Aspasia Manos

Aspasia Manos was a Greek aristocrat who became the wife of Alexander I, King of Greece, in a secret and controversial marriage. She was born on September 4, 1896, in Tatoi Palace, Athens, as the daughter of Colonel Petros Manos and Maria Argyropoulos, both descendants of prominent Greek Phanariote families of Constantinople. She grew up close to the royal family and met Prince Alexander in 1915, when they became secretly engaged. However, their relationship faced strong opposition from both the royal family and the Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos, who wanted the king to marry a British princess. Despite the obstacles, Alexander and Aspasia married on November 17, 1919, without the approval of his father, King Constantine I, who was exiled in Switzerland. The public revelation of the wedding caused a huge scandal and Aspasia was forced to leave Greece for a few months. She was not given the title of Queen, but was known as Madame Manos. She was reunited with her husband in 1920 and became pregnant with their daughter, Alexandra. However, tragedy struck when Alexander died on October 25, 1920, from sepsis caused by a monkey bite. Aspasia gave birth to Alexandra on March 25, 1921, and was initially excluded from the royal family. She was later recognized as Princess Alexander of Greece and Denmark by a decree issued by her father-in-law, King Constantine I, on September 10, 1922, after his restoration to the throne. Aspasia lived in exile for most of her life, following the political turmoil in Greece and the fate of her daughter, who married King Peter II of Yugoslavia and became the last Queen of Yugoslavia. Aspasia died on August 7, 1972, in Venice, Italy, from pneumonia. She was buried in Venice, but her remains were later transferred to the Royal Cemetery in Tatoi, Greece, where she rests next to her husband.