Fanon:Alexandra Vanderburg

Alexandra Maria-Louisa Vanderburg was born in Hidden Springs as one of the twin daughters of Catarina and Renauld Vanderburg. She was the first of the twins, born three minutes before her sister, Anastasia. She is a noted equestrian, winning numerous awards for her riding prowess. She is also an athlete, enjoying all sports but especially basketball. She is of primarily Dutch and German extraction.

In many ways, the twins' existence owed itself to the disappearance of their older sister, Francisca. The palace had spent lots of time and money on the search for Francisca but to no avail. Catarina was consciously seeking a child to replace her lost daughter, but she got more than she bargained for when she birthed twins -- double the fun and double the trouble.

Early years
Alexandra and her twin sister, Anastasia, grew up in a life of privilege. Their mother ensured their top-of-the-line education at the ultra-exclusive Smuggsworth Preparatory School as soon as they could walk, and before they'd even enrolled officially in the institution, they'd had private one-on-one tutoring with some of the world-renowned professors.

As the twins reached their teens, the results of their Smuggsworth education were really beginning to show. At the same time, though, they were developing distinct differences in their personalities. While Alexandra was more athletic and outdoorsy, preferring to ride great distances on horseback and playing all types of sports, Anastasia was cultured and refined, enjoying painting, drawing, sculpture, musical theater, and the opera.

Alexandra's athletic and somewhat boyish proclivities caused a rift between herself and her traditionally-minded mother, whose idea of a proper princess was being dolled up for teas and crepes. Unwittingly, Renauld fostered this, buying Alexandra horses and athletic equipment, only to have Catarina take them away after sending her to Smuggsworth.

All the while, however, the girls were pretty much isolated from the rest of the family -- and from everyone else. They truly became an island amongst themselves, creating an elaborate imaginary world to which they alone would retreat to, with imaginary friends named Lucky and Patches with whom they'd communicate their deepest, darkest secrets to.

In fact, they were summoned from Smuggsworth only once -- to attend the wedding of their half-brother, Crown Prince Sebastian, to Miss Ella Carlisle, a young woman from the Hidden Springs community.

Young adult years
Finally the girls graduated Smuggsworth Prep School and became young women. At the advice of their new agent and manager, they underwent plastic surgery and liposuction, and completely made themselves over physically. The makeovers were a resounding success as the girls posed for their first magazine covers. And the transformations were not just physical. Because they'd shed their baby fat, they grew more confident as young women. It was a chain reaction that led to them signing a deal to star in a reality TV show, Vanderburg Squared.

In the very first episode, Renauld dies unexpectedly. The girls are devastated by the loss and vow to get through it together. The rest of the episodes so far are about how each girl copes with the loss. They plan an elaborate funeral dinner for their father, without any input from their mother.

Alexandra caused more turmoil in the family when she enrolled in the Hidden Springs Royal Academy of Military Sciences in hopes of following her ultimate dream of becoming an astronaut (top of military career). Given her mother Catarina's very traditional views on women's roles, she was irate over her daughter's decision. In her mind, yet another daughter had defied her, as Francisca had years earlier. In addition, Alexandra developed a crush on a fellow cadet, Andrew Cheesman Jr., the son of author-adventurer Savannah Plumb. Her feelings for him have been unrequited.