Alexandra of Yugoslavia

Alexandra of Yugoslavia was the last queen of Yugoslavia as the wife of King Peter II. She was born as Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark, the posthumous daughter of King Alexander of Greece and his morganatic wife, Aspasia Manos. She was not part of the Greek royal family until 1922, when a law was passed that retroactively recognized marriages of members of the royal family. However, she and her mother had to leave Greece in 1924 after a political and military crisis that led to the exile of the royal family. They settled in Italy, where Alexandra lived with her paternal grandmother, Queen Sophia, until 1934. She then moved to the United Kingdom to continue her studies, while her mother stayed in Venice. In London, Alexandra met King Peter II of Yugoslavia, who had also gone into exile after the invasion of his country by Nazi Germany in 1941. They fell in love and married in 1944, despite the opposition from Peter's mother, Queen Maria, and the Yugoslav government in exile. A year later, Alexandra gave birth to their only son, Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia, at Claridge's Hotel in London. This was the only time she entered Yugoslavia, as the hotel suite was declared Yugoslav territory for the occasion. Alexandra was an active supporter of the Allied cause during World War II. She established the Yugoslav Red Cross and worked with various humanitarian organizations. She also accompanied her husband on several diplomatic missions to the United States and other countries. However, their hopes of returning to Yugoslavia were dashed when Marshal Tito proclaimed the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1945 and abolished the monarchy. Alexandra and Peter never set foot in their adopted country again. The royal family lived in exile in various countries, including France, Switzerland and the United States. They faced financial difficulties and marital problems, as Peter suffered from alcoholism and depression. He died in 1970 in Denver, Colorado. Alexandra remained devoted to him and never remarried. She also dedicated herself to her son and his family, as well as to various charitable causes. She died in 1993 in Burgess Hill, West Sussex, England. She was initially buried at Tatoi Palace in Greece, but her remains were later transferred to the Royal Mausoleum Oplenac in Serbia in 2013.