Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark

Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark was the third daughter and youngest child of King Constantine I of Greece and Princess Sophia of Prussia. She was born on 4 May 1913 in the Royal Palace in Athens, a few weeks after her paternal grandfather, King George I of Greece, was assassinated in Thessaloniki. She was baptised on 14 June 1913, with the members of the Greek Army and Navy as her godparents. She had five siblings, three of whom became kings of Greece: George II, Alexander and Paul. She also had two sisters, Helen and Irene, who married into other royal families. Katherine experienced several exiles and upheavals in her life, as her father was forced to abdicate twice, in 1917 and 1922, due to political turmoil in Greece. She and her family lived in Switzerland, Sicily and Florence, where she developed a passion for painting. Her mother died in 1932, and Katherine continued to live with her sister Helen at Villa Sparta. She and the future Elizabeth II were bridesmaids at the wedding of her first cousin, Princess Marina, to Prince George in 1934. She returned to Greece in 1935, when her brother George II was restored as king. She joined the Greek Red Cross during the Second World War and helped refugees and wounded soldiers. She also worked as a cipher officer at the Greek legation in London. In 1946, she met Major Richard Campbell Brandram, an officer in the British Royal Artillery, and married him the following year. They had one son, Paul, born in 1948. She became known as Lady Katherine Brandram in the United Kingdom, as she renounced her royal title upon marriage. She lived a quiet and private life, devoted to her family and her painting. She rarely appeared in public events, except for some royal occasions, such as the weddings of her nephews, King Constantine II and Prince Michael, and the funeral of her brother, King Paul. She was also close to her cousin, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and attended his 80th birthday celebration in 2001. She died on 2 October 2007 in London, at the age of 94. She was the last surviving great-grandchild of Queen Victoria. She was buried at the Royal Cemetery of Tatoi Palace in Greece, next to her husband and her parents.