Death and funeral of Alexandra of Denmark

Alexandra appeared youthful even in her senior years, but during the First World War her age caught up with her. She made no more visits to foreign countries, and her health gradually deteriorated. In 1920, a blood vessel in her eye burst, leaving her with temporary partial blindness. Towards the end of her life, her memory and speech became impaired. ==Death==

A day before her death, Alexandra reportedly suffered a seizure at 11:00 am. By 1:00 pm on 20 November, members of her family – including her three daughters (the Queen of Norway, the Princess Royal, and Princess Victoria) and her grandson Prince Henry – had arrived, after which she became unconscious. Her two eldest grandsons, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York, were on a train to Sandringham and arrived at 6:45 pm. Shows involving music and dance were cancelled by the West End hotels in London and the BBC interrupted its regular programmes. Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin brought forward a motion of condolence in the House of Commons, which was agreed to by the Leader of the Opposition Ramsay MacDonald. The Grenadier Guards marched in the Horse Guards Parade with their colours draped. ==Processions and funeral==

After her death, Alexandra's coffin lay in St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham, before being moved to the Chapel Royal in St James' Palace. A simple service was also held at the church in Sandringham, attended by members of the royal family and the villagers. Her coffin, draped in her personal banner of arms, Detachments from different regiments took part in the procession as the gun carriage on which the coffin was placed made its way to abbey amid the sound of gun salutes. Walking behind the coffin were the King (in a Field Marshal's uniform), the King of the Belgians, the King of Denmark (Queen Alexandra's nephew), the King of Norway (Queen Alexandra's nephew and son-in-law), the Prince of Wales (in the uniform of a Colonel of the Welsh Guards), the Crown Prince of Norway (Queen Alexandra's grandson), the Crown Prince of Romania (Queen Alexandra's grandnephew), the Crown Prince of Sweden, the Duke of York, Prince Valdemar of Denmark (Queen Alexandra's brother), Prince Henry, Prince Arthur of Connaught (Queen Alexandra's nephew and grandson-in-law), and Lord Louis Mountbatten (Queen Alexandra's grandnephew). The Queen, the Queen of Norway, the Queen of Spain (Queen Alexandra's niece), and royal princesses travelled straight to the abbey. The funeral service was conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. ==Lying-in-state and burial==

After the funeral service, the coffin was watched by the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms and the Yeomen of the Guard, who had also stood vigil at St James' Palace. On 29 November, members of the public visited Windsor to view the floral tributes left out for Alexandra. Alexandra's great-granddaughter Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary of York (later Queen Elizabeth II), who was born five months after Alexandra's death, was named after her. ==References==