Princess Alexandra Elli Francisca Maria of Greece, known professionally as Alexandra Mirzayantz (born 15 October 1968) is a Greek artist, art collector, arts patron, and child life specialist. As the daughter of

Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark, (born 7 January 1939) is a Greek prince, historian, and author. He has written several historical books and biographies of Greek and other European figures, Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh. " Burke’s Royal F ...

, she is a member of the

Greek royal family The Greek royal family (Greek: Ελληνική Βασιλική Οικογένεια) is a branch of the Danish royal family, itself a branch of the House of Glücksburg, that reigned in Greece from 1863 to 1924 and again from 1935 to 1973. Its ...

and a relative of the

Danish royal family The Danish royal family is the dynastic family of the monarch. All members of the Danish royal family except Queen Margrethe II hold the title of ''Prince/Princess of Denmark''. Dynastic children of the monarch and of the heir apparent are accor ...

. A

morganatic Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...

descendent of the

House of Glücksburg The House of Glücksburg (also spelled ''Glücksborg'' or ''Lyksborg''), shortened from House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, is a collateral branch of the German House of Oldenburg, members of which have reigned at various times ...

, she is not a Danish princess nor is she entitled to the style ''

Royal Highness Royal Highness is a style used to address or refer to some members of royal families, usually princes or princesses. Monarchs and their consorts are usually styled ''Majesty''. When used as a direct form of address, spoken or written, it takes ...

''. She was born a princess of Greece entitled to the style ''

Your Highness ''Your Highness'' is a 2011 American stoner comic fantasy film directed by David Gordon Green. It stars Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman, Zooey Deschanel and Justin Theroux. Written by McBride and Ben Best, the film was released on ...

'', and was excluded from the line of succession to the Greek throne. She is a second cousin of

Constantine II of Greece Constantine II ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Βʹ, ''Konstantínos II''; 2 June 1940) reigned as the last King of Greece, from 6 March 1964 until the abolition of the Monarchy of Greece, Greek monarchy on 1 June 1973. Constantine is the only ...

, who reigned as

King of the Hellenes The Kingdom of Greece was ruled by the House of Wittelsbach between 1832 and 1862 and by the House of Glücksburg from 1863 to 1924, temporarily abolished during the Second Hellenic Republic, and from 1935 to 1973, when it was once more abolishe ...

until the monarchy was abolished in 1973.

Early life and family

Princess Alexandra was born in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

on 15 October 1968. She is the daughter of the historian

and the artist

Marina Karella Marina Karella ( el, Μαρίνα Καρέλλα; born 17 July 1940) is a Greek artist and the wife of Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark. Life Marina Karella was born in Athens on 17 July 1940 to industrialist Theodor Karella and Elly Chali ...

. She is the older sister of

Princess Olga Olga ( orv, Вольга, Volĭga; (); russian: Ольга (); uk, Ольга (). Old Norse: '; Lith: ''Alge''; Christian name: ''Elena''; c. 890–925 – 969) was a regent of Kievan Rus' for her son Sviatoslav from 945 until 960. Following ...

. She is a great-granddaughter of

George I of Greece George I ( Greek: Γεώργιος Α΄, ''Geórgios I''; 24 December 1845 – 18 March 1913) was King of Greece from 30 March 1863 until his assassination in 1913. Originally a Danish prince, he was born in Copenhagen, and seemed destined for ...

and

Olga Constantinovna of Russia Olga Constantinovna of Russia ( el, Όλγα; 18 June 1926) was queen consort of Greece as the wife of King George I. She was briefly the regent of Greece in 1920. A member of the Romanov dynasty, she was the oldest daughter of Grand Duke Co ...

