Here's where Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth get its name from

If you are from Portsmouth there is a chance you’ve been to Queen Alexandra Hospital at one time or another.
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Whether that is being born there, gone for medical treatment, visited a sick relative or even work there.

Queen Alexandra Hospital, in Cosham, plays a big day to day role in the life of the city of Portsmouth.

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But how many of us actually know where the hospital gets is name from?

Queen Alexandra Hospital. Picture: Will CaddyQueen Alexandra Hospital. Picture: Will Caddy
Queen Alexandra Hospital. Picture: Will Caddy
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When you think of British queens your mind probably springs to the current Queen Elizabeth II or maybe its Elizabeth I, Queen Victoria or Mary Tudor.

However you are probably wondering when an Alexandra has ever been Queen of the United Kingdom? Or does the hospital get its name from a foreign ruler?

Here’s what you need to know:

Who is Queen Alexandra Hospital named after?

The hospital gets its name from Alexandra of Denmark.

She was born in the Yellow Palace in Copenhagen in 1844, the daughter of Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg – who would go on to become King of Denmark in 1863.

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In 1863 she married Prince Edward, who was the eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

Following the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, he ascended to the thrown and became King Edward VII of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India.

After her husband took the crown, Princess Alexandra became Queen consort and Empress consort of India.

Queen Alexandra Hospital, which was originally a military hospital, was built between 1904 and 1908 during the Edwardian period and took its name from Alexandra of Denmark.

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