Princess Alexandra’s knee

WHILE the focus of Alexandra’s attention of late has been on Princess Alexandra’s missing head, much attention was given to the state of her knee in times past. So much so that a copycatting fashion trend developed, called the Alexandra Limp.

In 1867, Princess Alexandra of Denmark, Princess of Wales, gave birth to her third child and was diagnosed with rheumatic fever, a combination of strep throat and scarlet fever which was sometimes deadly, given that this was prior to the advent of antibiotics.

While the princess survived, she needed to learn to walk again with the aid of walking sticks, and she continued to limp both during and after her recovery.

The limp may also have been caused by migratory arthritis or gonococcal arthritis, with the latter possibly transmitted to her husband, the future King Edward VII.

Princess Alexandra often wore choker necklaces or dresses with high collars, both of which were intended to hide a small scar on her neck.

Many noblewomen followed the trend, changing the fashion of the day.

When the limp developed, this too developed into a trend, later known as the as the Alexandra Limp.

Among both the nobility and the lower classes in both England and Scotland, the limping trend took off after it was discovered that a limp could be mimicked…