Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark (born 1983)
{{Short description|Danish-Greek princess and actress (born 1983)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name = Princess Theodora
| house = Glücksburg
| image = Princess Theodora 2012.jpg
| caption = Theodora in 2012
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1983|6|9|df=y}}
| birth_place = St Mary's Hospital, London, England
| spouse = {{marriage|Matthew Kumar|28 September 2024}}
| father = Constantine II of Greece
| mother = Anne-Marie of Denmark
| module = {{infobox person | embed=yes| education = Brown University (BA)
Central Saint Martins}}
| occupation = Actress
}}
{{Greek Royal Family}}
Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark ({{Langx|el|Θεοδώρα}}; born 9 June 1983), also known under her stage name Theodora Greece, is a British actress and member of the Greek and Danish royal families. She is the fourth child and younger daughter of deposed King Constantine II of Greece and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece. Theodora made her television debut in 2011 as Alison Montgomery in the American soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. She has also acted in films, including minor roles in the 2009 romantic comedy The Lightkeepers and in the 2015 war-drama Little Boy.
Biography
= Early life =
File:Former King Constantine & Queen Anne Marie of Greece in Colour.jpg
Theodora was born on 9 June 1983 at St Mary's Hospital, London.{{cite book | title=L'Allemagne Dynastique, Tome IV – Wittelsbach | publisher=Laballery |author1=Huberty, Michel |author2=Giraud, Alain |author3=Magdelaine, F. and B. | year=1994 | location=France | pages=258, 272, 328, 354, 356, 368| isbn=2-901138-07-1}} She is the younger daughter and fourth of the five children of the deposed Greek king Constantine II and his wife, Anne-Marie of Denmark.{{cite journal |journal=Forbes|url=https://www.forbes.com/2008/05/23/royals-celebrity-monarchs-biz-billies-cz_ls_0527royals_slide_14.html |title=The 20 Hottest Young Royals – 13. Princess Theodora | first=Lauren | last=Streib |date= 27 May 2008|access-date=21 October 2015 }}de Badts de Cugnac, Chantal. Coutant de Saisseval, Guy. Le Petit Gotha. Nouvelle Imprimerie Laballery, Paris 2002, p. 539 (French) {{ISBN|2-9507974-3-1}}
On 20 October 1983, she was christened in a Greek Orthodox ceremony at the Saint Sophia Cathedral, London.{{CN|date=November 2024}}
= Education =
Theodora attended Woldingham School, an all-girls boarding school in Surrey, England, between 1994 and 2001. After a gap year spent at St Philip's College in Alice Springs, Australia, Theodora attended Brown University where she received her Bachelor of Arts on 28 May 2006 in Theatre Arts, having also attended Northeastern University in Boston.{{cite web|title=HRH Princess Theodora's graduation|url=http://www.greekroyalfamily.gr/en/press/news/94-i-apofoitisi-tis-prigkipissas-theodoras.html|publisher=Greek Royal Family|access-date=3 February 2013|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924023618/http://www.greekroyalfamily.gr/en/press/news/94-i-apofoitisi-tis-prigkipissas-theodoras.html|url-status=dead}} Subsequently, she undertook graduate studies at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design.
= Career =
In April 2010, Theodora moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career, appearing in supporting roles under the stage name Theodora Greece. She previously had minor roles in the Danish film The Wild Swans and in the American romantic comedy film The Lightkeepers in 2009. She made her television debut as the secretary Alison Montgomery in the long-running American soap opera television show The Bold and the Beautiful, on 5 December 2011.{{CN|date=November 2024}} She went on to act in films including Little Boy, June and The Great Awakening.
= Personal life =
On 16 November 2018, it was announced that Princess Theodora was engaged to American attorney Matthew Jeremiah Kumar.{{Cite web|first=Chloe|last=Foussianes|url=https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a25167479/princess-theodora-greece-matthew-kumar-engaged/|title=Princess Theodora of Greece Is Engaged to Lawyer Matthew Kumar|work=Town & Country|date=16 November 2018|accessdate=8 July 2021}} The wedding was due to take place in Spetses in May 2020, but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.{{cite web|author=Johnston, Harriet|url=https://www.tatler.com/article/royal-wedding-autumn-greece-princess-theodora|title=A royal wedding! Princess Theodora of Greece is 'set to marry her LA-based lawyer fiancé' in the autumn, after their nuptials were postponed twice|work=Tatler|date=19 March 2024|access-date=11 April 2024}} The wedding was postponed a second time, in 2023, following the death of her father.{{cite web |url= https://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/royals/princess-theodora-greece-royal-wedding-american-matthew-kumar/|title= Princess Theodora of Greece Marries American Matthew Kumar in Royal Wedding
|last= Mackelden|first= Amy|date= September 20, 2024|website= Marie Claire|publisher= Future US|access-date= October 1, 2024}}
On 28 September 2024, Theodora married Kumar in a Greek Orthodox ceremony officiated by Metropolitan Dorotheos II of Syros at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens. Guests included 250 friends and relatives, including members of European royal families, such as the bride's aunt, Queen Sofia of Spain, and Infanta Cristina of Spain, Infanta Elena of Spain, Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, Count Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille, Princess Benedikte of Denmark, Crown Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia, Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia, and Prince Christian of Hanover.{{cite magazine|url=https://people.com/princess-theodora-greece-marries-american-fiance-matthew-kumar-royal-wedding-twice-postponed-8719816|title=Princess Theodora of Greece Weds American Fiancé Matthew Kumar in Twice-Postponed Royal Wedding|magazine=People|first=Janine|last=Henni|date=28 September 2024|access-date=28 September 2024}}{{cite web |url= https://www.tatler.com/gallery/esteemed-guests-who-attended-princess-theodora-of-greeces-wedding-in-athens|title= Esteemed guests who attended Princess Theodora of Greece's wedding in Athens|last= Johnston|first= Harriet|date= 1 October 2024|website= Tatler|publisher= |access-date= 3 October 2024}} Two of her brothers, Crown Prince Pavlos and Prince Philippos, and her nephew Prince Achileas-Andreas, served as groomsmen. Her nieces, Princess Maria-Olympia and Arrietta Morales y de Grecia, served as bridesmaids. For the ceremony, Theodora wore a custom gown by Celia Kritharioti, an Irish lace veil that once belonged to her great-grandmother Princess Margaret of Connaught, and a Cartier diamond tiara that was given to Princess Margaret of Connaught by Abbas II of Egypt.{{cite web |url= https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a62453886/princess-theodora-wedding-dress-tiara/|title= Princess Theodora of Greece Wore a Historic Tiara to Her Royal Wedding|last= Goldsmith|first= Annie|date= September 30, 2024|website= Town & Country|publisher= Hearst Communications|access-date= October 1, 2024}} The veil and tiara have been worn by all of Queen Ingrid of Denmark's female descendants.
