Queen Alexandra (1844-1925)

[kmerov]

A garden party portrait with Queen Victoria.


Larger version
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/kmerov/Tuxen/gardenpartytux.jpg

[kmerov]

Two close ups.


Larger version
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/kmerov/Tuxen/closeupgartenparty.jpg

[aussiechick12]

Are there any other royals apart from Alexandra and QV in the picture?

[Eric_Lowe]

Seem like they are the only ones in this one

[Zanthia]

The old one is getting a little long...again , so let's start a new one.

Does there exist any photos from Alix and Bertie's visit in Vienna (can't remember the year) where they met Franz Joseph and Elisabeth?

[Alexander1917]

Alix and Berti payed an "unofficial" visit to Vienna via a tour of Egypt in 1869.
"Queen Alexandra" Georgina Battiscombe page 97, 102-103

"After a family Christmas spent at Fredensborg came a tearful parting from the three children, who were to travel back to England from Hamburg whilst their parents went on to Berlin. Here the Princess met Bismarck for the first time and here too, not altogether surprinsingly, she suffered some rudeness from the Prussian Queen. King William, however, admitted to finding her charming.
After a journey of twenty-four hours with the thermometer registering twelve degrees of frost, the Princess stepped out of the train at Vienna looking exquisitely fresh, to be greeted by the Emperor Francis Joseph and a galaxy of princes, archdukes and ambassadors. This was not at all the quiet welcome wich the Prince and Princess had expected but they soon discovered how impossible it was for any royal personages to pay an "unofficial" visit to Vienna. Court mourning had caused the abandonment of some functions but even so formal dinners and parties followed each other in an endless stream. By custom a visit had to be paid to every memeber of the Imperial Family resident in Vienna; as there were at that time twenty-seven archdukes living in or near the city, not to mention smaller fry, this in itself was a considerable undertaking. More to the Princess's taste were the skating parties, the ballet perfomances, a concert at which Johann Strauss conducted his own waltzes and a tour of Imperial stables housing the five hundred horses which were the special interest of the Empress Elisabeth. On this journey the Princess met for the first time the two Empresses, Eugénie and Elisabeth, who were her friendly rivals for the palm of beauty. With the intellectual and melancholic Elizabeth she had very little in common beyond a love of horsfor beautiful clothes; on one occasion the Empress was heard to remark that of all European royalties only the Princess and herself really knew how to dress. As far as looks were concerned only one fault could be found with these two beautiful women; both Empress and Princess were too thin for nineteenth-century taste.
During this Austrian visit the grace and gaiety of the English royal couple stood out in favourable contrast to the stiffness of the Imperial Court.
They were not sorry to escape from this formality to the freedom of life on board the frigate H.M.S. ARIADNE, which took them from Trieste to Alexandria."

[Duke of New Jersey]

I wish there was a photo of Alix and Sisi together

Yes, I always think of that.  I would love to see a picture of the "two most beautiful princesses in Europe." 

I always like to see pictures of [British] royals with other/foreign royals.

-Duke of NJ

[Zanthia]

Yeah, you should think that every photographer in Austria would love to take a picture of Europe's two most beautiful women side by side.
I thought it was a custom to take a picture when the royals met, even if the visit was supposed to be unofficial.
But maybe Elisabeth simply refused to have her picture taken together with Alix. Wasn't there something with that she didn't wanted anyone to take photos of her or paint her portrait after she had reached 30?

[Grace]

Empress Eugenie didn't want to be photographed ageing either.  Alas, the penalty of great beauty...

[grandduchessella]

Elisabeth went to great lengths (hiding behind fans, etc) to prevent her photograph being taken. Eugenie might have regretted the ageing process but there are many photographs of her as an elderly woman (she was active during WW1 despite her advanced age) that were published. You can still see the traces of her looks but sadness had definitely taken its toll. 

[Duke of New Jersey]

There is that one of Eugenie with her namesake (right word???) Victoria Eugenia Ena, that one seems to be right up there in the 1910's.  I believe it was taken in Spain??

-Duke of NJ

[grandduchessella]

As part of the 60th wedding anniversary celebrations, there's a wedding exhibit at Windsor. There's memorabilia from several prior weddings, including Alexandra's:

http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/microsites/royalweddings/section.asp?exhibs=WedEVIIQA

Some of what's shown:

Princess Alexandra’s badge of the Order of Victoria and Albert which she wore on the left shoulder of her wedding dress.


A miniature of Alexandra


Bracelet that was presented to Alexandra by her bridesmaids

This bracelet was a wedding present to Princess Alexandra from her eight bridesmaids, who were all daughters of Peers of the Realm. Each link contains a photograph of a bridesmaid and their initials set in diamonds on the enamelled cover. One of the bridesmaids, Georgina Hamilton, was indisposed on the day of the wedding and her place was taken by Emily Villiers. From left to right: Diana Beauclerk, Victoria Scott, Georgina Hamilton, Victoria Howard, Elma Bruce, Agneta Yorke, Eleanor Hare and Feodore Wellesley.

There's also a wedding page of photos that QV put together. The pictures are familiar, I think. I didn't realize that a familiar photo of Arthur & Leo in their kilts was from the wedding sitting.



Too bad the BERTIE ring isn't there---I wonder if it's not buried with her? Otherwise it would've been perfect for this display.

[basilforever]

Since the Bertie ring was her wedding ring, probably she was buried wearing it.

Why was bridesmaid Lady Georgina Hamilton indisposed? What was wrong with her?

I wish they had included some objects connecting to Queen Mary's betrothal to Prince Eddy, they must have some.

George proposed to May at East Sheen Lodge, Louise Fife's home. Didn't Eddy propose to May there was well? Or am I thinking of were he proposed to Princess Helene?

[grandduchessella]

The BERTIE ring wasn't her wedding ring.  Here's what I wrote on the other thread (info from the Times):

'The wedding ring...is of plain gold, is remarkably massive, and its accompanying keeper is set with six precious stones, selected and arranged so that the initial letters of their names shall form the word 'bertie', an affectionate variation of 'Albert'. The stones of which this happy combination is effected are a beryl, an emerald, a ruby, a turquoise, a jacynth, and another emerald.'

The BERTIE ring was a present from Bertie but it wasn't her actual wedding ring but an additional ring that Bertie, unlike other grooms I've read of, chose to give to her. Still, it seems that it was probably sentimental enough that it could be buried with her.

[grandduchessella]

I wish they had included some objects connecting to Queen Mary's betrothal to Prince Eddy, they must have some.

George proposed to May at East Sheen Lodge, Louise Fife's home. Didn't Eddy propose to May there was well? Or am I thinking of were he proposed to Princess Helene?

She didn't marry Eddy, the exhibition is a celebration of the weddings. I don't know what happened to her engagement ring but it doesn't seem that she held on to too many mementoes of the time. Since she and Eddy weren't a love match, though they were fond enough of each other, there really wasn't a reason to. Perhaps she gave the ring to his mother?

Eddy didn't propose to May at Sheen Lodge, he proposed at Luton Hoo.