Marina of Greece (1906–1968)
Marina of Greece (1906–1968)
Duchess of Kent . Name variations: Marina Oldenburg; Dame Marina. Born on December 13, 1906, in Athens, Greece; died on August 27, 1968, at Kensington Palace, London, England; daughter of Helena of Russia (1882–1957) and Prince Nicholas (Oldenburg) of Greece (uncle of England's Prince Philip); sister of Olga Oldenburg (1903–1981) and Elizabeth Oldenburg (1904–1955); married George Windsor (1902–1942), 1st duke of Kent, on November 29, 1934; children: Edward Windsor (b. 1935), 2nd duke of Kent; Princess Alexandra of Kent (b. 1936); Prince Michael of Kent (b. 1942).
The youngest of the three daughters of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Helena of Russia , Marina of Greece married George, 1st duke of Kent, in 1934, and had three children before her husband's untimely death in a plane crash in 1942. Marina, who served during the war as commandant, and later chief commandant, of the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS), was also colonel-in-chief of the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment and the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. Marina was a chancellor of Kent University and a patron of the National Association for Mental Health. She also served as president of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and of the All England Lawn Tennis Club. She was named Grand Cross of the British Empire (GBE) in 1937 and Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO), in 1948.