Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg

## Alexandra

*Countess of Frederiksborg*

*2018*

## Media

Wiki Gallery

**Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg** (*née Alexandra Christina Manley*; born 30 June 1964) is the former wife of Prince Joachim of Denmark, younger son of Margrethe II of Denmark.

## Early Life

Alexandra Christina Manley was born on 30 June 1964 in Hong Kong. She is the eldest of three daughters of Richard Manley and Christa Nowotny Manley. Her father was an insurance company executive, and her mother was the manager of a communications company. She is of English, Chinese, Czech, and Austrian ancestry.

She was christened at St. John's Cathedral in Hong Kong.

## Education

Alexandra attended Quarry Bay Junior School from 1969 to 1971, Glenealy School from 1971 to 1974, and Island School from 1974 to 1982, all in Hong Kong.

She studied international business at the Vienna University of Economics and Business in Austria, and went to Japan and England for additional studies.

Alexandra speaks English, German, and Danish.

## Career

From 1990 to 1995, Alexandra was employed by GT Management Ltd. in Hong Kong. She worked in sales and marketing until 1993 when she became a deputy chief executive of that department.

In 2007, she joined the Danish board of directors of Ferring Pharmaceuticals. She serves a non-executive board member and also heads the ethics committee.

In 2017, Alexandra was named Poling Chair of Business and Government at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business for the upcoming academic year. According to the IU press release regarding the announcement, she was to "...stimulate discussion in the areas of leadership, the critical interactions between private business and government in matters of public policy, enterprise competitiveness and economic growth." She made periodic trips to the school, participating in panel discussions and interacting with students and faculty.

## Personal Life

### First Marriage

Courtship & Engagement
Alexandra met Prince Joachim of Denmark, the younger son of Margrethe II of Denmark, at a party in Hong Kong, where he was working for a Danish shipping company.

*Main article: Engagement of Prince Joachim of Denmark and Alexandra Manley*
After a whirlwind courtship that was thought to have begun in late 1994, Joachim proposed to Alexandra while the couple vacationed together in the Philippines. Their engagement, which took both Alexandra's family and Danish royal watchers by surprise, was officially announced in May 1995.

Wedding
*Main article: Wedding of Prince Joachim of Denmark and Alexandra Manley*
The couple married on 18 November 1995 in the chapel of Frederiksborg Castle. The wedding festivities were held at Fredensborg Palace.

In connection with the marriage, Alexandra gave up her career in marketing and renounced her British citizenship. She became a Danish citizen and a Princess of Denmark.

Children
Alexandra and Joachim have two children.

1. Count Nikolai of Monpezat, born 8 August 1999
2. Count Felix of Monpezat, born 22 July 2002

Divorce
By mid-2004, rumors were circulating throughout Denmark and neighboring countries that the couple's marriage was in trouble. On 16 September 2004, Alexandra and Joachim announced their separation and eventual intention to divorce.

The Danish Parliament decided to put Alexandra on the civil list for life, independent of any future remarriage. Her payments of her new yearly allowance of 2.1m kroner ($330,000) started retroactively from 1 October 2004.

Alexandra and Joachim divorced on 8 April 2005. It was the first divorce in the royal family since 1846. They shared joint custody of their two sons.

On 23 June 2017, Alexandra announced that she would waive her annual allowance from the Danish civil list on July 2020, coinciding with the 18th birthday of Prince Felix. She does continue to receive a significantly smaller sum, similar to a civil service pension.

### Second Marriage

Courtship & Engagement
In mid-2005, there were reports and pictures of Alexandra together with Martin Jørgensen, a Danish photographer who had ties to the royal family.

Wedding
*Main article: Wedding of Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg and Martin Jørgensen*
The couple married on 3 March 2007 in a private ceremony at Øster Egede Church. As a result of her remarriage, Alexandra lost her title as a Princess of Denmark and ceased to be a member of the Danish Royal Family.

Divorce
In September 2015, it was announced that Alexandra and Martin were divorcing. She cited differences in values as the reason for the divorce, which was finalized in 2015.

