Royal descendants of Queen Victoria and King Christian IX

The royal descendants of Victoria (Queen of the United Kingdom) and of Christian IX (King of Denmark) currently occupy the thrones of Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. At the outbreak of the First World War their grandchildren occupied the thrones of Denmark, Greece, Norway, Germany, Romania, Russia, Spain and the United Kingdom. For this, Queen Victoria was nicknamed "the grandmother of Europe" while King Christian IX was nicknamed "father-in-law of Europe". Of the remaining kingdoms of Europe today, only Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands descends neither from Queen Victoria nor King Christian IX.[1]

Grandchildren
King Christian IX in 1898 with his and Queen Victoria's great-grandson Prince Edward of York, the future King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom and Emperor of India.

Queen Victoria arranged the marriage of her eldest son and heir-apparent, the future Edward VII, to Alexandra of Denmark, the eldest daughter of King Christian IX, which took place on 10 March 1863. Among their six children were George V (who was also Emperor of India throughout his reign) and his sister Maud of Wales (who would later marry their cousin King Haakon VII of Norway, another grandchild of Christian IX, on 22 July 1896). However, these two marriages were not the only unions amongst and between descendants of Victoria and Christian IX.

The second son of Christian IX, Prince William, became King of Greece as George I shortly after his sister Alexandra's marriage due to this new connection with the British Royal Family. On 27 October 1889 his son, later Constantine I of Greece, married Sophia of Prussia, a granddaughter of Victoria, forging another union between descendants of the British queen and the Danish king.

In 1865, Christian IX's second daughter, Princess Dagmar, became engaged to Tsarevich Nicholas of Russia, son and heir of Tsar Alexander II. Following the untimely death of her fiancé, Dagmar married Nicholas's younger brother, the Tsarevich Alexander in 1866, taking the Russian name Maria Feodorovna. Between 1881 and 1894, she was empress-consort of Russia. Her son, Nicholas II of Russia, married Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, yet another granddaughter of Queen Victoria, on 26 November 1894, and she became empress-consort as Alexandra Feodorovna.

Other grandchildren became monarchs in their own right or consorts. Christian X of Denmark was the elder brother of Haakon VII of Norway and thus another grandson of Christian IX of Denmark. William II, German Emperor and King of Prussia was the elder brother of Sophia of Prussia and thus another reigning grandson of Victoria. Lastly, Victoria had two more granddaughters who became queens: Marie of Edinburgh, who married Ferdinand I of Romania, and Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg who married Alfonso XIII of Spain.

Christian IX was therefore the grandfather of an emperor and two kings who all married granddaughters of Victoria, one of whom (Maud of Wales) was also a granddaughter of Christian IX. In total, five of his grandsons were reigning sovereigns.

Victoria, meanwhile, was the grandmother of an emperor, a king-emperor, four queens consort and an empress consort.

First World War

During the First World War (1914–1918), many monarchs of countries from both sides were closely related due to their mutual descent from either Queen Victoria, King Christian IX or both. The most commonly cited example is the fact that Nicholas, his wife, Alexandra, and Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany were all first cousins of King George V of the United Kingdom through Queen Victoria.[2][3][4] Other countries who fought against Germany in addition to Russia and the United Kingdom were Romania, whose queen-consort, Marie, wife of King Ferdinand I, was a cousin of the Kaiser, and Greece, whose queen-consort, Sophia, wife of King Constantine I, was the Kaiser's own sister.

Additionally, King George V was a first cousin, through King Christian IX, of both Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and King Constantine I of Greece. Shortly before the end of the war, Nicholas, his wife and children were executed by the Bolsheviks. Other first cousins of George V, whose countries were neutral during the war, were King Christian X of Denmark, Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain (queen-consort of King Alfonso XIII) and King Haakon VII of Norway (who was also George's brother-in-law via his marriage to George's sister, Maud).

Family tree of sovereign and consort grandchildren

The family tree below also attempts to show the relationship between close and extended family members referenced on this page.

Christian IX
of Denmark		Queen Victoria
Dagmar
of Denmark		George I
of Greece		Frederick VIII
of Denmark		Alexandra
of Denmark		Edward VIIVictoria
Princess Royal
Empress of Germany		The Princess
Alice
Grand Duchess of Hesse		Alfred
Duke of Saxe-
Coburg and Gotha		The Princess
Beatrice
Nicholas II
of Russia		Constantine I
of Greece		Christian X
of Denmark		Haakon VII
of Norway		Maud of
Wales
Queen of Norway		George VWilliam II
German Emperor		Sophia
of Prussia
Queen of Greece		Alix
of Hesse
Empress of all the Russias		Marie
of Edinburgh
Queen of Romania		Victoria
Eugenie
of Battenberg
Queen of Spain

Present-day reigning descendants

The unions between descendants of Queen Victoria and of King Christian IX did not end with the First World War, despite the overthrows of both the German and Russian monarchies (along with House of Habsburg in Austria-Hungary). On the contrary, nearly all European reigning kings and queens today are most closely related through their descent from Victoria, Christian or both.

