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Queen Maud of Norway, grandmother of King Harald, died at Sandringham on this day in 1938. The third daughter and fifth child of the then Prince of Wales and Princess Alexandra of Denmark, she was born during the reign of her grandmother, Queen Victoria, and spent her childhood between Marlborough House in London and Sandringham in Norfolk. In 1896, she married her first cousin, Prince Carl of Denmark. The couple had one son, and in 1905, Prince Carl was elected to the Throne of an independent Norway, taking the regnal name of King Haakon VII, and their son taking the name of Olav. Very popular in Norway, Queen Maud made frequent visits to Britain, often staying at Appleton House on the Sandringham Estate, a wedding gift from her father, where she died of heart failure on this day in 1938.
Most of the jewelry collection in Norway’s Royal family comes from Queen Maud. No doubt the fact that she was King Edward VII’s daughter has a lot to do with it! Those were the days when several parures were given as wedding gifts and displayed for the public to admire. Her death while on holiday in the UK must have come as such a shock to her family. At least she got to see her three grandchildren.
I once had the pleasure of seeing a display of Queen Maude’s wardrobe at the V&A. Everything from skating costumes to evening wear. Everything was exquisite. Maude inherited her Mother’s keen fashion sense.
How lovely!