Queen Alexandrine of Denmark

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Queen Alexandrine of Denmark, grandmother of Queen Margrethe, died on this day in 1952. The eldest daughter of Frederick Francis III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia, she was born ‘Duchess Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin’ and was the sister of Crown Princess Cecilie of Germany and the last Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Growing up between Schwerin and Cannes, in 1898 she married Prince Christian of Denmark, second-in-line to the Throne. The couple had two sons, Prince Frederick and Prince Knud, and succeeded to the Throne in 1912. As Queen, she was seen as shy and disliked official ceremonies, but became extremely popular during the Nazi Occupation of Denmark, when Queen Alexandrine became a driving force for the Resistance, along with her daughter-in-law, Crown Princess Ingrid, leading Danes to proclaim: “Protect our Queen, the only German we would like to keep!” After being widowed in 1947, she continued to attend family events but mostly retired from public duties, and passed away on this day in 1952.

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