,
1915. during a visit to the
Faroe Islands in 1921. On 14 May 1912, King Frederik VIII died suddenly in
Hamburg,
Germany, while returning from a recuperation stay in
Nice in
Southern France. Alexandrine's husband acceded to the throne as Christian X, and Alexandrine became queen consort of Denmark. She is not considered to have played any political role, but is described as being a loyal support to her spouse. She was interested in music, and acted as the protector of the musical societies
Musikforeningen i København and
Den danske Richard Wagnerforening. She was known for her needlework, which she sold for charitable purposes. After the death of her mother-in-law
Louise of Sweden in 1926, she succeeded her as the official protector of the various charity organisations founded by Louise. She enjoyed
golf and
photography. During
World War I, she founded
Dronningens Centralkomité af 1914 ("The Queen's Central Committee of 1914") to the support of poor families. The
revolution in
Russia brought much heartbreak for Alexandrine as three of her uncles, Nicholas, George and Sergey, were killed by the
Bolsheviks. She survived the
1918 flu pandemic.
World War II in
Copenhagen on 9 May 1945 at the first opening of
Parliament following the end of
Nazi Germany's occupation of Denmark. The couple was given great popularity as national symbols during the
World War II occupation, which was demonstrated during a tour through the country in 1946. Before the occupation, she and her daughter-in-law were engaged in mobilising the Danish women. Her rejection of Major General
Kurt Himer, Chief of Staff to General
Kaupisch on 9 April 1940 became a symbol for her loyalty toward Denmark before her birth country Germany and was diplomatically obliged to receive the German General commander at her castle. After the introduction she observed icily: "In different circumstances, you would have been welcome." Then, after a pause, she added: "I am a German, that's right, but today I'm ashamed of it." When General Himer asked for an audience with the monarch, Christian was persuaded to receive him by his daughter-in-law as he would any other, which was supported by Alexandrine. He asked to do so alone, but Alexandrine told him she would interrupt them. When the General was about to leave, she came in; and when he greeted her, she said: "General, this is not the circumstance in which I expected to greet a countryman." It was reported, that although Alexandrine was seen as shy and disliked official ceremonies, she had a "sharp" intelligence, and she was, together with her daughter-in-law,
Ingrid of Sweden, a true support of the monarch and a driving force for the resistance toward the occupation within the royal house. It was also reported, that in contrast to the monarch himself and the Crown Prince, the Queen and the Crown Princess never lost their calm when the nation was attacked. As she was not the Head of the Royal House, she could show herself in public more than her spouse, who did not wish to show support to the occupation by being seen in public, and she used this to engage in various organisations for social relief to ease the difficulties caused by the occupation. Her first years in Denmark were afflicted by the prevailing anti-German attitude of the Danes, but she won them over.
Kaj Munk is quoted to describe the public appreciation of her during World War II with his comment: "Protect our Queen, the only German we would like to keep!" == Later life ==