Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark ( el, Μαργαρίτα; 18 April 1905 – 24 April 1981) was by birth a
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
and
Danish princess as well as
Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg by marriage. A sister-in-law of Queen
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states durin ...
of the United Kingdom, she was for a time linked to the
Nazi regime
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
. Also the aunt of King
Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person ...
.
The eldest daughter of
Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and
Princess Alice of Battenberg, Margarita spent a happy childhood between
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...
and
Corfu
Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...
. In her youth, however, she witnessed the
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and def ...
(1912–1913), followed by the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
(1914–1918) and the
Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922)
The Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922, ota, گرب جابهاسی, Garb Cebhesi) in Turkey, and the Asia Minor Campaign ( el, Μικρασιατική Εκστρατεία, Mikrasiatikí Ekstrateía) or the Asia Minor Catastrophe ( el, Μικ ...
. For the young princess and her relatives, these conflicts had dramatic consequences and led to their exile in Switzerland (between 1917 and 1920), then in France and the United Kingdom (from 1922 to 1936). During their exile, Margarita and her family depended on the generosity of their foreign relatives, in particular
Princess George of Greece and Denmark
Princess Marie Bonaparte (2 July 1882 – 21 September 1962), known as Princess George of Greece and Denmark upon her marriage, was a French author and psychoanalyst, closely linked with Sigmund Freud. Her wealth contributed to the popularity o ...
(who offered them accommodation in Saint-Cloud) and
Lady Louis Mountbatten (who supported them financially).
At the end of the 1920s, Margarita's mother was struck by a mental health crisis which led to her confinement in a Swiss psychiatric hospital. Shortly after, in 1931, Margarita married
Prince Gottfried of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. The couple then moved to
Weikersheim Castle
Weikersheim Palace (Schloss Weikersheim) is a palace in Weikersheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was a medieval seat and later a Renaissance residence of the princely House of Hohenlohe.
History
The castle was built in the 12th century as ...
, where they raised a family made up of four sons (Princes Kraft, Georg Andreas, Rupprecht and Albrecht) and a daughter (Princess Beatrix). Members of the
Nazi party
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...
from 1937, Gottfried and Margarita used their family connections to promote a rapprochement of Nazism within the United Kingdom, though without success. During the 1930s, the couple also made several trips abroad. In particular, she visited New York in 1934 to testify in favor of
Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt
Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt (born Maria Mercedes Morgan; 23 August 1904 13 February 1965) was an American socialite best known as the mother of fashion designer and artist Gloria Vanderbilt and maternal grandmother of television journalist Anderson ...
, Gottfried's former fiancée, in the case between her and her in-laws for the custody of her daughter, also named Gloria.
Affected by the
Second World War
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 opposi ...
, which divided her relatives into two factions, Margarita spent time in
Langenburg
Langenburg () is a town in the district of Schwäbisch Hall, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on a hill above the river Jagst, 18 km northeast of Schwäbisch Hall. It is also the place where Wibele - small, sweet, biscuit-l ...
during the conflict. The defeat of Germany and its occupation by the
Allies
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
brought new upheavals in the life of Margarita and Gottfried. Though preserved from Soviets, who caused the death of several of their cousins, the couple was ostracized by the
British royal family at the time of the
marriage
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...
of
Prince Philip
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...
, Margarita's only brother, to Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom in 1947. Over the years, the couple was nevertheless reintegrated into the life of the European elite, as illustrated by their invitation and presence at the
coronation of Elizabeth II
The coronation of Elizabeth II took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. She acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, being proclaimed queen by her privy and executive ...
in 1953; and the princess's presence at the
wedding
A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...
of
Juan Carlos, Prince of Asturias, and
Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark
Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince.
Princess as a subs ...
in 1962.
Widowed in 1960, Margarita witnessed the fire breakout at Langenburg Castle in 1963. Her last years were marked by the marriages of three of her sons, but also by the deaths of several of her relatives, including her son Rupprecht, who committed suicide in 1978. The princess died in 1981 and her body was buried in the Hohenlohe-Langenburg family mausoleum. She was the paternal aunt of
Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person ...
.
Biography
Childhood
In Greece and abroad
The eldest daughter of
Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and
Princess Alice of Battenberg, Margarita was born at the
Royal Palace
This is a list of royal palaces, sorted by continent.
Africa
* Abdin Palace, Cairo
* Al-Gawhara Palace, Cairo
* Koubbeh Palace, Cairo
* Tahra Palace, Cairo
* Menelik Palace
* Jubilee Palace
* Guenete Leul Palace
* Imperial Palace- ...
in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...
on 18 April 1905. Through her mother, Margarita was the eldest great-great grandchild 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 her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...
of the United Kingdom. Contrary to the custom of the time, her father attended her birth because her grandmother,
Queen Olga, believed that "it is only justice that men see the suffering they cause to their wives, and from which they completely escape". Baptized on 11 May in the presence of her maternal grandparents, Margarita grew up surrounded by her father's animals, and within a united household, which rapidly expanded with the arrival of the her sisters
Theodora (1906–1969),
Cecilie (1911–1937), and
Sophie
Sophie is a version of the female given name Sophia, meaning "wise".
People with the name Born in the Middle Ages
* Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson
* Sophie of Thuringia, Duchess o ...
(1914–2001). With their mother, Margarita and her sisters communicated in English, but they also used French, German, and Greek in the presence of their relatives and governesses. The princesses were formally educated in English and Greek.
