Princess Helena of Greece and Denmark

Princess Helena (born 18 August 1940) is a Greek-born princess and socialite, mother of Marie of Schaumburg-Lippe and thus grandmother to Elisabeth of Autelia.

Born to Prince Christopher (1888-1940) and Princess Françoise (1902-1953) of Greece and Denmark, Helena spent a great deal of her young life in both Africa and France with her brother, Prince Michael and their mother's family, being orphaned at the age of 12.

She married firstly in 1960, to Prince Ernst of Schaumburg-Lippe (1941-2002). They had five daughters (Elisabeth, Adelaide, Sophie, Marie and Katharina) and one son (Friedrich Wilhelm). They divorced in 1981, and she moved to Lyon in France with her three eldest daughters.

In Lyon, she met the Brazilian Prince Ademar of Orleans-Braganza (b. 1942), and they married in 1986. Their only daughter together, Gisela, was born the following year.

Her profile was increased upon her daughter's marriage to the then-Crown Prince of Autelia in 1986. She has taken part in various royal events in Autelia, and is considered by many to be a member of the Autelian Royal Family.

She resides in Lyon with her husband.

Issue

Helena married firstly: Prince Ernst of Schaumburg-Lippe (1941-2002) on April 4, 1960 in Nenndorf, Germany. They had six children:

• HSH Princess Elisabeth of Schaumburg-Lippe, born July 19, 1961. Married to Tobias Stefan Köler in 1982. They have two children:
  • Leonore Helene Köler, born December 19, 1982
  • Christiane Leticia Köler, born August 23, 1984
• HSH Princess Adelaide of Schaumburg-Lippe, born April 19, 1963. Married to August Reuter in 1983. They have three children:
  • Christoph August Reuter, born January 30, 1985
  • Clara Adelaide Reuter, born March 22, 1988
  • Helene Katharina Reuter, born October 11, 1990
• HSH Princess Sophie of Schaumburg-Lippe, born November 9, 1964. Married firstly to Alexander Axel, Graf von Pfalzen from 1985 until his death in 1997. They had two daughters:
  • HSH Princess Sophie Alice of Leiningen, born March 19, 1991 *
  • HSH Princess Alexandra of Leiningen, born September 12, 1993 *

Married secondly to Prince Oliver of Leiningen in 2004, who adopted her daughters.

• HSH Princess Marie of Schaumburg-Lippe, born October 3, 1968. Married to Prince Henri of Autelia from 1986 until his death in 2015. They had four children: