Elisabeth of Romania

For Queen Elisabeth of Romania, wife of Carol I, see Elisabeth of Wied.
Elisabeth of Romania
Queen consort of the Hellenes
Tenure 27 September 1922 – 25 March 1924
Spouse George II of Greece
Full name
Elisabetha Charlotte Josephine Alexandra Victoria
House House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
Father Ferdinand of Romania
Mother Marie
Born 12 October 1894(1894-10-12)
Peleş Castle
Died 14 November 1956(1956-11-14) (aged 62)
Cannes, France
Religion Eastern Orthodox
Styles of
Queen Elisabeth (as consort)
Reference style Her Majesty
Spoken style Your Majesty
Alternative style Ma'am

Elisabeth of Romania (Elisabetha Charlotte Josephine Alexandra Victoria; 12 October 1894 – 14/15 November 1956) was the Queen consort of King George II of Greece.

Contents

Biography

She was born in the Peleş Castle in October 1894, the daughter of King Ferdinand of Romania and his wife, Marie of Romania.

On 27 February 1921, she married the future King George II, then Crown Prince, in Bucharest. It is believed that Prince George's uncle Wilhelm II, former German Emperor arranged the match.[1] Constantine I of Greece gave Elisabeth his castle of Tatoi and bestowed the title Duchess of Sparta upon her.[1] She was queen consort from 1922 to 1924, and afterwards the couple lived in exile. The marriage was unsuccessful, and they were divorced on 6 July 1935. George was restored to his throne on 3 November 1935. Elisabeth then returned to live in Romania until its monarchy was abolished after World War II.

She had numerous affairs, including one before her marriage with the acting UK High Commissioner in Constantinople, Frank Rattigan, father of playwright Terence Rattigan. She became pregnant by Rattigan and was forced to have an abortion. This affair resulted in his being expelled from the diplomatic service.[2]

She died in Cannes, France in 1956.

Legacy

References

  1. ^ a b "Kaiser As Matchmaker", The New York Times (Vienna), 17 January 1921, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9A03E7DD113FE633A2575AC1A9649C946596D6CF&scp=5&sq=Queen+of+Greece+Elisabeth&st=p 
  2. ^ Wansell, Geoffrey. Terence Rattigan: A Biography. London: St. Martin's Press, 1997.

External links

Elisabeth of Romania
Cadet branch of the House of Hohenzollern
Born: 12 October 1894 Died: 14 November 1956
Greek royalty
Preceded by
Sophia of Prussia		 Queen consort of the Hellenes
27 September 1922–25 March 1924		 Vacant
Title next held by
Frederika of Hanover