Queen Alexandra (Alexandra Carolina Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 - 20 November 1925) was Queen Consort to Edward VII of the United Kingdom and thus Empress of India during her husband's reign. Prior to that, she was Princess of Wales from 1863 to 1901 (the longest anyone has ever held that title). From 1910, until her death, she was the Queen Mother, being a queen and the mother of the reigning monarch, George V of the United Kingdom, though she was more generally styled "Her Majesty Queen Alexandra" (see English Queen Mothers.) Princess Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia, or "Alix", as she was known within the family, was born at the Yellow Palace, an 18th-century town house at 18 Amaliegade, right next to the Amalienborg Palace complex in Copenhagen. She was named after Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna of Russia, her aunt by marriage. Her father was Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg and her mother was Princess Louise of Hesse-Cassel. Although two of her great great grandfathers, George II and Fredrick V were Kings, and she was of princely blood, her family lived a comparatively normal life, and they did not possess great wealth. Her father's income was about 800 pounds per year and their house was a rent-free grace and favor property. A Grace and favour is a house or flat owned by the sovereign and lent to persons rent-free in gratitude for past services. Occasionally, Hans Christian Andersen would call and tell the children stories before bedtime. In 1848, the King Christian VIII of Denmark died and his only son, Frederick ascended the throne. Frederick was childless, had been through two unsuccessful marriages and was assumed to be infertile. A succession crisis arose as Frederick ruled in both Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein, and the succession rules of each were different. In Holstein, the Salic law prevented inheritance through the female line, whereas no such restrictions applied in Denmark. Holstein, being predominantly German, proclaimed independence and called in the aid of Prussia. In 1852, the Great Powers called a conference in London to discuss the Danish succession. An uneasy peace was agreed, which included the provision that Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg would be Frederick's heir in all his dominions and the prior claims of others (who included Christian's own mother-in-law, brother-in-law and wife) were surrendered.*** Posted on the Alexander Palace Time Machine Discussion Forum by aussiechick12 on 22 August 2006.