Princess Theodora of Greece to marry Matthew Kumar this weekend after delaying wedding twice: All the details
Another royal wedding is set to take place in Europe this Saturday.
Princess Theodora of Greece will marry Matthew Kumar on September 28 after delaying their nuptials twice.
Athens will play host to the wedding, which is likely to see royals from Denmark, Spain and Britain attend.
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Princess Theodora and Matthew Kumar attend a reception on board the Danish royal yacht Dannebrog celebrating Queen Margrethe II's 50 years on the throne on September 10, 2022. Getty
Here's what we know so far:
Wedding postponed twice
Princess Theodora is the daughter of the late King Constantine of Greece, who died in January 2023, and Queen Anne-Marie of Denmark – sister of Queen Margrethe II.
Theodora, 41, announced her engagement to Kumar in November, 2018, and planned to marry on the Greek island of Spetses in 2020.
But the COVID-19 pandemic, and its travel restrictions, saw the wedding put on hold.
Princess Theodora of Greece and Matthew Kumar announced their engagement in November 2018, with a photo taken at Tower Bridge in London. Instagram/tgreece
The nuptials were rescheduled for mid-2023 in Porto Heli, Greece, but the death of Theodora's father months before saw them once again delay the wedding.
Now, the couple is finally set to get their happily ever after on September 28.
The bride and groom
As daughter of the late King Constantine of Greece, and Queen Anne-Marie of Denmark, Princess Theodora has links to many royals from across Europe.
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She was born in London and attended Woldingham School in Surrey before later moving to the US where she occasionally works as an actress with credits including The Bold and the Beautiful.
It was in Los Angeles that Theodora met her now-fiancé.
Princess Theodora of Greece and Matthew Kumar pictured on the day they should have married, in 2020, but it was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instagram/tgreece
Kumar, 34, was born and raised in Southern California to Sam and Lonnie Kumar. He is a practising attorney in Los Angeles.
It's not clear if the couple will continue living in the US or split their time between there and Europe.
The royal wedding
Princess Theodora and Kumar will marry inside the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens on Saturday 28 September at 5.30pm.
The reception will take place at the One&Only Aesthesis Hotel on Glyfada Beach and a welcome brunch will be held on the Sunday.
On the eve of the wedding, on Friday, the couple will host a welcome dinner for their 250 guests at the Byzantine and Christian Museum of Athens.
The wedding date was chosen for its close proximity to the wedding anniversary of Princess Theodora's parents, 60 years ago. They also married inside the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens.
Theodora's parents, King Constantine II of Greece and Queen Anne-Marie of Denmark married in 1964. AP
King Constantine married Denmark's then-Princess Anne-Marie on September 18, 1964.
Princess Theodora is expected to wear her original wedding gown, a dress designed by Celia Kritharioti and be walked down the aisle by her eldest brother Crown Prince Pavlos.
She may choose the historic Khedive of Egypt tiara, which was worn by her mother on her wedding day, and her aunty and godmother Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.
The Cartier-made jewel originally belonged to Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden, the niece of Britain's King Edward VII, and grandmother of Queen Margrethe and Queen Anne-Marie (and Princess Benedikte).
When Queen Ingrid (mother to Margrethe, Anne-Marie and Benedikte) died in 2000, she left the tiara to her youngest daughter, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece.
The wedding guests
With a guest list of 250, there are likely to be many familiar faces representing royal families from across Europe.
Princess Theodora's elder brother is Crown Prince Pavlos who will be there with his wife Crown Princess Marie-Chantal and their five children: Princess Olympia, Prince Constantine-Alexios, Prince Achileas-Andreas, Prince Odysseas-Kimon and Prince Aristidis-Stavros in 2008.
Theodora's other siblings, and their families, will be at the wedding to including Princess Alexia, Prince Nikolaos and Prince Philippos.
Princess Theodora and Matthew Kumar at the funeral of King Constantine II of Greece on January 16, 2023. Getty
When Theodora's father, King Constantine, died last year his funeral in Athens was attended by royalty including Princess Anne representing King Charles III of Britain, and Lady Gabriella Windsor who was asked by Prince William to attend in his place.
The late king was godfather to both William and Gabriella.
Denmark's Queen Margrethe II and then-Crown Prince Frederik were there, and it was highly likely Margrethe would attend her niece's wedding until her recent fall. Queen Margrethe has since called all official engagements after fracturing her wrist and damaging her neck, putting her presence at the wedding in doubt.
Queen Mary and King Frederik could be there too, being closely related to the bride through Margrethe.
Margrethe is also Theodora's godmother, as was the late Queen Elizabeth II of Britain.
Princess Theodora, back row in pink, with Queen Mary, King Frederik and Crown Prince Christian at the christening of Prince Gustav and Princess Carina of Denmark's first child Prince Gustav in 2023. Instagram
Also present at Constantine's funeral were King Felipe, Queen Letizia and Queen Sofia of Spain. King Constantine was Queen Sofia's brother.
The other royals there included King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, Prince Albert II of Monaco, King Carl XVI and Queen Silvia of Sweden, Belgian King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, Norway's Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Grand Duke of Luxembourg Henri.
It is likely many of these royals will also attend the wedding, or at least be represented by other members of their families.
The Greek royal family arrives at Windsor Castle for a memorial service for King Constantine in February, 2024. AP
A memorial service for King Constantine was held at Windsor Castle in February this year, attended by the extended Greek and British royal families.
King Charles was undergoing treatment for cancer so did not attend, while Prince William was absent following the shock death of Lady Gabriella's husband Thomas Kingston, which was announced after the service.
The Greek royal family
King Constantine came to the throne in 1964 and reigned for just three years but was ousted in a military coup three years later.
He was soon forced to flee abroad following an unsuccessful counter-coup.
The monarchy was abolished in 1974, and the former King was later stripped of his Greek citizenship.
Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal at King Charles' coronation in May, 2023. Getty
Constantine lived in exile for in Rome with the rest of his family before they later settled in London.
King Constantine and his family spent most of their time in the UK and forged a close relationship with the British royal family.
The late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was Constantine's uncle.
At a 60th birthday party held for Constantine II at Highgrove, then-Prince Charles first introduced then Camilla Parker Bowles to his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
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