Princess Alexandra of

Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg was one of several imperial counties and later principalities ruled by the House of Sayn-Wittgenstein. Most of the former county is located in the present district of Siegen-Wittgenstein (in the modern state of North ...

, Countess Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille (Alexandra Rosemarie Ingrid Benedikte; born 20 November 1970), is the first daughter and second of three children of

Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg Richard, 6th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (Richard Casimir Karl August Robert Konstantin; 29 October 1934 – 13 March 2017) was the head of the House of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and husband of Princess Benedikte of Denmark. Biography ...

and Princess Benedikte of Denmark. Under the succession rules set by King

Frederik IX Frederick IX ( da, Christian Frederik Franz Michael Carl Valdemar Georg; 11 March 1899 – 14 January 1972) was King of Denmark from 1947 to 1972. Born into the House of Glücksburg, Frederick was the elder son of King Christian X and Queen ...

, since Princess Benedikte and her children, including Princess Alexandra, have not taken up permanent residence in Denmark, they have effectively waived their place in the line of succession to the Danish throne. Since 19 May 1998, Alexandra has been a

Danish citizen Danish nationality law is governed by the Constitutional Act of the Realm of Denmark (of 1953) and the Consolidated Act of Danish Nationality (of 2003, with amendment in 2004). Danish nationality can be acquired in one of the following ways: * ...

First marriage and children

Alexandra was married on 6 June 1998 at

Gråsten Palace Gråsten Palace ( da, Gråsten Slot) is located at Gråsten in the Jutland region of southern Denmark. It is best known for being the summer residence of the Danish Royal Family. The main house has a modern, all-white facade, with Venetian doo ...

Count Jefferson von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth Count Jefferson von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth (''Jefferson-Friedrich Volker Benjamin Graf von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth''; born 12 July 1967) is a German nobleman and a banker. Early life and ancestry Jefferson is born as the younger son and the yo ...

. Jefferson and Alexandra are distantly related, as both have descended from

Leopold III, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau Leopold III Frederick Franz, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau (10 August 1740 – 9 August 1817), known as "Prince Franz" or "Father Franz", was a German prince of the House of Ascania. From 1751 until 1807 he was reigning prince of the Principality of Anh ...

. The couple has two children: * Count Friedrich ''Richard'' Oscar Jefferson von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth (born 14 September 1999 at

Rigshospitalet Rigshospitalet (meaning ''The National'', ''State'' or ''Hospital of the Realm'', but not usually translated) is the largest public and teaching hospital in Copenhagen and the most highly specialised hospital in Denmark. The hospital's main buildi ...

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

. * Countess ''Ingrid'' Alexandra Irma Astrid Benedikte von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth, born 16 August 2003, at the Copenhagen University Hospital. The family lived in Paris, where Count Jefferson was a managing director of the local branch of the bank

Sal. Oppenheim Sal. Oppenheim was a German private bank founded in 1789 and headquartered in Cologne, Germany. It provided asset management solutions for wealthy individual clients and institutional investors. In 2009, the bank became a subsidiary of Deutsche Ba ...

and where she worked at UNESCO's World Heritage Centre. Beginning in 2013, the couple lived in Heidesheim Castle, Germany, near

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...

. The couple announced their intention to divorce in May 2017.

Second marriage

On 18 May 2019 she married Count Michael of Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille (b. 26 February 1965) at Sankt Jørgens Kirke in

Svendborgsund Svendborgsund is a strait that separates Funen from Tåsinge. In the west it flows into the South Funen Archipelago by the island Skarø, and in the east it ends in Thurø Sund and Skårupøre Sund, almost separated by Thurøbro, which is mostly ...

. He is a member of an ancient

House of Ahlefeldt A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condit ...

of German and Danish descent. They live in Egeskov Castle, ancestral home of Counts von Ahlefeldt.

Career

Princess Alexandra worked for

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Centre until 2013, in charge of preserving the cultural heritage of countries in the Middle East and South Asia.

Titles, styles and honours

Titles

* 20 November 1970 – 6 June 1998: ''Her Highness'' Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg * 6 June 1998 – May 2017: ''Her Highness'' Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, Countess of Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth * May 2017 - 18 May 2019: ''Her Highness'' Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg * 18 May 2019 – present: ''Her Highness'' Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, Countess Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille

Honours

National honours

* : Recipient of the Silver Anniversary Medal of Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik * : Recipient of the Silver Jubilee Medal of Queen Margrethe II * : Recipient of the 100th Anniversary Medal of the Birth of King Frederik IX * : Recipient of the Queen Ingrid Commemorative Medal * : Recipient of the 70th Birthday Medal of Queen Margrethe II * : Recipient of the Ruby Jubilee Medal of Queen Margrethe II

Foreign honours

* : Recipient of the 50th Birthday Badge Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexandra Of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, Princess 1970 births Living people Nobility from Copenhagen German princesses House of Sayn-Wittgenstein House of Ahlefeldt