Princess Alexandra, Current Events 1: November 2002 - May 2005

[paulette]

Even on a vacation, she never fails to look splendid! I really like her as a princess no matter what.

 

[galuhcandrakirana]

Alexandra is really a wonderful person....(for me) she seems to be a person who takes care well her sons and her parents as she does to her royal duties.

 

[galuhcandrakirana]

A new "Alexandra profil" in Hello magazine. http://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/princessalexandra/

When Alexandra Manley wed Denmark’s Prince Joachim in 1996, her mother-in-law, Queen Margrethe told of how those who had previously married into the family – including her own French-born husband – arrived "literally in a rain of roses". But, she also warned, inevitably there would be some thorns. "These they often had to find themselves," she said, "and take away, one after the other."

Nearly ten years later Princess Alexandra would pass one of the thorniest moments of her life, when her seemingly fairytale marriage would come to a high-profile end.

The daughter of Shanghai-born Richard Manley and Austria-native Christa Nowotny, Alexandra – the eldest of three sisters – came into the world in Hong Kong on June 30, 1964. A commoner, she had a middle-class upbringing thanks to her father and mother's respective careers as an insurance company executive and manager of a communications company.

Described by one former teacher as "cool and sophisticated", the bright young beauty completed her general schooling in Hong Kong, going on to studying international business abroad at universities in Vienna, Tokyo and London.

It was after returning to Hong Kong that Alexandra met Prince Joachim at a party in the city, where the handsome young royal 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.

Alexandra subsequently left her management post at a Hong Kong investment firm, swapped British citizenship for Danish, and converted from the Anglican church to Lutheran. A keen student of language, she added Danish to her repertoire of English, French, German, Japanese and Cantonese, impressing her future subjects with a public speech in her adopted tongue just three months after her first lesson.

A few months later, Ms Manley became HRH Princess Alexandra of Denmark, marrying the Queen of Denmark’s second son in the chapel of Frederiksborg Castle on November 18, 1995. Their first child, Prince Nikolai William Alexander Frederik was born on August 28, 1999 and, their second, Prince Felix Henrik Valedmar Christian, arrived on July 22, 2002.

Alexandra immediately became one of Europe's most-loved princesses, earning a reputation for grace, discretion, hard work and a true sense of style. And it was her status as one of Denmark's favourite royals that made the 2004 announcement that the couple were to divorce – the first such split in the royal family since 1846 – even more shocking.

After the separation, Alexandra, who will retain her royal title and an annual allowance, moved out of the marital home and bought a £665,000 villa in the Danish capital, where she will reside with her two children. However, she and her husband also wasted no time presenting a united family front, appearing together at official events as well as their son's first day of school.

Though she has openly admitted she misses Hong Kong, it is unlikely Alexandra will return to her homeland. Saying she "feels Danish", she remarked in 2003: "Denmark is my life now, my future… Danes have welcomed me with open arms from the start." And with a new life ahead of her, it appears that the public will continue to shower the enormously popular princess with roses, despite the fact her royal marriage has come to a prickly end

 

[pdas1201]

October 29, 2004, Princess Alexandra visited LO school in Elsinore to attend the opening of Nordic Conference on Psychotherapy on refugees.

I must say looking as poised as ever...

 

[Reina]

Yah. SHe looks great. I wish they would not get a divorce. But I hope that she will continue to do royal engagements after it.

 

[pdas1201]

some more pics from the conference, 29 October, 2004

 

[hillary_nugent]

has she worn that suit in the above pics before? well if she did that's cool...i can't imagine buying expensive clothes and wearing it only once...

 

[paulette]

has she worn that suit in the above pics before? well if she did that's cool...i can't imagine buying expensive clothes and wearing it only once...

I certainly agree with you hillary_nugent. I really don't like to see those royals buy expensive brands of clothes and they just wear it once. I mean, everyone else in the planet are suffering because of high prices of basic commodities and goods and then we can just see some persons who are just buying tons of expensive clothes and wear it only ONCE.

I think Princess Alexandra should also wear her other gorgeous outfits and hats. I mean she has wore very attractive hats in the past but it seems like she always just wears that brown one. Maybe she feels comfortable with it. She also has other great clothes that needs to be worn again.

If one would look at her earring best viewed on her right side, it has a very nice color. I have observed that she has many accessories with that kind of style.

And also lately there was a gala dinner held in Belgium for the Polish State Visit, Princess Mathilde wore a dress somewhat similar to what Princess Alexandra wore in Hongkong few years ago. Though not really the same. I have just noticed it.

Princess Mathilde of Belgium
http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=53198&stc=1&thumb=1
http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=53197

 

[pdas1201]

has she worn that suit in the above pics before? well if she did that's cool...i can't imagine buying expensive clothes and wearing it only once...

Hillary_nugent, you have a good memory, she wore the dress in september 2004 for visit to Svendborg.
If you notice carefully, the earrings (flower shape) for both the visits are the same except for different colors.

 

[hillary_nugent]

Well its nice to know that Alexandra wears her clothes more than once i wonder what happens to the clothes of other royals that only wear their clothes once? i know some of them auction them and donate the money to charity but every single clothing item is not auctioned so what happens? do they just sit in their walk-in gigantic wardrobes and rot away? that would be so sad because i absolutely love clothes and i hate buying something especially if it is really expensive and not wearing it often...

 

[Isabel]

Alexandra repeats the same outfits fairly often. I understand the need to do so, but a little more wardrobe planning would be nice. Sometimes, she wears outfits that are very distinctive to close together.

