Alexandra spent most of her childhood at her family's country house, Coppins, in Buckinghamshire. During the Second World War she also lived at Badminton with her widowed grandmother Queen Mary.[2] Her father was killed in an aeroplane crash in Caithness, Scotland, on 25 August 1942, whilst serving in the Royal Air Force. Alexandra has the distinction of being the first British princess to have attended a boarding school, Heathfield School near Ascot.[2][6] She then studied in Paris.[7] She was also trained at Great Ormond Street Hospital.[8]
Marriage and personal life
On 24 April 1963, she married The Hon. Angus James Bruce Ogilvy (1928–2004), second son of David Ogilvy, 12th Earl of Airlie, and Lady Alexandra Coke, at Westminster Abbey.[6][9] Ogilvy presented Alexandra with an engagement ring made of a cabochonsapphire set in gold and surrounded by diamonds on both sides.[10] The wedding ceremony was attended by the royal family[11] and was broadcast worldwide on television, watched by an estimated 200 million people.[9]
The bride wore a wedding gown of Valenciennes lace, with matching veil and train, designed by John Cavanagh.[12][13] She made her way with her brother, the Duke of Kent, from Kensington Palace to the church.[11] The bridesmaids included Princess Anne and Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria, and the best man was Peregrine Fairfax.[11] The Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsey, conducted the service.[11] Angus Ogilvy declined the Queen's offer to be created an earl upon marriage,[9] so their children carry no titles.
Angus Ogilvy was knighted in 1988 (when Princess Alexandra assumed the style of The Hon. Lady Ogilvy), later being sworn of the Privy Council in 1997. Princess Alexandra and Angus Ogilvy had two children, James and Marina, and four grandchildren:
Flora Alexandra Vesterberg (born 15 December 1994 in Edinburgh, Scotland). She married Timothy Vesterberg at Chapel Royal, St James's Palace, on 26 September 2020.[15]
Alexander Charles Ogilvy (born 12 November 1996 in Edinburgh, Scotland).
Marina Victoria Alexandra Ogilvy (born 31 July 1966 in Thatched House Lodge, Richmond Park, Surrey). She married Paul Julian Mowatt (Hendon, 28 November 1962) on 2 February 1990; they divorced on 15 October 1997. They have two children:
Zenouska May Mowatt (born 26 May 1990 in Roehampton, England). Currently[when?] works as Head of Marketing for Halcyon Days Ltd.
Christian Alexander Mowatt (born 4 June 1993 in London, England)
Marina's first pregnancy, which was announced in late 1989, caused a controversy as the couple were not married. This resulted in a feud with her parents who suggested she either marry her companion or have an abortion.[16][17] In an interview with a tabloid at the time, Marina had claimed that her parents had cut off her trust fund and monthly allowance due to their disapproval of her conduct.[16]
Activities
Beginning in the late 1950s, Princess Alexandra carried out an extensive programme of engagements in support of the Queen, both in the United Kingdom and overseas. Taking part in roughly 120 engagements each year, Princess Alexandra was one of the most active members of the royal family.[2] She made 110 engagements in 2012. However, in late June 2013, she cancelled her engagements due to arthritis.[18] As of 2022, she is still listed as a working member of the royal family, attending numerous ceremonial and charitable engagements.[19]
In 1959, she carried out an extensive tour of Australia, and attended the Queensland Centenary Celebrations.[9] The Alexandra Waltz was composed for this visit by radio announcer Russ Tyson, and television musical director, Clyde Collins. It was sung for the princess by teen-aged Gay Kahler, who later changed her name to Gay Kayler.[20] In 1961, Princess Alexandra visited Hong Kong and made a visit to Aberdeen Fish Market, Lok Ma Chau police station and So Uk Estate, a public housing complex.[21][22] Princess Alexandra returned to Australia in 1967 for a private holiday, but also carried out engagements in Canberra and Melbourne.[23] The Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane is named in her honour.[24]
Princess Alexandra represented the Queen when Nigeria gained its independence from the United Kingdom[9] on 1 October 1960, and opened the first Parliament on 3 October. Later overseas tours included visits to Canada, Italy, Oman, Hungary, Norway, Japan, Thailand, Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands.[9] Princess Alexandra launched the New Zealand Leander-class frigate HMNZS Waikato at Harland and Wolff, Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1965.[25] Princess Alexandra opened the Victoria-to-Brixton section of London Underground's Victoria line on 23 July 1971.[26]
Princess Alexandra opened the new hospital in Harlow, Essex, named in her honour on 27 April 1965. The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust was announced by the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, in September 2019 to be part of the government's new health infrastructure programme to build a new hospital.
