''
, reign =
, title = Princess Harald of Denmark
, house =
Glücksburg
Glücksburg (; da, Lyksborg) is a small town northeast of Flensburg in the district Schleswig-Flensburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany and is the northernmost town in Germany.
It is situated on the south side of the Flensborg Fjord, an inlet ...
, spouse =
, issue =
Feodora, Princess Christian of Schaumburg-Lippe Caroline-Mathilde, Hereditary Princess of Denmark Alexandrine-Louise, Countess Luitpold of Castell-Castell Prince Gorm Prince Oluf
, image = HelenetoSCHLESWIGHOLSTEIN.jpg
, image_size = 225px
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Grünholz,
Province of Schleswig-Holstein
The Province of Schleswig-Holstein (german: Provinz Schleswig-Holstein ) was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia (subsequently the Free State of Prussia after 1918) from 1868 to 1946.
History
It was created from the Duchies of Schleswig and H ...
,
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Re ...
,
German Empire
The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
, death_date =
, death_place =
Hellerup
Hellerup () is a very affluent district of Gentofte Municipality in the suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. The most urban part of the district is centred on Strandvejen and is bordered by Østerbro to the south and the Øresund to the east. It compri ...
, Denmark
, father =
Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein ''
, title = Duke of Schleswig-Holstein
, predecessor = Friedrich
, successor = Wilhelm Friedrich
, succession = Head of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
, house = Glücksburg
, spouse =
, issue ...
, mother =
, religion =
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
Princess Helena Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (german: Helene Adelheid Viktoria Marie; 1 June 1888 - 30 June 1962) was the third eldest daughter of
Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein ''
, title = Duke of Schleswig-Holstein
, predecessor = Friedrich
, successor = Wilhelm Friedrich
, succession = Head of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
, house = Glücksburg
, spouse =
, issue ...
and his wife
. She was a princess of
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
through her marriage within the
House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condit ...
to
Prince Harald of Denmark
Prince Harald of Denmark (''Harald Christian Frederik''; 8 October 1876 – 30 March 1949) was a member of the Danish Royal Family. He was the third son and fourth child of Frederick VIII of Denmark and his wife, Lovisa of Sweden, and thus brother ...
. Princess Helena was a
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
sympathiser during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and was after the war exiled from Denmark, but eventually allowed to return, where she died.
Early life
![Gut Grünholz, Herrenhaus](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Gut_Gr%C3%BCnholz%2C_Herrenhaus.JPG)
Princess Helena was born 1 June 1888 at Grünholz Castle (
Thumby) in
Schleswig-Holstein, Prussia, the third eldest daughter of
Frederick Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and his wife
. Her mother was sister of
Empress Augusta Victoria
, house = Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg
, father = Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein
, mother = Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Dolzig Palace ...
, making her sister in law of
Wilhelm II, German Emperor
Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until his abdication on 9 November 1918. Despite strengthening the German Empir ...
and granddaughter of
Princess Feodora of Leiningen
Princess Feodora of Leiningen (Anna Feodora Auguste Charlotte Wilhelmine; 7 December 1807 – 23 September 1872) was the only daughter of Emich Carl, 2nd Prince of Leiningen, Emich Carl, Prince of Leiningen (1763–1814), and Princess Victoria o ...
, maternal half-sister of
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
. Her father was the eldest son of
Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (23 October 1814 in Schleswig, Schleswig – 27 November 1885 in Luisenlund, Schleswig-Holstein, Prussia, Germany) was the third Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. Friedri ...
and a nephew of
Christian IX of Denmark
Christian IX (8 April 181829 January 1906) was King of Denmark from 1863 until his death in 1906. From 1863 to 1864, he was concurrently Duke of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg.
A younger son of Frederick William, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein- ...
. Three years before the birth of Princess Helena, he had succeeded to the headship of the
House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condit ...
and the title of
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...
upon the death of his father in 1885.
Marriage and issue
![Prins Harald1909](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Prins_Harald1909.jpg)
Princess Helena was engaged in 1908, and married
Prince Harald of Denmark
Prince Harald of Denmark (''Harald Christian Frederik''; 8 October 1876 – 30 March 1949) was a member of the Danish Royal Family. He was the third son and fourth child of Frederick VIII of Denmark and his wife, Lovisa of Sweden, and thus brother ...
, fourth child and third son of
Frederick VIII of Denmark
Frederick VIII ( da, Christian Frederik Vilhelm Carl; 3 June 1843 – 14 May 1912) was King of Denmark from 29 January 1906 until his death in 1912.