Margarita's early childhood was marked by the instability that the
Kingdom of Greece
The Kingdom of Greece ( grc, label= Greek, Βασίλειον τῆς Ἑλλάδος ) was established in 1832 and was the successor state to the First Hellenic Republic. It was internationally recognised by the Treaty of Constantinople, wh ...
experienced at the beginning of the twentieth century. Tired of attacks from the press and the opposition, Andrew and Alice found refuge in travel and made many stays outside the borders of their home country. With their daughters, they stayed in the United Kingdom, Germany, Malta and Russia, where they reunited with their numerous relatives including
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910.
The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...
,
Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse
, spouses =
, issue =
, house = Hesse-Darmstadt
, father =Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine
, mother =Princess Alice of the United Kingdom
, birth_date =
, birth_place = New Palace, Darmstadt, Grand ...
,
Alexandra Feodorovna,
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...
and
Princess Louis of Battenberg (Alice's parents), etc. From 1905, Margarita was thus introduced to her young maternal uncle and aunt,
Louis and
Louise, to whom she and her sister Theodora subsequently became very close.
In 1909, the
Goudi coup
The Goudi coup ( el, κίνημα στο Γουδί) was a military coup d'état that took place in Greece on the night of , starting at the barracks in Goudi, a neighborhood on the eastern outskirts of Athens. The coup was a pivotal event in mo ...
occurred, a military putsch organized against the government of King
George I of Greece
George I ( Greek: Γεώργιος Α΄, ''Geórgios I''; 24 December 1845 – 18 March 1913) was King of Greece from 30 March 1863 until his assassination in 1913.
Originally a Danish prince, he was born in Copenhagen, and seemed destined for ...
, Margarita's grandfather. Shortly after this event, Prince Andrew and his brothers were forced to resign from the army. Concerned about the political situation of their country, Andrew and Alice once again found refuge abroad and stayed in the United Kingdom, France and Hesse. After considering a life in exile for a while, the couple returned to live in Greece, where their third daughter was born.
The Balkan Wars and the First World War
Between 1912 and 1913, Greece engaged in the
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and def ...
, which put the country in opposition to the Ottoman Empire and to Bulgaria. Called to join the army again, Prince Andrew served under
Crown Prince Constantine while Princess Alice worked as a nurse for wounded soldiers. Too young to follow their parents, Margarita and her sisters spent the duration of the conflict in Athens, with the exception of a brief stay in Thessaloniki in December 1912. Greece came out of the Balkan Wars with an expanded territory, but the conflict also led to the demise of George I, who was assassinated in March 1913. The death of the King of the Hellenes caused significant changes in the life of Margarita and her relatives. In his will, the sovereign bequeathed the Corfiote palace of
Mon Repos to Andrew. After years of living in close proximity to the monarch, in the palaces of Athens and
Tatoi
Tatoi ( el, Τατόι, ) was the summer palace and estate of the former Greek royal family. The area is a densely wooded southeast-facing slope of Mount Parnitha, and its ancient and current official name is Dekeleia. It is located from t ...
, Andrew and his family therefore finally had their own residence.
When peace returned, Andrew, Alice and their daughters left Greece in August 1913. After a visit to Germany, they stayed in the United Kingdom, with Margarita's maternal grandparents. For little princesses, this trip was an opportunity to visit
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London ...
and
London Zoo
London Zoo, also known as ZSL London Zoo or London Zoological Gardens is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for scientific study. In 1831 or 1832, ...
with their parents. Returning to Greece on 17 November 1913, the family was then retained in the country by Alice's fourth pregnancy and, above all, by the outbreak of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
. With Greece having proclaimed its neutrality, this new conflict initially hardly affected Margarita and her relatives. She and her sisters thus spent the summer of 1914 in Corfu, where they enjoyed the sun and the sea for four months.
Things changed as war creeped into the life of the country's people. Stationed in Thessaloniki with his garrison, Andrew was thus confronted with the
occupation of the city by the
Allies
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
in October 1915. Shortly after, in December, the routed Serbian army found refuge in Corfu, leading Alice and her daughters to abandon Mon Repos for the capital. Over the months, the amount of threats against members of the royal dynasty increased. In July 1916, an arson attacked the domain of Tatoi, while the king was there with his wife and several of their children. In addition, on 1 December, the French navy
bombarded the royal palace in Athens, forcing Margarita and her sisters to take refuge in the cellars with their mother.
Exile in Switzerland
In June 1917, King
Constantine I
Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to convert to Christianity. Born in Naissus, Dacia Mediterran ...
was finally deposed and driven out of Greece by the Allies, who replaced him on the throne by his second son, the young
Alexander
Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
. Fifteen days later, Margarita's family was in turn forced into exile in order to remove the possibility of the new monarch being influenced by those close to him. Forced to reside in German-speaking Switzerland, the small group first stayed in a hotel in
St. Moritz, before settling in
Lucerne
Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label= Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a city in central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital o ...
, where they lived with uncertainty about their future.
Exile was not the only source of concern for the family, however. With the
fall of the Russian Empire in 1917,
several of Margarita's relatives were murdered in Russia. Shortly after these events, the Grand Ducal family of
Hesse
Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are ...
, to which Margarita was closely related through her mother, was overthrown along with all the other German dynasties during the
winter of 1918–1919. Finally, the family went through some health problems, several of them contracting the flu in 1920.
At the beginning of 1919, Margarita nevertheless had the joy of reuniting with her paternal grandmother, the Dowager Queen Olga, spared by the Bolsheviks thanks to the diplomatic intervention of the Danes. In the months that followed, she reconnected, moreover, with her maternal grandparents, whom the war forced to abandon the name of
Battenberg for that of Mountbatten. For Margarita, who now formed a duo with her younger sister Theodora, exile was not only synonymous with nostalgia;
[In a letter to her uncle ]Louis Mountbatten
Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British naval officer, colonial administrator and close relative of the British royal family. Mountbatten, who was of German ...
, the princess describes in particular how much she misses the Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...
