Her Imperial & Royal Highness The Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, also Duchess of Edinburgh, née Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia (17 October 1853 – 24 October 1920) was the daughter of the Russian tsar who became the wife of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second son of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. From 1893 until her death, she had the distinction of being a Russian grand duchess (by birth), a British royal duchess (by marriage), and the consort (and later widow) of a German sovereign duke (by marriage). October 17 is the 290th (in leap years the 291st) day of the year according to the Gregorian calendar. ... 1853 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... October 24 is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 68 days remaining. ... 1920 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) Events January January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ... Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Duke of Edinburgh (6 August 1844- 30 July 1900), was the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. ... Her Majesty Queen Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria) (24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom from 20 June 1837, and Empress of India from 1876 until her death. ... Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (Francis Charles Augustus Albert Emmanuel, of the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha branch of the House of Wettin) (26 August 1819 - 14 December 1861) was the husband and consort of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ...

Her Imperial Highness The Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna was born at Tsarskoye Selo, Russia, the second daughter of Alexander II, Tsar and Autocrat of All the Russias (who was assassinated in 1881) and his wife Marie of Hesse and by Rhine , the daughter of Ludwig II, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine. She was the aunt of Tsar Nicholas II, who was murdered in 1918. Her brother, the Grand Duke Serge, was assassinated in Moscow in 1905, and another brother, the Grand Duke Paul, was shot in Petrograd in 1919. Tsarskoye Selo (Царское Село in Russian, may be translated as “Tsar’s Village”), a former residence of the royal families and visiting nobility 24 km south of St. ... Alexander II (1818-1881) Alexander (Aleksandr) II (Russian: Александр II Николаевич) (April 17, 1818–March 13, 1881) was the Emperor (tsar) of Russia from March 2, 1855 until his assassination. ... Marie of Hesse Princess Maximilienne Wilhelmine Marie of Hesse and the Rhine ( 8 August 1824- 8 June 1880) was a princess of Grand Ducal Hesse and, as Marie Alexandrovna, Empress consort of Alexander II of Russia. ... Ludwig II, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine ( 26 December 1777 – 16 June 1848) ruled over the Grand Duchy of Hesse from 1830 until his death. ... Tsar Nicholas II (18 May 1868 – 17 July 1918)1 was the last crowned Emperor of Russia. ... Saint Basils Cathedral Moscow (Russian/Cyrillic: Москва́, pronunciation: Maskvá  listen), capital of Russia, located on the river Moskva, and encompassing 1097. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland...

On 23 March 1874 at the Winter Palace, St. Petersburg, the Grand Duchess Marie married His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, a career naval officer. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh made their public entry into London on 12 March. The marriage, however, was not a happy one, and the bride was thought haughty by London society. Furthermore, Tsar Alexander II's insistence that his daughter be styled "Her Imperial Highness" and have precedence over the then Princess of Wales infuriated Queen Victoria. The Queen insisted that style "Her Royal Highness," Marie Alexandrovna acquired upon marriage, should always precede the style "Her Imperial Highness," which was hers by birth. For her part, the new Duchess of Edinburgh apparently resented the fact that the Princess of Wales, who was the daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark, took precedence over her, the daughter of the Russian tsar. After the marriage, Marie was varyingly referred to as Her Royal Highness, Her Royal & Imperial Highness, and Her Imperial & Royal Highness. March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in Leap years). ... 1874 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Located on the bank of the Neva River, the Winter Palace in St. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... March 12 is the 71st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (72nd in Leap years). ... Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra of Denmark December 1, 1844 – November 20, 1925) was queen consort of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom 1901–1910. ... Christian IX of Denmark ( April 8, 1818 – January 29, 1906) was King of Denmark from November 15, 1863 to January 29, 1906. ...

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh had six children:

• Prince Alfred ("Young Affie") (15 October 1874-6 February 1899), Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 22 August 1893.
• Princess Marie (29 October 1875-18 July 1938; married 10 January 1893 King Ferdinand I of Romania (1865-1927); and had issue.
• Princess Victoria Melita ("Ducky") (25 November 1876-2 March 1936; married (1) 19 April 1894 (divorced 21 December 1901) her paternal first cousin Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine (1868-1937), and had issue; (2) 8 October 1905 her maternal first cousin the Grand Duke Cyril of Russia (1876-1938), and had issue.
• Princess Alexandra (1 September 1878-16 April 1942; married 20 April 1896 Prince Ernst of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1863-1950), and had issue.
• An unnamed daughter (13 October 1879, stillborn).
• Princess Beatrice (20 April 1884-13 July 1966; married 15 July 1909, Don Alfonso, Infante of Spain, 3rd Duke of Galliera (1886-1975), and had issue.