The eldest son of King Christian IX, nicknamed the ''Father-in-law of Europe'', Frederic ...
and his wife
Princess Louise of Sweden and Norway on 28 April 1909 at
Glücksburg
Glücksburg (; da, Lyksborg) is a small town northeast of Flensburg in the district Schleswig-Flensburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany and is the northernmost town in Germany.
It is situated on the south side of the Flensborg Fjord, an inlet ...
, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
After their marriage, Prince Harald and Princess Helena lived at the
Jægersborghus country house
An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...
north of
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
which Prince Harald had purchased in 1907. Here their five children were born between 1910 and 1923.
The only activity deemed acceptable for a female member of the royal house except representation was charity, and in 1913, Princess Helena started a campaign to found an orphanage in Gentofte. The orphanage, ''Spædbørnshjemmet Danmark'', was finally founded in 1923. After this, she acted as the protector of the orphanage and its funds, which was taken over by princess Caroline-Mathilde after her- the money was in 1977 to create the ''Danmarksfonden'', a fund for social and cultural matters.
Later life
Princess Helena became very unpopular during World War II because of her sympathy for the German occupation and the Nazi party after the German occupation of Denmark in 1940. The Danish resistance movement stated that Princess Helena was the only member of the Danish royal house to have betrayed Denmark: she received and entertained Germans in her home, attended parties hosted by the Germans at
Gesandtskab and had been introduced to Danish collaborationists by the Danish noblewoman Ebba Lerche.
[, p. 115] Her actions were so unpopular that, on some occasions, enraged Danes had even broken the windows of her limousine.
Because of her professed support for the Germans, she was reportedly not on speaking terms with her sons, who were embarrassed by her behaviour.
Even her husband had taken to avoiding the dining room when she was hosting him.
One of her own servants, Paul Dall, responsible for setting her table, was a contact of the German
Abwehr
The ''Abwehr'' (German for ''resistance'' or ''defence'', but the word usually means ''counterintelligence'' in a military context; ) was the German military-intelligence service for the ''Reichswehr'' and the ''Wehrmacht'' from 1920 to 1944. A ...
in Copenhagen, and was after the war judged guilty as a spy.
On 18 January 1942 she participated in the memorial service for an SS officer, C.E. von Schalburg, who had died on the Russian front, a service which the monarch refused to attend. In 1942, Helena made efforts to convince
Prince Knud of Denmark
Knud, Hereditary Prince of Denmark (Knud Christian Frederik Michael; 27 July 1900 – 14 June 1976) was a member of the Danish royal family, the younger son and child of King Christian X and Queen Alexandrine.
From 1947 to 1953, he was heir pre ...
to persuade the monarch to allow Nazi members in to the Danish government.
Princess Helena is not considered to have been a regular German agent, but rather an informer and a contact on informal basis.
After the war, owing to Princess Helena being a member of the Royal house, she was not brought to trial, as any punishment was at the discretion of the
King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
. He instead exiled her from Denmark on 30 May 1945 and placed under house arrest at the
Glücksburg Castle
Glücksburg Castle (German: Schloss Glücksburg, Danish: ''Lyksborg Slot'') is one of the most significant Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. The castle was the headquarters of the ducal lines of the house of Glücksburg and temporarily served ...
in Germany.
She was allowed to return to Denmark in 1947, when Prince Harald fell gravely ill. She stayed with her spouse until his death two years later.
Prince Harald died on 30 March 1949 in Copenhagen. Princess Helena survived her husband by 13 years and died on 30 June 1962 in
Hellerup
Hellerup () is a very affluent district of Gentofte Municipality in the suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. The most urban part of the district is centred on Strandvejen and is bordered by Østerbro to the south and the Øresund to the east. It compri ...
,
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
. She was buried at
Roskilde Cathedral
Roskilde Cathedral ( da, Roskilde Domkirke), in the city of Roskilde on the island of Zealand (Denmark), Zealand (''Sjælland'') in eastern Denmark, is a cathedral of the Lutheranism, Lutheran Church of Denmark.
The cathedral is the most importan ...
.
Issue
Helena and Harald had five children:
Ancestry
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
{{authority control
1888 births
1962 deaths
Helena Adelaide
Danish princesses
Helena Adelaide
People from the Province of Schleswig-Holstein
Danish collaborators with Nazi Germany
Burials at Roskilde Cathedral