Princess Katherine of Greece, The Lady Katherine Brandram

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Princess Katherine of Greece, Lady Katherine Brandram; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Katherine of Greece was the youngest child of King Constantine I of the Hellenes and Princess Sophie of Prussia. She was born at the New Royal Palace in Athens, Greece (formerly known as the Crown Prince’s Palace) on May 4, 1913. Through her mother, Katherine was a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria.

Katherine had five older siblings:

Katherine’s christening took place on June 14, 1913, with the following godparents:

Princess Katherine was born into a life of upheaval. At just three years old, she survived a fire at Tatoi Palace, with her mother running two kilometers carrying the young princess. At four years old, her father was forced from the throne – replaced by his younger son, King Alexander – and the family went into exile in Switzerland. Her father returned to the Greek throne in 1920 but was forced to abdicate two years later in favor of his eldest son King George II. The family again went into exile – settling in Palermo, Sicily, where her father would die in January 1923. The family moved to Villa Sparta in Florence, where Katherine continued her education, supervised by an English governess.

Princess Katherine (on her father’s knee) with her family, c1919. (standing – Princess Helen, Prince Paul, Princess Irene; sitting – Prince George, Queen Sophie, King Constantine I). source: Wikipedia

Katherine was then sent to England to attend the North Foreland Lodge in Kent to continue her studies. Following her education, she returned to Florence, living with her mother and sisters, and becoming close to the Italian Royal Family. She also maintained close contact with her Greek relations, and in 1934, served as a bridesmaid at the wedding of her cousin, Princess Marina of Greece, to Prince George of the United Kingdom, Duke of Kent, in London. Katherine returned to Greece in 1935 when her brother George was restored to the throne and worked as a nurse with the Greek Red Cross at the outbreak of World War II. Once again forced to flee, the family left Greece in April 1941, traveling to Crete and then to Alexandria, Egypt, before settling in Cape Town, South Africa in July 1941. There, Katherine returned to nursing at a hospital in Cape Town, particularly caring for soldiers suffering from blindness.

The family left South Africa and returned to Egypt in 1944, and in May 1946, Katherine decided to join her brother George who was living in exile in the United Kingdom. While traveling onboard the RMS Ascania, she met Major Richard Campbell Andrew Brandram, an officer in the British Royal Artillery, who was traveling home on leave from his position at the British Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. The two quickly fell in love and were engaged three weeks after returning to Britain. Despite Brandram being a commoner, the engagement was met with approval and great happiness by the Greek royal family. King George II, however, asked them to keep the engagement private due to the unstable political situation in Greece at the time. In September 1946, the monarchy was again restored, and Katherine accompanied her brother back to Athens.

The engagement was formally announced in February 1947 and the family was looking forward to the wedding as a time of celebration for the Greek people. Sadly, King George II died on April 1, 1947, just three weeks before the wedding. His successor – his younger brother Paul – insisted that the wedding should take place as scheduled, and Katherine and Richard were married on April 21, 1947. Two ceremonies – Church of England and Greek Orthodox – took place in the ballroom of the Royal Palace in Athens.

King George VI of the United Kingdom issued a decree on August 25, 1947, granting Katherine the “style, title, place and pre-eminence as the daughter of a Duke”, and she became styled as Lady Katherine Brandram. Later that year, Katherine and her husband attended the wedding of her first cousin, Philip Mountbatten, and the future Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.

Following a honeymoon in Greece, the couple returned to Baghdad, and upon returning to England, they settled in Eaton Square, Belgravia, London. They later moved to Marlow in Buckinghamshire, England.

The Brandrams had one son:

  • Richard Paul George Andrew Brandram (1948 – 2020), married  (1) Jennifer Diane Steele, had two daughters and one son, divorced  (2) Kate Moreton, no children

Lady Brandram and her husband with their son (held by Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent). photo: Par Queen Luisa — Collection particulière, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6430088

Katherine lived a relatively quiet life in England, mostly out of the public eye other than an occasional royal event. She retained close ties to her Greek relatives and often joined them for family functions such as christenings and memorial services. One of her last public appearances was at a Service of Thanksgiving at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor, England for the Duke of Edinburgh’s 80th birthday in 2001.

In her later years, Katherine joined her nephew King Constantine II and her niece Princess Irene in a legal battle against the Greek Republic over properties that had been confiscated. The Greek monarchy was abolished in 1974 and the royal family’s properties and assets had been confiscated. Five years later, the confiscation decree was abolished, and the properties were returned. These included Tatoi Palace, Mon Repos on the Island of Corfu, and the Royal Estate at Polydendri, of which Katherine was a co-owner. However, the properties were again confiscated in 1994. At that time, Katherine, Constantine, and Irene filed a complaint before the European Court of Human Rights. In 2001, after a long legal battle, the Court ordered the Greek government to compensate the Greek Royal Family. The decision was confirmed upon appeal in 2002 and Katherine received 300,000 Euros.

Tomb of Princess Katherine, Lady Brandram at Tatoi Palace. photo: By Kostisl – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25383440

Lady Brandram died in London on October 2, 2007. She is buried with her husband in the Royal Cemetery at the Tatoi Palace in Greece. From 2002 until her death, she was the last surviving great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

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