On 29 October 1875, Marie Alexandra Victoria was born to Prince Alfred, second son of Queen Victoria, and Maria Alexandrovna, daughter of Tsar Alexander II of Russia, at Eastwell Manor, her parents residence in Kent. With her father being away often, because of his position in the Royal Navy, Marie and her siblings spent the early portion of their childhood in Eastwell Park, which was the preferred residence of their mother. Marie and her siblings were taught French at first, however, their education was eventually neglected, for their mother found them "not very bright or gifted". In 1886, the family moved to San Antonio Palace in Malta, since her father became Commander-in-Chief to the Mediteranian Fleet. In 1889, the family relocated Coburg, due to their father becoming the new heir presumptive to the Duke of Saxe-Cobourg and Gotha. Their mother was very pro- German, and therefore, she hired a German governess for her children. Their mother even went to the extent of making them wear very plain clothes and having them confirmed in the Lutheran faith. Contrary to their previous education, Marie and her siblings received a better education in Coburg; they were educated in subjects such as painting and music. As Marie matured, she grew into a beautiful lady with "sparkling blue eyes and silky fair hair". She caught the eye of many royal bachelors, including Prince George of Wales. He was second in line to the British throne and Queen Victoria and her father approved of the match, however her mother did not for many reasons. One was that she did not want Marie to live in England, and she also didn't agree with idea of first cousins marrying. Consequently, the couple ended their relationship. Marie's mother suggested that she meet Crown Prince Ferdinand, the son of King Carol I of Romannia. So they meet at a gala dinner and they became quite fond of each other. Soon after they became engaged. Marie and Fernindand were married on 10 January 1893 in first a civil ceremony, then Catholic, and lastly an Anglican Ceremony. Marie was accepted warmly by the people of Romannia, however her marriage was not advancing much. Her relationship with Ferdinand was not much more than a friendship, but they still made a good team. Marie even said that they were," the best associates, the most loyal companions, but our live intertwine only uncertain matters." They had their first son Prince Carol on 15 October 1883, and the marriage produced six children in all. At the beginning, Marie had a hard time adjusting to life at court. Her high spirits and flamboyant personality often clashed with the"austere" atmosphere at court. She wrote that "for long hours she would mope, whilst her young husband did his military service, all alone in rooms..." King Carol died on 10 October 1914 and Fernindand became King and Marie Queen. They were acclaimed King and Queen in he Chambre of Deputies. Marie had a great influence over the king, in fact it has even been written "as crown princess, she had been popular, as Queen, she was more loved". She influenced decisions such as the decision to not make any changes to the Romanian court, and the decision for Romania to enter into the Triple Entente alliance during World War I. In 1927 King Ferndnand was suffering from intestinal cancer and later died on 20 July. He died in Marie's arms. In the summer of 1937, Marie was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer, she died the next year on 18 July 1938.
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