Princess Feodora of Leiningen
Feodora of Leiningen (Anna Feodora Auguste Charlotte Wilhelmine; 7 December 1807 – 23 September 1872) was the only daughter of Emich Karl, Prince of Leiningen, and Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. She was Queen Victoria’s half-sister and grew up with Victoria at Kensington Palace after Victoria was born.
Feodora’s life at Kensington was tightly controlled by her mother’s household, led by the Duke of Kent and John Conroy, in a system that Feodora found stifling. Despite this, she remained close to Victoria and longed to leave Kensington.
In 1828, Feodora married Ernst, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, in an arrangement supported by Queen Adelaide. They lived at Schloss Langenburg in Germany.
Feodora and Ernst had six children: Carl Ludwig II; Elise; Hermann; Victor; Adelheid (Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein); and Feodora (Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen). She kept up a long friendship with Victoria and was sometimes granted an allowance to visit Britain.
She took part in Victoria’s coronation in 1838 and died in Baden-Baden on 23 September 1872 at the age of 64. Queen Victoria mourned her deeply, calling her a devoted and pious sister.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 16:15 (CET).