Princess Margarita of Baden

Princess Margarita of Baden (Margarete Alice Thyra Viktoria Marie Louise Scholastica; 14 July 1932 – 15 January 2013) was the only daughter of Berthold, Margrave of Baden, and Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark. She was a niece of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.^[1] She was the first great-great-great-grandchild of Queen Victoria.

Early life

Princess Margarita was born at Schloss Salem, Germany on 14 July 1932 and grew up there. Her father ran a school jointly with Kurt Hahn.

She came to live in London in 1948, and trained as a nurse at St Thomas' Hospital. She attended the 1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. While in London, she met Prince Tomislav, a member of the exiled Yugoslav royal family.

Marriage

On 5 June 1957, Princess Margarita married Prince Tomislav of Yugoslavia, younger brother of the former King Peter II of Yugoslavia, in a civil ceremony in Salem^[2] followed by Lutheran and Serbian Orthodox church services on June 6. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (her maternal uncle) and King Simeon of Bulgaria were among the guests.^[3] From this marriage were born:

• Prince Nikolas of Yugoslavia (born 15 March 1958, London); married to Ljiljana Licanin (born 12 December 1957 in Zemun, Serbia) on 30 August 1992 in Denmark. They have a daughter:
  • Princess Marija (b. 31 August 1993, Belgrade)
• Princess Katarina of Yugoslavia (born 28 November 1959, London). She was married for several years to Sir Desmond de Silva QC, KStJ (b. 13 December 1939 Sri Lanka), has a daughter and works in public relations.^[4][5]
  • Victoria Marie Esme de Silva (b. 6 September 1991)

The couple settled in the United Kingdom, running a fruit farm near Billingshurst in Sussex. They were divorced in 1981.

Later years

Princess Margarita was a champion of Serbian charities and was also president of the Convent of Martha and Mary in Moscow.

Following the death of Lady Katherine Brandram in 2007 she became the senior living direct line female descendant of Queen Victoria.

Princess Margarita experienced ill-health in her later years. She was seen sitting in a wheelchair at Westminster Abbey as an invited guest at the wedding, William being the son of her first cousin Charles, Prince of Wales.

Princess Margarita died in Farnham, Surrey, on 15 January 2013 after a long illness.^[6] Her funeral was held at Serbian Orthodox Church of Saint Sava in Notting Hill on 24 January 2013. Her uncle the Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece and Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia were among the mourners.^[7] Princess Margarita was buried in the family cemetery at Stefansfeld near Baden, Germany, on 28 January 2013.

Ancestry

References