Prince George, Duke of Kent and Princess Marina of Greece & Denmark - 1934

[Elsa M.]

Another photo of the bride:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...arina_1934.jpg

[Jacknch]

Originally Posted by Elspeth

That was a stunning wedding dress - such simplicity but still appropriate for a royal wedding. Edward Molyneux really did her proud with that design. I'm glad she broke with tradition and wore a classic-looking tiara with that dress rather than having a head full of flowers.

Queen Mary apparently said that it was one of the most beautiful dresses she had ever seen. The material was silver and white lame with a raised "Rose of England" pattern (brocade) and extremely delicate, such that it was only taken to London two weeks before the wedding to avoid damage (Royal Romances part 27).

[Jacknch]

Originally Posted by norwegianne

The man next to Queen Mary looks like King Christian of Denmark. One of the men behind him, looks like Crown Prince Olav of Norway, but it's difficult to tell because of the size of the picture.

There were many high ranking royals at the wedding including King Christian X and Queen Alexandrine of Denmark and King Haakon of Norway.

[STEVEN]

Marina, Olga & Elisabeth

[maria-olivia]

Olga got married 11 years before her 2 sisters.. That means for ex that Prince Alexandre of Y 's daughter has to say Auntie to Princess Michael of Kent ?

[Leslie2006]

Originally Posted by maria-olivia

Olga got married 11 years before her 2 sisters.. That means for ex that Prince Alexandre of Y 's daughter has to say Auntie to Princess Michael of Kent ?

Probably. But in private he may have called her 'Auntie Kent' or 'Auntie Marina'.

[Yeo-wang]

Princess Marina of Greece & Denmark, she's a classic beauty and so is her beautiful daughter, Princess Alexandra. A perfect bride for a prince, which makes me question, why the many extramarital affairs on Prince George's part? Was it a loveless marriage or was it in his nature to fool around? In any case, I still think Princess Marina deserved all his affection...wonder if she knew of these affairs....I bet she did.

[Dierna23]

Its more complicated. He was gay, at least bisexual. But I do think that George loved Marina in his own way very much. They shared interests in music and arts and he treated her very well. I think they had an understanding about his affairs.

[Yeo-wang]

Originally Posted by Dierna23

Its more complicated. He was gay, at least bisexual. But I do think that George loved Marina in his own way very much. They shared interests in music and arts and he treated her very well. I think they had an understanding about his affairs.

The word "understanding" baffles me, and I've read about his infamous sexual preference(s). If he loved her, treated her well and also shared common interests then why did he feel the need to continue these affairs with mostly high profiled partners, when it would obviously hurt her ego/feeling?

It would take a SAINT to "understand" your spouse's extramarital affairs, which was one too many for the dear princess to overlook.

Well, then it must have been his nature to foolishly fool around while his beautiful/elegant wife waited at home.

As far as looks go Prince George and Princess Marina is my favorite couple among the four Princes. PG's premature death was truly unfortunate. P Marina was too beautiful and young to have lived a widow.

[Boris]

Originally Posted by Yeo-wang

The word "understanding" baffles me, and I've read about his infamous sexual preference(s).

Why 'infamous'? His sexual preferences, period.
The word "understanding" means that Princess Marina undoubtedly was aware about these preferences prior to the marriage, knew exactly what she was getting herself into and decided to go ahead with it.
Judging by everything I have read, their unconventional marriage was based on a great friendship and shared interests indeed, and the fact that it would be an unconventional one was very clear from the start to everyone involved.

[Odette]

Beautifully said Boris. Those were the days when royal ladies were getting married and mostly stayed married no matter what the circumstances.

[Boris]

Originally Posted by Odette

Beautifully said Boris. Those were the days when royal ladies were getting married and mostly stayed married no matter what the circumstances.

With more or less happy results, though - the keyword for a happy kind of 'unconventional' marriage like this being 'honesty' from the start, I'd say...
...while deception always tended to produce disastrous results, and understandably so.

[Odette]

Absolutely. Very few were led to the altar without a clear understanding of what was expected of them.
Actually in most cases those couples were better equipped to handle the truth than most are nowdays.

[Yeo-wang]

Originally Posted by Boris

Why 'infamous'? His sexual preferences, period.
The word "understanding" means that Princess Marina undoubtedly was aware about these preferences prior to the marriage, knew exactly what she was getting herself into and decided to go ahead with it.
Judging by everything I have read, their unconventional marriage was based on a great friendhip and shared interests indeed, and the fact that it would be an unconventional one was very clear from the start to everyone involved.

