View source for Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg

{{Short description|Ex-wife of Prince Joachim of Denmark}}
{{Redirect-distinguish|Alexandra Manley|Alexandra Manly}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox noble
| name         = Alexandra
| title        = [[Countess of Frederiksborg]] 
| image        = Prinsesse Alexandra (cropped).jpg
| image_size   = 200px
| caption      = The then Princess Alexandra in [[Aalborg]], 2004
|CoA=|tenure=|predecessor=|successor=| birth_name   = Alexandra Christina Manley
| birth_date   = {{Birth date and age|1964|6|30|df=yes}}
| birth_place  = [[British Hong Kong|Hong Kong]]
| death_date   =
| death_place  =
| burial_date  =
| burial_place =
| spouse       = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Prince Joachim of Denmark]]<br />|18 November 1995|8 April 2005|end=div.}}
* {{marriage|Martin Jørgensen<br />|3 March 2007|September 2015|end=div.}}
}}
| issue        = {{plain list|
* [[Count Nikolai of Monpezat|Count Nikolai]]
* [[Count Felix of Monpezat|Count Felix]]
}}
| father       = Richard Nigel Manley
| mother       = Christa Maria Nowotny
| occupation   =
| signature    =
}}

'''Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg''', {{post-nominals|post-noms=[[Order of the Elephant|RE]]}}, formerly '''Princess Alexandra of Denmark''' (Alexandra Christina; ''née'' '''Manley'''; born 30 June 1964), is the former wife of [[Prince Joachim of Denmark]], the younger brother of [[King Frederik X of Denmark]].

She was born in [[British Hong Kong|Hong Kong]], and is of mixed Asian and European ancestry. She was introduced to Prince Joachim in 1994. They married in 1995, and had two sons together, then divorced in 2005.

==Early life and family==
Alexandra Manley was born in Hong Kong, as the eldest of three daughters of Richard Nigel Manley (11 August 1924<ref name="Vienna Burial and Death records">{{cite web|title=Vienna Burial and Death records|url=http://www.friedhoefewien.at/eportal/fhw/vs/submitSuchergebnis.do?id=0|access-date=22 August 2014|archive-date=31 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150831173825/http://www.friedhoefewien.at/eportal/fhw/vs/submitSuchergebnis.do?id=0|url-status=dead}}</ref> – 12 January 2010) and Christa Maria Manley (née Nowotny; 1933 – 5 January 2023). Her father was a [[Han Chinese|Chinese]]-[[English People|English]] insurance company executive and her mother was an [[Austrians|Austrian]]-[[Czechs|Czech]] manager of a communications company.<ref name="Vogue Scandinavia">https://fallback.www.voguescandinavia.com/articles/the-model-prince</ref> She was baptized at the [[St John's Cathedral (Hong Kong)|Cathedral of Saint John, Hong Kong]]. She attended Quarry Bay Junior School (1969–1971), [[Glenealy School]] (1971–1974) and [[Island School]] (1974–1982),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.danmarkskonger.dk/king54b.htm|title=Prince Joachim|website=Danmarkskonger.dk|access-date=2017-08-19|archive-date=1 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801074050/http://www.danmarkskonger.dk/king54b.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> all in Hong Kong.

Manley studied [[international business]] at [[Vienna University of Economics and Business]] in [[Austria]]. She also went to [[Japan]] and [[England]] for studies. It is not known whether she obtained a university degree.{{Cn|date=March 2024}} From 1990 to 1995, she was employed by GT Management (Asia) Ltd., Hong Kong, where from 1990 to 1993 she worked in Sales and Marketing and from 1993 as a deputy chief executive of that department.

==First marriage and children==
Alexandra met [[Prince Joachim of Denmark|Prince Joachim]] at a private dinner in Hong Kong in January 1994, where he was working for a Danish shipping company. After a whirlwind courtship, thought to have begun in late 1994, Prince Joachim presented Alexandra with a diamond and ruby engagement ring while on vacation in the Philippines. Their engagement was officially announced in May 1995.

They were married on 18 November 1995, by [[Margrethe II of Denmark|Queen Margrethe]]'s Chaplain-in-Ordinary, in [[Frederiksborg Castle]] Church, the Chapel of the [[Order of the Elephant]], in [[Hillerød]]. The wedding festivities were held at [[Fredensborg Palace]]. The bride's gown was designed by [[Jørgen Bender]] and she wore the Alexandrine Drop Tiara, originally the property of Duchess [[Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]], which was a wedding gift from Queen Margrethe.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

When Alexandra married Joachim, she gave up her career in marketing. It is believed that she had renounced her British citizenship prior to become a Danish citizen upon her marriage.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lov om meddelelse af dansk indfødsret til Alexandra Christina Manley|url=https://www.retsinformation.dk/Forms/r0710.aspx?id=59488|publisher=retsinformation.dk}}</ref>

During their 9-year marriage, Joachim and Alexandra welcomed two sons. On 28 August 1999, [[Count Nikolai of Monpezat|Count Nikolai]], the first grandchild of the Queen and Prince Consort, was born. His younger brother, [[Count Felix of Monpezat|Count Felix]], followed three years later on 22 July 2002.

