Alexander Ramsay of Mar

Who was Alexander Ramsay of Mar?

Captain Alexander Arthur Alfonso David Maule Ramsay of Mar was the only child of HRH Princess Patricia of Connaught, who renounced her royal title and style when she married then-Captain the Hon. Alexander Ramsay in February 1919. His mother was the youngest child of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, the third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. His father was the third son of John William Ramsay, 13th Earl of Dalhousie. Alexander was the first cousin of the Queen Ingrid of Denmark, Prince Gustaf Adolf and their siblings, because their mother, Princess Margaret of Connaught, was Alexander's aunt and wife to the Crown Prince of Sweden.

Born at Clarence House, then the London residence of his maternal grandfather, the Duke of Connaught. He acted as a page of honour during the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. After leaving Eton College the same year, he received commission in the Grenadier Guards. Ramsay saw active service in North Africa during World War II. He lost his right leg during a tank battle at Tunisia in 1943. In 1944, he joined the staff of his cousin, The Duke of Gloucester, who was then governor general of Australia.