, and how tired she is of Swiss "little lakes". it was also an opportunity for long family reunions and walks in the mountains.
Young adulthood
Brief return to Greece
On 2 October 1920, King Alexander, cousin of Margarita, was bitten by a domestic monkey during a walk in Tatoi. Poorly cared for, he contracted
sepsis
Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is follo ...
, which prevailed on 25 October, without any member of his family being allowed to come to his bedside. The death of the sovereign caused a violent institutional crisis in Greece. Already stuck, since 1919, in a
new war against Turkey, Prime Minister
Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Kyriakou Venizelos ( el, Ελευθέριος Κυριάκου Βενιζέλος, translit=Elefthérios Kyriákou Venizélos, ; – 18 March 1936) was a Greek statesman and a prominent leader of the Greek national liberation move ...
lost the
1920 Greek legislative election
Parliamentary elections were held in Greece on Sunday, 14 November 1920,John S. Koliopoulos and Thanos M. Veremis (2010''Modern Greece: A History since 1821''Wiley-Blackwell, p87 or 1 November 1920 old style. They were possibly the most crucial el ...
. Humiliated, he retired abroad while a
referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a Representative democr ...
reinstalled Constantine I on the throne.
Prince Andrew was received triumphantly in Athens on 23 November 1920, and his wife and four daughters joined him a few days later. Margarita then returned to live in Corfu with her family. At the same time, Princess Alice found out that she was pregnant again. On 10 June 1921, the family welcomed
Philip
Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who populariz ...
(1921–2021), the future
Duke of Edinburgh
Duke of Edinburgh, named after the city of Edinburgh in Scotland, was a substantive title that has been created three times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not produc ...
. The joy that surrounded this birth, however, was obscured by the absence of Prince Andrew, who joined the Greek forces in Asia Minor during the
Occupation of Smyrna
The city of Smyrna (modern-day İzmir) and surrounding areas were under Greek military occupation from 15 May 1919 until 9 September 1922. The Allied Powers authorized the occupation and creation of the Zone of Smyrna ( el, Ζώνη Σμύρν ...
. Despite worries about the war, Margarita and her siblings enjoyed life at Mon Repos, where they received a visit from their
maternal grandmother
Grandparents, individually known as grandmother and grandfather, are the parents of a person's father or mother – paternal or maternal. Every sexually-reproducing living organism who is not a genetic chimera has a maximum of four genetic g ...
and their aunt Louise in the spring of 1922. In the park near the palace, built on an ancient cemetery, the princesses devoted themselves to archeology and discovered some pottery, bronze pieces and bones.
During this period, Margarita and her sisters also participated, for the first time, in a number of great social events. In March 1921, the princesses attended in Athens the wedding of their cousin
Helen
Helen may refer to:
People
* Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world
* Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress
* Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
Places
* Helen, ...
to
Crown Prince Carol of Romania. In July 1922, they went to the United Kingdom to be bridesmaids at the wedding of their uncle Louis Mountbatten to the wealthy heiress
Edwina Ashley
Edwina Cynthia Annette Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, (''née'' Ashley; 28 November 1901 – 21 February 1960), was an English heiress, socialite, relief worker and the last vicereine of India as the wife of (the then) Rear Admiral ...
.
However, the
military defeat of Greece against Turkey and the political unrest that it caused disrupted the life of Margarita and her family. In September 1922, Constantine I abdicated in favor of his eldest son,
George II George II or 2 may refer to:
People
* George II of Antioch (seventh century AD)
* George II of Armenia (late ninth century)
* George II of Abkhazia (916–960)
* Patriarch George II of Alexandria (1021–1051)
* George II of Georgia (1072–1089)
* ...
. A month later, Prince Andrew was arrested before being
tried by a military tribunal, which declared him responsible for the
defeat of the Sakarya. Saved from execution by the intervention of foreign chancelleries, the prince was condemned to banishment and
cashiering
Cashiering (or degradation ceremony), generally within military forces, is a ritual dismissal of an individual from some position of responsibility for a breach of discipline.
Etymology
From the Flemish (to dismiss from service; to discard r ...
. After a brief stop in Corfu, the prince and his relatives hurriedly left Greece aboard
HMS ''Calypso'' in early December 1922.
Marriage prospects
After a journey of several weeks, which led them successively to Italy, France and the United Kingdom, Margarita, her parents and her siblings settled in
Saint-Cloud
Saint-Cloud () is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France, from the centre of Paris. Like other communes of Hauts-de-Seine such as Marnes-la-Coquette, Neuilly-sur-Seine and Vaucresson, Saint-Cloud is one of France's wealthiest towns ...
in 1923. Settled in a house adjoining that of Princess
Marie Bonaparte
Princess Marie Bonaparte (2 July 1882 – 21 September 1962), known as Princess George of Greece and Denmark upon her marriage, was a French author and psychoanalyst, closely linked with Sigmund Freud. Her wealth contributed to the popularity ...
, the family depended for seven years on her generosity, and two other aunts of Margarita: first
Princess Anastasia and then
Lady Louis Mountbatten. Marie Bonaparte financed the studies of her nieces and nephew, while Lady Mountbatten got into the habit of offering her nieces her "used" clothes. In fact, Margarita's parents had little income and the children were the regular witnesses to their money problems and their difficulty in maintaining a household.
Deprived of their Greek nationality after the
proclamation
A proclamation (Lat. ''proclamare'', to make public by announcement) is an official declaration issued by a person of authority to make certain announcements known. Proclamations are currently used within the governing framework of some nations ...
of the
Second Hellenic Republic
The Second Hellenic Republic is a modern historiographical term used to refer to the Greek state during a period of republican governance between 1924 and 1935. To its contemporaries it was known officially as the Hellenic Republic ( el, Ἑλλ ...
in March 1924, Margarita and her family received Danish passports from their cousin
King Christian X
Christian X ( da, Christian Carl Frederik Albert Alexander Vilhelm; 26 September 1870 – 20 April 1947) was King of Denmark from 1912 to his death in 1947, and the only King of Iceland as Kristján X, in the form of a personal union rath ...