Don't get me wrong I have nothing against his sexual preferences, but I doubt his s/perferences were kindly accepted then when it's still not kindly accepted in many parts of the world today. And to add to that, I used the term to highlight his many affairs and I certainly had no intention of impying any unpleasant meaning into the term.

As for the "understanding" part, unless you've come to such judgement after reading Princess Marina's biography or an interview given by her, other people's words/views are just that....other people's w/v. What you say might be true but surely there are bound to be contradicting views on any topic, especially of this kind. They didn't make any formal/official announcement of the terms of their "unconventional" marriage, have they?

Even if the couple were in aggreement with this unconventional relationship I can't help but doubt about her being at peace with these affairs.

What I write is strictly my personal point of view and I have no intention of forcing on to others. Thank you.

[Odette]

That would have made me wonder if she were the only wife whose husband was having extramarital affaires of any kind.
Queen Ena of Spain never discussed K Alfonso's affaires and there are many others who knew but chose not to openly discuss it.
By no means these were the only two ladies whose husbands were involved elsewhere.
Those were different times and those in the know respected their privacy more than they do today.

[Dierna23]

I agree with what Odette says. It were different times and I still think that even today such understandings are possible as I can imagine that Prince & Princess Michael of Kent have an understanding (just my opinion because of all the rumours about her affairs) and if this should be the case, you can see that it CAN work if both are happy with it. I remember Marie-Christine saying: "Friendship is the most important in a marriage and relationship." Maybe her mother in law saw it the same way.

[Yeo-wang]

The two terms 'unconventional' and 'privacy' would warrant just about any affairs...oh, those were different times.....hhmmm....

I thought marriage was based on TRUST and when your spouse starts fooling around with someone else he/she is breaking the trust, and I don't see how one can be happy knowing that or am I sooooooo narrow minded. Am I to welcome my husband with a happy smile when he returns home after sleeping with another woman? I don't think so....but many here seem willing to understand as long as there's an aggreement of some sort and happy.

Are such comments made because it's someone else's life and NOT mine??

[Westminster]

This all depends on your personal views on things and attitudes. Many people would be jealous like hell, other think that sex hasn't to do with love. Some people say if you get older and older there has to be an agreement, some people are in love like the first day they met. My very own opinion is that these people aren't ordinary people so its normal that they lead unnormal and unconventional marriages! Most of these couples aren't able to lead a normal marriage daylife, they are often seperated because each one has its own duties and engagements.

And its just the life of the upper class, isn't it? As for George and Marina. I think, Marina was just Georges type! I'm sure she understood him like no other woman could have understood him, instead they wouldn't have married. Georgie was some sort of bohemian and I think Marina wasn't too much conservative as well.

[Russophile]

One of the books I read about Elizabeth, can't remember which one it was, had stated that Marina was not without male companionship.
First and foremost: they did their duty. That's why I admire QE II so much, no matter what, she didn't go onto Oprah and spill her guts to the world about how lousy Philip was running around with Merle Oberon. Marina was cut from the same cloth. Things happened but it was nobody's business.
Marina was actually getting a good deal, the Greek throne was rather unstable. England was.
I think it was a good thing for the both of them and they made it work.
Yeo-Wang, nowadays relationships are based on trust. Back then it was all dynastic. I would imagine that Kate and William would marry for love--if they do marry, or Harry and whomever.

[Boris]

Originally Posted by Yeo-wang

Don't get me wrong I have nothing against his sexual preferences, but I doubt his s/perferences were kindly accepted then when it's still not kindly accepted in many parts of the world today.

I actually believe that acceptance in those times in the UK largely depended on which social level a person belonged to. Prince George as a royal was at the very top of the most privileged, a circle in which he could do very much as he pleased - and of course without being scrutinized by an ever-present media.
Marina and George also considered themselves - and were considered by others - to be the only truly sophisticated couple in the Windsor family, largely keeping the private company of people who were less inclined to prejudice against homosexuality or unconventional marriages anyway.

I used the term to highlight his many affairs

I don't know about so 'many' affairs... apart from the legendary one with Noel Coward, there were longer relationships with a Frenchman and the son of a South American ambassador.

As for the "understanding" part, unless you've come to such judgement after reading Princess Marina's biography

Yes. There's interesting material about it in the biographies of Cecil Beaton, Noel Coward and Lord Mountbatten as well.

Another royal example (among many) of such an arrangement within a marriage that seems to have more or less worked out would be the one of King Gustaf V and Queen Viktoria of Sweden.