Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark
Princess Marina | |
---|---|
United Kingdom | |
Burial | 30 August 1968 |
Spouse | |
Issue | |
House | Glücksburg |
Father | Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark |
Mother | Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia |
Signature |
Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent
Marina was widowed in 1942, when her husband was killed in a plane crash on active service. In later life she carried out many royal engagements, including the independence celebrations for Ghana and Botswana.
Early life
Princess Marina was born on 13 December 1906 in
Princess Marina had two elder sisters,
Marina spent her early years in Greece, and lived with her parents and paternal grandparents at
The Greek royal family was forced into exile when Marina was 11, following the overthrow of the Greek monarchy.[4] They later moved to Paris, while the Princess stayed with her extended family throughout Europe.
Marriage and children
Wedding ceremony
In 1932, Princess Marina and
Married life
The Duke and Duchess set up their first home at 3 Belgrave Square, close to Buckingham Palace.
The couple had three children:
- Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (born 9 October 1935). He married Katharine Worsley on 8 June 1961. They have three children.
- Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy (born 25 December 1936). She married the Hon. Angus Ogilvy, son of David Ogilvy, 12th Earl of Airlie and Lady Alexandra Coke, on 24 April 1963. They have two children.
- Prince Michael of Kent (born 4 July 1942). He married Baroness Marie Christine von Reibnitz on 30 June 1978. They have two children.
The Duke of Kent was killed on 25 August 1942, in an airplane crash at Eagle's Rock, near Dunbeath, Caithness, Scotland, while on active service with the Royal Air Force. The Duchess, according to royal biographer Hugo Vickers, was "the only war widow in Britain whose estate was forced to pay death duties".[14]
During World War II, Marina was trained as a nurse for three months under the pseudonym "Sister Kay" and joined the civil nurse reserve.[2]
Later life and death
After her husband's death, the Duchess of Kent continued to be an active member of the British royal family, carrying out a wide range of royal and official engagements.
In 1947, Princess Marina visited Greece and Italy.[16][17] In June 1952 the Duchess laid the foundation stone of the new St Mark's Church in Bromley, London, which had been damaged in the war.[18]
In 1952, the Duchess also visited
In March 1957, when the Gold Coast achieved independence from Britain as Ghana, the Duchess of Kent was appointed to represent the Queen at the celebrations.[20] Fifty years later, at the 50th anniversary of Ghana's independence, her son, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, was appointed by the Queen to represent her.[21]
Marina earned a place in the
In September and October 1966, when the British Protectorates of Bechuanaland and Basutoland became the new Republic of Botswana and the Kingdom of Lesotho respectively, the Princess was appointed again to represent the Queen at both celebrations.[24] The main public hospital in Gaborone, the new Botswana's capital, is named "Princess Marina Hospital". She was the Chancellor of the University of Kent at Canterbury from 1963 until her death.
Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, died of a
Legacy
Princess Marina gave her name to many facilities, including:
- Princess Marina College, Arborfield, Berkshire
- Princess Marina House, a facility of the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund at Rustington.[30]
- Princess Marina Hospital, Upton, Northamptonshire[31]
- Princess Marina Hospital, Gaborone, Botswana
- Princess Marina Sports Complex, Rickmansworth.[32]
- Duchess of Kent Hospital, Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia
References in popular culture
- In 2017, Clare Holman portrayed Princess Marina in the season 2 finale of The Crown.
Titles, styles, honours, and arms
Titles and styles
Marina was known as the Princess Marina of Greece.[34] Upon marriage she became known as Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent,[35][36] and was later titled Her Royal Highness The Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent.[37]
Honours
Commonwealth
- GCStJ: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, 1935[35]
- CI: Companion of the Order of the Crown of India, 1937[38]
- GBE: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire, 1937
- GCVO: Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, 1948[36]
- Royal Family Order of King George V[39]
- Royal Family Order of King George VI[40]
- Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II[39]
Foreign
- Grand Decoration in Gold with Sash for Services to the Republic of Austria[41]
- Imperial Order of Saint Catherine[42]
Honorary military appointments
- Canada
- The Essex and Kent Scottish (1942 – 1968)[43]
- United Kingdom
- Colonel-in-Chief, of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers[46][37]
- Honorary Colonel, of the Buckinghamshire Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry[47]
- Honorary Colonel, of the Buckinghamshire Regiment, RA (Territorials)[48]
- Commandant, Women's Royal Naval Service (1940–1968) (Chief Commandant from 1951)[49]
Arms
Coat of arms of Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent | Royal monogram of Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent |
Ancestry
Ancestors of Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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See also
- List of people with brain tumours
References
- ^ a b c "Marina won Britain's heart". Evening Times. 27 August 1968. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
- ^ a b c "Marina, a tragic but well-loved Princess". The Sydney Morning Herald. London. 28 August 1968. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
- ^ a b "Prince George son of King, to be married". The Montreal Gazette. London. CP and AP. 28 August 1934. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
- ^ a b c "Princess Marina called luckiest girl in the world by relatives". The Milwaukee Journal. Athens. Associated Press. 23 November 1934. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
- ISBN 0-85011-023-8.