. Now of marrying age, the princess and her sister Theodora regularly left France for Great Britain, where they lived with their maternal grandmother, the
Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven. With their aunt Louise, who increasingly replaced their mother as a chaperone and confidante, the two young girls attended most of the events by British aristocracy during the 1920s, including balls and dances, birthdays and garden parties at
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...
, horse races, etc. The two princesses also took advantage of their stays in London to visit their many relatives, such as their paternal grandmother, Queen Olga, who was
Queen Alexandra
Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 January 1901 to 6 May 1910 as the wife of King ...
's regular guest at
Sandringham Sandringham can refer to:
Places
* Sandringham, New South Wales, Australia
* Sandringham, Queensland, Australia
* Sandringham, Victoria, Australia
**Sandringham railway line
**Sandringham railway station
**Electoral district of Sandringham
* Sand ...
. However, the young girls' lack of fortune and their life in exile meant that they hardly had any suitors, which was a matter of concern to their mother.
[It seems that Alice's efforts to marry her daughters began in the early 1920s. At that time, the princess was planning to match one of her elder daughters with the wealthy William B. Leeds Jr, son of her sister-in-law Princess Anastasia from her previous marriage, though without success.]
During the summer of 1926, Margarita met Prince François-Ferdinand d'Isembourg-Birstein, eldest son of Prince François-Joseph d'Isembourg-Birstein, during a stay in
Tarasp
Tarasp is a former municipality in the district of Inn in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. Its eleven settlements are situated within the Lower Engadin valley along the Inn River, at the foot of the Sesvenna Range. On 1 January 2015 the former ...
with her great-uncle
Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse
, spouses =
, issue =
, house = Hesse-Darmstadt
, father =Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine
, mother =Princess Alice of the United Kingdom
, birth_date =
, birth_place = New Palace, Darmstadt, Grand ...
. The two young people enjoyed each other's company and their families met at the beginning of the following year. Margarita was enchanted by her suitor and by the region where he lived. However, François-Ferdinand was of the Catholic faith and the princess refused to give up Orthodox faith, which soon put an end to their romance. Thus, by 1930, neither Margarita nor Theodora had yet found a fiancé. This did not prevent them from rejoicing for their aunt Louise when she was asked by
Gustaf Adolf, Crown Prince of Sweden, to marry him in June 1923.
Alice's confinement
Margarita, Theodora and Philip spent the summer of 1928 in Romania. Invited by
Princess Helen, whose son
Michael I Michael I may refer to:
* Pope Michael I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark in 743–767
* Michael I Rhangabes, Byzantine Emperor (died in 844)
* Michael I Cerularius, Patriarch Michael I of Constantinopl ...
was the same age as Philip, the two young women and their brother stayed for several weeks in
Sinaia
Sinaia () is a town and a mountain resort in Prahova County, Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Muntenia. The town was named after the Sinaia Monastery of 1695, around which it was built. The monastery, in turn, is named after t ...
. At the time,
Prince Nicholas of Romania
Prince Nicholas of Romania ( ro, Principele Nicolae al României; 5 August 1903 – 9 June 1978), later known as Prince Nicholas of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, was the fourth child and second son of Ferdinand I of Romania, King Ferdinand I of Ro ...
was still single and Helen would like to see him marry one of her relatives, but her plans for her brother-in-law to marry one of her cousins came to nothing.
A few months after this trip, Alice began to suffer from psychological problems. Struck by a mental health crisis, the princess convinced herself that she possessed healing powers and that she was receiving divine messages about potential husbands for her daughters. She then took herself for a saint and soon declared herself the bride of
Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
. Distraught by the situation, Prince Andrew finally made the decision to place his wife in a sanatorium, with the agreement of his mother-in-law, the Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven. He took advantage of his family's stay in Darmstadt, Germany, in April 1930, to send Alice to a psychiatric hospital located in
Kreuzlingen
Kreuzlingen is a municipality in the district of Kreuzlingen in the canton of Thurgau in north-eastern Switzerland. It is the seat of the district and is the second-largest city of the canton, after Frauenfeld, with a population of about 22,000. ...
, Switzerland.
While their family disintegrated, their father abandoned their home in Saint-Cloud to settle at the
French Riviera
The French Riviera (known in French as the ; oc, Còsta d'Azur ; literal translation " Azure Coast") is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is usually considered to extend fro ...
with
his mistress. Margarita's two youngest sisters were married successively to German princes. Sophie married
Prince Christoph of Hesse
Prince Christoph Ernst August of Hesse (14 May 1901 – 7 October 1943) was a nephew of Kaiser Wilhelm II. He was an SS-Oberführer in the Allgemeine SS and an officer in the Luftwaffe Reserve, killed on active duty in a plane crash during World ...
in December 1930, followed by Cecilie who married
Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse
en, George Donatus William Nicholas Edward Henry Charles
, spouse =
, issue = Prince LudwigPrince AlexanderPrincess JohannaUnnamed son
, house = Hesse-Darmstadt
, father = Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of ...
in February 1931. After years of celibacy, Margarita and Theodora were quick to marry in their turn.
Settling in Germany and stays abroad
Family life and adherence to Nazism
![MargaridadeGrècia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/MargaridadeGr%C3%A8cia.jpg)
In 1930, Margarita was 25 when she met Gottfried ("Friedel"), hereditary prince of
Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Hohenlohe-Langenburg () was a German county and later principality in the Holy Roman Empire. It was located in the current northeastern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, around Langenburg. Since the medieval times this small state was ruled by the Hous ...
