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Denmark

Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, niece of Queen Margrethe of Denmark, divorcing husband

A new divorce has stricken the Danish Royal Family. Queen Margrethe’s niece, Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, has decided to divorce her husband, Count Jefferson-Friedrich von Pfeil, after 18 years as a married couple.

Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg is the daughter of Princess Benedikte who is the sister of Queen Margrethe of Denmark and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece. Princess Alexandra’s father is the recently deceased Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, who died earlier this year.

This news was revealed in a press release from Her Royal Highness Princess Benedikte not long ago. In the press release, Princess Alexandra wrote: “It is an incredibly sad decision. We have known each other for 30 years, but it has now come to a point where we have grown apart. We have decided to end our marriage, but we will still cooperate on the parenting pf our two children.”

The Princess also wrote: “The whole family, of course, the most children – now also after my father’s death – is in a very vulnerable situation, and we ask for peace and respect about this process we are now going through.”

Berleburg Castle is the official seat of the House of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. Photo: Coblenblueface via Wikimedia Commons.

Princess Alexandra and Count Jefferson-Friedrich von Pfeil met each other when they both were young and went to a boarding school in northern Germany. In 1998, they were married at Gråsten Castle. After the wedding, they settled in London and later in Paris. They have two children together. Count Richard came to the world on 14 September in 1999, while Ingrid was born on 16 August 2003. According to the press release, It has not yet decided where the family will settle, but the children will continue at their current schools.

Princess Alexandra is the sister of Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg.

About author

Senior Europe Correspondent Oskar Aanmoen has a master in military and political history of the Nordic countries. He has written six books on historical subjects and more than 1.500 articles for Royal Central. He has also interview both Serbian and Norwegian royals. Aanmoen is based in Oslo, Norway.