Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg
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| Her Excellency Alexandra Christina, Countess of Frederiksborg | |
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| Born | June 30, 1964 (age 42) Hong Kong |
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| Title | Countess of Frederiksborg |
| Spouse | Prince Joachim of Denmark (1995-2005) Martin Jørgensen (2007-) |
| Children | Prince Nikolai Prince Felix |
| Parents | Richard Nigel Manley and Christa Maria Nowotny |
Alexandra Christina, Countess of Frederiksborg (née Alexandra Christina Manley, formerly HRH Princess Alexandra of Denmark, HH Princess Alexandra of Denmark), born 30 June 1964, is a former member of the Danish Royal House. [1].
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[edit] Early life
Of Chinese, British, Polish and Austrian ancestry, Alexandra Manley was born in Hong Kong, as the eldest of three daughters of Richard Nigel Manley (born in Shanghai in 1924 to a British father and Chinese mother) and Christa Maria Manley (née Nowotny, born in Austria in 1933). Alexandra 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. She also studied at the private English Schools Foundation run Island School for her secondary education.
Alexandra Manley studied international business at universities in Austria, Japan, and the United Kingdom. It is not known whether she obtained any university degree. From 1990 to 1995, she was employed by GT Management (Asia) Ltd., Hong Kong, where she from 1990-1993 worked in Sales and Marketing and from 1993 as a deputy chief executive of that department.
[edit] Marriage and children
Alexandra met Prince Joachim at a party in Hong Kong, where he was working for a Danish shipping company. After a whirlwind courtship, thought to have begun in late autumn of 1994, Prince Joachim, on bended knee, presented Alexandra with a diamond and ruby engagement ring while the couple holidayed together in the Philippines. Their engagement, which took both Alexandra's family and Danish royal watchers by surprise, was officially revealed in May 1995. They were wed on 18 November 1995, 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.
When she wed Prince Joachim, however, she had to renounce her British citizenship and give up her career in marketing. She also decided to change her religious community. Alexandra, an Anglican, received instruction in the Evangelical Lutheran faith and was confirmed prior to her wedding.
Prince Joachim and Alexandra have two children:
- His Highness Prince Nikolai William Alexander Frederik, born on 28 August 1999
- His Highness Prince Felix Henrik Valdemar Christian, born on 22 July 2002
[edit] Life as a princess
Alexandra instantly became popular with the Danish people. Known for her fashion sense and charity work, she was dubbed the Diana of the North. She is a native English and German speaker (through her father and mother, respectively), and her fluency in German helped her pick up the Danish language quickly. Within a few years she spoke it nearly without accent, which further endeared her to the Danes. As she said in an interview, "I don't find the grammar especially difficult, but the pronunciation can be hard, since we swallow some of our words. It reminds me a little of Chinese, with the glottal stop … Saying something with an upswing or a downswing can give a word an entirely different meaning," she explained. "It was my decision to learn the language immediately. It would have been terrible to have to stand up and speak English at an engagement, or thank someone for something. It would have been utterly wrong. This is my home, and so there was no other option."[2]
She also speaks Cantonese as a result of growing up and being educated in Hong Kong, but reportedly does not speak it fluently, despite having lived in Hong Kong for more than three decades.
Both during and after her marriage, she was involved in numerous philanthropic pursuits, including the Children's Red Cross, the Danish Society for the Blind, UNICEF, and single mothers' advocacy group Mother Help. She also served as a UNICEF ambassador when she travelled to Thailand to visit HIV/AIDS patients.[3]
[edit] 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. On 16 September 2004 Alexandra and 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. The Folketing decided to put Alexandra on the civil list for life, independent of her possible future remarriage. Alexandra's payments of her new yearly allowance of $330,000.00 (US) started retroactively from 1 October 2004. The couple divorced on 8 April 2005.
In the summer of 2005 there were reports and photographs of Alexandra with her new live-in companion Martin Jørgensen [1] who is fourteen years her junior. For many years JJ Film, which is his father Jacob Jørgensen's film production company, produced numerous documentaries in which members of the royal family co-operated and participated. However, after Martin and Alexandra's relationship became public knowledge, another film production company has been given that task.
On February 7th it was announced that Alexandra would marry Martin Jørgensen on 3 March 2007 [4].[5] She is now known as Her Excellency Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg.
[edit] New style and title
| Styles of Alexandra Christina, Countess of Frederiksborg |
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| Reference style | Her Excellency |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Alternative style | Ma'am |
As with other royal consorts married to princes, Alexandra's style Royal Highness rested on her marital status, and ceased upon her divorce. After the divorce Alexandra was given a new, 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 upon her divorce, was not given any new style of her own, despite the fact that she was the mother of a future monarch, Prince William of Wales.
On her birthday 16 April 2005 Queen Margrethe bestowed upon her former daughter-in-law the additional personal title grevinde af Frederiksborg (Countess of Frederiksborg). [6] The title is personal (unlike the title of princess) and thus it was not revoked nor did it become dormant when Alexandra remarried in March 2007. Like a life peerage in the United Kingdom, it will not be inherited by her children.
[edit] Marriage to Martin Jørgensen
She married Martin Jørgensen on 3 March 2007 and therefore forfeited her title as a "Princess of Denmark". She will be titled as Her Excellency Alexandra Christina, Countess of Frederiksborg. The title Countess of Frederiksborg is given the rank of Class 1, which entitles Alexandra to the style of "Excellency".
[edit] Titles from birth
[edit] English
- Miss Alexandra Christina 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 (2005-2007)
- Her Excellency Alexandra Christina, Countess of Frederiksborg (2007-)
[edit] Danish
- Frøken Alexandra Christina 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 (2005-2007)
- Hendes Excellence Alexandra Christina, grevinde af Frederiksborg (2007-)
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.kongehuset.dk/artikel.php?dogtag=k_en_fam] She is the former wife of [[Prince Joachim of Denmark
- ^ "Denmark's Princess Alexandra reflects on life at 40"
- ^ "Denmark's Princess Alexandra reflects on life at 40"
- ^ http://kongehuset.dk/publish.php?id=9493
- ^ http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/denmarks-princess-alexandra-to-remarry/2007/02/08/1170524199516.html
- ^ http://kongehuset.dk/artikel.php?id=68554
