Alexandra of Cumberland
Grand Duchess consort of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Tenure7 June 1904 – 14 November 1918
BornPrincess Alexandra of Cumberland
(1882-09-29)29 September 1882
Schloss Cumberland, Gmunden, Upper Austria, Austria-Hungary
Died30 August 1963(1963-08-30) (aged 80)
Glücksburg Castle, Glücksburg, Schleswig-Holstein, West Germany
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1904; died 1945)​
Issue
Names
Alexandra Louise Marie Olga Elisabeth Therese Vera
German: Alexandra Luise Marie Olga Elisabeth Therese Vera
HouseHanover
FatherErnest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover
MotherPrincess Thyra of Denmark

Alexandra of Cumberland (Alexandra Louise Marie Olga Elisabeth Therese Vera; 29 September 1882 – 30 August 1963) was the wife of Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. As such, she was the last consort of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from their marriage on 7 June 1904 until the Grand Duke abdicated on 14 November 1918, following the German Revolution of 1918. Alexandra was the daughter of Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover, and Princess Thyra of Denmark.

Family

Alexandra was the second eldest daughter and third child of Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover (1845–1923) and Princess Thyra of Denmark (1853–1933), the youngest daughter of Christian IX of Denmark (1818–1906) and Louise of Hesse-Kassel (1817–1898). Alexandra was a great-great-granddaughter of George III of the United Kingdom (1738–1820) and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1744–1818).

Marriage and issue

Alexandra married on 7 June 1904 in Gmunden, Austria-Hungary to Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1882–1945), son of Frederick Francis III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and his wife Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia. The bridegroom gave Alexandra a diamond and aquamarine tiara by Faberge.[1]

Alexandra and Frederick Francis had five children:

  • Friedrich Franz, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (22 April 1910 – 31 July 2001). Married Karin Elisabeth von Schaper, daughter of Walter von Schaper and his wife Baroness Louise von Münchhausen. The couple had no issue.
  • Duke Christian Louis of Mecklenburg (29 September 1912– 18 July 1996). Married Princess Barbara of Prussia, daughter of Prince Sigismund of Prussia and Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Altenburg.[2] The couple had issue.
  • Duchess Olga of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1916–1917).
  • Duchess Thyra of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (18 June 1919 – 27 September 1981).
  • Duchess Anastasia of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1922 – 1979). Married Prince Friedrich Ferdinand of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, son of Prince Albrecht of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and Countess Ortrud of Ysenburg and Büdingen. The couple had issue.
5 Mark coin of Alexandra's wedding

In 1913, a fire broke out at Schwerin Castle while the Grand Duke and Duchess were dining there with guests.[3] Everyone was able to make it out safely, although the grand ducal couple had to apparently rush through flying sparks when making their escape. There were a reported $750,000 in damages, in which countless works of art, as well as important rooms were utterly destroyed. Certain reports blamed the fire on a vengeful servant, although an official court announcement stated it was merely an electrical issue.[3]

After the Grand Duke's forced abdication in 1918, the family briefly went into exile in Denmark, the native country of Alexandra's mother, Princess Thyra. After his death in 1945, the widowed Alexandra retired to the Glucksburg family estates in Schleswig-Holstein.

Honours

Ancestry

References

  1. ↑ "Christie's to auction historic Faberge tiara". Reuters UK. 10 April 2019.
  2. ↑ Marlene A. Eilers, Queen Victoria's Descendants, page 169.
  3. 1 2 Transatlantic, Marconi (16 December 1913), "Schwerin Treasures Burn", The New York Times, Berlin
  4. 1 2 Grossherzoglich Mecklenburg-Schwerinscher Staatskalendar, 1908, p. 3
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