Descendants of Queen Victoria and King Christian IX

The descendants of Queen Victoria and King Christian IX currently occupy the thrones of Belgium, Denmark, 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 of the United Kingdom (1819 – 1901) was nicknamed "the grandmother of Europe" while King Christian IX of Denmark (1818 – 1906) was nicknamed "Father-in-law of Europe".

The Grandchildren

Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom arranged the marriage of her eldest son and heir, the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom (1841 – 1910), to the exceptionally beautiful Alexandra of Denmark (1844 – 1925), the eldest daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark. The marriage took place on March 10, 1863. From this union were born King George V of the United Kingdom (1865 – 1936) and his sister Maud of Wales (1869 – 1938) who would later marry their cousin King Haakon VII of Norway (1872 – 1957), a grandson of King Christian IX of Denmark, on July 22, 1896. However, these two marriages were not the only unions amongst the descendants of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and King Christian IX of Denmark, and these were certainly not their only monarch descendants. The second son of King Christian IX of Denmark became King George I of Greece (1845 - 1913) shortly after his sister's marriage due to his new connection with the powerful British Royal Family. On October 27, 1889, his son, the future King Constantine I of Greece (1868 – 1923), married Sophia of Prussia (1870 – 1932), a granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Dagmar of Denmark (1847 - 1928), the second daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark, married Tsar Alexander III of Russia (1845 - 1894) and their son Tsar Nicholas II of Russia (1868 – 1918) married Alix of Hesse (1872 – 1918), yet another granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, on May 31, 1906. King Christian X of Denmark (1870 – 1947) was the elder brother of King Haakon VII of Norway and thus another monarch grandson of King Christian IX of Denmark. William II, German Emperor (1859 – 1941) was the elder brother of Sophia of Prussia and thus another monarch grandson of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Lastly, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom had two more granddaughters who became queens: Marie of Edinburgh (1875 – 1938) who married King Ferdinand I of Romania (1865 - 1927) and Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (1887 – 1969) who married King Alfonso XIII of Spain (1886 – 1941).

In summation, because of the marriage of their children, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and King Christian IX of Denmark were the grandparents of a king and a queen. King Christian IX of Denmark was also grandfather of four more kings, three of whom married granddaughters of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom was also the grandmother of another king and two more queens.

Family Tree of Monarch Grandchildren

The First World War (1914 – 1918)

During the First World War, many monarchs of countries from both sides were closely related due to their mutual descent from either Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, King Christian IX of Denmark, or both. The most common example is the fact that King George V of the United Kingdom and William II, German Emperor were first cousins. Other cousins of William II, German Emperor whose countries fought against him were Tsarina Alexandra Fyodorovna of Russia and the queen of Romania, Marie of Edinburgh. Greece, whose queen Sophia of Prussia was sister of William II, German Emperor, also fought against him. King Constantine I of Greece and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, the husbands of Alix of Hesse and Sophia of Prussia, were also first cousins of King George V of the United Kingdom. Other first cousins of George V of the United Kingdom whose countries were neutral during the war were: King Christian X of Denmark, Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain, King Haakon VII of Norway and his wife Maud of Wales, who was a sister of King George V of the United Kingdom and a cousin of Kaiser William II, German Emperor.

The Grandchildren’s Grandchildren

The relationship between monarchs through mutual descent from either Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom or King Christian IX of Denmark did not end with the First World War. On the contrary, even today, nearly all monarchs are most closely related through their descent from Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, King Christian IX of Denmark, or both.

Presently, there are seven kingdoms remaining in Europe:
1. Belgium (King Albert II & Queen Paola)
2. Denmark (Queen Margrethe II & Prince Henrik)
3. Netherlands (Queen Beatrix & Prince Claus)
4. Norway (King Harald V & Queen Sonja)
5. Spain (King Juan Carlos I & Queen Sophia)
6. Sweden (King Carl XVI Gustaf & Queen Silvia)
7. United Kingdom (Queen Elizabeth II & Prince Phillip).

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 Queen Sofía of Spain are all descended from both Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and King Christian IX of Denmark. The first two monarchs are descendants of the aforementioned union between Alexandra of Denmark, daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark, and King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, son of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom is the granddaughter of their son King George V of the United Kingdom while King Harald V of Norway is the grandson of their daughter Maud of Wales and her husband King Haakon VII of Norway, a grandson of King Christian IX of Denmark. King Olav V of Norway, son of King Haakon VII of Norway and Maud of Wales, like his parents, married his first cousin, Princess Märtha of Sweden, also a grandchild of King Frederick VII of Denmark. Thus, their son King Harald V of Norway is descended from King Christian IX of Denmark three different ways. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the grandson of the aforementioned King George I of Greece, making him and his wife Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom second cousins once removed and also third cousins as they are both great-great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. The father of Queen Sofía of Spain was a grandson of the aforementioned King George I of Greece and also a grandson of Victoria, Princess Royal, eldest daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. The mother of Queen Sofía of Spain was a great-granddaughter of King Christian IX of Denmark and of Victoria, Princess Royal. Thus her parents were first cousins once removed through Victoria, Princess Royal and second cousins through King Christian IX of Denmark. Thus, Queen Sofía of Spain is descended from both Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and King Christian IX of Denmark twice.

The husband of Queen Sofía of Spain, King Juan Carlos I of Spain, is only descended from Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom once, being a grandson of the aforementioned Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg. Thus, the Spanish royal couple are third cousins as well as third cousins once removed. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden is also only descended from Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, but twice, as his parents were second cousins due to the fact that they were both great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. He is also a first cousin of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark through their grandmother Princess Margaret of Connaught a granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom who would have become Queen of Sweden had she not died prematurely in 1920 due to an infection following a mastoid opertaion.

King Albert II of Belgium is only descended from King Christian IX of Denmark. He is also a first cousin of King Harald V of Norway through their grandmother Princess Ingeborg of Denmark, a granddaughter of King Christian IX of Denmark.

Thus, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands is the only monarch in Europe today who is descended from neither Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom nor King Christian IX of Denmark.

In summation, the monarchs of Norway, Denmark and the United Kingdom as well as the consorts of the United Kingdom and Spain are descended from both Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and King Christian IX of Denmark. The monarchs of Spain and Sweden are descended from only Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom while the monarch of Belgium is descended from just King Christian IX of Denmark. The monarch of the Netherlands is the only monarch descended from neither Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom nor King Christian IX of Denmark.

Family Tree of Modern Monarchs Descended from Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom

Family Tree of Modern Monarchs Descended from King Christian IX of Denmark

A Common Ancestor

Due to the fact that so many monarchs descend from both Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and King Christian IX of Denmark, the relationship between these two monarchs is of some interest. These monarchs were third cousins through their mutual descend from King George II of the United Kingdom. This relationship occurs twice because the maternal grandparents of King Christian IX of Denmark, Landgrave Charles of Hesse-Kassel (1744 – 1836) and Princess Louise of Denmark and Norway (1750 – 1831), were both children of daughters of King George II of the United Kingdom (1660 – 1727), and thus first cousins. It is also interesting to note that 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 Landgrave 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 of the United Kingdom.

Family Tree of the Relationship between Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and King Christian IX of Denmark

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