Lesser-known royal who celebrates their birthday on Christmas Day | Royal | News
The Royal Family has endless excitement today; But there is someone else who has a lot more to celebrate as they celebrate their birthday. Princess Alexandra is a valued member of King Charles’ inner circle and has devoted decades to royal service and charity work.
The Princess was born in London on Christmas Day 1936, the second child of the Duke and Duchess of Kent. She is currently the oldest female member of the Royal Family and the second eldest overall after her brother, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent.
Princess Alexandra Helen Elizabeth Olga Christabel of Kent was the only daughter of Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark. Like her aunt, Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, Alexandra was given the middle name Christabel as a nod to her birthday, which falls on Christmas Day.
His father died in a plane crash in Scotland on 25 August 1942 while serving in the RAF. Her youngest son, Prince Michael, was just over a month old when she died. Following Prince George’s sad death, his widow, Princess Marina, raised her three children and received great support from the Royal Family.
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Princess Alexandra was in the rare position of knowing iconic royal figures such as her grandmother Queen Mary and uncle King George VI. She was also the first princess to attend a boarding school, unlike her cousins Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, who were largely educated at home by governesses. Before traveling to Paris to study, Alexandra was a student at Heathfield School in Windsor and even trained at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
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The couple welcomed two children, James Ogilvy (b. February 29, 1964) and Marina Ogilvy (b. July 31, 1966). Princess Alexandra has four grandchildren through her two children. James married Julia Rawlinson in 1988 and they had a daughter, Flora Vesterberg, in 1994 and a son, Alexander Ogilvy, in 1996. Marina married Paul Mowatt in 1990 and the couple have two children, Zenouska (b. 1990) and Christian (b. 1993). Marina and Paul divorced in 1997.
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