Princess Alexandrine Irene of Prussia (7 April 1915 – 2 October 1980) was the oldest daughter and fifth child of
Wilhelm, German Crown Prince
Wilhelm, German Crown Prince, Crown Prince of Prussia (Friedrich Wilhelm Victor August Ernst; 6 May 1882 – 20 July 1951) was the eldest child of the last ''Kaiser'', the German Emperor, Wilhelm II, and his consort Augusta Victoria of Schles ...
, and
Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Duchess Cecilie Auguste Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (20 September 1886 – 6 May 1954) was the last German Crown Princess and Crown Princess of Prussia as the wife of Wilhelm, German Crown Prince, the son of German Emperor Wilhelm II.
Cecili ...
. Her grandparents were
Wilhelm II, German Emperor
Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until his abdication on 9 November 1918. Despite strengthening the German Emp ...
and his wife
Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, and
Frederick Francis III of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and
Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia. Alexandrine was a member of the
House of Hohenzollern
The House of Hohenzollern (, also , german: Haus Hohenzollern, , ro, Casa de Hohenzollern) is a German royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) dynasty whose members were variously princes, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern, Brandenbu ...
.
Early life
Alexandrine was born at the
Kronprinzenpalais
The Kronprinzenpalais (English: ''Crown Prince's Palace'') is a former Royal Prussian residence on Unter den Linden boulevard in the historic centre of Berlin. It was built in 1663 and renovated in 1857 according to plans by Heinrich Strack in ...
in Berlin. Her middle name of Irene (Greek for "peace") was likely given due to her birth during the second year of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. She followed older brothers
Wilhelm
Wilhelm may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* William Charles John Pitcher, costume designer known professionally as "Wilhelm"
* Wilhelm (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname
Other uses
* Mount ...
,
Louis Ferdinand,
Hubertus
Hubertus or Hubert ( 656 – 30 May 727 A.D.) was a Christian saint who became the first bishop of Liège in 708 A.D. He is the patron saint of hunters, mathematicians, opticians and metalworkers. Known as the "Apostle of the Ardennes", he w ...
, and
Frederick Frederick may refer to:
People
* Frederick (given name), the name
Nobility
Anhalt-Harzgerode
*Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670)
Austria
* Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198
* Frederick ...
. Alexandrine's only sister, Cecilie, was born in 1917. Alexandrine was known by the nickname of "Adini" within her family.
It became clear shortly after Alexandrine's birth that she was affected with
Down syndrome
Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...
. Unlike other disabled royal children, Alexandrine was not hidden away. She appeared in official family photographs and at events. She was cared for primarily by her nurse, Selma Boese.
As a teenager, Alexandrine attended the Trüpersche Sonderschule, a school dedicated to the education of young women with special needs.
Alexandrine was confirmed along with her sister Cecilie in October 1934.
Later life and death
Alexandrine lived most of her later life in Bavaria, first in
Pöcking
Pöcking is a municipality in the district of Starnberg in Bavaria in Germany. Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria, consort of Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria-Hungary, grew up here in the Possenhofen Castle as daughter of Duke Max in Bavaria and Prin ...
and later near
Lake Starnberg
Lake Starnberg, or ''Starnberger See'' ) — called Lake Würm, or ''Würmsee'' , until 1962 — is Germany's second-largest body of fresh water, having great depth, and fifth-largest lake by area. It and its surroundings lie in three different Ba ...
. She was visited there regularly by her family, particularly her brother Louis Ferdinand.
Alexandrine died in 1980 and is buried near her parents and brother Frederick at
Hohenzollern Castle
Hohenzollern Castle (german: Burg Hohenzollern ) is the ancestral seat of the imperial House of Hohenzollern. The third of three hilltop castles built on the site, it is located atop Mount Hohenzollern, above and south of Hechingen, on the ...
.
Gallery
Image:Wilhelm and Alexandrine.jpg, Princess Alexandrine of Prussia with her father, German Crown Prince Wilhelm
Image:Friedrich von Preussen (1911-1966) - Alexandrine Irene von Preussen (1915-1980).jpg, The grave markers of Alexandrine and her brother Frederick.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexandrine of Prussia, Princess
1915 births
1980 deaths
Alexandrine
Alexandrine is a name used for several distinct types of verse line with related metrical structures, most of which are ultimately derived from the classical French alexandrine. The line's name derives from its use in the Medieval French ''Roman ...
People with Down syndrome
Alexandrine
Alexandrine is a name used for several distinct types of verse line with related metrical structures, most of which are ultimately derived from the classical French alexandrine. The line's name derives from its use in the Medieval French ''Roman ...
Royalty and nobility with disabilities