| Consort: | yes |
| Alexandra | |
| Succession: | Grand Duchess consort of Mecklenburg-Schwerin |
| Reign: | 7 June 1904 – 14 November 1918 |
| Full Name: | Alexandra Louise Marie Olga Elisabeth Therese Vera German: Alexandra Luise Marie Olga Elisabeth Therese Vera |
| Issue: |
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| House: | Hanover |
| Father: | Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover |
| Mother: | Princess Thyra of Denmark |
| Birth Name: | Princess Alexandra of Cumberland |
| Birth Date: | 29 September 1882 |
| Birth Place: | Schloss Cumberland, Gmunden, Upper Austria, Austria-Hungary |
| Death Place: | Glücksburg Castle, Glücksburg, Schleswig-Holstein, West Germany |
Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland (Alexandra Louise Marie Olga Elisabeth Therese Vera; 29 September 1882 - 30 August 1963) was the wife of Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. As such, she was the last consort of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from their marriage on 7 June 1904 until the Grand Duke abdicated on 14 November 1918, following the German Revolution of 1918. Alexandra was the daughter of Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover, and Princess Thyra of Denmark.
Alexandra was the second eldest daughter and third child of Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover (1845–1923) and Princess Thyra of Denmark (1853–1933), the youngest daughter of Christian IX of Denmark (1818–1906) and Louise of Hesse-Kassel (1817–1898). Alexandra was a great-great-granddaughter of George III of the United Kingdom (1738–1820) and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1744–1818).
Alexandra married on 7 June 1904 in Gmunden, Austria-Hungary to Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1882–1945), son of Frederick Francis III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and his wife Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia. The bridegroom gave Alexandra a diamond and aquamarine tiara by Faberge.[1]
Alexandra and Frederick Francis had five children:
In 1913, a fire broke out at Schwerin Castle while the Grand Duke and Duchess were dining there with guests. Everyone was able to make it out safely, although the grand ducal couple had to apparently rush through flying sparks when making their escape. There were a reported $750,000 in damages, in which countless works of art, as well as important rooms were utterly destroyed. Certain reports blamed the fire on a vengeful servant, although an official court announcement stated it was merely an electrical issue.
After the Grand Duke's forced abdication in 1918, the family briefly went into exile in Denmark, the native country of Alexandra's mother, Princess Thyra. After his death in 1945, the widowed Alexandra retired to the Glucksburg family estates in Schleswig-Holstein.
See also: Descendants of Christian IX of Denmark.
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