Maud, 1897
On 22 July 1896, Maud married her first cousin, Prince Carl of Denmark, in the private chapel at Buckingham Palace. Carl was the second son of Queen Alexandra's eldest brother, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, and Princess Louise of Sweden. The bride's father gave them Appleton House on the Sandringham Estate as a country residence for her frequent visits to England. It was there that the couple's only child, Prince Alexander, was born on 2 July 1903.[8]
While in Denmark, Maud was often homesick and preferred her native English customs; her talk, interests, and pursuits were those of English county society. She was never happier than when gardening, riding, bicycling, or driving a wagonette. Although her Copenhagen home, a suite of twelve rooms in what was known as Bernstorff Mansion beside the Amalienborg Palace, was furnished 'to reflect English taste', she was still dissatisfied. However, she divided her time between her little mansion in Copenhagen and Appleton House, her adored English country home. The responsibilities of marriage and motherhood had made very little difference to Maud's looks, personality, or way of life. With her piled coiffure, her high collars, and her small, slim-waisted figure, she was still like an echo of her mother.
Carl served as an officer in the Royal Danish Navy, and he and his family lived mainly in Denmark until 1905. In June 1905, the Norwegian Storting dissolved Norway's 91-year-old union with Sweden and voted to offer the throne to Prince Carl of Denmark. Maud's membership in the British royal house played some part in why Carl was chosen. Following a plebiscite in November, Prince Carl accepted the Norwegian throne as King Haakon VII, while his young son was renamed Olav. King Haakon VII and Queen Maud were crowned at Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim on 22 June 1906; there has not been a coronation in Scandinavia since.
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