Royal descendants of Queen Victoria and of King Christian IX explained

The royal descendants of Queen Victoria (24 May 181922 January 1901;) and of King Christian IX (8 April 181829 January 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

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. Maud would later marry her cousin, the future King Haakon VII of Norway, in 1896.^[3]

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.^[4] On 27 October 1889, George's son, later Constantine I of Greece, married Princess Sophia of Prussia.

Another daughter of Christian IX, Princess Dagmar of Denmark, married the future Emperor Alexander III of Russia^[5] in October 1866,^[6] taking the religious name Maria Feodorovna. Between 1881 and 1894, Maria's husband ruled as Russia's sovereign. Her son, Nicholas II, became Emperor of Russia upon Alexander III's death. 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.

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

• King Christian X of Denmark, the elder brother of Haakon VII of Norway
• Wilhelm II, German Emperor, the elder brother of Sophia of Prussia^[7]
• Princess Marie of Edinburgh, the eldest daughter of Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who married King Ferdinand I of Romania
• Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, a daughter of Queen Victoria's youngest daughter Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, who married King Alfonso XIII of Spain^[8]

World War I

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.^[9] During this conflict, George V was King of the United Kingdom. In addition, during World War I, Nicholas II was Emperor of Russia,^[10] and Wilhelm II was the German emperor.^[11]

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. Additionally, George's mother and Nicholas's mother were sisters from the Danish royal family, making George and Nicholas first cousins.^[12]

Later descendants

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.^[13]

Contemporary monarchs

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

• The King of Denmark, Frederik X, is the son of Queen Margrethe II.^[14] Margrethe II is a descendant of both Victoria and Christian.
• The King of the United Kingdom, Charles III, is a son of Queen Elizabeth II.^[15] Elizabeth II is a descendant of both Victoria and Christian.
• The King of Norway, Harald V, is a descendant of both Victoria and Christian.
• The King of Spain, Felipe VI, is also descended from both Victoria and Christian.
• The King of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf, is a descendant of Victoria through both his father and mother.
• The King of the Belgians, Philippe, is descended from Christian.
• The Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Henri, is descended from Christian.

Monarchs descended from Queen Victoria

See also: Descendants of Queen Victoria.

Monarchs descended from King Christian IX

See also: Descendants of Christian IX of Denmark.

See also

• John William Frisothe most recent ancestor of all European monarchs that have reigned since World War II
• Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadtthe most recent ancestor of all current European monarchs

Footnotes

References

• Web site: Frederik VIII 1906-1912 . Amalienborg Palace . n.d. . 1 October 2024.
• Book: Burke . Bernard . Bernard Burke . Burke . Ashworth P. . 1914 . Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage . Harrison and Sons . 2 October 2024 . .
• Web site: H.R.H. the Grand Duke . Cour grand-ducale (Henri) . n.d. . 2 October 2024.
• Web site: H.R.H. Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte . Cour grand-ducale (Joséphine-Charlotte) . n.d. . 2 October 2024.
• Encyclopedia: Duke of Edinburgh (1844–1900) . Australian Dictionary of Biography . 1972 . 1972 . 4 . Gibbney . H.J. . Australian National University . 1 October 2024.
• Web site: HM Queen Anne-Marie . Kongehuset (Anne-Marie) . n.d. . 2 October 2024.
• Web site: HM Queen Margrethe . Kongehuset (Margrethe) . n.d. . 2 October 2024.
• Pearl . Diana . 2 August 2016 . Ambulance Driver, Poultry Farm Worker and Exiled Royal: Inside the Fascinating Life of the Late Queen Anne of Romania . People . Dotdash Meredith . 2 October 2024.
• News: ((Reuters)) . 30 November 1982 . Queen Helen of Rumania, 87; Was Forced Into Exile in '47 . The New York Times . 12 . 2 October 2024.
• Web site: Princess Astrid . Swedish Royal Court (Astrid) . n.d. . 2 October 2024.
• Web site: Princess Ingeborg . Swedish Royal Court (Ingeborg) . n.d. . 2 October 2024.
• Web site: King Albert II . The Belgian Monarchy (Albert) . n.d. . 2 October 2024.
• Web site: The King . The Belgian Monarchy (Philippe) . n.d. . 2 October 2024.
• Web site: Vilhelm (Georg I) . The Royal Danish Collection (George) . Amalienborg Palace . n.d. . 2 October 2024.
• Web site: Valdemar . The Royal Danish Collection (Valdemar) . Amalienborg Palace . n.d. . 2 October 2024.
• Web site: HM Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia . The Royal Family of Serbia . n.d. . 2 October 2024.
• Web site: Biography . The Royal House of Norway (Märtha) . n.d. . 2 October 2024.
• Web site: Ernest Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse . Wilson . Penny . n.d. . Alexander Palace Time Machine . Bob Atchinson . 2 October 2024.

