In the days following the Coronation of King Charles, many are still talking about the service and pageantry. For some, their focus is on the official Coronation portraits and one royal who may seem unfamiliar, Princess Alexandra.
The first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II can be spotted between the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, who are seen giving the Princess a little extra support during the historic photo. For those unfamiliar with Alexandra, she was a bridesmaid at several aristocratic and royal weddings, including the Late Queen’s wedding to Prince Philip in 1947.
Born Christmas Day in 1936, Alexandra Helen Elizabeth Olga Christabel was sixth in line to the throne at the time of her birth. Alexandra is the daughter of The Queen’s paternal uncle, Prince George of Kent and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark. She spent most of her childhood in Buckinghamshire before living with her grandmother, Queen Mary, during the Second World War. The Princess’s father died in a plane crash while serving in the Royal Air Force in 1942.
At the age of 11, she became the first British princess to be educated at a boarding school. Later, she studied in Paris before training at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. Like her cousin, Queen Elizabeth II, she would also get married at Westminster Abbey. The ceremony to British businessman Angus Ogilvy was broadcasted around the world and watched by 200 million people. Among her bridesmaids was Queen Elizabeth’s only daughter, Princess Anne.
The Princess is considered one of the hardest-working members of the Royal Family and has carried about 120 engagements each year for decades. As of the publication of this article, The Royal Family’s website still lists the 86-year-old as a working member of the family. She is patron or president of over 100 organisations, reflecting her vast array of interests from health care to art.
The Princess has also supported Queen Elizabeth II in her duties as Head of State and attended ceremonial occasions alongside Her Late Majesty and other members of the Royal Family.
