Feodora was born in Amorbach, Bavaria, on 7 December 1807 to Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and her husband, Emich Carl, Prince of Leiningen. Her father died in 1814. On 29 May 1818, her mother remarried to Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, the fourth son of King George III. The following year, when the duchess's pregnancy was reaching full term, the household moved so that the new potential heir to the British throne could be born in Britain. Feodora enjoyed a very close relationship with her younger half-sister Victoria, who was devoted to her, although Victoria resented the fact that Feodora was one of only a few other children with whom she was allowed regular interaction. Despite their closeness, Feodora was eager to leave their residence at Kensington Palace permanently, as her "only happy time was driving out" with Victoria and her governess Baroness Louise Lehzen, when she could "speak and look as she liked".
Marriage and later years
In early 1828, Feodora married Ernst I, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, at Kensington Palace. The match was arranged by Queen Adelaide of Great Britain, as Prince Ernst I was her first cousin. Prior to that, she had only met him twice. After their honeymoon, she returned to the German Confederation, where she lived until her death in 1872. The prince had no domain, however, as the principality had been mediatised to Württemberg in 1806. The couple lived in a large and uncomfortable castle, Schloss Langenburg. Feodora maintained a lifelong correspondence with her half-sister Victoria and was granted an allowance of £300 whenever she could visit Britain. She was a member of the royal party at Victoria's coronation in 1838. Feodora's youngest daughter, the Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, died in early 1872 of scarlet fever. Feodora died later that year. On hearing of Feodora's death, Victoria wrote:
Issue
Feodora and Ernest had six children :
Carl Ludwig II, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg 25 October 1829 – 16 May 1907), succeeded his father on 12 April 1860, but abdicated his rights on 21 April to marry unequally. He married Maria Grathwohl on 22 February 1861. They had three children.
Princess Elise of Hohenlohe-Langenburg died at the age of 19.
Hermann, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg married Princess Leopoldine of Baden on 24 September 1862. They had three children.
In Victoria Series 3, Feodora is played by Kate Fleetwood. In the programme, Feodora is portrayed as a scheming, jealous sister who has fled Langenburg and refuses to return to her home, although this is not historically accurate. Also, Feodora claims that King George IV wanted to marry her, but there is no historical evidence that this occurred.
