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| 1883 |
On a visit to the Danish court in 1883, Alexandra, Princess of Wales joined her mother and sisters at two grand pianos side by side to play arrangements for eight hands.
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| 1861 |
In 1861 Queen Victoria had selected Alexandra as the right wife for her difficult eldest son. The ceremony took place in 1863.
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| 1862 |
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| 1863 |
Alexandra's attire on the great occasion owed a great debt to her powerful mother-in-law's love of embellishment. The design, as worn, resembled an enormous confection of pastry, sufficient to feed thousands.
But soon enough
– as a young married woman free to choose for herself
– the new Princess of Wales grew to be much admired by the public for her stylishness.
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| 1864 |
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| 1866 |
She was admired by the Queen for her watercolors. Those below include decoupage-work with family photographs.
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| 1866 |
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| 1866 |
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| 1866 |
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| 1866 |
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| 1872 |
Above, Alexandra in domestic costume with daughter Maud. Below, a somewhat less convincing image of maternity in a day-dress of velvet and lace with flounces descending in heavy cascades.
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| 1874 |
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| 1889 |
When the Shah of Persia visited the Prime Minister at Hatfield House, the Princess of Wales wore a gown cut with daring novelty to exploit a border-print
– the fabric quite possibly Persian in origin. Her husband the wayward Prince is at far left, a tribute to his tailors. The pair of them taken together succeed in making everybody else look rumpled.
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| 1893 |
By the 1890s Alexandra had permanently assumed a demeanor of rigid elegance. The daughters were said to be very much in her thrall.