Excitement is building for the Greek royal family as Princess Theodora prepares to wed her lawyer fiancé this weekend.
The London-born royal will marry Matthew Kumar at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens, surrounded by family and friends, including Spain's Queen Sofia. Theodora, 41, and Matthew, 34, had to reschedule their original wedding plans following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
© ShutterstockAhead of their nuptials, the pair are hosting a dinner for loved ones at the Byzantine and Christian Museum in Athens.
As the Greek royal prepares to walk down the aisle, join HELLO! as we take a deep dive into Princess Theodora's early life and acting career…
Her early life
© Getty ImagesTheodora is the fourth child of King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie. She was born in London on 9 June 1983. Her siblings are: Princess Alexia, 59, Crown Prince Pavlos, 57, Prince Nikolaos, 54, and Prince Philippos, 38.
She attended the all-girls boarding school, Woldingham School in Surrey, before later taking a gap year at St Philip's College in Alice Springs, Australia.
Her acting career
The royal attended Brown University where she received a degree in Theatre Arts. Theodora subsequently undertook graduate studies at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design.
© Getty ImagesAfter opting to pursue an acting career, the bride-to-be went on to star in a series of shows including American soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, Gates of Hades, Respect Greece and The Great Awakening. Other credits include Blind Follow, June, The Assistant and Little Boy.
Princess Theodora at a glance
© Photo: Getty Images- Born on 9 June 1983 at St Mary's Hospital in London, the fourth child of King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie
- Among her godparents are the late Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Margrethe of Denmark.
- Attended the all-girls boarding school, Woldingham School in Surrey, before taking a gap year at St Philip's College in Alice Springs, Australia.
- Studied for a degree in Theatre Arts at Brown University before moving to LA to pursue an acting career.
- Has secured a number of TV roles and is best known for playing secretary Alison Montgomery in the long-running soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful.
- Engagement to American lawyer Matthew Kumar was announced in 2018 but their attempts to wed have been twice thwarted, once by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and once by the death of King Constantine in 2023.
Her engagement to Matthew
Theodora and Matthew started dating in 2016, with the pair announcing their engagement in November 2018. At the time, Theodora shared a joyous snapshot on Instagram which she captioned: "Words can't express our happiness and excitement. I can't wait to marry this wonderful man. I love you, Matt."
Meanwhile, Theodora's parents shared a statement which read: "Their Majesties King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie are delighted to announce the engagement of their youngest daughter Theodora to Mr Matthew Kumar.
"Further details about the forthcoming wedding will be provided in due course. Mr Matthew Kumar, 34, was born and raised in Southern California to Sam and Lonnie Kumar. He is a practising attorney in Los Angeles."
The couple had planned to wed in 2020 but had to reschedule as a result of the pandemic and following the heartbreaking loss of King Constatine of Greece.
