Princess Theodora, Margravine Of Baden

Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark (Greek: Θεοδώρα; born 30 May 1906, died 16 October 1969) was a member of the Greek and Danish royal families by birth and held the title Margravine of Baden through her marriage to Berthold, Margrave of Baden.

She was the second of five children of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg. Her birthplace was Tatoi Palace near Athens. During her childhood, she lived between Athens and Corfu and experienced the geopolitical upheavals of early 20th-century Greece, including the Balkan Wars, World War I, and the Greco-Turkish War. These conflicts resulted in her family's exile to Switzerland from 1917 to 1920, and later to France and the United Kingdom from 1922 to 1936. During this period, her family depended on family support, notably from Marie Bonaparte and Lady Louis Mountbatten.

Her mother, Princess Alice, suffered a mental health crisis in the late 1920s, leading to her confinement in Switzerland. In 1931, Theodora married Berthold, Margrave of Baden, the son of Prince Maximilian, the last chancellor of the German Reich. The couple settled in Salem Castle, where Berthold managed a school with Kurt Hahn. They had three children: Margarita, Maximilian, and Ludwig.

During the rise of Nazism in Germany, Theodora and her husband maintained distance from the regime; however, Berthold enlisted in the Wehrmacht during World War II. The couple was involved with charitable organizations, including the German Red Cross. After Germany's defeat and occupation, they faced ostracism from the British royal family, particularly after the marriage of Theodora's brother, Prince Philip, to Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom in 1947.

Despite initial social exclusion, they later participated in significant events such as Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953 and the wedding of Juan Carlos of Spain in 1962. Theodora died in 1969 from heart-related issues, six years after her husband’s death in 1963. She was the paternal aunt of King Charles III.

Her ancestry includes connection to several European royal lines. Through her father, she was a granddaughter of King George I of Greece and a great-great-granddaughter of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia. Her mother was a descendant of Queen Victoria, being a granddaughter of Princess Alice, daughter of Queen Victoria.

Biographically, her early life was marked by family travels and political instability in Greece, with her childhood shaped by the Balkan Wars and World War I. Her family's exile led them to various European countries, notably Switzerland, where she experienced the impacts of political upheaval and family health crises, including her mother’s institutionalization.

Her marriage in 1931 to Berthold linked her to German nobility. During her married life, she experienced the rise of Nazism, the Second World War, and the subsequent post-war restructuring of European aristocracy. Her later years were characterized by health decline and the effects of political regimes in Greece and Germany.

She was involved in numerous social and royal functions, maintaining relationships across European royal families. Princess Theodora passed away in 1969 in Salem and was interred there. Her life intersected with major historical events, reflecting the complex interplay of monarchy, conflict, and exile in 20th-century Europe.