Photograph of Alexandra, Princess of Wales (later Queen Alexandra) with her grandchildren. Frame by Fabergé, 1897 The Royal Collection |
In private, Alexandra was a doting mother and grandmother who loved evenings at home with her children and her dogs. She was considered to be jolly and easy-going as well as fiercely protective of her family.
This 1897 photograph of Alexandra, taken just four years before she ascended as Queen Consort, shows her affection for her grandchildren. Seen here cuddling two of her grandchildren, Lady Alexandra and Maud Duff—the daughters of her daughter, Princess Louise (Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife) and the 6th Earl Fife.
Of note is the frame which is another example of Alexandra’s love of Fabergé. The frame of gold, silver-gilt, guilloché enamel, diamond, mother-of-pearl takes a neo-gothic form which shows a stylistic transition from the ideals of late Victorian design to the soon-to-come sensibilities of the Edwardian.
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