, who like her descended from
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 her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...
of the United Kingdom. Coming from the House of
Hohenlohe
The House of Hohenlohe () is a German princely dynasty. It ruled an immediate territory within the Holy Roman Empire which was divided between several branches. The Hohenlohes became imperial counts in 1450. The county was divided numerous time ...
, whose states were publicized at the beginning of the 19th century, the prince was heir to a fortune made up of castles, farmland and forests. Margarita and Gottfried fell in love and married on 20 April 1931.
[This date corresponded to the 35th wedding anniversary of Gottfrie's parents .] Organized at Langenburg Castle, their wedding consisted of a double religious ceremony, both Lutheran and Orthodox. The occasion was a large family reunion, at which Margarita's mother Alice was not present. Among the many guests were the Dowager Queen
Marie of Romania
Marie (born Princess Marie Alexandra Victoria of Edinburgh; 29 October 1875 – 18 July 1938) was the last Queen of Romania as the wife of King Ferdinand I.
Marie was born into the British royal family. Her parents were Prince Alfred, D ...
and Grand Duchess
Victoria Feodorovna of Russia (aunts of the groom) as well as
Prince George of Greece and Denmark
Prince George of Greece and Denmark ( el, Γεώργιος; 24 June 1869 – 25 November 1957) was the second son and child of George I of Greece and Olga Konstantinovna of Russia, and is remembered chiefly for having once saved the life of his ...
and
Louise, Crown Princess of Sweden (uncle and aunt of the bride).
Once their marriage was celebrated, Margarita and Gottfried settled at
Weikersheim Castle
Weikersheim Palace (Schloss Weikersheim) is a palace in Weikersheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was a medieval seat and later a Renaissance residence of the princely House of Hohenlohe.
History
The castle was built in the 12th century as ...
, located not far from the town of Langenburg. After a stillbirth in 1933, Margarita gave birth to three children: Kraft (1935–2004), Beatrix (1936–1997), and Georg Andreas (1938–2021). Concerned about her mother's fate, Margarita visited her several times in Kreuzlingen, and their reunion was often filled with emotions. However, Alice was angry with those close to her for having her placed in an asylum and, once released from there in 1933, she made known her desire to stay away from her family. Four years passed before she put an end to her voluntary exile. The reconciliation of the princess and her children finally happened in 1937, and Margarita saw her mother for the first time in July. A few months later, in November, her sister Cecilie was
killed in a plane crash and the family reunited for her funeral in Darmstadt.
When she was not taking care of those close to her, Margarita was involved in charitable works, which soon earned her the admiration of the inhabitants of the former principality of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. Like several members of her entourage,
[Cecilie (her sister), ]Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Princess Alexandra Louise Olga Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, (1 September 1878 – 16 April 1942) was the fourth child and third daughter of Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia. As the wife o ...
(her mother-in-law), Princesses Irma and Marie Melita of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (her sisters-in-law) as well as Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse
en, George Donatus William Nicholas Edward Henry Charles
, spouse =
, issue = Prince LudwigPrince AlexanderPrincess JohannaUnnamed son
, house = Hesse-Darmstadt
, father = Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of ...
, and Wilhelm Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein (her brothers-in-law) also joined the party on the same day Ernst II, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Ernst Wilhelm Friedrich Carl Maximilian, 7th Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (13 September 1863 – 11 December 1950), was a German aristocrat and Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. He served as the Regent of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha durin ...
(her father-in-law) and Prince Christoph of Hesse
Prince Christoph Ernst August of Hesse (14 May 1901 – 7 October 1943) was a nephew of Kaiser Wilhelm II. He was an SS-Oberführer in the Allgemeine SS and an officer in the Luftwaffe Reserve, killed on active duty in a plane crash during World ...
(another brother-in-law) have already been members since 1936 and 1931, respectively . Margarita joined the
Nazi Party
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...
on 1 May 1937 at the same time as her husband. Thereafter, the couple used their family connections to promote the rapprochement of the Nazi regime in the United Kingdom. Enlisted in the ''
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...
'', Gottfried participated in the ''
Anschluss
The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938.
The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...
'' in 1938.
Gloria Vanderbilt affair
In October 1934, Gottfried and Margarita visited New York to testify in favor of
Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt
Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt (born Maria Mercedes Morgan; 23 August 1904 13 February 1965) was an American socialite best known as the mother of fashion designer and artist Gloria Vanderbilt and maternal grandmother of television journalist Anderson ...
in the lawsuit involving her and her in-laws for the custody of her daughter
Gloria Vanderbilt
Gloria Laura Vanderbilt (February 20, 1924 – June 17, 2019) was an American artist, author, actress, fashion designer, heiress, and socialite.
During the 1930s, she was the subject of a high-profile child custody trial in which her mother ...
.
A few years before his marriage to Margarita, Gottfried had an affair with the wealthy American widow, whom he even almost married with the blessing of his parents. For her part, Margarita visited Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt at her aunt
Nadejda Mountbatten's place. However, the in-laws of Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt accused her of having abandoned her daughter by leading a dissolute life with Gottfried in Europe. Margarita further suspected the young woman of having a romantic relationship with Nadejda. Margarita therefore had interest in restoring the honor of her family by participating in the trial with her husband.
In spite of the testimonies of the Prince and the Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, who assured the good morality of their friend in front of the press and in court, Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt lost the lawsuit. Her daughter was then placed in the care of her paternal aunt,
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (January 9, 1875 – April 18, 1942) was an American sculptor, art patron and collector, and founder in 1931 of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. She was a prominent social figure and hostess, ...
