Quick Facts
Biography
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). Feodora and her older brother Carl, 3rd Prince of Leiningen were maternal half-siblings to Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. She is a matrilineal ancestor of Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and of King Felipe VI of Spain.
Life
Feodora was born on 7 December 1807 to Emich Carl, Prince of Leiningen and his wife Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Her 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 of the United Kingdom. The following year, the household was taken to the United Kingdom as the Duchess' pregnancy came to an end, so that the new potential heir to the British throne could be born on British soil.
By all accounts, Feodora enjoyed a very close relationship with her sister Victoria, who was devoted to her elder sister. Despite this, Feodora was eager to permanently leave their residence at Kensington Palace, as her "only happy time was driving out" with Victoria and her governess Baroness Louise Lehzen because she could "speak and look as she liked".
Marriage
In early 1828 at Kensington Palace, Feodora married Ernst I, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1794–1860), a man she had only met twice previously. After her honeymoon, she returned to the German Confederation where she lived until her death in 1872. The prince had no actual domain as the principality had been mediatised to Württemberg in 1806. The couple lived in the large and uncomfortable Schloss Langenburg. Feodora maintained a lifelong correspondence with her sister, and was granted an allowance of £300 whenever she could visit England.
Feodora's youngest daughter, the Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, died in early 1872 of scarlet fever, and Feodora herself died later that year.
Issue
Feodora and Ernest had three sons and three daughters:
| Name | Birth | Death | Age | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carl Ludwig II Wilhelm Leopold, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg | 25 October 1829 | 16 May 1907 | 77 years | Succeeded his father on 12 April 1860, but abdicated his rights only nine days later (on 21 April) in order to make a morganatic marriage. |
| Princess Elise of Hohenlohe-Langenburg | 8 November 1830 | 27 February 1850 | 19 years | |
| Hermann Ernst Franz Bernhard VI, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg | 31 August 1832 | 8 March 1913 | 80 years | Married to Princess Leopoldine of Baden |
| Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg | 11 December 1833 | 31 December 1891 | 58 years | Settled in Great Britain and made a morganatic marriage. |
| Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg | 20 July 1835 | 25 January 1900 | 64 years | Married to Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein; had issue including Augusta Victoria, empress consort of Germany. |
| Princess Feodora Victoria Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langeburg | 7 July 1839 | 10 February 1872 | 32 years | Married to George II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen |
Ancestry
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