Feodora Of Leiningen

Princess Feodora of Leiningen (full name: Anna Feodora Auguste Charlotte Wilhelmine; 7 December 1807 – 23 September 1872) was the daughter of Emich Carl, Prince of Leiningen, and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Her mother later became the Duchess of Kent. Feodora was born in Amorbach, Bavaria.

Feodora and her paternal brother, Karl, Prince of Leiningen, had a maternal half-sister, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Her maternal aunt, Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna of Russia, was the namesake for her first two given names.

Her father, Emich Carl, died in 1814. In 1818, her mother remarried Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, the fourth son of King George III. The family moved to Kensington Palace in 1819 when Princess Victoria was born, and Feodora was tutored by Victoria's governess, Baroness Lehzen.

Following the death of her stepfather in 1820, her mother became associated with John Conroy, who governed the household. Conroy and the Duchess implemented the Kensington System, which aimed to isolate Victoria, leading to a restrictive environment that Feodora found oppressive.

Feodora was considered to have been beautiful with good manners, and her status as the sister of Queen Victoria made her a sought-after match. Among her suitors were Augustus d'Este, the Duke of Nassau, and the Duke of Schönberg; however, her guardians, particularly Conroy, blocked these matches, favoring a marriage to a less significant German noble.

Feodora maintained a close relationship with her half-sister Victoria. In early 1828, she married Ernst I, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, at Kensington Palace. Ernst I was her first cousin, and the marriage was arranged by Queen Adelaide of Great Britain, having met her only twice prior. After marriage, she moved to the German Confederation and resided in Schloss Langenburg, which was mediatised to Württemberg in 1806.

She had six children with Ernst I:

- Carl Ludwig II, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1829–1907), who succeeded his father but abdicated in 1860.

- Princess Elise of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1830–1850).

- Hermann, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1832–1913).

- Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1833–1891).

- Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1835–1900).

- Princess Feodora of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1839–1872), who married George II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen.

Princess Feodora maintained correspondence with her half-sister Victoria throughout her life and was part of the royal entourage at Victoria's coronation in 1838. She received an annual allowance for visits to Britain.

Feodora's youngest daughter died in early 1872 of scarlet fever. Feodora herself died later that year on 23 September 1872. Queen Victoria expressed her grief upon her sister's death, describing Feodora as devoted, devout, and her last relative of similar age.

In cultural depictions, Feodora has been portrayed in various media, including the 2019 series "Victoria," where she was depicted in a fictionalized manner.