## Public Life

Alexandra quickly became popular with the Danish people. Known for her fashion sense and charity work, she was dubbed the "Diana of the North". Her fluency in German helped her pick up the Danish language quickly and within a few months, she spoke it nearly without an accent, further endearing her to the Danes. In an interview, she spoke about her experience learning the language, saying,

> "It was my decision to learn the language immediately. It would have been terrible to have to stand up and speak English at an engagement, or thank someone for something. It would have been utterly wrong. This is my home, and so there was no other option."
>
>

Alexandra is involved in numerous philanthropic pursuits, including the Children's Red Cross and the single mothers' advocacy group Mother Help. She has served as a UNICEF ambassador during a trip to Thailand to visit HIV/AIDS patients.

She is a founding member of the Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix Foundation, which supports humanitarian, cultural and higher education causes, and the Mermaid Project, which raises funds for gynecological cancer research. She is also a member of Christian IV’s Guild in Aalborg and a former honorary member of the Danish Children’s Cancer Foundation.

Alexandra occasionally still attends events with her first ex-husband and the rest of the Danish royal family.

### Activities

* 2022
* 2018
* 2015
* 2012

* September

**10th:** Alexandra attended a performance at the Royal Danish Theatre in honor of Margrethe II's Golden Jubilee.

**11th:** She attended a special Golden Jubilee service at the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen.

* February
* May

**20th:** Alexandra attended the cremation service of Prince Henrik of Denmark.

**26th:** Alexandra attended a gala dinner at Christiansborg Palace for Crown Prince Frederik's 50th birthday.

* April

**8th:** Alexandra attended a performance at Musikhuset Aarhus in honor of Margrethe II's 75th birthday.

* January

**14th:** Alexandra attended a festival performance at Koncerthuset in honor of Margrethe II's Ruby Jubilee.

### Patronages

* Children’s Cultural Building Fyrtøjet
* Danish Animal Foundation
* Danish Parkinson Disease Association
* Danish Association of the Blind
* Ecco Walkathon
* English Speaking Union of Denmark
* Institution for Congregational Daycare
* National Association for Infant Deaths
* Nordsø Museum
* Odense Zoo
* Randers Rainforest
* Swedish Villa Foundation

Former Patronages
* Danish Cancer Foundation’s annual campaign for raising awareness of breast cancer
* Danish National Girls’ Choir
* Danish Unicef Committee

## Titles, Styles, & Arms

Titles & Styles

* **30 June 1964 - 18 November 1995:** *Miss* Alexandra Christina Manley
* **18 November 1995 - 8 April 2005:** *Her Royal Highness* Princess Alexandra of Denmark
* **8 April 2005 - 16 April 2005:** *Her Highness* Princess Alexandra of Denmark
* **16 April 2005 - 3 March 2007:** *Her Highness* Princess Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg
* **3 March 2007 - *present:*** *Her Excellency* Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg

Coat of Arms
Princess of Denmark (1995 - 2005)Countess of Frederiksborg (2005 - *present*)
## Honours

* National
* Foreign

Orders
* **Denmark**
	+ Knight of the Order of the Elephant (17 November 1995)
	+ Member of the Royal Family Order of Margrethe II

Medals
* **Denmark**
	+ Silver Jubilee Medal of Margrethe II (14 January 1997)

Orders
* **Finland**
	+ Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland

* **Luxembourg**
	+ Grand Cross of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau

* **Romania**
	+ Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Romania (2004)

## References

1. ↑ Alexandra i Ferrings bestyrelse *(Danish)*.
2. ↑ Countess Alexandra named IU Kelley School’s Poling Chair of Business and Government.
3. ↑ Grevinde Alexandra frasiger sig sin ydelse fra staten *(Danish)*.
4. ↑ Grevinde Alexandra og Martin Jørgensen skal skilles *(Danish)*.
5. ↑ Guest list for the command performance at the Royal Theatre at 10 September 2022.
6. ↑ Guest list for the service at the Cathedral Church of Our Lady on 11 September 2022.
7. ↑ Guest list for HRH Prince Henriks' cremation service.
8. ↑ Guest list for Gala Banquet at Christiansborg Palace.
9. ↑ Guest list for Command Performance in Musikhuset Aarhus.
10. ↑ Gæsteliste ved Festforestilling i DR's Koncerthus *(Danish)*.
11. ↑ Recipients of the Order of the Star of Romania, Excel Sheet *(Romanian)*.