Further reading

• Book: Aronson, Theo . Theo Aronson . 6 October 2022 . Crowns in Conflict: The Triumph and the Tragedy of European Monarchy 1910–1918 . Lume Books . 978-1-83901-409-3.
• Book: Aronson, Theo . 12 November 2020 . A Family of Kings . Lume Books . 978-1-83901-257-0. A book that describes the relationships among the children of King Christian IX.
• Book: Aronson, Theo . 12 November 2020 . Grandmama of Europe: The Crowned Descendants of Queen Victoria . Lume Books . 978-1-83901-258-7.
• Book: Gelardi, Julia P. . Julia P. Gelardi . April 2007 . Born to Rule: Five Reigning Consorts, Granddaughters of Queen Victoria . St. Martin's Publishing Group . 978-1-4299-0455-1.
• Book: Potts . D M . Potts . W T W . 21 October 2011 . Queen Victoria's Gene: Haemophilia and the Royal Family . History Press . 978-0-7524-7196-9.

External links

• Complete list of descendants of Christian IX of Denmark

Notes and References

1. Book: Crofton, Ian . 2011 . The Kings & Queens of England . Metro Books . 978-1-4351-2965-8.
2. Web site: Christian IX . Royal Palaces . National Museum of Denmark . 30 September 2024.
3. Web site: King Haakon VII (1872-1957) . The Royal House of Norway . n.d. . 30 September 2024.
4. Book: Bence-Jones . Mark . Vickers . Hugo . Williamson . David . 1977 . Burke's Royal Families of the World Volume I . subscription . Burke's Peerage Limited . 0-85011-023-8 . 30 September 2024.
5. Web site: Dowager Empress Marie . Beeche . Art . Alexander Palace Time Machine . Bob Atchinson . n.d. . 30 September 2024.
6. Web site: Alexander III . Malsom . Scott . Alexander Palace Time Machine . Bob Atchinson . 30 September 2024.
7. News: . 12 January 1923 . Death of Ex-King Constantine . The Journal . 2 . 1 October 2024.
8. News: Cómo influyó la reina Victoria Eugenia en la corte española de los Borbones: joyas, modernidad y peleas con su suegra . Castelló . Elena . n.d. . Mujer Hoy . Vocento . 1 October 2024 . es . How Queen Victoria Eugenie influenced the Spanish Bourbon court: jewelry, modernity and quarrels with her mother-in-law.
9. Web site: The Major Alliances of World War I . Wilde . Robert . n.d. . ThoughtCo . Dotdash Meredith . 1 October 2024.
10. Web site: Biography of Czar Nicholas II, Last Czar of Russia . Daniels . Patricia E. . n.d. . ThoughtCo . Dotdash Meredith . 1 October 2024.
11. Web site: Causes of World War I and the Rise of Germany . Hickman . Kennedy . n.d. . ThoughtCo . Dotdash Meredith . 1 October 2024.
12. Web site: The Family Relationships that Couldn't Stop World War I . Dews . Fred . 20 December 2013 . Brookings . The Brookings Institution . 30 September 2024.
13. Constantine II of Greece, Anne-Marie of Greece. 2004. Constantine, A King's Story!. en. London, Athens. 29 October 2024.
14. Web site: HM The King . . n.d. . Kongehuset . 1 October 2024.
15. Web site: Queen Victoria's Descendants Still Reign Over Europe . Hubbard . Lauren . 16 September 2022 . Town & Country . Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. . 1 October 2024.