==Life as a princess==
Alexandra became popular with the Danish people. Known for her fashion sense and charity work, she was dubbed the [[Diana, Princess of Wales|Diana]] of the North. She is a native English and German speaker (through her father and mother, respectively), and her fluency in German helped her pick up the [[Danish language]] quickly. Within a few months, she spoke it nearly without an accent, which further endeared her to the Danes. As she said in an interview, "I don't find the grammar especially difficult, but the pronunciation can be hard, since we swallow some of our words. It reminds me a little of Chinese, with the [[glottal stop]] … Saying something with an upswing or a downswing can give a word an entirely different meaning," she explained. "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".

Both during and after her marriage, she was involved in numerous philanthropic pursuits, including the Youth [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|Red Cross]], the Danish Society for the Blind, [[UNICEF]], and single mothers' advocacy group, Mother Help. She also served as a UNICEF ambassador when she travelled to Thailand to visit [[HIV/AIDS]] patients.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web|url=http://www.denmark.dk/portal/page?_pageid=374,706707&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL|title=Denmark's Princess Alexandra reflects on life at 40|website=Denmark.dk|access-date=2017-08-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160122030436/http://denmark.dk/portal/page?_pageid=374,706707&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL|archive-date=22 January 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==End of marriage==
On 16 September 2004, Alexandra and Joachim announced their separation and eventual intention to divorce. It would be the first in the Royal Family since 1846. The [[Folketing]] decided to put Alexandra on the [[civil list]] for life, independent of her possible future remarriage. Alexandra's payments of her new yearly allowance of 2.1m kroner (US$330,000) started retroactively from 1 October 2004. The couple divorced on 8 April 2005.

On 23 June 2017, she announced that she would renounce her entitlement to the Danish civil list in July 2020, coinciding with the 18th birthday of Prince Felix.<ref>{{cite news|title=Grevinde Alexandra frasiger sig sin ydelse fra staten|url=https://www.b.dk/nationalt/grevinde-alexandra-frasiger-sig-sin-ydelse-fra-staten|access-date=24 June 2017|work=Berlingske Tidende|date=23 June 2017|language=da}}</ref>

==Second marriage and current life==
As early as mid-2005, there were reports and pictures of Alexandra with Martin Jørgensen, the son of Jacob Jørgensen, a well-known film producer whose company, JJ Film, has produced – and continues to produce – numerous documentaries in which the Danish royal family has participated.

Alexandra married Martin Jørgensen on 3 March 2007 in a private ceremony at Øster Egede Church near [[Fakse]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/denmarks-princess-alexandra-to-remarry/2007/02/08/1170524199516.html |title=Denmark's Princess Alexandra to remarry |date=8 February 2007 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.lifeofguangzhou.com/node_10/node_37/node_83/2007/03/04/117297289615874.shtml |title=Princess Alexandra Marries Danish Photographer |publisher=Life of Guangzhou |agency=Agency Free Press |access-date=21 November 2012 |archive-date=21 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180221221258/http://www.lifeofguangzhou.com/node_10/node_37/node_83/2007/03/04/117297289615874.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref> She was walked down the aisle by her sons, Nikolai (aged nearly 7) and Felix (aged nearly 4). Aside from the young princes, no one from the Danish royal family attended the ceremony. As a result of her remarriage Alexandra lost her title as a [[List of princesses of Denmark by marriage|Princess of Denmark]] and ceased to be a member of the [[Danish royal family|Danish Royal Family]]. In September 2015, it was announced that Jørgensen and the Countess were divorcing after eight and a half years of marriage. The Countess had cited differences in values as the reason for the divorce.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://politiken.dk/indland/ECE2832671/grevinde-alexandra-om-brud-med-martin-joergensen-derfor-skal-vi-skilles/ |title=Grevinde Alexandra om brud med Martin Jørgensen: Derfor skal vi skilles |date=8 September 2015 |work=[[Politiken]] |access-date=2015-09-25 |language=da }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Grevinde Alexandra og Martin Jørgensen skal skilles|url=https://www.b.dk/nationalt/grevinde-alexandra-og-martin-joergensen-skal-skilles|access-date=22 May 2017|work=[[Berlingske Tidende]]|date=8 September 2015|language=da}}</ref> The divorce was finalised in 2015.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

