Alexandra (1921–1993)

Queen of Yugoslavia. Name variations: Alexandra Oldenburg; Alexandra of Greece. Born in Athens, Greece, on March 25, 1921; died at her home outside London on September 30, 1993; daughter of Alexander I, King of the Hellenes, and Aspasia Manos (daughter of a royal equerry); great-grandchild of Queen Victoria ; married Peter II, the last king of Yugoslavia, on March 20, 1944, at the Yugoslav Legation in London; children: Alexander Karadjordjevic (b. July 17, 1945).

Alexandra was born into Greek royalty in 1921, five months after her father Alexander I, king of Greece, died of blood poisoning from the bite of a pet monkey. Though formally recognized as a princess when she was 18 months old, she was exiled in England the following year because of shifting Greek politics. Alexandra did not reappear in Greece until 13 years later, when her uncle, King George II, returned to rule in 1935. When the Germans overran Greece during World War II, Alexandra and her mother again traveled to London. While there, she met King Peter II, who was studying at Cambridge. The Yugoslavian king was also in exile, having fled his country after the 1941 invasion of German troops. A year after their marriage in 1944, Peter was formally deposed when Marshal Tito established a communist regime in Yugoslavia. The royal property was confiscated, leaving the couple virtually penniless. Peter died in Denver, Colorado, in 1970 following a liver transplant. Alexandra was seriously ill with cancer for several years before her death in 1993.