- ^ King, pg. 37
- ^ King, pg. 39
- ^ "No. 34094". The London Gazette. 9 October 1934. p. 6365.
- ^ a b "King and Queen see rehearsals". The Sydney Morning Herald. 29 November 1934. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
- ^ King, pg. 125
- ^ King, pg. 136.
- ^ King, pg. 143
- ^ King, pg. 144
- ^ Hugo Vickers, Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, Hutchinson, 2005, p. 230
- ISBN 9780752454436.
- ^ "Duchess Of Kent In Greece (1947)". British Pathé. YouTube. 13 April 2014. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
- ^ "The Duchess Of Kent Visits Italy (1947)". British Pathé. YouTube. 13 April 2014. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
- ^ Robin Waldron. "St Mark's History" (PDF) (2011 ed.). St Mark's Church Bromley. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 July 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
- ^ Sarawak Gazette 1952
- ^ "Birth Of A New State (1957)". British Pathé. YouTube. 13 April 2014. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
- ^ "Duke of Kent unveils plaque for military project". Ghana Armed Forces. Ghana Web. 7 March 2007. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
- ISBN 2-84323-513-8.
- ^ "Princess Marina's Visit To Australia AKA Princess Marina In Australia (1964)". British Pathé. YouTube. 13 April 2014. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
- ^ Luscombe, Stephen. "The British Empire, Imperialism, Colonialism, Colonies". www.britishempire.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- ISBN 978-0-333-54577-5.
- ^ "Five Queens at funeral of Duchess". The Windsor Star. Windsor. Reuters. 31 August 1968. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
- ^ "1968: Princess Marina laid to rest". BBC News. 30 August 1976. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
- ISBN 0-394-57730-2, pp. 554-556.
- ^ Evans, Rob; Pegg, David (18 July 2022). "£187m of Windsor family wealth hidden in secret royal wills". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ "Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund". About Princess Marina House. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
- ^ "Overview - NHS Choices". Princess Marina Hospital. 10 August 2010. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
- ^ "Princess Marina Sports Complex". We Love Rickmansworth. Archived from the original on 8 January 2009. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
- ^ a b "She Bought A Hat Like Princess Marina". The Kinks. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
- ^ "No. 34103". The London Gazette. 9 November 1934. p. 7155.
- ^ a b "No. 34174". The London Gazette. 25 June 1935. p. 4084.
- ^ a b "No. 38161". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1947. p. 9.
- ^ a b "No. 43141". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 October 1963. p. 8761.
- ^ "Viewing Page 3729 of Issue 34406". London Gazette. 8 June 1937. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
- ^ ISBN 9781852835101.
- ISBN 1903942047.
- ^ "Reply to a parliamentary question" (PDF) (in German). p. 214. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
- ^ "SAINTANNA.RU - Св. Екатерины". saintanna.ru. Archived from the original on 13 March 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- ^ The Essex and Kent Scottish, Key Appointments, The Scottish Borderers Foundation, retrieved 15 November 2023
- ^ "London Honours Duchess Aka City Honours Duchess Of Kent (1952)". British Pathé. YouTube. 13 April 2014. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
- ^ "No. 37951". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 May 1947. p. 2111.
- ^ "Collections in Focus: The Princess Marina Brooch". REME Museum. 2 March 2023.
- ^ "No. 15387". The Edinburgh Gazette. 14 May 1937. p. 395.
- ^ "No. 44365". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 July 1967. p. 7882.
- ISBN 9781848846692.
Bibliography
- Day, J. Wentworth. H.R.H. Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent (Robert Hale, 1962)
- King, Stella. Princess Marina: Her Life and Times (Cox & Wyman Ltd, 1969)