Currently, there are seven kingdoms remaining in Europe:[5]
1. Belgium: King Philippe & Queen Mathilde
2. Denmark: Queen Margrethe II
3. Norway: King Harald V & Queen Sonja
4. Spain: King Felipe VI & Queen Letizia
5. Sweden: King Carl XVI Gustaf & Queen Silvia
6. United Kingdom: Queen Elizabeth II & Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
7. Netherlands: King Willem-Alexander & Queen Máxima

Additionally, there are three other constitutional monarchies with hereditary thrones in Europe:
1. Liechtenstein: Prince Hans-Adam II & Princess Marie Aglaë
2. Luxembourg: Grand Duke Henri & Grand Duchess María Teresa
3. Monaco: Prince Albert II & Princess Charlene

King Harald V of Norway, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and King Felipe VI of Spain are all descended from both Queen Victoria and King Christian IX. The first two monarchs are great-grandchildren of the aforementioned union between Alexandra of Denmark (daughter of King Christian IX) and Edward VII (son of Queen Victoria). Harald V of Norway is actually descended from Christian IX three ways, twice through his father and once through his mother. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and his wife Elizabeth II are second cousins once removed through Christian IX and also third cousins as they are both great-great-grandchildren of Victoria. Margrethe II of Denmark is descended once each from Victoria and Christian IX. She is also a first cousin to Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden through Victoria's granddaughter Princess Margaret of Connaught. Felipe VI is descended from Victoria three ways and Christian IX twice. His father, King Juan Carlos I, is descended from Victoria and not Christian IX, while Juan Carlos' consort, Queen Sofía, is twice a descendant of Victoria and twice a great-great-granddaughter of Christian IX.

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden is descended from Victoria, twice, as his parents were second cousins because they were both great-grandchildren of Victoria. in addition, Carl XVI Gustaf also descends on his maternal side from Victoria's half-sister Feodora. Although Carl XVI Gustaf is not a descendant of Christian IX; however, he descends on his maternal side from the parents of Christian IX through Christian IX's elder brother, Friedrich.

Conversely, Philippe, King of the Belgians is descended from King Christian IX but not Queen Victoria, although, he is a descendant of Victoria's maternal uncle (as well as her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha's paternal uncle), Leopold I, King of the Belgians. Philippe's father, King Albert II, who abdicated in the summer of 2013, is a first cousin to Harald V of Norway through their grandfather Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland, married to Princess Ingeborg of Denmark, a granddaughter of Christian IX.

  • In summation, the monarchs of Norway, Denmark, Spain and the United Kingdom as well as the consort of the United Kingdom are descended from both Victoria and Christian IX. However, King of Spain is the only one with more than one line of descents of both.
  • The King of Sweden is descended twice from Victoria (and also of her half-sister), but not from Christian IX (although from one of his brothers).
  • The King of the Belgians and the Grand Duke of Luxembourg are descended from Christian IX, but not from Victoria, although they are descendants of both Victoria's and her spouse's uncle Leopold I of the Belgians.
  • The King of the Netherlands is the only monarch descended from neither Victoria nor Christian IX. (He is, however, a sixth cousin thrice removed of Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Harald V, Margrethe II and Carl XVI Gustaf through descent from Frederick, Prince of Wales; a sixth cousin four times removed of Felipe VI, also via descent from Frederick; and also a fourth cousin twice removed of Albert II of Belgium through descent from William I of the Netherlands. Furthermore, William I of the Netherlands was also second cousin once removed to both Queen Victoria and King Christian IX, since he was the great-grandson of George II of Great Britain. Hence, all current reigning kings and queens in Europe, including the Netherlands, are related through the line of George II of Great Britain.)

Monarchs descended from Queen Victoria
Queen
Victoria
Alice
of the United
Kingdom		King
Edward VII		Arthur
Duke of Connaught
and Strathearn		Leopold
Duke of Albany		Beatrice
of the United
Kingdom		Victoria
German Empress
& Queen of Prussia
Victoria
of Hesse and
by Rhine		King
George V		Maud
Queen of Norway		Margaret
Crown Princess of Sweden		Charles Edward
Duke of Saxe-
Coburg and Gotha		Victoria Eugenie
Queen of Spain		William II
German Emperor
& King of Prussia		Sophia
Queen of the Hellenes
Alice
of Battenberg		King
George VI		Olav V
King of Norway		Ingrid
Queen of Denmark		Gustaf Adolf
Duke of
Västerbotten		Sibylla
of Saxe-Coburg
and Gotha		Juan
Count of
Barcelona		Victoria
Louise
of Prussia
Philip
Duke of Edinburgh		Queen
Elizabeth II		Harald V
King of Norway		Margrethe II
Queen of Denmark		Carl XVI Gustaf
King of Sweden		Frederica
of Hanover		Paul
King of the Hellenes
Juan Carlos I
King of Spain		Sophia
of Greece
and Denmark
Felipe VI
King of Spain