Until it was abolished in 2013, Princess Alexandra received £225,000 per year from the Civil List to cover the cost of official expenses,[35] although as with the other members of the royal family (except the Duke of Edinburgh) the Queen repaid this amount to HM Treasury. Alexandra lives at Thatched House Lodge in Richmond, London, a Crown property purchased on a 150-year lease from the Crown Estate Commissioners by Angus Ogilvy after their wedding in 1963. She also has use of a grace-and-favour apartment at St James's Palace in London.[36]
In May 2023, Alexandra appeared alongside other working members of the royal family in photos in the Throne Room and on Buckingham Palace balcony following the coronation of King Charles III, which she had attended earlier that day.[55] In February 2024, she was seen using a wheelchair at the thanksgiving service for Constantine II of Greece.[56]
Titles, styles, honours and arms
Titles and styles
25 December 1936 – 24 April 1963: Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra of Kent[57]
24 April 1963 – 31 December 1988: Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Mrs Angus Ogilvy[58][59]
31 December 1988 – present: Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy[60][61]
The Princess Alexandra Hospital (formerly South Brisbane Hospital) was named by and in honour of the visit by the Princess to Queensland in 1959.
The Princess Alexandra Gardens at Leeds Castle[72] are named after her in honour of her involvement as Patron of the Leeds Castle Foundation
The Hong Kong Red Cross Princess Alexandra school, 8-9 Rehab Path, Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, a government subsidized special education boarding school, set up in 1962
Since Princess Alexandra's mother was a first cousin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, she is a second cousin to King Charles III and his siblings, in addition to being their first cousin once removed because her father was Queen Elizabeth II's uncle.
Notes
^The original announcement made regarding her appointment in 2003 describes her as a "Lady Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter",[65] but her official biography states that she was "made a Knight of the Order of the Garter (KG) in 2003".[66][67]
^"Royal baby: Traditions and customs surrounding Prince William and Catherine's new baby princess". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 3 May 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
^Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 10 February 1937.
^"Members of the royal family attend christening of Princess Alexandra (1937)". British Pathé. 12 November 2020. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021 – via YouTube.
^ a bMishael, Herbert (24 April 1963). "Princess Alexandra to wed Ancestral foe". The Age. London. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
^"Mayfair glamour girl not Margaret, but Alex". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. London. Associated Press. 19 January 1956. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
^"The royal clan: who's who, what do they do and how much money do they get?". The Guardian. 7 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
^ a b c d e fPanton 2011, p. 38.
^Chang, Mahalia (27 November 2017). "A Very Thorough History of British Royal Engagement Rings". Harper's Bazaar Australia. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ a b c d"Royal Spring Wedding". Pathé News. 1963. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
^Cathcart, Helen (1967). Princess Alexandra. London: W. H. Allen & Co.
^Murphy, Nichola (13 July 2021). "Princess Anne is a beautiful bridesmaid in unearthed royal wedding photos". Hello!. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
^"Royal baby for leap year day". BBC News. 29 February 1964. Retrieved 8 March 2008. The Ogilvy baby was one of several royal babies due within months of each other. The 9lb 6oz boy will be unique among them in having no title. Master Ogilvy is currently 13th in line to the throne but will soon be displaced to 16th
^"Princess Alexandra's granddaughter Flora Ogilvy marries Timothy Vesterberg". Tatler. 1 October 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
^ a b"One More Scandal For British Royalty". The New York Times. 17 October 1989. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^"Unwed Pregnant Royal Cousin Petitions Queen". Los Angeles Times. 9 October 1989. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^"Princess Alexandra steps down from public duties". Royal Central. 30 June 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
^"Princess Alexandra". Official website of the Royal Family. 13 January 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
^"Gay song for a princess", Woman's Day, 7 January 1963
^Acheson, Mark (29 June 2017). "Watch: Hong Kong's Royal visit in 1961". Portsmouth News. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
^"Farewell To Hong Kong (1961)". YouTube. British Pathé. 13 April 2014. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021.
^"Princess Alexandra's Visit (1967)". British Pathé. YouTube. 13 April 2014. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
^"History". Princess Alexandra Hospital. 15 March 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
^"HMNZS Waikato (Leander-class Frigate)". National Museum of the Royal New Zealand Navy. 18 January 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
^Green, Oliver (1988). The London Underground – An Illustrated History. Ian Allan. p. 59. ISBN 978-0-7110-1720-7.
^"Chancellor's Installation". Lancaster University. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
^"Port Louis – Princess Alexandra visits Mauritius – 1972". 8 December 2014.
^"HRH Princess Alexandra (b.1936), GCVO, in Evening Dress". Art UK. 1960. Retrieved 24 March 2018. The painting is on display in the Alexandra Room in the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow (Princess Alexandra became an Honorary Fellow in 1960).
^"Faculty of Anæsthetists of the Royal College of Surgeons of England". Anaesthesia. 22 (3): 537–539. July 1967. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2044.1967.tb02794.x. S2CID 221417865.
