Princess Feodora of Leiningen

German princess

Princess Feodora of Leiningen (Anna Feodora Auguste Charlotte Wilhelmine; 7 December 1807 – 23 September 1872) was the only daughter of Emich Carl, Prince of Leiningen (1763–1814) and Princess Victoria of Saxe Coburg Saalfeld (1786–1861, future Duchess of Kent). Feodora and her older brother Carl, Prince of Leiningen, were maternal half siblings to Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

Feodora was born in Amorbach, Bavaria, on 7 December 1807 to Princess Victoria of Saxe Coburg Saalfeld and her first husband, Emich Carl, 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 the new potential heir to the British throne could be born in Britain. Feodora enjoyed a very close relationship with her younger half sister Victoria, who 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 her governess Baroness Louise Lehzen, when she could "speak and look as she liked".

In early 1828, Feodora married Ernst I, Prince of Hohenlohe Langenburg (1794–1860), 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 (300.0 in 1828 is equivalent to about <calculated amount> in recent years) 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:

In Victoria Series 3 (2019), 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.