.de Badts de Cugnac, Chantal. Coutant de Saisseval, Guy . ''Le Petit Gotha.'' Nouvelle Imprimerie Laballery. Paris. 2002. pp. 458-460, 522-525, 532-533 (French) She is also a great-granddaughter of

Prince Jean, Duke of Guise Prince Jean of Orléans, Duke of Guise (Jean Pierre Clément Marie; 4 September 1874 – 25 August 1940), was the third son and youngest child of Prince Robert, Duke of Chartres (1840–1910), grandson of Prince Ferdinand Philippe and great- ...

and a great-great-granddaughter of

Christian IX of Denmark Christian IX (8 April 181829 January 1906) was King of Denmark from 1863 until his death in 1906. From 1863 to 1864, he was concurrently Duke of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg. A younger son of Frederick William, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein- ...

. As Princess Alexandra's parents' marriage is

, and therefore

non-dynastic A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A d ...

, she is a Greek princess by birth but not a Danish princess, uses the style ''

Her Highness Highness (abbreviation HH, oral address Your Highness) is a formal style used to address (in second person) or refer to (in third person) certain members of a reigning or formerly reigning dynasty. It is typically used with a possessive adject ...

'' instead of '' Her Royal Highness'', and is excluded from the line of succession to the former Greek throne.Beéche, Arturo. The Gotha, Volume 1. Kensington House Books, California, 2009, pages 81, 235, 237. . On 29 July 1973, Princess Alexandra's first cousin-twice removed,

, was deposed and the Greek monarchy was abolished.

Career

Princess Alexandra is a certified child life specialist. In 2018, she graduated with a master's degree in fine arts from the

New York Academy of Art The New York Academy of Art is a private art school in Tribeca, New York City. The academy offers a Master of Fine Arts degree with a focus on technical training and critical discourse as well as a Post-baccalaureate Certificate of Fine Art. The ...

. She works as a painter and portraitist. She has cited

Melina Mercouri Maria Amalia "Melina" Mercouri (, 18 October 1920 – 6 March 1994) was a Greek actress, singer, activist, and politician. She came from a political family that was prominent over multiple generations. She received an Academy Award nomination a ...

Rita Wilson Rita Wilson (born Margarita Ibrahimoff; October 26, 1956) is an American actress, singer, and producer. Her film appearances include ''Volunteers'' (1985), ''Sleepless in Seattle'' (1993), '' Now and Then'' (1995), ''That Thing You Do!'' (1996), ...

Niki de Saint Phalle Niki de Saint Phalle (; born Catherine Marie-Agnès Fal de Saint Phalle; 29 October 193021 May 2002) was a French-American sculptor, painter, filmmaker, and author of colorful hand-illustrated books. Widely noted as one of the few female monume ...

, Willem Claesz. Heda, and

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consid ...

as her artistic inspiration. In 2020, she painted portraits of

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

members as part of a fundraising inititative. In 2022 she sold paintings as part of a benefit for visual aids. Princess Alexandra and her husband are patrons of the New York art scene. She is also an art collector. She owns a portrait of her grandfather,

Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark ( el, Χριστόφορος; 10 August 1888 – 21 January 1940) was the fifth and youngest son and youngest child of King George I of Greece, belonging to a dynasty which mounted and lost the throne of ...

, painted by

Philip de László Philip Alexius László de Lombos (born Fülöp Laub; hu, Fülöp Elek László; 30 April 1869 – 22 November 1937), known professionally as Philip de László, was an Anglo-Hungarian painter known particularly for his portraits of royal an ...

in 1919, as part of her collection.

Personal life

Princess Alexandra is married to perfumer Nicolas Mirzayantz. They have two children, Tigran and Darius. She is active in the New York social scene. In 2007, she was inducted into the

International Best Dressed Hall of Fame List The International Best-Dressed Hall of Fame List was founded by fashionista Eleanor Lambert in 1940 as an attempt to boost the reputation of American fashion at the time. The American magazine '' Vanity Fair'' is currently in charge of the List af ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexandra of Greece, Princess Living people 1968 births 21st-century art collectors 21st-century Greek painters Greek art collectors Greek people of Danish descent Greek people of French descent Greek people of Russian descent Greek princesses Greek socialites Greek women painters House of Glücksburg (Greece) Nobility from Athens Women art collectors Women in medicine