Anastasia of Greece and Denmark January 1878, , Ohio , USA - August 29, 1923, London , UK ) is an American heiress, in the third marriage, the wife of Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark , the youngest son of King George I and Olga Konstantinovna , a member of the Danish and Greek royal families.
| Anastasia Greek and Danish | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greek Αναστασία από την Ελλάδα και τη Δανία | |||||||
 Anastasia the Greek, circa 1913 | |||||||
 Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Greece in 1863-1936 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Birth | January 20, 1878 , Ohio , USA | ||||||
| Death | August 29, 1923 (aged 45) London , UK | ||||||
| Burial place | Family Mausoleum at Woodlon Cemetery , New York | ||||||
| Kind | Glucksburgs (for husband) | ||||||
| Birth name | Noni May Stewart | ||||||
| Father | William Charles Stewart | ||||||
| Mother | Mary holden | ||||||
| Spouse | 1. George Worthington 2. William Bateman Leeds 3. Christopher the Greek | ||||||
| Children | from second marriage 1. William Bateman Leeds, Jr. (1902-1971) | ||||||
| Education | |||||||
| Religion | Greek Orthodoxy | ||||||
Biography
Noni May Stewart was born January 20, 1878 in , Ohio , USA in the family of wealthy entrepreneur William Charles Stuart and his wife Mary Holden, married since December 11, 1874. [1] By 1880, the family moved to Cleveland . Shortly after the move, Noni's mother passed away and her father remarried. Noni May was educated at home until she was sent to in Farmington , Connecticut . After her graduation, she often began to be in high society [2] .
On October 1, 1894, in Cleveland, Noni married George Eli Worthington (1872-1950), the son of Ralph Worthington, who was the son of Cleveland's largest industrialist. The marriage certificate recorded that Noni was born in 1876 for the reason that Ohio law required women to marry only when they reached the age of 18, and then the bride was only 16 years old. The couple lived together for four years, there were no children in the marriage. March 23, 1899 they divorced. Noni returned to the house of her father and stepmother. [3]
On August 3, 1900, she entered into a second marriage with William Leeds (1861-1908), a steel magnate [4] . For both spouses, this was a second marriage. Her husband’s fortune was estimated at $ 35 million. In marriage, had one son:
- William Bateman Leeds (1902-1971) - was married to the prince of imperial blood Ksenia Georgievna Romanova , had a daughter Nancy, in 1930 the couple divorced.
William Leeds died in 1908 in Paris , leaving all his inheritance to his wife [4] .
Nona became a widow at the age of 30. After the death of her husband, she moved to Europe, settling in London, where at that time she was known by the name of Nancy Leeds . The young widow revolved around the highest aristocracy. She was a regular customer of Cartier jewelry house, began to collect expensive furniture and works of art [1] .
In London, around 1914, she met her future third husband, Prince Christian of Greece and Denmark (1888-1940), the youngest son of King George I of Greece, who was ten years younger than her. The prince wrote in his memoirs that he met Mrs. Leeds, four years older than himself, in Biarritz in 1914, deciding to immediately marry her without any hesitation [5] .
In the same 1914, their connection became known to the public. The wedding was postponed due to the disagreement of the Greek royal family on the marriage of the prince with an American commoner, who was already twice married. After World War I, when the royal family went into exile, Mrs. Leeds' money helped the august relatives of Prince Christopher. After that, relatives gave their consent to the marriage. The Orthodox wedding took place on February 1, 1920 in Vevey , Switzerland, six years after the first meeting. Four days after the wedding, Nancy officially converted to Greek Orthodoxy, taking the name Anastasia. From King Alexander I, she was given the title "Her Royal Highness Princess Anastasia of Greece and Denmark" [6] . She continued to flicker in the American yellow press, where she was called The Dollar Princess . The couple lived in London, where they actively participated in the life of the metropolitan world [7] .
Soon after the marriage with Christopher, Anastasia was discovered cancer. She died three years later at Spencer House . By her will, the body was returned to the United States and buried in the Woodlon Cemetery , New York , next to her parents [7] . The entire inheritance of the deceased princess was divided between her son and husband [8] . In 1929, Christopher entered into a second marriage with the French Princess Francoise of Orleans (1902-1953), from whom he had one son, Prince Michael . Christopher died in 1940 at the age of 51 in Athens [9] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Papi, 2011 , p. 195.
- ↑ Huberty, 1994 , p. 287.
- ↑ Huberty, 1994 , p. 287-295.
- ↑ 1 2 William Leeds profile on Thepeerage.com . Date of treatment March 7, 2015.
- ↑ Huberty, 1994 , p. 303-305.
- ↑ Papi, 2011 , p. 197.
- ↑ 1 2 Huberty, 1994 , p. 318.
- ↑ Jewels and biography of Princess Anastasia . Date of treatment March 7, 2015.
- ↑ Profile of Christopher the Greek on Thepeerage.com . Date of treatment March 7, 2015.
Literature
- Daddy, Stefano. Treasures of the Romanov dynasty: [ Russian ] . - Moscow: Astrel, 2011 .-- P. 192-195. - 304 p. - ISBN 978-5-17-073228-9 .
- Huberty, Michel. L 'Allemagne dynastique: Oldenbourg. Familles alliées H - L : [ fr. ] . - Giraud, 1994. - P. 287, 295, 303-305, 318. - 767 p. - ISBN 2-901138-07-1 .
Links
- Nonie May Stewart . - Profile on Geneall.net.
- Anastasia May Stewart (English) . - Profile on Thepeerage.com.
- Princess Anastasia of Greece . - The site of the jewelry of Princess Anastasia of Greece.
- Christopher of Greece . - Biography of Prince Christopher the Greek and his wife.