Princess Alexandrine Irene of Prussia was born on April 7, 1915, at the Kronprinzenpalais in Berlin. Shortly after her birth, it became evident that Alexandrine had Down syndrome. Down syndrome is a condition in which a person has an extra copy of chromosome 21. It is also termed as trisomy 21.
However, rather than stigmatizing this aspect, her family embraced her fully and did not confine her out of fear of reputational harm, despite their status as royals.
She was the fifth child and elder daughter of Wilhelm, German Crown Prince of Prussia, and Duchess Cecilie Auguste Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.
Affectionately known as "Adini," she belonged to the House of Hohenzollern, a formerly royal and imperial German dynasty whose members served as princes, electors, kings, and emperors of Hohenzollern, Brandenburg, Prussia, the German Empire, and Romania from 1871 to 1918.
Princess Alexandrine had four older brothers named Wilhelm, Louis Ferdinand, Hubertus, and Frederick. Her younger sister, Princess Cecilie, was born in 1917.
Through her lineage, Alexandrine was a great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria), who reigned as Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from June 20, 1837, until her death on January 22, 1901.
Even though she had Down syndrome, Princess Alexandrine was not hidden away like other disabled royal children typically were during that era. Instead, she appeared in official family photographs and attended public events, this marked a significant shift in how royal families approach disability.
According to Robert Bogdan in his photographic essay "A German Princess with Down Syndrome Who Survived the Holocaust," he had never encountered such a contrast and said ,”I had never encountered an exalted title like ‘princess’ linked with what is typically the stigmatizing condition of ‘down syndrome.'”
Crown Princess Cecilie was pregnant with Alexandrine in 1914 when World War I broke out. Cecilie prominently featured Alexandrine, in her 1931 book "The Memories of the Crown Princess Cecilie," the specific reference to Alexandrine stated that she and her sister were "the sunshine of our house."
Princess Alexandrine received dedicated care primarily from her nurse, Selma Boese. During her teenage years, she attended the Trupersche Sonderschule, a specialized institution dedicated to educating children with special needs. The school was founded by Johannes Truper, a pioneer in child psychiatry. Alexandrine remained enrolled at the school until 1934.
In October 1934, Alexandrine celebrated her confirmation alongside her sister Cecilie. She subsequently spent two years in Potsdam with her mother from 1934 to 1935.
Following the death of her longtime nanny Selma Boese in 1936, Alexandrine relocated to the Bavarian town of Niederpocking, where she remained throughout World War II (1939-1945). This move proved significant for her safety and well-being during turbulent times.
Princess Alexandrine spent most of her later life in Bavaria, initially in Pocking and subsequently near Lake Starnberg. She received regular visits from her family, particularly her brother Louis Ferdinand. During this period, she was cared for by a nurse named Ericka Strecker.
In 1945, Alexandrine moved into a small house near Lake Starnberg. Strecker remained her devoted caregiver, still present when Alexandrine's mother visited in 1946.
Princess Alexandrine Irene of Prussia died on October 2, 1980, at the age of 65. She was laid to rest near her parents and brother Frederick at Hohenzollern Castle, the ancestral seat of the Hohenzollern dynasty.
A 2002 study1 noted that "the perception remains that the Down syndrome infant is still not openly accepted by parents and society," yet Princess Alexandrine's experience stood in stark contrast to this pattern. She was openly embraced by her royal family, appearing publicly and being described as part of "the sunshine of our house."
1. Jain R, Thomasma DC, Ragas R. Down syndrome: still a social stigma. Am J Perinatol. 2002 Feb;19(2):99-108. doi: 10.1055/s-2002-23553. PMID: 11938484.
2. Garland-Thomson, Rosemarie; Chemers, Michael Mark; Santana, Analola (2024). Freak Inheritance: Eugenics and Extraordinary Bodies in Performance. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-769112-0.