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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, Prince of Leiningen (1763–1814) and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1786–1861, future Duchess of Kent). Feodora and her older brother Carl, Prince of Leiningen, were maternal half-siblings to Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

Feodora of Leiningen
Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Princess Feodora in 1859
Princess consort of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Tenure18 February 1828 – 12 April 1860
Born7 December 1807
Amorbach, Kingdom of Bavaria,
Confederation of the Rhine
Died23 September 1872(1872-09-23) (aged 64)
Baden-Baden, Grand Duchy of Baden, German Empire
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1828; died 1860)​
IssueCarl Ludwig II, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Princess Elise
Hermann, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Prince Victor
Adelheid, Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein
Feodora, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen
Names
German: Anna Feodora Auguste Charlotte Wilhelmine
English: Anne Theodora Augusta Charlotte Wilhelmina
HouseLeiningen
FatherEmich Carl, Prince of Leiningen
MotherPrincess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld

Life

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Princess Feodora in 1818

Feodora was born in Amorbach, Bavaria, on 7 December 1807 to Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and her first husband, Emich Carl, Prince of Leiningen. She received her first two names from her maternal aunt, Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna of Russia, who was born Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld but received the name Anna Feodorovna following her conversion to Eastern Christianity, for her marriage to Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich of Russia in 1796. Feodora's father died in 1814.

On 29 May 1818, her mother remarried to Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, the fourth son of King George III. The following year, when the duchess's pregnancy was reaching full term, the household moved so that the new potential heir to the British throne could be born in Britain.[1][2]

Feodora enjoyed a very close relationship with her younger half-sister Victoria, who too was devoted to her, although Victoria resented the fact that Feodora was one of only a few other children with whom she was allowed regular interaction.[3][4] Despite their closeness, Feodora was eager to leave their residence at Kensington Palace permanently, as her "only happy time was driving out" with Victoria and her governess Baroness Louise Lehzen, when she could "speak and look as she liked".[3]

Marriage and later life

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Portrait by William Ross c. 1838

In early 1828, Feodora married Ernst I, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1794–1860), at Kensington Palace. The match was arranged by Queen Adelaide of Great Britain, as Prince Ernst I was her first cousin. Prior to that, she had only met him twice.[5] After their honeymoon, she returned to the German Confederation, where she lived until her death in 1872.[3] The prince had no domain, however, as the principality had been mediatised to Württemberg in 1806. The couple lived in a large and uncomfortable castle, Schloss Langenburg.[3]

Feodora maintained a lifelong correspondence with her half-sister Victoria and was granted an allowance of £300 (equivalent to £33,458 in 2023) whenever she could visit Britain.[6] She was a member of the royal party at Victoria's coronation in 1838.[7]

 
Sculpture on the tomb of Princess Feodora of Leiningen

Feodora's youngest daughter, the Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, died in early 1872 of scarlet fever.[8] Feodora died later that year. On hearing of Feodora's death, Victoria wrote:[9]

"Can I write it? My own darling, only sister, my dear excellent, noble Feodore is no more! She is at rest & in peace since 2 this morning. What a fearful loss! Darling precious sister, whom I hoped so to go & see! The kind Empress Augusta telegraphed the news to me in a most feeling manner, & I got the telegram just after I came back from Abergeldie, where I had gone to see the preparations for Bertie's welcome. This was to have been & is still a day of rejoicing for all the good Balmoral people, on account of dear Bertie's first return after his illness, & I am here in sorrow & grief, unable to join in the welcome. God's will be done, but the loss to me is too dreadful! I stand so alone now, no near & dear one nearer my own age, or older, to whom I could look up to, left! All, all gone! How good & wise, beloved Feodore was, so devoted to me, so truly pious & religious. She is gone to that world she was so fit for & entered it, just sleeping away. What a blessed end! but what a loss to those who are left! She was my last near relative on an equality with me, the last link with my childhood & youth."

— Queen Victoria in her journal (23 September 1872)

Issue

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Feodora and Ernest had six children, three sons and three daughters:

In media

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In Victoria Series 3 (2019), Feodora is played by Kate Fleetwood. In the programme, Feodora is portrayed as a scheming, jealous sister who has fled Langenburg and refuses to return to her home, which is not historically accurate.

Ancestry

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References

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Notes

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  1. ^ Hibbert 2000, pp. 9–10.
  2. ^ Gill 2009, p. 34.
  3. ^ a b c d Hibbert 2000, p. 22.
  4. ^ Gill 2009, p. 51.
  5. ^ Vallone 2001, p. 9.
  6. ^ Hibbert 2000, p. 58.
  7. ^ "Key to Mr Leslie's picture of Queen Victoria receiving the Holy Sacrament at her Coronation". National Portrait Gallery.
  8. ^ Pakula 1997, p. 296.
  9. ^ Queen Victoria (23 September 1872). "Journal Entry : Monday 23rd September 1872". queenvictoriasjournals.org. Retrieved 3 August 2019.

Bibliography

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Princess Feodora of Leiningen.
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