By the late 1880s she began to perform duties as a private secretary. Alexandra required her services more when she was in mourning, for example when her son, Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale, died in 1892.
Alexandra's need for a private secretary increased when she experienced periods of grief, such as following the passing of her son, Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale, in 1892.