Eight Decades a Royal: The Admirable Princess Alexandra of Kent

At the Buckingham Palace reception held by Queen Elizabeth II in honor of Princess Alexandra. Image from Getty

The Picture Gallery of Buckingham Palace hustled and bustled that evening –the chandeliers glittering and everything sparkling. Another special event was hosted by no other than the Queen herself. This time it was not for a dignitary or a guest from a foreign land, but palace staffers had to make this one of the many faultless occasions just like banquet in honour of the President and First Lady of Colombia earlier that month. After all, the gathering was for someone dear to the queen’s heart. In less than a month, her much-loved cousin, Princess Alexandra of Kent, reaches a milestone in her life – she turns 80 on Christmas Day. So, before the frenzied pace of the holiday season comes and a few weeks before the sovereign heads to  Sandringham for the Christmas season, the tribute to this dedicated, hardworking royal should be thrown. 

The reception invited people and representatives from almost 100 organizations that hold dear to the princess’ heart. For more than 60 years, she supported charities, causes, and groups, in particular those that advocate medicine and health, arts and heritage, as well as education and social work. She spent countless hours travelling far and wide, from the city to the county, from the island to the high lands to grace thousands of their banquets, fund-raisers, ribbon-cuttings, layings of foundation stone, and so on – with the bottom line of raising awareness and bringing common good.  This time was a moment to celebrate all these accomplishments, which remained under the radar of the prying eyes of the press. Some time in the distant past, the princess was the darling of journalists and reporters, but as years passed on and as younger generations of royals graced the limelight, she lingered and carried on her commitment – with or without the flashing camera, a royal through and through. 

Joining the queen and Princess Alexandra for this reception was her daughter-in-law, the equally hardworking Sophie Countess of Wessex. Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, the queen's septuagenarian cousin also attended the occasion together with his Danish-born wife, Birgitte. Like Alexandra, the husband and wife tandem has steadfastly done their share in supporting the queen and helping dozens of organizations without media fanfare and they have succeeded at earning the respect of the adoring public for that.  

At the appointed time, the royals entered the Picture Gallery. The Queen and Princess Alexandra walked together, trailing the Countess of Wessex and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the palace staffers behind them. The Queen, in her regal bearing, donned a pale green suit while wearing her Three Strand Pearl Necklace and the Flame Lily Brooch. Princess Alexandra wore her warm smile that never faded despite her age. She matched her white suit with a pearl choker and six-petal diamond brooch.  She was happy to see familiar faces from the wide-ranging organizations that she has worked with from more than five-decades, many of them she had been acquainted with since God-knows-when.  The nurses, doctors, armed service officers, artists, heritage advocates and volunteers who were invited for the festive affair were excited, as well, to take a rare chance of celebrating the life and work of their royal beacon. 

At the start of the reception, the princess delivered a terse message stuffed with sincere appreciation to the queen and “the dedication of hard-working volunteers”  upon which every successful charity relies heavily on. She told them how “proud” she was “of the excellent progress you continue to make in the many different fields represented here - from the Armed Services, Community and Social Services, Culture, Education, the Environment and Health Services.” That evening, though, everyone at the reception couldn’t be any prouder to have Princess Alexandra with them.

Watch: The Queen hosts a reception to celebrate the work and patronages of Princess Alexandra