, until she came of age. Gottfried and Margarita left the United States in early November to attend the wedding of
Marina
A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.
A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...
, cousin of the princess, and the
Duke of Kent
Duke of Kent is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of peerage of Great Britain, Great Britain and the peerage of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom, most recently as a Royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom, royal dukedom ...
in London.
Travel to Greece
While Germany
sank into dictatorship from 1933, the Hellenic Republic was overthrown by
General Kondylis in October 1935. A month later,
King George II, Margarita's cousin, was reinstalled on the throne after a
referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
.
At the beginning of 1936, the banishment sentence issued in 1922 against Margarita's father Prince Andrew was lifted, which allowed him to stay in his country again. A regular target for the Hellenic press, the prince however chose to stay abroad for most of the year. Estranged from her husband since her confinement, Princess Alice made the choice to return and live in Athens, where she settled in November 1938.
In the meantime, Margarita also returned to Greece with Gottfried on the occasion of the marriage of Crown Prince
Paul
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...
to Princess
Frederica of Hanover
Frederica of Hanover (''Friederike Luise''; ; 18 April 1917 – 6 February 1981) was Queen consort of Greece from 1947 until 1964 as the wife of King Paul, thereafter Queen mother during the reign of her son, King Constantine II.
Early life
Bo ...
in January 1938.
Second World War and subsequent events
Family torn apart by war
The outbreak of the
Second World War
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 opposi ...
greatly affected Margarita, whose family found themselves divided by the conflict. While her husband and brothers-in-law
Prince Christoph of Hesse
Prince Christoph Ernst August of Hesse (14 May 1901 – 7 October 1943) was a nephew of Kaiser Wilhelm II. He was an SS-Oberführer in the Allgemeine SS and an officer in the Luftwaffe Reserve, killed on active duty in a plane crash during World ...
and
Berthold, Margrave of Baden
Berthold, Margrave of Baden (''Berthold Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst August Heinrich Karl''; 24 February 1906 – 27 October 1963), was the head of the House of Baden, which had reigned over the Grand Duchy of Baden until 1918, from 1929 until his deat ...
, joined the German ranks, her brother Philip fought in the British
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
. The
invasion
An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing con ...
and
occupation of France by Germany also block Prince Andrew on the French Riviera and contacting him became very difficult. As for Princess Alice, she refused to leave Greece at the time of
invasion
An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing con ...
and spent most of the conflict in Athens, though she managed to pay a few visits to her daughters in 1940, 1942, and 1944.
Margarita spent the duration of the conflict with her children in
Langenburg
Langenburg () is a town in the district of Schwäbisch Hall, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on a hill above the river Jagst, 18 km northeast of Schwäbisch Hall. It is also the place where Wibele - small, sweet, biscuit-l ...
, a small town far from the zones of combat and where the family did not suffer much deprivation. There, she gave birth to twins, Rupprecht and Albrecht, on 7 April 1944. Gottfried's journey during this period was much more nebulous. According to the Spanish biographer Ricardo Mateos Sainz de Medrano, the Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg was wounded during the Battle of Amiens and he spent the remainder of the conflict with his family in Langenburg. However, according to British biographer
Hugo Vickers
Hugo Ralph Vickers DL (born 12 November 1951) is an English writer and broadcaster.
Early life
The son of Ralph Cecil Vickers, M.C., a stockbroker, senior partner in the firm of Vickers, da Costa, by his marriage in 1950 to Dulcie Metcalf, ...
, Gottfried was only a reserve officer at this time and he spent the summer of 1940 in
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
with his wife. A rumor was subsequently spread by the English press, but later denied by all historians, asserting that Gottfried spent the war on the Eastern Front, where he was wounded, until his dismissal from the army in 1944 because of his participation in the
assassination attempt against
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
, This supposed participation has not been attested by any specialists in the subject.
[Historian Jonathan Petropoulos did not identify any individual of royal blood among the conspirators of 1944.] More credible is therefore the version given by the ''Hohenloher Tagblatt'' in an article devoted to the prince in 2010. Seriously wounded on the
Eastern Front, where he commanded a reconnaissance unit until 1944, Gottfried was dismissed from the army at the continuation of the
decree banning people of royal descent from serving in the army. Back in Langenburg, the prince transformed the family castle into a hospital, before welcoming refugees there.
The war period brought its share of mourning for Margarita's family. In April 1942, her mother-in-law, the
Dowager Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, died in Schwäbisch Hall after a long illness. A little over a year later, in October 1943, Prince Christoph, husband Margarita's sister Sophie, was killed in a plane crash while flying over the
Apennine Mountains
The Apennines or Apennine Mountains (; grc-gre, links=no, Ἀπέννινα ὄρη or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; la, Appenninus or – a singular with plural meaning;''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which wou ...
. Finally, in December 1944, her father Prince Andrew died in Monaco without having been able to see his children again.
Post-war years
The
defeat of Germany
Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easte ...
and
its occupation by the Allies brought new upheavals in the life of the former German princely families, several of whom (such as
Hermine Reuss of Greiz
Princess Hermine Reuss of Greiz (german: Hermine, Prinzessin Reuß zu Greiz;Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh (editor). Burke's Guide to the Royal Family, Burke's Peerage, London, 1973, pp. 248-249,302. "Almanach de Gotha", ''Russie'', (Gotha: Justus ...
,
Joachim Ernst, Duke of Anhalt
Joachim Ernst, Duke of Anhalt (11 January 1901 – 18 February 1947) was the last ruler of the Duchy of Anhalt.
Biography
He was born in Dessau, the son of Duke Eduard of Anhalt (1861–1918) and Princess Louise Charlotte of Saxe-Altenburg ...
