Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark was a Greek and Danish princess by birth who became the Hereditary Grand Duchess of Hesse and by the Rhine through her marriage to her maternal cousin Prince George Donatus.
Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark had a happy childhood year, but her life changed tragically after she experienced various wars, which displaced her family. Princess Cecilie of Greek and Denmark’s family was displaced, and it took well-wishers and friends to act for her family financially and wholly.
Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark was the third of five children who were born to Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, and Princess Alice of Battenberg. Princes Cecilie was born in 1911 and when she was very young, the Balkan Wars between 1912 to 1913 happened.
While Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark had a royal life, the wars turned her life tragically. After conflicts, the princess and her family moved to Switzerland and then to France where they were exiled for years.
Early Life and Wars
Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark experienced a tough childhood. While she was a princess the wars that happened when she was young forced her family and relatives into exile. Between 1917 and 1920, the Princess spent her life in exile in Switzerland. This was after World War 1 had broken out and her family moved to Switzerland, where they depended on the generosity of foreign relatives.
From 1922 to 1936 her family moved to France where they sought refuge. During her stay with her family in foreign countries, her family was helped by Marie Bonaparte and Lady Louis Mountbatten.
Later Life
In 1929, Cecilie formed a relationship with her maternal cousin George Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse. It was around the same time that her mother had suffered a mental breakout which led to her confinement in a Swiss psychiatric hospital until 1933.
Cecilie married Prince George in 1931 and she moved to Darmstadt. She gave birth to three children after her marriage and became pregnant with her fourth child in 1937. She was initially distant from the Nazi movement but later joined it at the same time as her husband.
Death
Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark met he untimely death when she was on a journey with her family. The princess ‘s family was on their journey to the United Kingdom to attend the wedding of her brother-in-law Louis, Prince of Hesse, and by Rhine to Margaret Campbell Geddes when she was involved in an aircraft accident.
The aircraft the family was traveling in crashed in flames in Ostend, instantly killing everyone who was onboard. The remains of the Princess and her family were buried in the Grand-ducal mausoleum of Rosenhohe on November 23, 1937.
Funeral
Despite his family dying in a plane crash, Prince Louis married Margaret Campbell Geddes in London, the day after the plane crashed. After the wedding, the couple went to Belgium to collect the remains of their family members. Louis and his wife adopted the only child of Cecilie and Goerge who survived, Johanna. Johanna also died two years later due to Meningitis.
