Marriage
During Alexandra's formative years, her father, occupied with his career in the Navy and later as a ruler in Coburg, paid little attention to his family. It was Alexandra's mother who was the domineering presence in their children's life. The duchess believed in marrying her daughters young, before they began to think for themselves. At the end of 1895, she arranged Alexandra's engagement to Prince Ernst, of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (13 September 1863 – 11 December 1950). Alexandra's grandmother, Queen Victoria, complained that she was too young. Alexandra's father objected to the status of his future son-in-law. The House of Hohenlohe-Lagenburg was mediatized - a formerly ruling family who had ceded their sovereign rights to others while (in theory) retaining their equal birth. It was not considered a brilliant match, but they were also related. Ernst was a grandson of Princess Feodora of Leiningen, Queen Victoria's half-sister. The wedding took place on 20 April 1896 in Coburg, Germany. Together, they had five children:
- Prince Gottfried, 8th Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (24 May 1897 – 11 May 1960); married Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark had issue
- Princess Marie Melita of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (18 January 1899 – 8 November 1967)
- Princess Alexandra of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (2 April 1901 – 26 October 1963)
- Princess Irma of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (4 July 1902 – 8 March 1986)
- Prince Alfred of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (16 April 1911 – 18 April 1911)
Read more about this topic: Princess Alexandra Of Saxe-Coburg And Gotha
Famous quotes containing the word marriage:
“Our home has been nothing but a play-room. I’ve been your doll-wife here, just as at home I was Papa’s doll-child. And the children have been my dolls in their turn. I liked it when you came and played with me, just as they liked it when I came and played with them. That’s what our marriage has been, Torvald.”
—Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906)
“The reason why women effect so little and are so shallow is because their aims are low, marriage is the prize for which they strive; if foiled in that they rarely rise above disappointment ... [ellipsis in source]”
—Sarah M. Grimke (1792–1873)
“We have seen that men are learning that work, productivity, and marriage may be very important parts of life, but they are not its whole cloth. The rest of the fabric is made of nurturing relationships, especially those with children—relationships which are intimate, trusting, humane, complex, and full of care.”
—Kyle D. Pruett (20th century)