, or
Georg, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen
Georg, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen (11 October 1892 – 6 January 1946) was the head of the house of Saxe-Meiningen from 1941 until his death.
Biography
He was born in Kassel the eldest son of Prince Frederick Johann of Saxe-Meiningen (1861-19 ...
)
perished in hands of the Soviets. When the war ended, Margarita and her family found themselves in the American-occupied part of Germany, so their lives were not under threat.
[This relative security did not prevent the British government from later establishing a plan to secure the relatives of Princess Elizabeth (later ]Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
) and Prince Philip in the event of a Soviet invasion of West Germany. See Gottfried was quickly appointed provisional administrator of the district of
Crailsheim
Crailsheim is a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. Incorporated in 1338, it lies east of Schwäbisch Hall and southwest of Ansbach in the Schwäbisch Hall district. The city's main attractions include two Evangelical churches, a ...
.
After peace was restored, the revelation of the
war crimes of the ''Wehrmacht'' and their role in
the Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
—brought to light during the
Nuremberg trials
The Nuremberg trials were held by the Allies of World War II, Allies against representatives of the defeated Nazi Germany, for plotting and carrying out invasions of other countries, and other crimes, in World War II.
Between 1939 and 1945 ...
—had serious repercussions on the relationship between the Hohenlohe-Langenburgs and their foreign relatives. Despite her own Germanic origins, Princess Alice of Battenberg thus developed a deep disgust for the German people and refused, until 1949, to return to stay in her daughters' country. For his part, Prince Philip (officially renamed Philip Mountbatten in 1947) found himself unable to invite his sisters on the occasion of
his marriage to
Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom
Princess Elizabeth (22 May 1770 – 10 January 1840) was the seventh child and third daughter of King George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. After marrying the Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg, Frederick VI, she took permanent residence i ...
because of anti-German sentiment prevailing in Great Britain after the war.
Aware of the difficulties their brother had to face, Margarita, Theodora and Sophie considered their sidelining wrong and hurtful. They felt snubbed when they realized that their cousins, the
Queen Mother of the Romanians and the
Duchess of Aosta
The Duchess of Aosta is the wife of the Duke of Aosta, a title created by Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor in the 13th century. The Duchy of Aosta had already been ruled by the House of Savoy for some time; it is a corner of the Italian Alps now ...
, had been invited despite their countries being
allies of the Nazi regime during the conflict. Harassed by the press, who submitted requests for interviews with them, Margarita and her sisters spent the day of 20 November 1947 at
Marienburg Castle with their families. Invited by the
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 ...
and
Duchess of Brunswick, they celebrated the union of their brother in the company of their cousin
Princess Elizabeth of Greece and Denmark
Princess Elizabeth of Greece and Denmark (; 24 May 1904 – 11 January 1955) was the middle daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia.
Early life
Princess Elizabeth was born on 24 May 1904 at the Tatoi P ...
and
Prince Louis and
Princess Margaret of Hesse and by Rhine. A few days later, the Greek princesses received a visit from the
Queen of the Hellenes (who came to bring them a letter from their mother Princess Alice describing the wedding in detail) and the
Duchess of Kent
Duchess of Kent is the principal courtesy title used by the wife of the Duke of Kent. There have been four titles referring to Kent since the 18th century. The current duchess is Katharine, the wife of Prince Edward. He inherited the dukedom ...
.
Return to normal life
Reintegration into royal circles
In March 1948, Margarita and her three elder children were invited to Athens by Princess Alice, who offered them the trip thanks to the pension that the
Countess Mountbatten of Burma continued to pay her. Invited to stay at the
Royal Palace
This is a list of royal palaces, sorted by continent.
Africa
* Abdin Palace, Cairo
* Al-Gawhara Palace, Cairo
* Koubbeh Palace, Cairo
* Tahra Palace, Cairo
* Menelik Palace
* Jubilee Palace
* Guenete Leul Palace
* Imperial Palace- Massa ...
by
King Paul and
Queen Frederica, Margarita was delighted to be back in her home country. In the years that followed, the Hohenlohe-Langenburgs made several other stays in Greece. In 1954, they took part in the "cruise of the kings". In 1962, the Princess attended the
wedding
A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...
of
Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark
Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince.
Princess as a subs ...
and
Juan Carlos, Prince of Asturias. Finally, in 1963, she attended the festivities organized as part of the centenary of the Hellenic dynasty.
The Greek royal family was not the only royal house to show its desire to reconnect with the Hohenlohe-Langenburgs. In 1950, Margarita was allowed to return to the United Kingdom on the occasion of the funeral of her grandmother, the
Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven. A few months later, the princess was chosen to be one of the godmothers of her niece,
Princess Anne
Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of K ...
. Above all, in 1953, Margarita, her sisters, their husbands and some of their children were invited to the
coronation of Elizabeth II
The coronation of Elizabeth II took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. She acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, being proclaimed queen by her privy and executive ...
. Satisfied not to have been sidelined once again, the Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg nonetheless noted with sadness the anguish of her brother Philip, who considered with apprehension his new status as
prince consort.
In the 1950s, Margarita and her husband also visited Spain on several occasions. There they found various members of Gottfried's relatives:
Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Princess Beatrice Leopoldine Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (20 April 1884 – 13 July 1966) was a member of the British royal family, a male-line granddaughter of Queen Victoria. She later married into the Spanish royal family, and was ...
and her husband
Infante Alfonso, Duke of Galliera
Alfonso de Orleans y Borbón, Infante of Spain, Duke of Galliera (12 November 1886 – 6 August 1975), was a Spanish prince, military aviator and first cousin of Alfonso XIII of Spain.
Early life
Alfonso was born in Madrid, Spain, the elder ...