In 2007, the Countess of Frederiksborg joined the Danish board of directors of [[Ferring Pharmaceuticals]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.dr.dk/Nyheder/Penge/2007/09/26/072634.htm |title=Alexandra i Ferrings bestyrelse |date=26 September 2007 |work=[[DR (broadcaster)|DR Nyheder]] |language=da |trans-title=Alexandra in the board of directors of Ferring}}</ref> In 2017, it was announced that she would take up the position of Poling Chair of Business and Government at the [[Indiana University]] [[Kelley School of Business]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://news.iu.edu/stories/2017/09/iu/releases/25-poling-chair.html|title=Countess to serve as Poling Chair at Kelley School of Business|work=News at IU|access-date=2017-10-19}}</ref>

Alexandra still occasionally attends events with her former husband and the rest of the Danish royal family. Among other events, in 2012, she attended a gala performance at [[Koncerthuset]] in honour of Queen Margrethe II's 40th jubilee,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.kongehuset.dk/menu/nyheder/gasteliste-ved-festforestilling-i-drs-koncerthus |title=Gæsteliste ved Festforestilling i DR's Koncerthus |work=[[Danish royal family]] |access-date=5 May 2021}}</ref> and in 2018, she attended the gala dinner for her former brother-in-law [[Frederik X|Crown Prince Frederik]]'s 50th birthday at [[Christiansborg Palace]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.kongehuset.dk/nyheder/gaesteliste-ved-gallataffel-paa-christiansborg-slot-0 |title=Gæsteliste ved gallataffel på Christiansborg Slot |work=[[Danish royal family]] |access-date=5 May 2021}}</ref>

==Titles, styles, honours and arms==
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=July 2021}}
[[File:Royal Monogram of Princess Alexandra of Denmark.svg|thumb|x250px|upright|Alexandra's monogram]]

===Titles and styles===
Alexandra Manley became known as "[[Royal Highness|Her Royal Highness]] Princess Alexandra of Denmark" upon her marriage to Prince Joachim. After her divorce, she assumed the lesser style of "[[Highness|Her Highness]]" and was granted the additional title "Countess of Frederiksborg". She lost her princely title upon remarriage and became known as "[[Her Excellency]] Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg".

===Honours===
====National honours====
* {{flag|Denmark}}:
**[[File:Order of the Elephant Ribbon bar.svg|70px]] Knight of the [[Order of the Elephant]] (R.E.)
**[[File:Order of the Dannebrog R.svg|70px]] Member of the [[Royal Family Order|Royal Family Decoration of Queen Margrethe II]]
**[[File:DEN Medal for the Silver Jubilee of Queen Margarethe of Denmark ribbon.svg|70px]] Recipient of the [[List of orders, decorations, and medals of the Kingdom of Denmark|Commemorative Medal]] of the Silver Jubilee of Queen Margrethe II

====Foreign honours====
* {{Flag|Finland}}: Grand Cross of the [[Order of the White Rose of Finland]]
* {{Flag|Luxembourg}}: Grand Cross of the [[Order of Adolphe of Nassau]]
* {{Flag|Romania}}: Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Star of Romania]]

===Arms===
<gallery>
File:Armoiries Princesse Alexandra Danemark(1995-2005).svg|Arms as Princess Alexandra (1995&ndash;2005).
File:Armoiries Alexandra Manley Contesse de Frederiksborg(2005).svg|Arms as Countess of Frederiksborg (2005&ndash;)
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130118072419/http://www.ferring.com/en/about-us/board-of-directors/alexandra,-countess-of-frederiksborg.aspx About us – Board of directors: Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg] – website [[Ferring Pharmaceuticals]]

{{Danish princesses by marriage}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexandra of Frederiksborg, Countess}}
[[Category:People educated at Island School]]
[[Category:People educated at Glenealy School]]
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:Princesses of Denmark]]
[[Category:Danish countesses]]
[[Category:Princesses by marriage]]
[[Category:21st-century Hong Kong women]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Danish people of Czech descent]]
[[Category:Danish people of Austrian descent]]
[[Category:Danish people of English descent]]
[[Category:Danish people of Chinese descent]]
[[Category:Hong Kong people of Czech descent]]
[[Category:Hong Kong people of Austrian descent]]
[[Category:Hong Kong people of English descent]]
[[Category:Naturalised citizens of Denmark]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania]]
[[Category:20th-century Danish women]]
[[Category:21st-century Danish nobility]]
[[Category:21st-century Danish women]]
[[Category:20th-century Danish nobility]]
[[Category:21st-century Hong Kong people]]
[[Category:20th-century Hong Kong women]]
[[Category:20th-century Hong Kong people]]
[[Category:Indiana University Bloomington faculty]]