Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife
Princess Arthur of Connaught
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Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife, (Alexandra Victoria Alberta Edwina Louise Duff) (17 May 1891-26 February 1959), was a member of the British Royal Family, a granddaughter of King Edward VII. Alexandra, and her younger sister, Maud, had the distinction of being the only female-line granddaughters of a British Sovereign to receive the title of Princess of Great Britain and Ireland and the style Highness.
Alexandra later married her cousin once removed, Prince Arthur of Connaught and was known as Princess Arthur of Connaught. With her husband, she also carried out royal engagements on behalf of her uncle, King George V and later her cousin, King George VI. She also served as a Counsellor of State between 1937 and 1944.
Early life
Alexandra was born at East Sheen Lodge, Richmond, London on May 17, 1891. Her father was Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife (1840 - 1912), the son of James Duff, 5th Earl Fife and his wife, the former Lady Agnes Hay. He was created Duke of Fife following marriage to Alexandra's mother, Princess Louise, Duchess of Fife (née Princess Louise of Wales), the eldest daughter of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) and Alexandra of Denmark.
As a female line great-granddaughter of the British monarch, (Queen Victoria), Alexandra was not entitled to the title of a Princess of Great Britain or the style Royal Highness. Instead she was styled Lady Alexandra Duff, as the daughter of a Duke. She was fourth in the line of succession at the time of her birth.
Princess Alexandra
Lady Alexandra's father had been created Duke of Fife and Marquess of MacDuff in the peerage of the United Kingdom two days after his marriage to Princess Louise of Wales in 1889. When it became apparent that the couple were unlikely to have a son, Queen Victoria created him Duke of Fife and Earl of MacDuff in the peerage of the United Kingdom in 1900. The second dukedom of Fife had a special remainder in default of male issue to the Duke's daughters and their male descendants.
On 5 November 1905, King Edward VII declared her mother Princess Royal. He further ordered Garter King of Arms to gazette Lady Alexandra Duff and her sister Lady Maud Duff as Princesses of Great Britain and Ireland with the style and attribute of Highness and precedence immediately after all members of the British Royal Family bearing the style of Royal Highness. From that point, Her Highness Princess Alexandra of Fife, held her title and rank, not from her father (a Duke), but rather from the will of the Sovereign (her grandfather).
Duchess of Fife
In December 1911, the Fife family were shipwrecked off the coast of Morocco. Although they escaped unharmed, Alexandra's father fell ill with pleurisy, probably contracted as a result of the shipwreck. He died at Assuan, Egypt in January 22, 1912, and Princess Alexandra, succeeded to his Dukedom, becoming the Duchess of Fife and Countess of Macduff in her own right.
Alexandra began a relationship with Prince Christopher of Greece around 1910. He was a son of Olga Konstantinovna of Russia and George I of Greece, and thus, as the son of a younger brother of her maternal grandmother, Alexandra's first cousin once removed. Although Alexandra and Christopher hoped to be married, the engagement was terminated when disapproving parents learned of the liaison.
Marriage
On 15 October 1913, Princess Alexandra married Prince Arthur of Connaught, at the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace, London. Prince Arthur of Connaught was the only son of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, the third eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. As such Alexandra and Arthur were first cousins once removed.
After their marriage, Alexandra was generally referred to as HRH Princess Arthur of Connaught, or in some documents HRH Princess Arthur of Connaught (Duchess of Fife). This followed the tradition of a wife taking the style and title of her husband, even although Alexandra was a peeress in her own right.
Prince and Princess Arthur of Connaught had one son, who was named after Alexandra's stillborn elder brother:
- Prince Alastair Arthur of Connaught (August 9, 1914-April 26, 1943), styled Earl of MacDuff (by courtesy) after November 1917 and Duke of Connaught after 1942.
Career
During World War I, Princess Arthur of Connaught served as nurse at St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington. When Prince Arthur was appointed governor general of the Union of South Africa in 1920, she accompanied him to Pretoria and worked on behalf of local hospitals. Upon the couple's return to Britain, she continued to carry out royal duties. She died at her home near Primrose Hill, London in 1959 and was buried at Mar Lodge chapel.
Her only son and the heir apparent to the dukedom of Fife, Alastair Arthur, died in Ottawa in 1943, a year after succeeding his paternal grandfather as 2nd Duke of Connaught. When Princess Arthur of Connaught died, the dukedom of Fife passed to her nephew, James George Alexander Bannerman Carnegie, Lord Carnegie, the only son of her late sister Princess Maud, Countess of Southesk.
Titles and honours
Shorthand titles
- The Lady Alexandra Duff (17 May 1891–9 November 1905)
- Her Highness Princess Alexandra of Fife (9 November 1905–22 January 1912)
- Her Highness Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife (22 January 1912–15 October 1913)
- Her Royal Highness Princess Arthur of Connaught (15 October 1913–21 July 1925)
- Her Royal Highness Princess Arthur of Connaught, RRC (21 July 1925–26 February 1959)
Honours
- Royal Red Cross, 1st Class
- Dame Grand Cross of the Most Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem (elevated from Dame of Justice)
- King George V Royal Family Order, 4th Class
Honourary military appointments
- Colonel-in-chief, Royal Army Pay Corps
| Preceded by: Alexander Duff |
Duchess of Fife 1912–1959 |
Succeeded by: James Carnegie |
References
- Ronald Allison and Sarah Riddell, eds., The Royal Encyclopedia (London: Macmillan, 1991), ISBN 0333538102
- Marlene A. Eilers, Queen Victoria's Descendants (New York: Atlantic International Publishing, 1987), ISBN 9163059649
- Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Families: the Complete Genealogy, rev. ed. (London: Pimlico, 1996), ISBN 0712642862