(maternal aunt and uncle of the prince), Princess Alexandra of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (sister of the prince), as well as
Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Prince Alfonso Maximiliano Victorio Eugenio Alejandro María Pablo de la Santísima Trinidad y Todos los Santos zu Hohenlohe-Langenburg (28 May 1924 – 21 December 2003) was a Spanish businessman known for his promotion of the Spanish resorts of ...
and his wife
Ira von Fürstenberg (distant cousins of the prince).
Life in Langenburg
In December 1950,
Prince Ernest II, Margarita's father-in-law, died and Gottfried succeeded him as head of the House of
Hohenlohe
The House of Hohenlohe () is a German princely dynasty. It ruled an immediate territory within the Holy Roman Empire which was divided between several branches. The Hohenlohes became imperial counts in 1450. The county was divided numerous time ...
. The prince then inherited a substantial fortune, made up of agricultural land and forests, but also of two castles (Langenburg and
Weikersheim
Weikersheim is a town in the Main-Tauber district of Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
History
Town rights were granted to Weikersheim in 1313. As the one of the seats of the House of Hohenlohe, until 1756 Weikersheim's town center was dominated by ...
), both very expensive to maintain. Eager to diversify his income, Gottfried joined forces with several aristocrats to found a timber import company. The prince also sought to develop tourism in the former principality of
Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Hohenlohe-Langenburg () was a German county and later principality in the Holy Roman Empire. It was located in the current northeastern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, around Langenburg. Since the medieval times this small state was ruled by the Hous ...
.
After opening a cafeteria in the gardens of Langenburg castle, he transformed a wing of it into guest rooms for wealthy foreigners.
Beginning in the 1930s, Margarita gained a lot of weight, which was of concern to those close to her. At the end of the 1950s, however, Gottfried's state of health deteriorated and he died on 11 May 1960, making Prince Kraft, his eldest son, the new head of the house of Hohenlohe. Very affected by the demise of her husband, Margarita nevertheless followed the advice of her mother, who recommended her not to withdraw and to take a more active part in social life. In 1961, the princess thus attended the
wedding
A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...
of
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, (Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick; born 9 October 1935) is a member of the British royal family. Queen Elizabeth II and Edward were first cousins through their fathers, King George VI, and Prince George, Duk ...
, and
Katharine Worsley. Shortly after, she was present a reception in honor of US President
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
at
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...
.
In January 1963, a fire broke out in Langenburg Castle. There were no casualties but the private apartments of the princess and many of her personal objects were destroyed. The damage to the building was considerable and forced Prince Kraft to sell Weikersheim Castle in 1967 to finance the renovation work. This does not prevent the Hohenlohe-Langenburgs from receiving Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in their castle during their official trip to
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
in 1965.
For Margarita, the 1960s saw the marriages of two of her children. In 1965, Prince Kraft married Princess Charlotte von Croÿ. Then, in 1969, Prince Georg Andreas married Princess Luise von Schönburg-Waldenburg. The engagement of Princess Beatrix to her nephew
Maximilian, Margrave of Baden
Maximilian, Margrave of Baden (Maximilian Andreas Friedrich Gustav Ernst August Bernhard; 3 July 1933 – 29 December 2022), also known as Max von Baden, was a German businessman and the head of House of Baden. Through his mother, Princess Theod ...
, son of Princess Theodora, on the other hand broke off in 1961 and the princess remained unmarried all her life. This event did not prevent Margarita from remaining close to her sister until her death in October 1969. Devastated by the loss of her younger sister, who was only one year younger than her, Margarita also lost her mother Alice two months later.
Final years
Margarita's son Albrecht married Maria Hildegard-Fischer in 1976. His twin brother, Rupprecht, took his own life in 1978.
[Prince Albrecht also committed suicide in 1992 .]
Margarita died on 24 April 1981 in a clinic in
Bad Wiessee
Bad Wiessee (Central Bavarian: ''Bad Wiessä'') is a municipality in the district of Miesbach in Upper Bavaria in Germany. Since 1922, it has been a spa town and located on the western shore of the Tegernsee Lake. It had a population of around ...
,
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
, six days after her 76th birthday. Attended by her brother the Duke of Edinburgh, her funeral took place in Langenburg, where she was buried alongside her husband.
Archives
Princess Margarita's personal papers (including family correspondence and photographs) are preserved in the Hohenlohe-Langenburg family archive (Nachlass Fürstin Margarita, HZAN La 148), which is in the Hohenlohe Central Archive (Hohenlohe-Zentralarchiv Neuenstein) in Neuenstein Castle in the town of
Neuenstein, Baden-Württemberg
Neuenstein is a town in the Hohenlohe district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 12 km southwest of Künzelsau, and 27 km east of Heilbronn.
The 16th century castle, home to H.S.H. the prince of Hohenlohe-Oehringen, is ...
, Germany.
Honours
*
House of Glücksburg-Greece: Dame Grand Cross of the
Royal Order of Saints Olga and Sophia
*
House of Glücksburg-Greece: Dame Commander of the
Royal Order of Beneficence
*
House of Glücksburg-Greece: Knight of the Royal Decoration of the Greek Royal House, 2nd Class
*
House of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
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 ...
: Knight Grand Cross of the
Princely House Order of the Phoenix
* : Recipient of the
Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal
Ancestry
Notes and references
Notes
References
Bibliography
On Margarita and the Greek royal family
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On Margarita and her German relatives
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Biographies of Margarita's relatives
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On the Vanderbilt affair
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External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Margarita Of Greece And Denmark, Princess
House of Glücksburg (Greece)
House of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Danish princesses
Greek princesses
Princesses of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
1905 births
1981 deaths
Nobility from Corfu