Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy, is celebrating her 85th birthday.
The Queen’s cousin, who was born on December 25 1936, is marking the occasion at home with her family.
Despite now being in her mid-eighties, Her Royal Highness still maintains a busy diary of engagements.
Alexandra is the Patron of over 100 organisations and has been carrying out duties on behalf of The Queen for seven decades.
The 85-year-old has been a pillar in upholding her royal duties, with The Queen relying on her cousin’s support and attendance. Alexandra has discreetly and faithfully carried out her duties for many decades. Even after the death of her husband in 2004, HRH insisted on maintaining a full schedule.
Princess Alexandra has a unique place in royal history. When she was born, she was the last royal baby to have had her birth witnessed by the by an official political observer.
Sir John Simon, the Home Secretary at the time, was present when Princess Marina gave birth to baby Alexandra on Christmas Day 85-years ago.
Following the birth of Alexandra, the practice was deemed unnecessary by King George VI, and there is now no need to require the attendance of a politician to ensure the legitimacy of royal births.
The change was made before the then Princess Elizabeth gave birth to Prince Charles in 1948. Prince Charles was the first member of The Royal Family to have been born without a government observer, enabling the royals to have a greater degree of privacy.
