On the 7th April in 1915, amid the chaos of World War One, a princess was born into the Prussian house of Hohenzollern. The baby girl was named Alexandrine Irene and was the fifth of the six children of Wilhelm, the German Crown Prince, and his wife, Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Her grandfather was Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor.
Due to the time of her birth, Princess Alexandrine faced plenty of uncertainty growing up. With her royal family line, Alexandrine should have been assured of wealth, success, and security, but due to World War I and the following German Revolution, her father and grandfather had to abdicate and flee to the Netherlands for many years during the creation of the Weimar Republic.
The royal children were moved around and lacked stability in this period, until in 1926 the family were allowed to return to their home in Germany, the Cecilienhof. Alexandrine’s father had promised to stay out of politics, but he often broke his promise. The Crown Prince even became closely involved with the Nazi Party early on and supported Hitler’s rise to power. When it became clear that Hitler did not plan to restore the family to their land and titles, Crown Prince Wilhelm showed less interest.
For the six Hohenzollern princes and princesses, growing up in such a tumultuous period would have been very difficult indeed. The children could never feel truly safe and did not know what their futures held in store for them. For Alexandrine, she faced additional challenges as she was born with Down Syndrome.
Throughout history, it was common for royal children with disabilities or additional needs to be hidden away from the public altogether. Nerissa and Katherine Bowes-Lyon, cousins of Queen Elizabeth II, are examples of how people with differing abilities were treated very poorly in the past. Institutionalising these children or keeping them locked away in a country house was common.
Princess Alexandrine, however, was not treated in this abhorrent manner and was as much a member of the family as the rest of her siblings. Cherished by her parents, educated to a high standard and always out in public with her family, Princess Alexandrine was an exception to how those with Down Syndrome or other disabilities were treated in the early 20th century.
When the Nazi party were persecuting those with disabilities in her homeland, it is a real juxtaposition to see images of Princess Alexandrine living a happy life with her family. Hopefully, by seeing pictures of the princess in the press, people would have seen that those with differing abilities could live whole and happy lives, in contrast to the hateful messages spread about those with disabilities and learning difficulties at the time by the Nazis.
Alexandrine grew up under the care of her mother and her nanny. In 1936, during her twenties, she moved to Bavaria during World War II. After the war, the family home was taken by the Soviets, and they were forced to downsize considerably. Her father was even held as a prisoner of war for some time and was often away from the rest of the family.
Alexandrine spent much of her adult life near Lake Starnberg in a beautiful part of Bavaria, was assisted by Nurse Ericka Strecker, and was often visited by her mother and siblings. Princess Alexandrine died aged 65 and was interred in the family crypt at Hohenzollern Castle, resting in a spot befitting her status as a princess. 1
- Sources
* Stephan Malinowski The Hohenzollerns and the Nazis pp. 288- 289
* Rosemarie Garland-Thomson, Michael Mark Chemers, Analola Santana- Freak Inheritance, Eugenics and Extraordinary Bodies in Performance pp222-227
*The Daily Telegraph- Neglected, hidden away, registered dead: the tragic true story of the Queen’s disabled cousins (15/11/2020)
* www.britannica.com/biography/William-II-emperor-of-Germany
* www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/nazi-persecution-of-the-mentally-and-physically-disabled
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