In news that proved a sad blow for royal houses both in Europe and the UK, Princess Dorothea of Hesse, Princess of Windish-Grätz, passed away earlier this month at the age of 91. The Princess, who was the niece of the late Duke of Edinburgh and the oldest surviving cousin of King Charles, led a long life as a leading link between the British and European royals.

Born on 24 July, 1934, Princess Dorothea was the second of five children of Prince Christoph of Hesse and Princess Sophie of Greece and Hanover, who was the youngest of the Duke of Edinburgh’s four older sisters. She was born in Schloss Panker, in Schleswig-Holstein in Germany – one of the castles owned by Prince Christoph's father, HRH Friedrich Karl, Landgrave of Hesse.

During the Second World War, the Princess lived with her p

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