On the death of his uncle, Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, on 22 August 1893, the vacant duchy fell to the Duke of Edinburgh, since his elder brother the Prince of Wales had renounced his right to the succession. He surrendered his British allowance of £15,000 a year and his seats in the House of Lords and the Privy Council, but retained the £10,000 granted on his marriage in order to maintain Clarence House as his London residence. Upon her husband's ascension to the ducal throne, the Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna became Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, in addition to the Duchess of Edinburgh. As the consort of a sovereign German duke, she technically outranked her sisters-in-law at Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. His Royal Highness Prince Alfred of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was a member of the British Royal Family. ... October 15 is the 288th day of the year (289th in Leap years). ... 1874 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... February 6 is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1899 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... August 22 is the 234th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (235th in leap years), with 131 days remaining. ... 1893 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... King Ferdinand and Queen Marie of Romania, photographed in Belgrade in 1926 at the christening of her grandson Prince Peter of Yugoslavia. ... October 29 is the 302nd day of the year (303rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 63 days remaining. ... 1875 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... July 18 is the 199th day (200th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 166 days remaining. ... 1938 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... January 10 is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1893 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Ferdinand of Romania Ferdinand or Ferdinand I (August 24, 1865-July 20, 1927) was the king of Romania from October 10, 1914 until his death Born in Sigmaringen in southwestern Germany, Prince Ferdinand of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen became heir to the throne of his childless uncle, King Carol I of Romania... Her Royal Highness Princess Victoria of Edinburgh (Victoria Melita) (25 November 1876 - 2 March 1936) was a member of the British Royal Family, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. ... November 25 is the 329th (in leap years the 330th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1876 is a leap year starting on Saturday. ... March 2 is the 61st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (62nd in leap years). ... 1936 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... April 19 is the 109th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (110th in leap years). ... 1894 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1901 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... October 8 is the 281st day of the year (282nd in leap years). ... 1905 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovitch of Russia, Kirill Vladimirovitch Romanov (Кири́лл Влади́мирович Рома́нов) (October 12 (N.S.), 1876—October 12, 1938) was the Head of the Imperial Family of Russia and Titular Emperor and Autocrat of all the Russias from 1924 until his death. ... Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (September 1, 1878 - April 16, 1942) was a member of the British Royal Family. ... September 1 is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years). ... 1878 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... April 16 is the 106th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (107th in leap years). ... 1942 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... April 20 is the 110th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (111th in leap years). ... 1896 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... October 13 is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years). ... 1879 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice of Edinburgh (Beatrice Leopoldine Victoria), (20 April 1884 - 13 July 1966), was a member of the British Royal Family, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. ... April 20 is the 110th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (111th in leap years). ... 1884 is a leap year starting on Tuesday (click on link to calendar). ... July 13th is the 194th day (195th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 171 days remaining. ... 1966 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... July 15 is the 196th day (197th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 169 days remaining. ... 1909 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Ernst II of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1818-1893) was the second hereditary duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. ... August 22 is the 234th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (235th in leap years), with 131 days remaining. ... 1893 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... His Majesty King Edward VII (9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, King of the Commonwealth realms, and the Emperor of India. ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ... This article concerns the British Sovereigns Privy Council. ... Clarence House, London Clarence House is a royal home in London, situated in The Mall, immediately southwest of St. ...

The couple's only son, Prince Alfred, became involved in a scandal involving his mistress and shot himself in January 1899, in the midst of his parents' twenty-fifth wedding anniversary celebrations. He survived, but his embarrassed parents sent him off to Meran to recover, where he died two weeks later, on 6 February. The Duke of Edinburgh and Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha died of throat cancer on 30 July 1900 at Schloss Rosenau in Coburg. The ducal throne passed to his nephew, Prince Carl Edward, Duke of Albany. Now the Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the Duchess of Edinburgh continued to reside in Coburg. January is the first month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1899 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Meran (German) / Merano (Italian) is probably best known as a spa in the South Tyrol. ... July 30 is the 211th day (212th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 154 days remaining. ... 1900 is a common year starting on Monday. ... Coburg is a district in Bavaria, Germany. ... Carl Eduard, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duke of Albany (Leopold Charles Edward George Albert) (19 July 1884 – 28 March 1954) was the last reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in Germany from 30 July 1900 to 14 November 1918. ...

She died in October 1920 in Zürich, Switzerland and was buried in the ducal family's cemetery outside Coburg. Zürich IPA (in English often Zurich, which is also the standard French form of the name) is the largest city in Switzerland (population: 364,558 in 2002; population of urban area: 1,091,732) and capital of the canton of Zürich. ...

Titles from birth to death

Here is a list of titles that the Duchess bore from birth to death in chronological order:

• Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia
• Disputed style:
  • Her Imperial & Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh
  • Her Royal & Imperial Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh
  • Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh
• Her Imperial & Royal Highness The Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha