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Royal descendants of Queen Victoria and of King Christian IX

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Painting by William Powell Frith depicting the marriage of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later Edward VII), Queen Victoria's son, with Princess Alexandra of Denmark, King Christian IX's daughter

The royal descendants of Queen Victoria (24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901; r. 1837–1901) and of King Christian IX (8 April 1818 – 29 January 1906; r. 1863–1906), monarchs of the United Kingdom and Denmark, respectively, have become members of multiple European royal families. This was partially achieved by the marriage of Victoria's progeny with Christian's (and vice versa). By the time of her Diamond Jubilee in 1897, Victoria was known as the "grandmother of Europe".[1] Also, Christian IX was nicknamed the "father-in-law of Europe".[2]

Victoria and Christian's grandchildren were the monarchs of Denmark, Germany, Greece, Norway, Russia and the United Kingdom. Today, the descendants of Victoria and Christian rule over Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Grandchildren

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Christian IX in 1898 with his and Queen Victoria's mutual great-grandson Prince Edward of York, later Edward VIII[a]

Victoria arranged the marriage of her eldest son and heir, the future King Edward VII, to Princess Alexandra of Denmark, the daughter of Christian IX, which took place on 10 March 1863. Among Edward and Alexandra's six children were King George V and his sister Maud.[1] Maud would later marry her cousin, the future King Haakon VII of Norway, in 1896.[b][8]

A son of Christian and brother of Alexandra, Prince William, became King of the Hellenes as George I in 1863 because of his connection with the British royal family.[9] On 27 October 1889, George's son, later Constantine I of Greece, married Princess Sophia of Prussia.[c][9]

Another daughter of Christian IX, Princess Dagmar of Denmark, married the future Emperor Alexander III of Russia[11] in October 1866,[12] taking the religious name Maria Feodorovna.[11] Between 1881 and 1894, Maria's husband ruled as Russia's sovereign.[12] Her son, Nicholas II, became Emperor of Russia upon Alexander III's death.[11] Nicholas married Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, on 26 November 1894, and Alix became his consort, adopting the name Alexandra Feodorovna.[11]

Other grandchildren of Victoria and/or Christian were sovereigns suo jure or consorts of sovereigns, including:

Family tree of Victoria and Christian IX's sovereign and consort grandchildren[16][17]
Christian IXQueen Victoria
Maria Feodorovna, Empress of RussiaGeorge I, King of the HellenesFrederick VIII, King of DenmarkAlexandra, Queen of the United KingdomEdward VII, King of the United KingdomVictoria, German EmpressAlice, Grand Duchess of HesseAlfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and GothaPrincess Beatrice of the United Kingdom
Nicholas II, Emperor of RussiaConstantine I, King of the HellenesChristian X, King of DenmarkHaakon VII, King of NorwayMaud, Queen of NorwayGeorge V, King of the United KingdomWilhelm II, German EmperorSophia, Queen of the HellenesAlexandra Feodorovna, Empress of RussiaMarie, Queen of RomaniaVictoria Eugenie, Queen of Spain

World War I

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See also: Allies of World War I and Central Powers

At the start of World War I, which lasted from 1914 to 1918, six major powers of Europe were divided between two coalitions. On one hand, France, Russia and the United Kingdom formed the Triple Entente. On the other hand, Austria-Hungary, Germany and Italy formed the Triple Alliance.[18] During this conflict, George V was King of the United Kingdom.[1] In addition, during World War I, Nicholas II was Emperor of Russia,[19] and Wilhelm II was the German emperor.[20]

Historian Margaret MacMillan has remarked on the close connection between George, Nicholas and Wilhelm. Namely, George's father and Wilhelm's mother were siblings, making George and Wilhelm first cousins.[e] Additionally, George's mother and Nicholas's mother were sisters from the Danish royal family, making George and Nicholas first cousins.[f][23]

Later descendants

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There are seven current reigning monarchs in Europe who are descended from Victoria and/or Christian IX. In 2004, while touring Tatoi Palace and the Greek royal cemetery, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece commented of the royals' relations, "So you see, everybody comes from two sides — Denmark, King Christian IX, and Britain, Queen Victoria — and they all sort of criss crossed, I mean us too!" Anne-Marie is a descendant of both Victoria and Christian IX, as was her husband, Constantine II of Greece.[24]

Contemporary monarchs

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Multiple reigning European monarchs are descended from Victoria and/or Christian IX:

Monarchs descended from Queen Victoria

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See also: Descendants of Queen Victoria
Sovereign descendants of Queen Victoria. Names of monarchs are bolded.[16][17][42][43][44][45][9]
Victoria
Queen of the United Kingdom
Edward VII
King of the United Kingdom		Alice
Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine		Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and StrathearnPrince Leopold, Duke of AlbanyPrincess Beatrice of the United KingdomVictoria
German Empress		Alfred
Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
George V
King of the United Kingdom		Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine[s]Alexandra Feodorovna
Empress of Russia[t]		Maud
Queen of Norway		Margaret
Crown Princess of Sweden		Charles Edward
Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha		Victoria Eugenie
Queen of Spain		Wilhelm II
German Emperor		Sophia
Queen of the Hellenes		Marie
Queen of Romania[u]
George VI
King of the United Kingdom[v]		Princess Alice of BattenbergLouise
Queen of Sweden		Olav V
King of Norway		Ingrid
Queen of Denmark		Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of VästerbottenPrincess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and GothaVictoria Louise
Duchess of Brunswick		Carol II
King of Romania[w]		Maria
Queen of Yugoslavia
Elizabeth II
Queen of the United Kingdom		Prince Philip of Greece and DenmarkHarald V
King of Norway		Margrethe II
Queen of Denmark		Carl XVI Gustaf
King of Sweden		Infante Juan, Count of BarcelonaFrederica
Queen of the Hellenes		Paul
King of the Hellenes[x]		Michael I
King of Romania[y]
Charles III
King of the United Kingdom		Haakon, Crown Prince of NorwayFrederik X
King of Denmark		Victoria, Crown Princess of SwedenJuan Carlos I
King of Spain		Sofía
Queen of Spain		Constantine II
King of the Hellenes[z]		Peter II
King of Yugoslavia[aa]
William, Prince of WalesPrincess Ingrid Alexandra of NorwayChristian, Crown Prince of DenmarkPrincess Estelle, Duchess of ÖstergötlandFelipe VI
King of Spain
Prince George of WalesLeonor, Princess of Asturias

Monarchs descended from King Christian IX

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See also: Descendants of Christian IX of Denmark
Sovereign descendants of King Christian IX. Names of monarchs are bolded.[17][44][43][45][9][58][59]
Christian IX
King of Denmark
Frederick VIII
King of Denmark		Alexandra
Queen of the United Kingdom		George I
King of the Hellenes		Maria Feodorovna
Empress of Russia		Thyra
Crown Princess of Hanover
Christian X
King of Denmark		Princess Ingeborg of DenmarkHaakon VII
King of Norway		Maud
Queen of Norway		George V
King of the United Kingdom		Prince Andrew of Greece and DenmarkConstantine I
King of the Hellenes		Nicholas II
Emperor of Russia		Ernest Augustus
Duke of Brunswick[ab]
Frederik IX
King of Denmark		Astrid
Queen of the Belgians		Märtha
Crown Princess of Norway[ac]		Olav V
King of Norway		George VI
King of the United Kingdom[v]		Helen
Queen Mother of Romania		Paul
King of the Hellenes[x]		Frederica
Queen of the Hellenes
Margrethe II
Queen of Denmark		Joséphine-Charlotte
Grand Duchess of Luxembourg		Albert II
King of the Belgians[ad]		Harald V
King of Norway		Elizabeth II
Queen of the United Kingdom		Prince Philip of Greece and DenmarkMichael I
King of Romania[ae]		Constantine II
King of the Hellenes[z]		Sofía
Queen of Spain
Frederik X
King of Denmark		Henri
Grand Duke of Luxembourg		Philippe
King of the Belgians		Haakon, Crown Prince of NorwayCharles III
King of the United Kingdom		Felipe VI
King of Spain
Christian, Crown Prince of DenmarkGuillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of LuxembourgPrincess Elisabeth, Duchess of BrabantPrincess Ingrid Alexandra of NorwayWilliam, Prince of WalesLeonor, Princess of Asturias
Prince Charles of LuxembourgPrince George of Wales

