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The Duchess of Kent holding baby Princess Alexandra as they pose for a photograph. |
The birth of Princess Alexandra on Christmas Day 1936 was an awaited relief to a somewhat sad and tumultuous year. In January, King George V, died, and while the nation had a new king, Edward VIII, the months following his accession was filled with controversy over his relationship with American divorcee Wallis Simpson. It was a delicate pregnancy for the Duchess of Kent and her husband, Prince George, Duke of Kent, despite getting soaked in the family problem and national crisis over his older brother's plan to marry his mistress, wanted to shield his wife from all this strain. Edward decided to abdicate so he could marry the woman he loved. The empire and Commonwealth was hurt, but the new king, George VI, his charming wife the "Smiling Duchess", Elizabeth, and their two children, the adorable princess Elizabeth and Margaret, offered stability and a sense of familial bond. The popular and fashionable Duke and Duchess of Kent were also celebrity-famous and when it was apparent that the Greek-born princess was to give birth, reporters stood outside the couple's posh London home in Belgrave Square to wait for updates with a lone caroler spreading Christmas cheers. Despite the terrible cold, not a snow fell and the sky beamed that morning. The birth of a baby girl was greeted with glad tidings. Inrememberance of the day that she was born, one of the baby's name would be "Christabel".
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