Οn 20 December 2024, Theodora, along with the other members of the former royal family acquired Greek citizenship, under the surname Theodora de Grece. {{cite web|url=https://www.tovima.com/society/former-greek-royal-family-members-apply-for-citizenship-opt-for-surname-de-grece/|title=Former Greek Royal Family Members Apply for Citizenship, Opt for Surname 'De Grece'|date=19 December 2024|access-date=20 December 2024|website=To Vima}} The family was deprived of citizenship in 1994 when the former King Constantine refused to acquire a surname, as required by law for all Greek citizens.
Filmography
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 2009
| De vilde svaner (The Wild Swans) | Elisa | film, voice role |
| 2009
|Impressed Lady |film |
| 2010
| Sroloc | Sarah Park | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2011
|Nevan Saunders' Quest for Fame: A Documentary by Kip Griffen | Jen | film |
| 2011-2018
| Alison Montgomery | TV series, 88 episodes |
| 2012
| Amnesia | Rachel | film |
| 2013
| Shang | Brooke Sangreen | TV movie |
| 2015
| Eliza | film |
| 2015
| June | Ms. Wapos | film |
| 2016
|Killer Assistant | Lara Berkis | TV movie |
| 2016
|Blind Follow | Cricket II | short film |
| 2017
| Broken Slinky Presents | Theodora | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 2017
|Gates of Hades | | TV movie |
| 2017
|Respect Greece | | TV movie |
| 2018
| Static | Daphney | short film |
| 2022
| The Great Awakening | Savannah | film |
Ancestry
Her paternal grandparents were King Paul of Greece and Frederica of Hanover. Her maternal grandparents are Frederik IX of Denmark and Ingrid of Sweden.Willis, Daniel A., The Descendants of King George I of Great Britain, Clearfield Company, 2002, p. 414. {{ISBN|0-8063-5172-1}} As an agnatic descendant of Christian IX of Denmark Theodora is a Danish princess, and because King Christian's second son, Prince William of Denmark, was elected "George I, King of the Hellenes" in 1863, her father (George's great-grandson) inherited the throne of Greece in 1964.{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZOJwAAAAIAAJ&q=historical+order | title=Monarchs-in-Waiting | publisher=Dodd, Mead & Co. | author= Walter Curley | author-link= Walter Curley | year=1973 | location=Cornwall, NY | pages=15, 206–207, 209, 225 | isbn=0-396-06840-5}}
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center
| boxstyle_1 = background-color: #fcc;
| boxstyle_2 = background-color: #fb9;
| boxstyle_3 = background-color: #ffc;
| boxstyle_4 = background-color: #bfc;
| boxstyle_5 = background-color: #9fe;
| 1 = 1. Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark
| 2 = 2. Constantine II of Greece
| 3 = 3. Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark
| 4 = 4. Paul of Greece
| 5 = 5. Princess Frederica of Hanover
| 6 = 6. Frederik IX of Denmark
| 7 = 7. Princess Ingrid of Sweden
| 8 = 8. Constantine I of Greece
| 9 = 9. Princess Sophia of Prussia
| 10 = 10. Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick
| 11 = 11. Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia
| 12 = 12. Christian X of Denmark
| 13 = 13. Duchess Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
| 14 = 14. Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden
| 15 = 15. Princess Margaret of Connaught
| 16 = 16. George I of Greece
| 17 = 17. Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna of Russia
| 18 = 18. Frederick III, German Emperor
| 19 = 19. Victoria, Princess Royal
| 20 = 20. Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover
| 21 = 21. Princess Thyra of Denmark
| 22 = 22. Wilhelm II, German Emperor
| 23 = 23. Princess Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein
| 24 = 24. Frederik VIII of Denmark
| 25 = 25. Princess Louise of Sweden
| 26 = 26. Frederick Francis III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
| 27 = 27. Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia
| 28 = 28. Gustaf V of Sweden
| 29 = 29. Princess Victoria of Baden
| 30 = 30. Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
| 31 = 31. Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia
}}
References
{{Portal|Denmark|Greece}}
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark (1983)}}
- {{IMDb name|id=3576837}}
{{Greek princesses}}
{{Danish princesses}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Theodora of Greece And Denmark, Princess}}
Category:20th-century Greek people
Category:20th-century Greek women
Category:21st-century Greek actresses
Category:21st-century British actresses
Category:British film actresses
Category:British television actresses
Category:Brown University alumni
Category:Children of Constantine II of Greece
Category:English Eastern Orthodox Christians
Category:Greek television actresses
Category:House of Glücksburg (Greece)
Category:People from Paddington
Category:People educated at Woldingham School
Category:Princesses of Denmark