See also

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Footnotes

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Notes

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  1. ^ Edward VIII's father was George V.[3] George's mother, Princess Alexandra of Denmark,[4] was a daughter of Christian IX.[5] Additionally, Queen Victoria was the mother of King Edward VII,[5] George's father.[4]
  2. ^ a b Haakon's father, King Frederick VIII of Denmark,[6] was a son of Christian IX.[7]
  3. ^ a b Sophia's mother, Victoria, Princess Royal, was the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria.[10]
  4. ^ Alfred was the second son of Queen Victoria.[14]
  5. ^ Queen Victoria was a mutual parent of George's father and Wilhelm's mother.[21]
  6. ^ George's mother and Nicholas's mother were mutual daughters of Christian IX.[5][22]
  7. ^ Margrethe is descended from Queen Victoria's son Prince Arthur. Arthur's daughter Margaret would herself have a daughter, Ingrid.[26] In turn, Margrethe is Ingrid's daughter.[27]
  8. ^ Margrethe's great-grandfather was King Frederick VIII of Denmark,[28] who was himself a son of Christian IX.[7]
  9. ^ Elizabeth is Queen Victoria's great-great-granddaughter.[30]
  10. ^ Elizabeth's grandfather was King George V of the United Kingdom.[30] In turn, George's mother, Princess Alexandra of Denmark,[4] was a daughter of Christian IX.[5]
  11. ^ Harald is Queen Victoria's great-great-grandchild.[31]
  12. ^ Harald's father, King Olav V of Norway, was the child of King Haakon VII.[31] Haakon's father, King Frederick VIII of Denmark,[6] was a son of Christian IX.[7]
  13. ^ Felipe's paternal grandfather, Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona, was the son of Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg. Victoria Eugenie was herself the daughter of Princess Beatrice, Queen Victoria's youngest child.[32]
  14. ^ Felipe is a descendant of George I, King of the Hellenes.[33] George was himself the son of Christian IX.[34]
  15. ^ Princess Margaret, the daughter of Queen Victoria's seventh child, Prince Arthur, married King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden, then a prince. One of Margaret and Gustaf VI Adolf's children was Prince Gustaf Adolf, the father of Carl Gustaf.[35]
  16. ^ Carl Gustaf's mother, Princess Sibylla, was descended from Prince Leopold, Queen Victoria's youngest son.[35]
  17. ^ Philippe is the son of King Albert II.[36] Albert is himself the son of Princess Astrid of Sweden,[37] the youngest daughter of Princess Ingeborg of Denmark.[38] Ingeborg was the daughter of King Frederick VIII of Denmark,[39] a son of Christian IX.[7]
  18. ^ Henri is the eldest son of Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium,[40] herself the daughter of Princess Astrid of Sweden.[41] Astrid was the youngest daughter of Princess Ingeborg of Denmark.[38] Moreover, Ingeborg was the daughter of King Frederick VIII of Denmark,[39] a son of Christian IX.[7]
  19. ^ Victoria's brother, Ernest Louis,[46] was Grand Duke of Hesse.[47]
  20. ^ Alexandra's brother, Ernest Louis,[46] was Grand Duke of Hesse.[47]
  21. ^ Another child of Alfred, Princess Victoria Melita, was the spouse of Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse prior to the dissolvement of their marriage in 1901.[48]
  22. ^ a b George became King of the United Kingdom upon the abdication of his brother, King Edward VIII.[49]
  23. ^ Another child of Marie, Princess Elisabeth of Romania,[50] was the spouse of George II, King of the Hellenes prior to their divorce in 1935.[51]
  24. ^ a b Contantine I had two other children, George II and Alexander, who became King of the Hellenes.[62] Alexander's daughter was Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark,[57] the spouse of King Peter II of Yugoslavia.[56]
  25. ^ Michael was a son of Princess Helen of Greece and Denmark,[52] herself a child of Princess Sophia of Prussia.[53]
  26. ^ a b Constantine's spouse, Anne-Marie,[54] is a sibling of Queen Margrethe II.[55]
  27. ^ Peter II's spouse, Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark,[56] was the daughter of Alexander, King of the Hellenes.[57]
  28. ^ Another child of Thyra, Princess Alexandra of Hanover, was the spouse of Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.[60]
  29. ^ Märtha never became Queen of Norway.[61]
  30. ^ Albert II became King of the Belgians after the death of his brother, Baudouin.[63]
  31. ^ Michael's spouse was Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma,[64] whose mother was Princess Margaret of Denmark.[65] Margaret was a child of Prince Valdemar of Denmark,[66] himself a son of Christian IX.[67]

