| Princess Helena Adelaide | |
|---|---|
| Princess Helena Adelaide of Denmark | |
| Spouse | Prince Harald of Denmark |
| Issue | |
| Feodora, Princess Christian of Schaumburg-Lippe Caroline-Mathilde, Hereditary Princess of Denmark Alexandrine-Louise, Countess Luitpold of Castell-Castell Prince Gorm Prince Oluf |
|
| Full name | |
| Helena Adelaide Victoria Marie German: Helene Adelheid Viktoria Marie |
|
| House | House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg |
| Father | Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein |
| Mother | Princess Karoline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg |
| Born | 1 June 1888 Grünholz, Schleswig-Holstein, Prussia |
| Died | 30 June 1962 (aged 74) Hellerup, Denmark |
| Religion | Lutheranism |
Princess Helena Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (German: Helene Adelheid Viktoria Marie; 1 June 1888 - 30 June 1962) was the third eldest daughter of Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein and his wife Princess Karoline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg.[1][2] She was a princess of Denmark through her marriage within the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg to Prince Harald of Denmark. Princess Helena was a Nazi sympathiser during the World War II and was after the war exiled from Denmark.
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Princess Helena was born 1 June 1888 at Grünholz Manor in Schleswig-Holstein, Prussia as the third eldest daughter of Frederick Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderbug-Glücksburg and his wife Princess Karoline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg.[1][2]
Princess Helena's father was the eldest son of Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and a nephew of Christian IX of Denmark. Three years before the birth of Princess Helena, he had succeeded to the headship of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and the title of duke upon the death of his father in 1885.
Princess Helena married Prince Harald of Denmark, fourth child and third son of Frederick VIII of Denmark and his wife Princess Louise of Sweden and Norway on 28 April 1909 at Glücksburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.[1][2]
After their marriage, Prince Harald and Princess Helena lived at the Jægersborghus country house north of Copenhagen which Prince Harald had purchased in 1907.[3] Here their five children were born between 1910 and 1923.[1][2]
Princess Helena became very unpopular during World War II because of her sympathy for the German occupation and the Nazi party after the German occupation of Denmark in 1940. The Danish resistance movement stated that Princess Helena was the only member of the Danish royal house to have betrayed Denmark: she received and entertained Germans in her home, attended parties hosted by the Germans at Gesandtskab and had been introduced to Danish nazists by Ebba Lerche.[4] Because of this, she was reportedly not on speaking terms with her sons.[4] Her employee, Paul Dall, responsible for the setting of her table, was a contact of the German Abwehr in Copenagen, and was after the war judged guilty as a spy.[4] In 18 January 1942 she participated in the memorial service for the SS:man C.E. von Schalburg, who had died on the Russian front, a service at which the monarch refused to attend. In 1942, she made efforts to convince Prince Knud of Denmark to persuade the monarch to allow Nazi members in to the Danish government.[5] Princess Helena is not considered to have been a regular German agent, but rather an informer and a contact on informall basis.[5] After the war, Princess Helena was not brought to trial, being a member of the royal house who did not wish any publicity on the matter, but was exiled from Denmark 30 May 1945 and placed under house arrest at the Glücksburg Castle in Germany.[5]
She was allowed to return to Denmark in 1947, when Prince Harald fell gravely ill. She stayed with her spouse until his death two years later.[3]
Prince Harald died on 30 March 1949 in Copenhagen. Princess Helena survived her husband by 13 years and died on 30 June 1962 in Hellerup, Denmark[1][2]. She was burried at Roskilde Cathedral.
Helena and Harald had five children[1][2]:
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Princess Feodora | 3 July 1910 | 17 March 1975 | married her first cousin, Prince Christian of Schaumburg-Lippe and had issue. |
| Princess Caroline-Mathilde | 27 April 1912 | 12 December 1995 | married her first cousin Prince Knud of Denmark and had issue. |
| Princess Alexandrine-Louise | 12 December 1914 | 26 April 1962 | married Count Luitpold of Castell-Castell and had issue. |
| Prince Gorm | 24 February 1919 | 26 December 1991 | Unmarried and without issue. |
| Prince Oluf | 10 March 1923 | 19 December 1990 | Lost his title and became HE Count Christian of Rosenborg after marrying without consent to Annie Helene Dorrit Puggard-Müller and to Lis Wulff-Juergensen. He has issue. |
She was direct descendant a of Christopher II of Denmark and brought the line of his illegitimate son Erik Christoffersen Løvenbalk back into the Danish royal line. The current reigning Danish royal family only descend from Christopher II's sister Richeza.
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