4.5cm (1.75in) x 8.8cm (3.5in) x 13.9cm (5.5in)
Silver cigarette box of rectangular form, the hinged lid with engined turned decoration and centrally engraved with the Duchess of Kent's ‘M’ cypher surmounted by a coronet of her rank. The interior cedar lined. Maker’s mark of Padgett & Braham Ltd, London. Hallmarked 1939.
Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, Duchess of Kent (1906-1968) was the wife of Prince George, Duke of Kent, the fourth son of King George V and Queen Mary. Princess Marina was the daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark, the third son of George I of Greece. Her mother was Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia, a granddaughter of Tsar Alexander II. Following the overthrow of the Greek monarchy, she lived with her family in Europe staying with relatives until marrying Prince George at Westminster Abbey in 1934. The couple had three children, Prince Edward of Kent, Princess Alexandra of Kent and Prince Michael of Kent. The Duke of Kent was killed on 25 August 1942, in an aeroplane crash at Eagles Rock, near Dunbeath, while on active service with the RAF. After her husband's death, the Duchess of Kent continued to be an active member of the British Royal Family, carrying out a wide-range of royal and official engagements. She was the longtime president of the Wimbledon All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club.