Citations

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  1. ^ a b c Crofton, Ian (2011). The Kings & Queens of England. Metro Books. ISBN 978-1-4351-2965-8.
  2. ^ "Christian IX". Royal Palaces. National Museum of Denmark. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  3. ^ Crofton 2011, p. 234.
  4. ^ a b c Crofton 2011, p. 228.
  5. ^ a b c d Crofton 2011, p. 224.
  6. ^ a b The Royal House of Norway n.d., para. 1.
  7. ^ a b c d e Amalienborg Palace n.d., para. 2.
  8. ^ a b The Royal House of Norway (n.d.). "King Haakon VII (1872-1957)". Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d e Bence-Jones, Mark; Vickers, Hugo; Williamson, David (1977). Burke's Royal Families of the World Volume I. Burke's Peerage Limited. ISBN 0-85011-023-8. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  10. ^ Bence-Jones, Vickers & Williamson 1977, p. 142.
  11. ^ a b c d Beeche, Art (n.d.). "Dowager Empress Marie". Alexander Palace Time Machine. Bob Atchinson. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  12. ^ a b Malsom, Scott. "Alexander III". Alexander Palace Time Machine. Bob Atchinson. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  13. ^ "Death of Ex-King Constantine". The Journal. 12 January 1923. p. 2. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  14. ^ Gibbney 1972, para. 1.
  15. ^ Castelló, Elena (n.d.). "Cómo influyó la reina Victoria Eugenia en la corte española de los Borbones: joyas, modernidad y peleas con su suegra" [How Queen Victoria Eugenie influenced the Spanish Bourbon court: jewelry, modernity and quarrels with her mother-in-law]. Mujer Hoy (in Spanish). Vocento. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  16. ^ a b Arnstein, Walter L. (2003). Queen Victoria. PALGRAVE MACMILLAN. pp. 207–209. ISBN 978-0-333-63807-1.
  17. ^ a b c Carter, Miranda (2009). George, Nicholas and Wilhelm. Alfred A. Knopf. pp. ix–xii. ISBN 978-1-4000-4363-7.
  18. ^ Wilde, Robert (n.d.). "The Major Alliances of World War I". ThoughtCo. Dotdash Meredith. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  19. ^ Daniels, Patricia E. (n.d.). "Biography of Czar Nicholas II, Last Czar of Russia". ThoughtCo. Dotdash Meredith. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  20. ^ Hickman, Kennedy (n.d.). "Causes of World War I and the Rise of Germany". ThoughtCo. Dotdash Meredith. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  21. ^ Crofton 2011, p. 216.
  22. ^ Beeche n.d., p. paras. 1 and 4.
  23. ^ Dews, Fred (20 December 2013). "The Family Relationships that Couldn't Stop World War I". Brookings. The Brookings Institution. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  24. ^ Constantine II of Greece, Anne-Marie of Greece (2004). Constantine, A King's Story!. London, Athens. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  25. ^ "HM The King". Kongehuset. n.d. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  26. ^ Hubbard 2022, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.
  27. ^ Kongehuset (Margrethe) n.d., para. 1.
  28. ^ Amalienborg Palace n.d., para. 1.
  29. ^ Hubbard, Lauren (16 September 2022). "Queen Victoria's Descendants Still Reign Over Europe". Town & Country. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  30. ^ a b Hubbard 2022, Queen Elizabeth II.
  31. ^ a b Hubbard 2022, King Harald V of Norway.
  32. ^ Hubbard 2022, King Felipe VI of Spain.
  33. ^ Greek Royal Family n.d., Family Tree of the Greek Royal Family.
  34. ^ The Royal Danish Collection (George) n.d., para. 1.
  35. ^ a b Hubbard 2022, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.
  36. ^ The Belgian Monarchy (Philippe) n.d., para. 1.
  37. ^ The Belgian Monarchy (Albert) n.d., para. 2.
  38. ^ a b Swedish Royal Court (Astrid) n.d., para. 1.
  39. ^ a b Swedish Royal Court (Ingeborg) n.d., para. 1.
  40. ^ Cour grand-ducale (Henri) n.d., Biography.
  41. ^ Cour grand-ducale (Joséphine-Charlotte) n.d., Childhood and youth.
  42. ^ Hibbert, Christopher (2000). Queen Victoria: A Personal History. Basic Books. pp. xvi–xvii. ISBN 0-465-06761-1.
  43. ^ a b Wilson, A.N. (2014). Victoria: A Life. Penguin Press. pp. XII–XIII. ISBN 978-1-59420-599-6.
  44. ^ a b Greek Royal Family (n.d.). "Family Tree of the Greek Royal Family". Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  45. ^ a b "The Family tree". The Royal House of Norway. n.d. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  46. ^ a b Wilson n.d., para. 1.
  47. ^ a b Wilson n.d., para. 7.
  48. ^ Burke & Burke 1914, p. 39.
  49. ^ Crofton 2011, p. 239.
  50. ^ Bence-Jones, Vickers & Williamson 1977, p. 457.
  51. ^ Greek Royal Family n.d., FAMILY TREE of the Greek Royal Family.
  52. ^ Reuters 1982, para. 3.
  53. ^ Bence-Jones, Vickers & Williamson 1977, p. 327.
  54. ^ Kongehuset (Anne-Marie) n.d., Wedding.
  55. ^ Kongehuset (Margrethe) n.d., Family.
  56. ^ a b The Royal Family of Serbia n.d., para. 2.
  57. ^ a b The Royal Family of Serbia n.d., para. 1.
  58. ^ "Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant". n.d. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  59. ^ "H.R.H. the Crown Prince". n.d. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  60. ^ Burke & Burke, p. 21.
  61. ^ The Royal House of Norway (Märtha) n.d., Post-war period.
  62. ^ Bence-Jones, Vickers & Williamson, p. 327.
  63. ^ The Belgian Monarchy (Albert) n.d., para. 10.
  64. ^ Pearl 2016, para. 10.
  65. ^ Pearl 2016, para. 3.
  66. ^ Bence-Jones, Vickers & Williamson, pp. 69–70.
  67. ^ The Royal Danish Collection (Valdemar) n.d., para. 1.

References

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Further reading

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