Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark
Encyclopedia
Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark (10 August 1888 – 21 January 1940) was a member of the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
Royal House
.
; his parents were George I of Greece
and Olga, Queen of Greece; he was the youngest of their eight children (twenty years younger than their oldest child, Constantine
), and was called "Christo" by the family. His older brothers included Constantine, George, Nicholas and Andrew.
Christopher, like his siblings, was a polyglot
, speaking Greek, English, Danish, Russian, French and Italian. The siblings spoke Greek to one another, and used English with their parents. The parents, however, spoke German to each other.
, although apparently he would much rather have rather studied the piano
. While a young man, he was apparently offered no less than three different thrones - those of Portugal
, Lithuania
, and Albania
- but he declined them all, as he did not wish the stress of royal duties.
He was briefly engaged to Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife
in about 1910. (Alexandra's mother, Princess Louise, Duchess of Fife, was a daughter of Alexandra of Denmark
, an older sister of George I of Greece, his father.) The engagement was terminated when disapproving parents learned of the liaison.
On 1 January 1920, Christopher married a very wealthy American widow, Nonnie May "Nancy" Stewart Worthington Leeds
, at Vevey
, Switzerland. His wife, who was previously widowed and divorced, was granted the title "HRH Princess Anastasia of Greece and Denmark", and her fortune, which she inherited from her second husband, a tin millionaire, greatly helped the Greek Royal Family during their exile in the 1920s. The wedding followed a six-year engagement while the legal details of marriage to a twice-married commoner were worked on. Shortly after their marriage she developed cancer
, and died in London on 29 August 1923, leaving no children from this marriage. Prince Christopher did, however, have a stepson, William Bateman Leeds Jr (1902–1971), who married, in 1921, Princess Xenia Georgievna Romanova of Russia
, who was Christopher's niece through his elder sister, Marie, Grand Duchess George of Russia
.
(25 December 1902 – 25 February 1953). Françoise was a daughter of Jean d'Orléans, Duc de Guise
and Isabelle d'Orléans
. Isabelle was a daughter of Philippe, Comte de Paris
and his wife and first cousin Marie Isabelle d'Orléans. They were married in 1929 in Palermo
, Italy; the civil ceremony was on 10 February, and the religious one on 11 February; in connection with the wedding Françoise de Guise, Princess of Orléans became Her Royal Highness, Princess Françoise of Greece and Denmark. They had one child, Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark, who was born in 1939, shortly before his father's death in Athens
.
) who claimed to be Grand Duchess Anastasia
, the youngest daughter of the late Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. She had been found in one of the hospitals in Berlin where she had been taken after attempting suicide. Her story was that, when the rest of her family had been murdered, she had managed to make her way to Bucarest with the soldier who had rescued her from the cellar in Ekaterinburg. He had brought her to Berlin but left her destitute. As Prince Christopher explained, "That was her story, and, fantastic as it was, there were many who believed then - and still believe - in her, among them one or two members of the Imperial Family." He went on, "Dozens of people who had known the Grand Duchess Anastasia were brought to see the girl in the hope that they might be able to identify her, but none of them could come to any definite conclusion." Beyond this there was little to justify her statements. Prince Christopher described her, "In the first place she was unable to speak Russian, which the Grand Duchess Anastasia, like all the Czar's children, had talked fluently and would only converse in German." Summing up he said of her, "The poor girl was a pathetic figure in her loneliness and ill health, and it was comprehensible enough that many of those around her let their sympathy over-rule their logic. ... She was unable to recognise people whom the Grand Duchess Anastasia had known intimately, and her descriptions of rooms in the different palaces and of other scenes familiar to any of the Imperial Family were often inaccurate."
.
Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
The House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg , known as the House of Glücksburg for short, is a German ducal house, junior branches of which include the royal houses of Denmark and Norway, the deposed royal house of Greece, and the heir to the thrones of the Commonwealth realms The House...
Royal House
Royal House
A royal house or royal dynasty consists of at least one, but usually more monarchs who are related to one another, as well as their non-reigning descendants and spouses. Monarchs of the same realm who are not related to one another are usually deemed to belong to different houses, and each house is...
.
Family background
He was born at Pavlovsk, Imperial RussiaRussian history, 1855-1892
-Economic development:Russia's population growth rate from 1850 to 1910 was the fastest of all the major powers except for the United States. Between 1850 and 1900, Russia's population doubled, but it remained chiefly rural well into the twentieth century....
; his parents were George I of Greece
George I of Greece
George I was King of Greece from 1863 to 1913. Originally a Danish prince, George was only 17 years old when he was elected king by the Greek National Assembly, which had deposed the former king Otto. His nomination was both suggested and supported by the Great Powers...
and Olga, Queen of Greece; he was the youngest of their eight children (twenty years younger than their oldest child, Constantine
Constantine I of Greece
Constantine I was King of Greece from 1913 to 1917 and from 1920 to 1922. He was commander-in-chief of the Hellenic Army during the unsuccessful Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and led the Greek forces during the successful Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, in which Greece won Thessaloniki and doubled in...
), and was called "Christo" by the family. His older brothers included Constantine, George, Nicholas and Andrew.
Christopher, like his siblings, was a polyglot
Polyglot (person)
A polyglot is someone with a high degree of proficiency in several languages. A bilingual person can speak two languages fluently, whereas a trilingual three; above that the term multilingual may be used.-Hyperpolyglot:...
, speaking Greek, English, Danish, Russian, French and Italian. The siblings spoke Greek to one another, and used English with their parents. The parents, however, spoke German to each other.
Early adulthood
When Christopher came of age he joined the Hellenic ArmyHellenic Army
The Hellenic Army , formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece.The motto of the Hellenic Army is , "Freedom Stems from Valor", from Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War...
, although apparently he would much rather have rather studied the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
. While a young man, he was apparently offered no less than three different thrones - those of Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, and Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
- but he declined them all, as he did not wish the stress of royal duties.
He was briefly engaged to Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife
Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife
Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife was a member of the British Royal Family, a granddaughter of King Edward VII...
in about 1910. (Alexandra's mother, Princess Louise, Duchess of Fife, was a daughter of Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark was the wife of Edward VII of the United Kingdom...
, an older sister of George I of Greece, his father.) The engagement was terminated when disapproving parents learned of the liaison.
Russian Revolution
Prince Christopher's mother, Queen Olga, was a former Grand Duchess of Russia before her marriage to King George I of Greece. With the coming of the revolution, eighteen close family members including his first cousin Nicholas II and his wife and five children, who were of the Romanov family, were murdered.First marriage
On 1 January 1920, Christopher married a very wealthy American widow, Nonnie May "Nancy" Stewart Worthington Leeds
Nancy Stewart Worthington Leeds
Princess Anastasia of Greece was a wealthy American heiress and a member of the Greek Royal Family through marriage with Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark, the youngest child of King George I of Greece and Olga, Queen of Greece.-Family and life before the third marriage:She was born as...
, at Vevey
Vevey
Vevey is a town in Switzerland in the canton Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Geneva, near Lausanne.It was the seat of the district of the same name until 2006, and is now part of the Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut District...
, Switzerland. His wife, who was previously widowed and divorced, was granted the title "HRH Princess Anastasia of Greece and Denmark", and her fortune, which she inherited from her second husband, a tin millionaire, greatly helped the Greek Royal Family during their exile in the 1920s. The wedding followed a six-year engagement while the legal details of marriage to a twice-married commoner were worked on. Shortly after their marriage she developed cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, and died in London on 29 August 1923, leaving no children from this marriage. Prince Christopher did, however, have a stepson, William Bateman Leeds Jr (1902–1971), who married, in 1921, Princess Xenia Georgievna Romanova of Russia
Princess Xenia Georgievna Romanova of Russia
Princess Xenia Georgievna of Russia was the daughter of Grand Duke George Mihailovich of Russia and Princess Maria Georgievna of Greece and Denmark.-Youth:...
, who was Christopher's niece through his elder sister, Marie, Grand Duchess George of Russia
Princess Maria Georgievna of Greece and Denmark
Maria or Marie Georgievna, Princess of Greece and Denmark , was the fifth child and second daughter of George I of Greece and Olga Konstantinovna of Russia and thus a family member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.-Early life and family: She was born in Athens as a younger...
.
Second marriage and family
Prince Christopher later remarried; his second wife was Princess Françoise of OrléansPrincess Françoise of Orléans (1902–1953)
Princess Françoise of Orléans was born a Princess of Orléans and was a Princess of Greece and Denmark by marriage. She was thus a member of the Greek royal family...
(25 December 1902 – 25 February 1953). Françoise was a daughter of Jean d'Orléans, Duc de Guise
Jean d'Orléans, duc de Guise
Jean Pierre Clément Marie d'Orléans, Duke of Guise , was the son of Robert, Duke of Chartres , grandson of Ferdinand-Philippe and great-grandson of Louis Philippe I, King of the French...
and Isabelle d'Orléans
Isabelle d'Orléans, duchesse de Guise
Princess Isabelle of Orléans was a member of the French Orleanist royal family and by marriage Duchess of Guise....
. Isabelle was a daughter of Philippe, Comte de Paris
Philippe, Comte de Paris
Philippe d'Orléans, Count of Paris was the grandson of Louis Philippe I, King of the French. He was a claimant to the French throne from 1848 until his death.-Early life:...
and his wife and first cousin Marie Isabelle d'Orléans. They were married in 1929 in Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
, Italy; the civil ceremony was on 10 February, and the religious one on 11 February; in connection with the wedding Françoise de Guise, Princess of Orléans became Her Royal Highness, Princess Françoise of Greece and Denmark. They had one child, Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark, who was born in 1939, shortly before his father's death in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
.
Prince Christopher on Anna Anderson
Prince Christopher's first wife "Nancy" was the mother of William B. Leeds. Leeds was married to Prince Christopher's niece, Princess Xenia Georgievna of Russia, who lived on Long Island in the United States. In 1927, he was on a visit to his stepson and Xenia. Xenia was taking an interest in the strange case of a woman (Anna AndersonAnna Anderson
Anna Anderson was the best known of several impostors who claimed to be Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia...
) who claimed to be Grand Duchess Anastasia
Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia
Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia was the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, the last sovereign of Imperial Russia, and his wife Alexandra Fyodorovna....
, the youngest daughter of the late Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. She had been found in one of the hospitals in Berlin where she had been taken after attempting suicide. Her story was that, when the rest of her family had been murdered, she had managed to make her way to Bucarest with the soldier who had rescued her from the cellar in Ekaterinburg. He had brought her to Berlin but left her destitute. As Prince Christopher explained, "That was her story, and, fantastic as it was, there were many who believed then - and still believe - in her, among them one or two members of the Imperial Family." He went on, "Dozens of people who had known the Grand Duchess Anastasia were brought to see the girl in the hope that they might be able to identify her, but none of them could come to any definite conclusion." Beyond this there was little to justify her statements. Prince Christopher described her, "In the first place she was unable to speak Russian, which the Grand Duchess Anastasia, like all the Czar's children, had talked fluently and would only converse in German." Summing up he said of her, "The poor girl was a pathetic figure in her loneliness and ill health, and it was comprehensible enough that many of those around her let their sympathy over-rule their logic. ... She was unable to recognise people whom the Grand Duchess Anastasia had known intimately, and her descriptions of rooms in the different palaces and of other scenes familiar to any of the Imperial Family were often inaccurate."
Prince Christopher on Monarchy
Prince Christopher recorded his thoughts on Monarchy and those aspiring to it : "Nothing under the sun would induce me to accept a Kingdom. A crown is too heavy a thing to be put on lightly. It has to be worn by those born to that destiny, but that any man should willingly take on the responsibility, not being constrained by duty to do so, passes my comprehension."Ancestry
Issue
Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark and Princess Françoise of Guise had one son, Prince Michael of Greece and DenmarkPrince Michael of Greece and Denmark
Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark, is the author of several historical novels and biographies, as well as a contributing writer to Architectural Digest.-Birth and family:...
.