and her interest in charities and social relief programs. Met the Prince of Wales ; betrothed ; married ; official trips with her husband to several countries —81 ; became queen-consort to King Edward VII on his accession to the throne ; granted Command of the Garter ; established Queen Alexandra Imperial Military Nursing Service ; became dowager queen following Edward VII's death ; "Alexandra Day" established in her honor The time had passed when a princess was chosen for a large dowry or to satisfy diplomatic necessities, but it was essential that she be beautiful, cheerful, and dignified. Alexandra was a breathtakingly handsome woman with a graceful demeanor that even impressed a dour Queen Victoria when she first met her in

Background

Alexandra appeared youthful even in her senior years,[1] but during the First World War her age caught up with her.[2] She made no more visits to foreign countries, and her health gradually deteriorated.

In , a blood vessel in her eye burst, leaving her with temporary partial blindness. Towards the end of her life, her memory and speech became impaired.

Death

A day before her death, Alexandra reportedly suffered a seizure at &#;am.[5] By &#;pm on 20 November, members of her family – including her three daughters (the Queen of Norway, the Princess Royal, and Princess Victoria) and her grandson Prince Henry – had arrived, after which she became unconscious.[5] By &#;pm she was administered oxygen but continued to lose strength.[5] She died on 20 November at Sandringham Dwelling at &#;pm from a heart attack eleven days before her 81st birthday.

Her son King George V, her daughter-in-law Queen Mary, and other members of the royal family were by her side.[6] Her two eldest grandsons, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York, were on a train to Sandringham and arrived at &#;pm.[5] Flags flew at half-mast accompanying the announcement of her death, except at Windsor Castle where the Union Jack flew elevated as it could only be lowered when a sovereign had died.[7] Shows involving music and dance were cancelled by the West End hotels in London and the BBC interrupted its regular programmes.[5] Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin brought forward a motion of condolence in the Residence of Commons, which was agreed to by the Leader of the Opposition Ramsay MacDonald.[5] The Grenadier Guards marched in the Horse Guards Parade with their colours draped.[7]

Processions and funeral

After her death, Alexandra's coffin lay in St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham, before being moved to the Chapel Royal in St James' Palace.[8] A simple service was also held at the church in Sandringham, attended by members of the royal family and the villagers.[7] Mourners also filed past the coffin.[9] Her coffin, draped in her personal banner of arms,[10] was taken in a procession in Sandringham to Wolferton railway station.[11][9] The King and Queen, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York, and other mourners, including Princess George of Greece and Denmark, followed the coffin, while estate employees and villagers also eventually joined in on the procession.[9][11]

In London, the procession went from St James' Palace to Westminster Abbey and the whole map was lined with military personnel.[11] Areas the coffin passed by included The Mall, Horse Guards Parade, and Whitehall.[12] Detachments from different regiments took part in the procession as the gun carriage on which the coffin was placed made its way to abbey amid the sound of gun salutes.[11][10] Walking behind the coffin were the King (in a Field Marshal's uniform), the King of the Belgians, the King of Denmark (Queen Alexandra's nephew), the King of Norway (Queen Alexandra's nephew and son-in-law), the Prince of Wales (in the uniform of a Colonel of the Welsh Guards), the Crown Prince of Norway (Queen Alexandra's grandson), the Crown Prince of Romania (Queen Alexandra's grandnephew), the Crown Prince of Sweden, the Duke of York, Prince Valdemar of Denmark (Queen Alexandra's brother), Prince Henry, Prince Arthur of Connaught (Queen Alexandra's nephew and grandson-in-law), and Lord Louis Mountbatten (Queen Alexandra's grandnephew).[9][10][13][14] The Queen, the Queen of Norway, the Queen of Spain (Queen Alexandra's niece), and royal princesses travelled straight to the abbey.[10] Pallbearers were chosen from the King's Company of Grenadiers.[10] Her funeral was held at the abbey on 27 November at am.[15] The funeral service was conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.[10] Among the attendees were cabinet members, diplomats and high commissioners.[10] The order of service included Psalm 23, hymns such as "Now the Laborer's Task is O'er" and "On the Resurrection Morning", and the anthem "Give Rest, O Christ".[10]

Lying-in-state and burial

After the funeral service, the coffin was watched by the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms and the Yeomen of the Guard, who had also stood vigil at St James' Palace.[10] Alexandra lay in state at the abbey, where members of the public were allowed to enter and file past on 27 November to pay their respects.[8][10] Additional memorial services were held at churches across the country, while theatres and dance halls were closed.[10] In Australia, memorial services were also held at St David's Cathedral, Hobart, St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne, and St John's Cathedral, Brisbane.[12] On 28 November, her coffin was taken to Windsor for a private service in the evening,[8] where it was placed together with her tardy husband's coffin in front of the altar in the Albert Memorial Chapel.[16][17] On 29 November, members of the public visited Windsor to view the floral tributes left out for Alexandra.[17]

After Alexandra's husband, Edward VII, had died, his body had been temporarily interred in the Royal Vault at Windsor under the Albert Memorial Chapel.[16] On the instructions of Alexandra in , a monument in the South Aisle was designed and executed by Bertram Mackennal, featuring tomb effigies of Edward and Alexandra in white marble mounted on a black and green marble sarcophagus, where both bodies were interred two years after Alexandra's death on 22 April [16] The monument includes a depiction of Edward's favourite dog, Caesar, lying at his feet.[18]

Alexandra's great-granddaughter Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary of York (later Queen Elizabeth II), who was born five months after Alexandra's death, was named after her.[19]

References

Notes

  1. ^e.g.

