Nonie May Stewart was born on January 20, 1878 in Zanesville, Ohio, United States, the daughter of a wealthy merchant named William Charles Stewart and his wife Mary Holden Stewart. Not long after the family moved to Cleveland, Ohio, Nonie’s mother passed away. His father eventually remarried. Homeschooled until she was 17 years old, Nonie attended Miss Porter’s School, a private college preparatory school for young ladies in Farmington, Connecticut. She eventually got her way to high society through her marriage to wealthy gentlemen. But her claim to fame was her entrance into Greek royalty, thanks to her fortune. Here are some facts about Nancy Leeds, the American heiress who later became known as Princess Anastacia of Greece and Denmark.
1. She worked as a stenographer.
As a stenographer, Nancy later caught the attention of America's tin plate millionaire, William Bateman Leeds.
2. She had two prior marriages before marrying into royalty.
She married her first husband, George Ely Worthington, on October 1, 1894 in Cleveland, Ohio. George was the son of Ralph Worthington, whose father was George Washington, a successful Cleveland industrialist. The union, however, only lasted for a little more than four years as the marriage ended—either by divorce, annulment, or abandonment—on March 23, 1899.
3. She faked her age to marry her first husband.
The license of her first marriage inaccurately states that her birth year was 1876 as the Ohio law required females to be at least 18 years of age for them to be allowed to marry.
4. She got into great wealth after marrying William Leeds.
Nonie May married her second husband, the wealthy William Bateman Leeds, on August 3, 1900 in Cleveland, Ohio. William, who was worth US$ 35-40 million at the time, earned the title “Tin Plate King” for his success in the tin plate industry. The union produced a son, William Bateman Leeds, Jr.
5. She inherited the bulk of her husband's fortune.
William Leeds, Sr. died in Paris, France in 1908, leaving Nonie with the majority of his fortune amounting to US$35 million. The now 30-year-old widow, who would soon be known as Nancy May Leeds, chose to remain in Europe after her husband’s passing, socializing with the aristocracy and collecting valuable artworks and furniture.
6. She loved Cartier.
She was a noted patron of the luxurious Société Cartier that Nancy had her own hall in the infamous jewelry shop.
7. She was initially welcomed tepidly by her Greek in-laws
Nancy met her eventual third husband, Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark who was four years her junior, in Biarritz, France in 1914. The two quickly fell in love and announced their engagement the same year of their first encounter. The Greek Royal Family, however, had reservations concerning the union as Nancy was an American commoner who had been married twice. Doubts only subsided after the First World War and the family went into exile.
8. Her fortune was her passport to royalty
Six years after they announced their engagement, the couple married in an Orthodox wedding on February 1, 1920 in Vevey, Switzerland. Nancy joined the Greek Orthodox church taking four days later and took on a new Christian name—Anastasia. She was officially styled as Her Royal Highness Princess Anastasia of Greece and Denmark.
9. She remained famous as America's "tin plate heiress"
Despite acquiring her new official title, the American press continued to refer to her as the “Tin Plate Heiress”, the “Dollar Princess”, or the “Million Dollar Princess”.
10. She cried Nancy over her son's engagement to a Russian royal
She allegedly cried for three days after finding out that her 19-year-old son proposed marriage to Princess Xenia of Russia only 24 hours after meeting each other for the first time. She thought they were too young for marriage.
Nancy Leeds, Lriwas diagnosed with cancer shortly after marrying into the Greek Royal Family. She died in 1923 at the Spencer House in London, United Kingdom. Upon her request, she was buried with her parents in the family mausoleum at Woodlawn Cemetery in Bronx, New York, United States.
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