Dogs in Art – Britain’s Royalty and Their Fondness for Dogs

text and illustrations by Ria Hörter

Britain’s Royalty and Their Fondness for Dogs
The Painting: Queen Alexandra, her Grandchildren and Dogs (1902)

The fondness that generations of Britain’s kings and queens have had for their dogs can be seen in hundreds of paintings and photographs of the royal family with their pets. Or, the other way around: with the dogs that owned the royal family.

Alix

Alexandra (1844-1925), Queen of the United Kingdom of Britain and Ireland and Empress of India, had no British blood in her veins. Her father Christian, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein-Son-derburg-Glücksburg, became King of Denmark as Christian IX in 1863.

Alexandra’s mother was Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel. Both were members of the extended mid-19th-century circle of European princes and princesses. Alexandra’s brother, George, became King of Greece; her sister Dagmar became Empress of Russia in 1883 when her husband Alexander became Tsar Alexander III.

Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia, in her family known as Alix, was born at the Yellow Palace, next to Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen, in 1844. In 1861, Crown Princess Victoria, daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, introduced her brother. Albert Edward (1841-1910), the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) to Alexandra. The couple married at Windsor Castle in 1863.

Edward and Alexandra

King Edward loved hunting and shooting. On some of his royal visits abroad, he left Alexandra and her female entourage behind, preferring the company of his male friends, and hunted to his heart’s content. Men amongst themselves…

Despite his absences, the couple had six children: Albert Victor (1864), George (1865), Louise (1867), Victoria (1868), Maud (1869) and Alexander John (1871). Albert Victor died at 28, and Alexander John lived only a few hours.

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Posted by Alex on Jul 16 2018. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.