Alexandra Rose Day is one of many charitable fundraising events for Alexandra Rose Charities. It has been held in the United Kingdom since 1912 and it was first launched on the 50th anniversary of the arrival of Queen Alexandra, the consort of King Edward VII, from her native Denmark to the UK.

The Queen’s admirers insisted that the day should be celebrated in a special way, and a processional drive through the streets of London seemed an obvious choice, but Alexandra wanted an occasion that would help the sick and needy. She had heard of a priest in Copenhagen who had provided much needed funds for the orphans he looked after by selling the beautiful roses he had grown in his garden and following a visit to him she developed the idea of selling artificial wild roses which would benefit the funds of London hospitals and which were to be made by the disabled from the John Grooms Society. 

The day was to be called "Alexandra Rose Day," and the initial drive swept Londoners off their feet. The first event raised £32,000 (the equivalent of over £2 million in today’s money). The funds raised were a great benefit to hospitals, and the annual drive became an institution, one of the chief attractions of London’s summer, with Alexandra the star. By 1920, £775,000 for London hospitals had been raised. Queen Alexandra’s last Rose Day was 1923, the 60th anniversary of her arrival in England. She died two years later, in 1925.

The Prime Minister traditionally launches the day by being the first to buy a rose, this year being David Cameron.

Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy, Queen Alexandra's great granddaughter, is the current President of Alexandra Rose Charities.                    

Trustees and the Team