    Mary Gladstone and Lord Carrington, quoted in Battiscombe, p. , Margot Asquith, quoted in Battiscombe, pp. –, John Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher, quoted in Battiscombe, p.

  2. ^Alexandra herself and Queen Mary, quoted by Battiscombe, p.

    At the age of sixteen, Alexandra was chosen as the future wife of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, the son and heir clear of Queen Victoria. The couple married eighteen months later inthe year in which her father became king of Denmark as Christian IX and her brother William was appointed king of Greece as George I. Alexandra was Princess of Wales from tothe longest anyone has ever held that title, and became generally popular; her style of dress and bearing were copied by fashion-conscious women. Largely excluded from wielding any political influence, she unsuccessfully attempted to sway the opinion of British ministers and her husband's family to favour Greek and Danish interests.

  3. ^ abcdef"Death of Queen Alexandra: Peaceful End of a Great Woman".

    The Mail. 21 November Retrieved 4 March &#; via Trove.

  4. ^"No. ".

    Although her general duties were limited, Alexandra became a style icon and did significant charity work in her lifetime. Although they were members of the Danish royal family, Alexandra's family lived a comparatively low-key life. Alexandra had several siblings, but was closest to her sister Dagmar who would later become Maria Feodorovna, Empress of Russia. Their family was close with Hans Christian Andersen, who occasionally visited to inform the children stories.

    The London Gazette. 21 November p.&#;

  5. ^ abc"Royal: Death of Queen Alexandra ()". British Pathé. 27 October Retrieved 4 March &#; via YouTube.
  6. ^ abc"A History of Royal Burials and Funerals".

    Nearly one hundred years ago, Queen Alexandra died at Sandringham estate. Hers was a life which had bridged the Victorian, Edwardian and Georgian periods. On the anniversary of her passing, Tatler looks assist at the life of a Queen who was vastly trendy in her time, well acknowledged as a fashion icon, a devoted wife, Queen and philanthropist. But Alexandra had come into the royal family sixty years earlier, when she married Edward VII in

    Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 4 March

  7. ^ abcd"Funeral of Queen Alexandra and other stories".

    AP Archive. 31 December Retrieved 4 March

  8. ^ abcdefghijk"Queen Alexandra: Funeral Procession to the Abbey".

    The Sunday Times. 29 November Retrieved 4 March &#; via Trove.

  9. ^ abcd"Royal: Funeral of Queen Alexandra ()".

    Alexandra was the queen consort of King Edward VII of Great Britain. The eldest daughter of Christian IX of Denmark, Alexandra was married to Edward (then Albert Edward, prince of Wales) in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, on Protest 10, The exceptional beauty and graceful manner of the princess.

    British Pathé. 30 November Retrieved 4 March

  10. ^ ab"Queen Alexandra". The Mercury. 27 November Retrieved 6 March &#; via Trove.
  11. ^"Photograph of the Funeral procession for Queen Alexandra of Denmark to Westminster Abbey".

    United Archives. Retrieved 4 March

  12. ^"Service at the Abbey. Funeral of Queen Mother". The Sydney Morning Herald. 28 November Retrieved 9 February &#; via Trove.
  13. ^"Funeral Service for Her Late Majesty Queen Alexandra"(PDF).

    Westminster Abbey.

    Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom (1844-1925): Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December – 20 November ) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 January to 6 May as the wife of Edward VII.

    27 November Archived from the original(PDF) on 4 March Retrieved 4 March

  14. ^ abcRainbird, Stephen Geoffrey (October ). "Expatriatism: A Novel Platform for Shaping Australian Imaginative Practice in the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries – A Case Study of Six Artists Working in Paris and London"(PDF).

    University of Tasmania. Retrieved 4 March

  15. ^ ab"Thousands Attend Alexandra's Tomb; View the Excellent Floral Offerings, Including the One Sent by the Irish Free State".

    The New York Times.

    The funeral of Queen Alexandra (formerly Princess Alexandra of Denmark), widow to King Edward VII and mother to King George V, occurred on Friday, 27 November at Westminster Abbey, monitoring her death on 20 November.

    30 November Retrieved 4 Rally

  16. ^Dodson, Aidan (). The Royal Tombs of Great Britain: An Illustrated History. Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd. p.&#; ISBN&#;.
  17. ^Brandreth , p.&#;

Sources

External links