Princess Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg
From Freepedia
Her Highness Alexandra Christina, Princess of Denmark, Countess of Frederiksborg (born June 30, 1964), is a member of the Danish royal family and the former wife of Prince Joachim of Denmark. She was born Alexandra Christina Manley in Hong Kong, the daughter of Richard Nigel Manley (born in Shanghai in 1924) and Christa Maria Manley (born Nowotny, Austria in 1933).
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Early life
Of English, Chinese, and Polish ancestry, Alexandra Manley was born the eldest of three sisters and was christened at the Cathedral of Saint John, Hong Kong. Her father was an insurance company executive; her mother was the manager of a communications company.
Manley studied economics and international business at universities in Austria, Japan, and England. She later became a manager at a Hong Kong investment bank, GT Management and a mutual funds executive.
Marriage and children
On 18 November 1995, Alexandra Manley married His Royal Highness Prince Joachim of Denmark, whom she had met in Hong Kong the year before. The wedding ceremony was conducted by Queen Margrethe II of Denmark's Chaplain-in-Ordinary and took place in the Chapel of Frederiksborg Castle at Hillerød. The wedding festivities were held at Fredensborg Palace.
Before she wed Prince Joachim, however, she had to renounce her British citizenship and give up her career as an investor. She also was required to change her religion. The princess, an Anglican, received instruction in the Evangelical Lutheran faith and was confirmed prior to her wedding.
Prince Joachim and Princess Alexandra have two children:
- His Highness Prince Nikolai William Alexander Frederik, born on 28 August 1999; and
- His Highness Prince Felix Henrik Valdemar Christian, born on 22 July 2002.
Life as a princess
Princess Alexandra quickly became popular with the Danish people. Known for her dress style and charity work, she was dubbed the Diana of the North. She learned Danish quickly, surprising many observers familiar with its linguistic difficulties, and within a few years she spoke it without an accent, which further endeared her to the Danes. She also speaks Cantonese, Japanese, German, English, and French.
Separation and divorce
By the summer of 2004, rumours were circulating throughout Denmark and neighbouring Sweden and Norway that her marriage to Prince Joachim had gone sour. The rumours proved to be true and in September of 2004, Princess Alexandra and Prince Joachim announced their separation and eventual intention to divorce. It would be the first in the royal family since 1846. Newspaper reports speculating on the reasons for the marital rupture soon followed, noting the Prince's increased interest in late-night partying and race-car driving.
Princess Alexandra and Prince Joachim divorced on 8 April, 2005, and she was then known as Her Highness Alexandra Christina, Princess of Denmark.
New style and title
| Styles of Princess Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg | |
| Image:Royden.JPG | |
| Style | |
| Reference | Her Highness |
| Spoken | Your Highness |
| Alternative | Ma'am |
As with other royal consorts married to princes, Alexandra's style Royal Highness rested on her marital status, and ceased on her divorce. After the divorce Alexandra was given a new personal, albeit lower status, style Highness. This is viewed by many in Denmark as a better solution than what was done with the late Diana, Princess of Wales, who having lost her Royal Highness style on her divorce was not given any new style of her own though she was the mother of a future monarch, Prince William of Wales.
On 16 April 2005 it was announced that Queen Margrethe had bestowed upon her former daughter-in-law the additional title grevinde af Frederiksborg (Countess of Frederiksborg). According to the palace, her shorthand style will be HH Princess Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg. [1] The title is personal (unlike the title of princess) and thus will not be revoked or become dormant if Princess Alexandra choses to remarry. Like a life peerage in the United Kingdom, it will not be inherited by her children. The title Countess of Frederiksborg is given the rank of Class 1, which will entitle Princess Alexandra to the style of "Excellency" upon remarriage, so she would become Her Excellency The Countess of Frederiksborg.
Titles from birth
English titles
- Miss Alexandra Manley (1964-1995)
- Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra of Denmark (1995-2005)
- Her Highness Princess Alexandra of Denmark (2005)
- Her Highness Princess Alexandra of Denmark, Countess of Frederiksborg (2005-)
- After any remarriage: Her Excellency The Countess of Frederiksborg
Her full title is Her Highness Alexandra Christina, Princess of Denmark, Countess of Frederiksborg.
Danish titles
- Frøken Alexandra Manley (1964-1995)
- Hendes Kongelige Højhed Prinsesse Alexandra af Danmark (1995-2005)
- Hendes Højhed Prinsesse Alexandra af Danmark (2005)
- Hendes Højhed Prinsesse Alexandra af Danmark, grevinde af Frederiksborg (2005-)
Her title in Danish is Hendes Højhed Alexandra Christina, Prinsesse af Danmark, grevinde af Frederiksborg (without the "g" in "grevinde" being capitalized).