Monarchs descended from King Christian IX
Christian IX
of Denmark
Frederick VIII
of Denmark		Alexandra
of Denmark		George I
of Greece		Dagmar
of Denmark		Thyra
of Denmark
Christian X
of Denmark		Ingeborg
of Denmark		Haakon VII
of Norway		Maud
of Wales		George VAndrew
of Greece
and Denmark		Constantine I
of Greece		Nicholas II
of Russia[N 1]		Ernest Augustus
Duke of
Brunswick
Frederick IX
of Denmark		Astrid
of Sweden		Märtha
of Sweden		Olav V
of Norway		George VI[N 2]Helen
of Greece
and Denmark		Paul
of Greece[N 3]		Frederica
of Hanover
Margrethe II
of Denmark		Joséphine
Charlotte
of Belgium		Albert II
of Belgium[N 4]		Harald V
of Norway		Elizabeth IIPhilip
Duke of
Edinburgh		Michael I
of Romania[N 5]		Constantine II
of Greece[N 6]		Sophia
of Greece
and Denmark
Henri of LuxembourgPhilippe
of Belgium		Felipe VI
of Spain
Notes
  1. Nicholas II's wife, Alexandra Feodorovna, was descended from Queen Victoria through Princess Alice of the United Kingdom.
  2. George VI had an older brother, Edward VIII, who was king of the United Kingdom as well.
  3. Paul had two elder brothers, George II and Alexander, who were also kings of Greece.
  4. Albert II had an older brother, Baudouin, who was king of Belgium as well.
  5. Michael's wife, Anne of Bourbon-Parma, was also descended from Christian IX through Prince Valdemar of Denmark.
  6. Constantine II's wife, Anne-Marie of Denmark, is Margrethe II's younger sister.

Common ancestry between Victoria and Christian IX

Because so many monarchs descend from both Queen Victoria and King Christian IX of Denmark, the relationship between these two monarchs is of some interest. These monarchs were third cousins through their mutual descent from King George II of Great Britain. This relationship occurs twice because the maternal grandparents of King Christian IX of Denmark, Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) (1744–1836) and Princess Louise of Denmark (1750–1831), were both children of daughters of King George II of Great Britain (1660–1727), and thus first cousins. Louise of Hesse-Kassel, wife of King Christian IX of Denmark, was a granddaughter of Prince Frederick of Hesse (1747–1837), the brother of the aforementioned Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel.

Thus King Christian IX of Denmark and his wife Louise of Hesse-Kassel were second cousins to each other and third cousins to Queen Victoria.

George II
of Great Britain
Frederick
Prince of Wales		Mary
of Great Britain		Louise
of Great Britain
George III
of the United Kingdom		Prince Frederick
of Hesse-Kassel		Charles
of Hesse-Kassel		Louise
of Denmark
Edward
Duke of Kent and Strathearn		William
of Hesse-Kassel		Louise Caroline
of Hesse-Kassel
Queen VictoriaLouise
of Hesse-Kassel		Christian IX
of Denmark

The longest Lived descendants of Victoria and Christian IX

Longest Living Descendants

     Currently holding Royal Office
     Living

Ages of Living Descendants as of 06:33, Sunday, February 7, 2021 (UTC).
Name of Descendants Born Died Age Descended from Thru
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh 1921 Alive 99 years, 242 days Christian IX of Denmark Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark
Victoria of the United Kingdom Princess Alice of Battenberg
Andrew Andreevich, Prince of Russia 1923 Alive 98 years, 17 days Christian IX of Denmark Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia
Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone 1883 1981 97 years, 313 days Victoria of the United Kingdom Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany
Christian, Prince of Bentheim and Steinfurt 1923 Alive 97 years, 60 days Victoria of the United Kingdom Princess Louise of Denmark
Margaret, Princess René of Bourbon-Parma 1895 1992 97 years, 1 day Christian IX of Denmark Prince Valdemar of Denmark
King Michael I 1921 2017 96 years, 41 days Victoria of the United Kingdom Princess Marie of Edinburgh
Princess Sophie of Prussia
Christian IX of Denmark King Constantine I of Greece
Count Lennart Bernadotte of Wisborg 1909 2004 95 years, 227 days Christian IX of Denmark Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark
Count Carl Johan Bernadotte of Wisborg 1916 2012 95 years, 187 days Victoria of the United Kingdom Princess Margaret of Connaught
Queen Elizabeth II 1926 Alive 94 years, 287 days Victoria of the United Kingdom King George V
Christian IX of Denmark Queen Alexandra
Count Sigvard Bernadotte of Wisborg 1907 2002 94 years, 244 days Victoria of the United Kingdom Princess Margaret of Connaught
Lady Katherine Brandram 1913 2007 94 years, 151 days Victoria of the United Kingdom Princess Sophie of Prussia
Christian IX of Denmark King Constantine I of Greece
Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark 1903 1997 94 years, 127 days Christian IX of Denmark Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark
Infanta Beatriz of Spain 1909 2002 93 years, 153 days Victoria of the United Kingdom Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg
Patricia, Countess Mountbatten of Burma 1924 2017 93 years, 119 days Victoria of the United Kingdom Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Queen Anne of Romania 1923 2016 92 years, 318 days Christian IX of Denmark Princess Margrethe of Denmark
Prince Michel of Bourbon-Parma 1926 2018 92 years, 125 days
Prince Wolfgang of Hesse-Kassel 1896 1989 92 years, 247 days Victoria of the United Kingdom Princess Margarete of Prussia
Carl, Prince Bernadotte 1911 2003 92 years, 168 days Christian IX of Denmark Princess Ingeborg of Denmark
Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia 1924 2016 91 years, 273 days Christian IX of Denmark Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught 1850 1942 91 years, 260 days Victoria of the United Kingdom Queen Victoria (son & daughter)
Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll 1848 1939 91 years, 260 days Victoria of the United Kingdom
Lady Pamela Hicks 1929 Alive 91 years, 294 days Victoria of the United Kingdom Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Friedrich Franz, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1910 2001 91 years, 100 days Christian IX of Denmark Princess Alexandra of Hanover
Prince Georg Wilhelm of Hanover 1915 2006 90 years, 289 days Christian IX of Denmark Ernst August, Duke of Brunswick
Victoria of the United Kingdom Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia
Queen Ingrid of Denmark 1910 2000 90 years, 224 days Victoria of the United Kingdom Princess Margaret of Connaught
Prince David Chavchavadze 1924 2014 90 years, 138 days Christian IX of Denmark Princess Maria of Greece and Denmark

Oldest Living Descendants

     Currently holding Royal Office

Ages of Living Descendants as of 06:33, Sunday, February 7, 2021 (UTC).
Name of Descendants Born Age Descended from Through
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh 10 June 1921 99 years, 242 days Christian IX of Denmark Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark
Queen Victoria Princess Alice of Battenberg
Andrew Andreevich, Prince of Russia 21 December 1923 98 years, 17 days Christian IX of Denmark Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia
Christian, Prince of Bentheim and Steinfurt 9 December 1923 97 years, 60 days Princess Louise of Denmark
Queen Elizabeth II 26 April 1926 94 years, 287 days Queen Victoria King Edward VII
Christian IX of Denmark Queen Alexandra
Lady Pamela Hicks 19 April 1929 91 years, 294 days Queen Victoria Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine
Princess Astrid of Norway 12 February 1932 88 years, 361 days Christian IX of Denmark Haakon VII of Norway
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent 9 October 1935 85 years, 121 days Alexandra of Denmark
Queen Victoria King Edward VII

Notes
  1. When speaking of the descendants of Victoria and Christian IX, only those who are kings and queens or married to kings or queens are mentioned, to the exclusion of grand dukes, princes, etc.
  2. Nicholas II of Russia
  3. http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/brookings-now/posts/2013/12/family-relationships-that-couldnt-stop-world-war-one
  4. George V
  5. The designation of 'kingdom' excludes five other monarchies in Europe: the Principalities of Monaco, Liechtenstein and Andorra, the last of which is headed by a bishop (appointed by the Pope) and an elected president (of France); the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg; and Vatican City, whose leader, the Pope, is traditionally elected by the College of Cardinals. See also Monarchies in Europe.

References
  • Aronson, Theo. Crowns in Conflict: The Triumph and the Tragedy of European Monarchy 1910–1918
  • Aronson, Theo. A Family of Kings: The Descendants of Christian IX of Denmark
  • Aronson, Theo. Grandmama of Europe: The Crowned Descendants of Queen Victoria, 1973
  • Carter, Miranda. Three Emperors: Three Cousins, Three Empires and the Road to the First World War. London, Penguin. 2009. ISBN 978-0-670-91556-9
  • Gelardi, Julia P. Born to Rule: Five Reigning Consorts, Granddaughters of Queen Victoria
  • Potts, D. M. and W. T. W. Queen Victoria's Gene: Haemophilia and the Royal Family
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