HVIDØRE A Royal Retreat

In 1906 Queen Alexandra and her sister the Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia purchased Hvidøre, a villa on the Danish coast, a private home. Until 1914 the sisters visited the property every autumn, entertaining friends and many royal relatives in an informal atmosphere.
It was indeed a royal retreat.

The first world war put an end to these happy times but in 1919, now exiled from Russia, the Dowager Empress made the villa her home and Hvidøre became a court in exile. In 1920 she was joined by her younger daughter Olga and her family, who all lived at Hvidøre, not always happily, until the Empress’s death in 1928.

A Royal Retreat tells the story of the purchase, renovation, the many royal visitors and finally the sale of this forgotten royal home. Magnificent original illustrations from a private collection