Swoon-Worthy Facts About Madame Manos, The Unrecognized Royal
Aspasia Manos was fiercely proud of her noble Greek bloodline, but an impressive pedigree wasn’t enough to satisfy those who opposed her marriage to King Alexander I of Greece and denied her a royal title as long as they could.
Aspasia and Alexander’s devotion to one another endured strife, humiliation, and a gruesome event—yet their romance still ultimately ended in tragedy. Let’s fall in love with these facts about Madame Manos, the commoner adored by her king.
1. She Had Bragging Rights
Aspasia was born in Athens on September 4, 1896. Both her parents, Petros Manos and Maria Argyropoulos, were descendants of the highest-ranking Greek Phanariot families of Constantinople and the rulers of Transylvania, Wallachia, and Moldavia. Petros was a colonel who served as aide-de-camp to King Constantine I of Greece. Unfortunately, his marriage to the job outlasted the one with Maria.
2. She Studied Abroad
Between 1912 and 1913, Aspasia’s family was torn apart when her parents divorced. Petros remarried almost immediately while Maria retained custody of Aspasia and her younger sister Roxane. Aspasia studied at schools in France and Switzerland until the perils of WWI brought her home again in 1915. But it wasn't all bad news: Her life was about to change forever.
3. She Lost A Staring Contest
In 1915, at a party hosted by a palace official, Aspasia caught the eye of Prince Alexander of Greece, and then some. Seated across from one another at dinner, Alexander would not stop staring at her—to the point where guests got uncomfortable.
Of course, the two recognized each other from when they played together as children in the palace gardens, but a lot had changed since then.
4. She Was A Beauty
Aspasia was now 19 and uncommonly beautiful. She had luminous brown eyes, a dark complexion, and a “profile like a nymph on a classical Greek frieze.” She barely spoke a word at dinner but maintained a radiant smile.
What’s a girl supposed to say when the guy making goo-goo eyes at her all night is a handsome prince? Awkward!
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