Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark was born on at
Mon Repos, the summer residence of the Greek royal family on the island of
Corfu. She was the third child and eldest daughter of King
George I of Greece and his wife,
Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna of Russia. Alexandra's father was not a native Greek, but he had been born a Danish prince named Christian Wilhelm of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, a son of
Christian IX, King of Denmark, and he had been elected to the Greek throne at the age of seventeen. Five of his sons (
Constantine,
George,
Nicholas,
Andrew and
Christopher), and two daughters (Alexandra and
Maria), attained adulthood. The Greek royal family was not wealthy by royal standards and they lived with simplicity. King George was a taciturn man, but contrary to the general approach of the time, he believed in happy rambunctious children. The long corridors of the royal palace in Athens were used by Alexandra and her siblings for all types of play and sometimes a "bike ride" would be led by the King himself. Raised by British nannies, English was the children's first language, but they spoke Greek between themselves. They also learned German and French. Alexandra, nicknamed "Aline" within her family, or Greek Alix, to distinguish her from her aunt and godmother,
Alexandra, Princess of Wales, had a sunny disposition and was much loved by her family. "She had one of those sweet and lovable natures that endeared her to everybody who came in touch with her," recalled her brother, Nicholas. "She looked young and beautiful, and ever since she was a child, life looked as it had nothing but joy and happiness in store for her." Alexandra's playmates were her brother Nicholas and her sister Maria, who followed her in age. Alexandra spent many holidays in Denmark visiting her paternal grandparents. In Denmark, Alexandra and her siblings met their Russian and British cousins in large family gatherings. ==Marriage and children==