 

[paulette]

I agree with you Isabel. That was why that I stated in one of my posts that there is also a need for her to wear outfits that should not be necessarily be new but something she has ceased to wear again which were splendid.

So with her shoes, if one would just look at the thread about her shoes, they are so gorgeous yet she always repeats the pair of shoes she wears.

 

[hillary_nugent]

will Alexandra lose her princess title???

 

[pdas1201]

will Alexandra lose her princess title???

So far from what I have read, Princess Alexandra will not lose her princess title, but she will lose the "royal" title. After her marriage, the princess was addressed as "Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra", she will retain this title during the seperation period. But after the divorce, she will be referred to as
"Her Highness Princess Alexandra".

 

[hillary_nugent]

thanks pdas1201 i wasn;t sure ^__^

 

[galuhcandrakirana]

She's my all-time favorite princess--royal or not. I am happy to hear that she won't be disappearing after the divorce. She has done a good job so far and it would be a shame to let her stop what she has been doing........!

I am also happy with the fact that she will keep her duty an her appearance in public after the divorce process will be finale. Keep cheer the lady.....!

 

[Eliza]

I have the greatest respect for Princess Alexandra. I think it takes alot to be able to smile when you're probably crying on the inside. To hve to live a life in a fish bowl isn't easy. It's a shame that they're divorcing. Just glad that she'll be treated well after the divorce and will be keeping up all her public duties.

 

[Clare]

Princess Alexandra is one of my favorite commoner who became a princess, the other one was Princess Diana. Eventhough with marital problems, she still continue to serve the danes through numerous charities. Denmark is a very lucky country to have the likes of Alexandra. But I still hope that she and Prince Joachim will still settle things for their kids and will be back to each others arms again. They look so good together. Im sorry Im a hopeless romantic .

 

[sara1981]

I am also happy with the fact that she will keep her duty an her appearance in public after the divorce process will be finale. Keep cheer the lady.....!

I would have agree with you!

like late Princess Diana who been public engagement duty before she died that why she become popular Princess since 1981-1997 many people love Princess Diana lots than other Royals! but im sure many people in Denmark like Princess Alexander too.

Sara Boyce

 

[Reina]

I am very happy that Alexandra will be serving Denmark after the divorce. It would be a shame if she was not allowed this.

 

[pdas1201]

Just read that Princess Alexandra will write preface to children's edition of ten Han Christian Andersen fairytales...How exciting...

Princess Alexandra writes preface of new Andersen

HRH Princess Alexandra has agreed to write the preface of a new children's edition of ten of Hans Christian Andersen's fairytales.

In celebration of the bicentenary of the birth of Hans Christian Andersen, the Hans Christian Andersen Children's Culture House, The Tinderbox, in Odense will publish a book with ten of Andersen's fairytales, illustrated by children who have won a nationwide competition to illustrate the ten fairytales.

Princess Alexandra has agreed to write the preface of the book and has granted permission for her monogram and portrait to be featured too. The museum hopes that Princess Alexandra will grace The Tinderbox with her presence at the book launch on Hans Christian Andersen's 200th anniversary, 2 April 2005.

"This is a life's dream come true. I have always wondered why adults always illustrate children's books," says director of The Tinderbox, Ulla Englich, to regional daily Fyens Stiftstidende.

 

[Clare]

I agree. She looks great on those pictures.

 

[pdas1201]

Man, she seems to being getting radiant(er), I really like that red shawl with her black dress, gives her whole ensemble an omph....
Keep up the good work, Princess Alexandra...."Princess of Hearts"

 

[galuhcandrakirana]

She looks very radiant in her presence with red tone for blush-on and lipstick which match her shawl colour (I refer to second photo which the colour look more clear), just like her clothes colour match with her dark hair colour....of course this is just my opinion

 

[pdas1201]

November 22, 2004: Prinsesse Alexandra deltog mandag i "Night of 1000 Dinners" hos Canadas ambassadør, Fredericka Gregory til fordel for kampagnen Danmark mod Landminer. F.v. er det ambassadørens ægtefælle, Florian Schöpp, ambassadør Gregory, prinsessen og integrationsminister Bertel Haarder, mens youth ambassador Waldo Abdo ser til fra baggrunden. (Magnus Møller/POLFOTO)

Someone please translate...

 

[MoonlightRhapsody]

Wow, she looks great!! I love her hair and necklace combination!

 

[Reina]

Wow. Eat your heart out Joachim. But do you all think that she looks better after the divorce announcement?

 

[pdas1201]

some more pics...

I agree she looks gorgeous, my first reaction was WOW!!!...
She just looks more radiant and peaceful, its good she got out of a bad marriage--look at her now, she looks incredible.

 

[yeadonite]

I really admire the hardwork and sincerity of Princess Alexandra in helping people from the world's poorest places. Not all persons do have the courage to face different kinds of persons from various cultures, traditions and life.

Especially that Princess Alex's life has been to difficult times lately.
(I like her white t-shirt with the UN logo) =)

Go Princess Alex! You are the best!!!!

I agree Alexandra sets the standard for hard working princesses. She seems to put the job above everything else. I find that really admirable!

 

[galuhcandrakirana]

Wow. Eat your heart out Joachim. But do you all think that she looks better after the divorce announcement?

I found that she looks happier than couple months ago, I remember the pictures which her sad looking caught by camera (one in CP's wedding ceremony and the other in parliament opening event).