^"Honorary Fellows". Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
^"History". Alexandra Rose Charity. Retrieved 25 March 2018. Our Patron is her great granddaughter, HRH Princess Alexandra.
^Carrier, Dan (5 July 2007). "Royal premiere for school's first song". Camden New Journal. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
^"New President for WWF-UK". London: WWF. 9 September 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
^Kelso, Paul (6 March 2000). "The royal family and the public purse". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
^"The Royal Residences". Official website of the British Monarchy. Archived from the original on 15 October 2014.
^"Our Patron". PDSA. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
^"ENO board". English National Opera. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
^"News". LPC. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
^ a b"Princess Alexandra attends a concert to celebrate the power of music on people suffering with dementia". The Royal Family. 12 February 2018. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
^"Princess Alexandra Attends Service to Commemorate the Life of Florence Nightingale". Westminster Abbey. May 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
^"HRH Princess Alexandra visits Augusta Court care home". Anchor. 29 September 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
^"Our people". Independent Age. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
^"HRH Princess Alexandra makes annual visit to St Christopher's Hospice". St Christopher's. 12 January 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
^"Core – The Digestive Disorders Foundation (Annual Report and Financial Statements)" (PDF). Core. 31 December 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
^"Nature in Art – Trust". Nature in Art Trust. Archived from the original on 9 May 2010. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
^"LAMDA Trustees". London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
^"Opening of LAMDA". Níall McLaughlin Architects. June 2017. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
^Collis 2010, p. 288.
^"Vice-Presidents and Patrons". Alzheimer's Society. 16 May 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
^"Who we are". CFAB. Retrieved 25 March 2018. HRH Princess Alexandra has been CFAB's Royal Patron since 2000. She was preceded by her sister-in-law HRH The Duchess of Kent, ...
^"Royal Central School of Speech and Drama – University of London (Financial Statements)" (PDF). Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
^"Princess Alexandra visits Washington for NTDs conference". Sightsavers. October 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
^"Reception to celebrate Princess Alexandra's patronages". Official website of the Royal Family. 29 November 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
^"Official Coronation Portraits". Royal Household. 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
^Ward, Victoria (27 February 2024). "Prince William pulls out of godfather's memorial service for 'personal reasons'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
^"No. 40020". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 17 November 1953. p. 6225.
^"Orders of Chivalry". St George's Chapel. Archived from the original on 20 August 2008.
^ a b"No. 47235". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 10 June 1977. p. 7119.
^ a b"No. 52834". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 13 February 1992. p. 2582.
^"No. 62310". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 9 June 2018. p. B4.
^ a bDebrett's Peerage & Baronetage 2008, Debrett's, 2008, p. 97, ISBN 9781870520805
^"No. 42230". The London Gazette. 27 December 1960. p. 8869.
^"Princess Alexandra attends the State Banquet given by Former Polish... | Princess alexandra, Princess, Alexandra". Pinterest. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
^"New members of the Order of the Garter announced". The official website of the British Royal Family. 23 April 2003. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
^"Princess Alexandra - Biography". The official website of the British Royal Family. 13 January 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
^"Knights of the Orders of Chivalry". Debrett's. Archived from the original on 17 December 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2012. Although HRH The Princess Royal and HRH Princess Alexandra, the Hon Lady Ogilvy, are both female they are actually included with the Royal Knights Companions and they bear the post-nominal letters KG (not LG)
^"This Day In History: November 21, 1966". 19 March 2018. Archived from the original on 19 March 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
^The Royal Family and the Armed Forces
^The Canadian Forces Decoration
^PAH Trust website
^Court Circular: June 25, 2019
^"Powder Horn" (PDF). The QOR of C. December 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 June 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
^"The Colonel-in-Chief". The Rifleman Online. Archived from the original on 19 June 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
^"Colonel-in-Chief". The Canadian Scottish Regiment. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
^"No. 40656". The London Gazette. 16 December 1955. p. 7071.
^Ilse, Jess (30 June 2021). "What is a royal ship sponsor?". Royal Central. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
^ a bThe History of the Light Infantry
^"No. 44633". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 July 1968. p. 7848.
^"No. 47234". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 June 1977. p. 7079.
^"No. 56777". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 December 2002. p. 14986.
^"No. 44365". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 July 1967. p. 7882.
^"No. 46542". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 April 1975. p. 4820.
^"Appointment of New Royal Colonels". Royal.UK. 28 February 2006. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
^"No. 44159". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 November 1966. p. 11803.
^"No. 55974". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 September 2000. p. 10420.
^Obituary
Bibliography
Collis, Rose (2010). The New Encyclopaedia of Brighton. (based on the original by Tim Carder) (1st ed.). Brighton: Brighton & Hove Libraries. ISBN 978-0-9564664-0-2.
Panton, Kenneth J. (2011). Historical Dictionary of the British Monarchy. Scarecrow Press, Inc. ISBN 978-0-8108-5779-7.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy.