Princess Feodora of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

Feodora was the youngest of six children. Her mother was an older half-sister to Queen Victoria, thus making the younger Feodora a niece of the Queen. Her siblings included Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Adelheid, Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein.

Feodora met her future husband (and second cousin) while he was on his way to Italy. He had been recently widowed, his first wife having been Charlotte Frederica of Prussia. Despite this recent loss, Georg went on a search to provide a mother for his two young children. Feodora and Georg became engaged almost at once.[1] On 23 October 1858, they married at Langenburg.

They had three sons:

• Prince Ernst Bernhard of Saxe-Meiningen (27 September 1859 – 29 December 1941) he married Katharina Jensen on 20 September 1892. They had six children.
• Prince Frederick Johann of Saxe-Meiningen (12 October 1861 – 23 August 1914) he married Countess Adelaide of Lippe-Biesterfeld on 24 April 1889. They had six children.
• Prince Viktor of Saxe-Meiningen (14 May 1865 – 17 May 1865) died two days old.

Their marriage was unhappy however. Georg had never become reconciled to Charlotte's death and Feodora was not temperamentally suited for the life she was expected to lead.[2] She had no intellectual or artistic attainments and no apparent interest in developing any. Despite this fact, Georg attempted to educate her. He was a great lover of the arts, especially theatre. Her mother approved, stating it was "very sensible of him indeed to arrange for his bride to be much occupied with lessons, to take drawing lessons, and to hear lectures on history".[2] He soon realised however that she would never be as witty and clever as Charlotte. After the death of their third son, Feodora stayed away from Meiningen for as much time as decently possible.[2] In 1866, he succeeded as Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, making her the first lady of the realm.

Feodora contracted scarlet fever in January 1872, and died the following month. Despite the many differences between them, Georg had remained fond of her; when she became sick, he was genuinely distraught and sent telegrams to her parents twice daily.[2] In the following year, Georg remarried again, morganatically to Ellen Franz, a former actress.

Works cited

• Koller, Ann Marie (1984). The Theater Duke: George II of Saxe-Meiningen and the German Stage. Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-1196-8.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

• Media related to Princess Feodora of Hohenlohe-Langenburg at Wikimedia Commons