Princess Feodora of Leiningen


Princess Feodora of Leiningen was the only daughter of Emich Karl, Prince of Leiningen and Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld">Victoria (UK TV series)">Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, future Duchess of Kent. Feodora and her older brother Karl, Prince of Leiningen, were maternal half-siblings of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

Life

Feodora was born in Amorbach, Bavaria, on 7 December 1807 to Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and her first husband, Emich Karl, 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 Victoria, a potential heir to the British throne, would be born in Britain.
After Victoria's birth, Feodora resided at Kensington Palace and was tutored by Victoria's governess Baroness Lehzen. Her stepfather the Duke died in 1820, and her mother fell under the influence of John Conroy, an Irish army officer who administered the household. Conroy and the Duchess implemented the Kensington System which aimed to isolate Victoria from the world and influences other than them. Feodora found life there very stifling. With no friends her own age she became rebellious in her behaviour.
Feodora was generally regarded as headstrong, attractive, and well-mannered. Despite having no personal fortune, she was considered desirable for marriage due to being the sister of the future Queen.
Among her suitors was Augustus d'Este, who first proposed to her on 2 December 1825 while on a visit to Coburg. Augustus's proposal was rejected by Feodora, but he continued his attempts to court her by sending letters and a gold ring. Feodora again rejected his suit and declined the gift of the ring.
Others who showed interest were the Duke of Nassau and the Duke of Schönberg, the Austrian ambassador.
All these potential matches were blocked by Conroy, who found Feodora's presence a threat to the Duchess's influence over Victoria. He therefore advised that Feodora be married to a German prince of no particular importance.
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. 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 Lehzen, when she could "speak and look as she liked".

Marriage and later life

In early 1828, Feodora married Ernst I, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, 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. After their honeymoon, she returned to the German Confederation, where she lived until her death in 1872. 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.
Feodora maintained a lifelong correspondence with her half-sister Victoria and was granted an allowance of £300 whenever she could visit Britain. She was a member of the royal party at Victoria's coronation in 1838.
Feodora's youngest daughter, the Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, died in early 1872 of scarlet fever. Feodora died later that year. On hearing of Feodora's death, Victoria wrote:

Issue

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

In the media

In Victoria series 3, 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.