In the rush for American heiresses to marry titled husbands, there were very few actual love matches. Most were blatant trades of the privilege of wearing a coronet in exchange for badly-needed cash to prop up a decaying noble or royal family and their declining estates. While most European royal families had several of those marriages, Denmark had only one and it was prominent.[1]
Eleanor Margaret “Peggy” Green (1895 – 1966) was a daughter of James Oliver Green, president of Western Union Telegraph, and of Amy Hewitt Green whose father was New York City mayor Abraham Hewitt and whose grandfather was philanthropist Peter Cooper, founder of the Cooper Union.
In 1923 Peggy visited her cousin, Baroness Ernst von Schilling (Ethel Green), in Copenhagen. There she met Prince Viggo, the youngest son of Prince Waldemar of Denmark and of Prince Marie of Orleans. Prince Viggo’s paternal grandfather was King Christian IX of Denmark (brother of King George I of Greece and Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom). Prince Viggo’s maternal grandfather, the Duc de Chartres, was a grandson of King Louis Philippe of France.
While Peggy’s fortune may have been the initial attraction, the two loved one another deeply and enjoyed a happy marriage for more than 40 years. Because Prince Viggo did not marry a royal wife, his marriage was considered “unequal” and he had to renounce his place in the Danish line of succession. He also had to be “downgraded” from his status as a Royal Highness prince merely to His Highness Prince Viggo, Count of Rosenborg – a style his wife could share.
The two were married at New York City’s Calvary Church on June 10, 1924. The New York Times reported, “There has probably never been recorded a marriage in the history of New York Society of such importance, and it is the first time that a person of royal birth has taken an American bride in this city.” About 1500 guests attended the reception at the Hewitt mansion; a room at the family’s country estate, Ringwood Manor, was decorated for their honeymoon.
Peggy learned to speak Danish fluently and became heavily involved in charity work. She loved her horses and dogs and the couple enjoyed annual bicycling vacations through Jutland. One jeweler in Copenhagen who saw her often said she was, “very sweet. She looked like a charwoman but was great fun. All the royals here relaxed with her as she had no snobbery or protocol.” They had no children and she became heavily involved with charity work, often accompanying her husband to represent the king and queen at official functions.
In 1961 the Princess was awarded by King Frederik the Order of the Elephant, the highest order of the nation. She died on July 3, 1966, and was buried as Her Highness Princess Vigo, Countess of Rosenborg, in the old cathedral at Roskilde where Danish royals are traditionally interred. In a rare display of royal approval, her service was attended by Prince Viggo’s nephew, King Frederik IX, and by Queen Ingrid. Peggy’s famous collection of jewelry, including nine tiaras, was left to the Danish royal family whose female members often wear them to full advantage.
[1] The Greek royals, descended from the Danes, never renounced their claim to the Danish throne. They had several such marriages including the very wealthy Nancy Leeds to Prince Christopher of Greece as well as Marie-Chantal Miller to the current Crown Prince Pavlos.
