Queen Alexandra in Ireland-A Small Gesture That Had Lasting Impacts

If you have read any of my recent series about Queen Alexandra, or have read about her on your own, you will know that there is so much more to her than meets the eye. The stately and stoic looking Edwardian Queen was arguably the most loved Princess of Wales ever, and she had a sense of fun and humanity that made the world fall in love with her.

Although she and her husband were only King and Queen for a relatively short time, especially compared to the previous reign of Queen Victoria, they knew that they were playing an important role in attempting to hold off a major war. The near decade that Edward VII spent as king was spent largely on strengthening ties with other nations. What we never seem to talk about is how good Edward VII and his beautiful wife Queen Alexandra were at foreign relations. I believe that if Edward had not been King, World War I would have likely happened much earlier than it did.

Aside from the impending war on the continent, there were also domestic tension that Edward VII had to navigate, particularly those with Ireland. For centuries, Ireland had been ruled by Britain, and in Victorian and Edwardian times, tensions came to a major head. King Edward and Queen Alexandra made three trips to Ireland in their decade on the throne and the King knew the importance of having the Queen at his side, as she was the member of the Royal family that the Irish liked the most.

On their first visit, there was a lot of concern about security. The authorities had to keep the King, Queen and their daughter Princess Victoria safe while not being forceful with the public, which would only raise tensions more. After their seemingly successful arrival in Dublin, the party went to Connemara. The head of the Royal Irish Constabulary, who was taken up with worrying about the safety of the royal party ended up being shocked by a small action of Queen Alexandra’s that he recorded.

“The Princess Victoria, in stepping out of the carriage, brushed her skirt against the wheel and splashed it with yellow sand. And the Queen, the Queen of England, mind ye, stooped down as humble as the poorest woman in the land and brushed the Princesses skirt with her own hand! There she was with the First Lord of the Admiralty beside her, who she could have ordered to do it, and other great lords and generals, but no! humble she was, and humbly she brushed the skirt with her own hand before everyone, and an example to everyone. Oh, dear God, the humbleness of it!”

This small anecdote illustrates perfectly who Queen Alexandra was. She won over the masses through small, simple actions of humanity. As someone who was raised in a casual family, and who had faced her share of struggles, Alexandra was able to relate to people on a level that most royals could not. What was so incredible about her though is that she could do all of that, while still retaining the magical quality of royalty. A small and humble action in Ireland was a major part of making what could have been a very difficult trip a success in the reign of Edward VII.

If you liked this small glimpse into Queen Alexandra and you haven’t read my series about her, now is the time! (Links to this series can be found at the bottom of this post.) As of right now, this five part series is free, but it will be going behind the paywall Tuesday night.

Moving forward, I will be continuing Mostly British History in much the same way, with nearly all content being free. But, from now on, the more in-depth series that I do will be free only for a limited time before they are moved into our library for upgraded subscribers. In addition to access to these in-depth historical series, MBH upgraded subscribers also have access to regular historical extras in our paid subscriber chat AND extra video/audio content like you will see on each of the Queen Alexandra series articles.

During the rest of the summer I will be putting together our next deep dive series which will focus largely on the lives of James II, his wives, mistresses and his many children. I will also look at public perception of him as monarch, his relationships with his children, and the transition from the Stuart Dynasty to the Hanoverian Dynasty. If this is a time period that interests you, make sure you are upgraded as the written parts of this series will only remain free for a limited time, and all of the video and research extras will be for upgraded subscribers only.

Ps. there is still a 15 % paid subscriber discount running…until Tuesday!

SCANDALS…while my research for the James II series is happening… our agenda will consist largely of…scandals….Who was the mistress of the Prince of Wales who murdered her husband? What were some of the major scandals of the Victorian era? And why did Wallis Simpson throw her longtime friend out of her house?

I am so thrilled to bring you all along for a very exciting few months at Mostly British History. Thank you so much for being a part of this community!

Introduction: A Comprehensive Look at an Overlooked Queen-Alexandra

Part 1: Young Alexandra, The Pride of Two Peoples

Alexandra of Denmark Pt. 2- The Wales Family in Sickness and Health

Alexandra of Denmark Pt. 3- A Peerless Princess

Alexandra of Denmark Pt. 4- Trials, Tragedy and Trudging Forward

Alexandra of Denmark Pt. 5- Queen

*Reminder: Those who wish to upgrade so that they might always be able to enjoy these types of series, as well as our MBH Chat and regular video extras can take advantage of a lifetime 15% off discount which will be automatically applied!

Until Next Time,

McKenzie

The Source for the information in this article was Alexandra Princess & Queen by David Duff