Princess Dóró

*This name uses Velkanian naming customs; the last name is a patronymic, not a family name. This person should be properly referred to by the given name* Dórótea.

**Dóró** (Dórótea Ingiríður Björghildur Ólöf Bjarnadattir; 27 August 1910 – 20 July 1969) was the younger sister of Ragnhildur I, second child of Bjarni IV, and a member of the Velkanian royal family.

Born to Bjarni and his wife Úlfhildur Ljósálfardattir, upon her birth Dóró became second-in-line to the throne behind only her elder sister. Dóró attended private primary schooling in Narísandur and boarding school in Frankenland, where she began to receive widespread media attention for her rumored wild behavior. She later attended the Hersingborg University College of the Arts, where she studied fine arts, but dropped out in 1930, one year before completing her degree. Known to be a wild and controversial royal, Dóró subsequently returned to Narísandur, where she began to become known as a socialite and nightlife fixture. Allegations of unruly and disorderly conduct at numerous Narísandur night clubs and bars led to her virtual excommunication from the royal family; by 1940, it was reported that she was "totally estranged" from the rest of her family, yet still remained a well-known and well-liked celebrity. Dóró never married nor bore any children.

On the morning of 20 July 1969, it was reported that Dóró had been found dead in the backyard of a male lover's home in Húsavík. While investigators initially confirmed they were suspicious of foul play or homicide, her death was ultimately ruled an accidental drowning due to alcohol intoxication. She was given no royal state funeral, but was laid to rest in the family mausoleum beside her parents.

## Early life and education

Dóró was born on 27 August 1910 at Árbæjarheimar Palace in Narísandur. She was the second child of Bjarni IV and Duchess consort Úlfhildur. Her father was the only son and middle child of Bjarni III, while her mother came from the Velkanian nobility. With her birth, Dóró became the second-in-line to the throne behind only her elder sister Ragnhildur I, and was granted the title Princess of the Velkanias. As the Velkanian monarchy practiced a system of male-preference primogeniture, Dóró would have been displaced in the line of succession by the birth of a younger male sibling.

When she was one-and-a-half years old in 1912, her younger sister Princess Lydía was born. With Lydía's birth, it became apparent that Bjarni would have no sons, and Dóró's position in the line of succession would be preserved. Throughout her youth, she was referred to by only her birth name *Dórótea*, but later developed the nickname Dóró when she was 16, which she became much more well-known as. Dóró was raised in Árbæjarheimar Palace with her parents and sisters.

Dóró began her education in 1916, attending the Narísandur Primary School for Girls, a private, all-girls primary school. While in primary school, Dóró had numerous behavioral issues; she eventually was diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia at age 14, in 1925. She enrolled in Vasoule School, a private, all-girls boarding school in Vasoule, Frankenland, in 1926, after graduating from primary school. Dóró has said that she immensely enjoyed boarding school, but she frequently got into trouble; the Velkanian media reported numerous behavioral incidents of Dóró skipping classes, disrespecting authority, sneaking young men into her room after hours, smoking cigarettes in school buildings, sneaking off of campus after hours, and being caught throwing wild parties with alcohol in her room, amongst other incidents. She was threatened with expulsion during her final year at the school, and subsequently refrained from rule-breaking, ultimately graduating in 1928.

After graduating, Dóró moved to Hersingborg to attend the Hersingborg University College of the Arts, where she studied fine arts. Her parents had reportedly wanted her to enroll in the University of Velkania to study an academic subject, but she refused and wished to not enroll in tertiary education at all; studying fine arts was their compromise. Dóró struggled with motivation while at the school, and later dropped out in 1930, just one year from completing her degree. After dropping out, she returned to Narísandur.

## Adulthood

After returning to Narísandur in 1930, Dóró returned to living at Árbæjarheimar Palace with her parents and younger sister Lydía. Tabloids reported that Dóró had become engaged in numerous verbal altercations with her family while living there, most often with her mother or younger sister; meanwhile, she was said to have a rather good relationship with her father, believing that he truly understood her, although him siding with her mother during altercations fractured their relationship. At one point, Dóró reportedly slapped Lydía across the face during an argument, after which royal guards were forced to separate the two. Following this altercation, her parents decided that she would be better off living on her own, and purchased a two-bedroom apartment for Dóró in 1931. She then moved into the apartment with her close friend Dalla Ólafsdattir. This caused a media frenzy, as no royal had ever resided in a civilian home before.

After moving into the apartment with Dalla, Dóró's behavior began to worsen. The media began reporting on frequent wild parties occurring at the apartment into the late hours of the night; the parties often reportedly included drug usage, excessive alcohol consumption, and group sex. Dóró and Dalla eventually became well-known in Narísandur young adult social circles for their wild parties and prevalence in the city's nightlife scene, often appearing as very-important-persons at exclusive nightclubs and bars. While the royal family is typically quick to come out against malicious rumors being spread about other royals, Dóró's parents and siblings remained silent regarding the rumors of her parties. In 1940, it was reported that Dóró was a member of the royal family "in name only," and that she had been "virtually estranged" from her parents and siblings for at least the past five years. The press also reported that Dóró had been the one to sever ties, after rejecting her family's attempts to have her return to the palace and seek drug and alcohol rehabilitation and therapy. Despite her controversial nature, Dóró was still a popular figure amongst Velkanians, with tabloid articles about her personal life and wild partying typically selling very well; by 1940, the media began reporting that mentioning Dóró's name was a "surefire way for a magazine to ensure it'll sell its share of copies."

Throughout the 1940s, Dóró became a regular fixture in the Narísandur nightlife scene; she frequented nightclubs, burlesque shows, and bars almost nightly, becoming a tabloid fixture for her frequent drunken and disorderly conduct. In 1943, she was arrested outside of a lounge for disorderly conduct after attempting to kiss a police officer; she was ultimately released on bail and was ordered to attend an alcohol rehabilitation program. In 1943, her mother was reported as calling Dóró "an embarrassment" to the family. This behavior continued into the 1950s and 1960s, although she began appearing less frequently in tabloids as new tabloid darlings of the era began to emerge.

## Personal life

After moving out of Árbæjarheimar Palace in 1930, Dóró moved into a lavish two-bedroom apartment in the Raufarnes neighborhood of Narísandur with her close friend Dalla Ólafsdattir; the apartment was paid for by the royal family, and they allowed her to continue living there even after she became estranged from the family. Dalla moved out after getting married in 1937, and Dóró subsequently purchased a luxury one-bedroom apartment in the Hellikrókur neighborhood with money from her trust fund, which she resided in for the remainder of her life. The two-bedroom apartment was sold by the royal family in 1939, and is now a civilian residence.

In addition to being diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia as a teenager, Dóró was diagnosed with histrionic personality disorder in 1943, after being examined by a psychologist during her mandated alcohol rehabilitation program. While she has never publicly labeled her sexuality, numerous women have come forward, following Dóró's death, stating that they had sexual relations with her during parties thrown in her apartment. Several have said that Dóró reportedly refused to label herself, stating that she believed in "free love."

Dóró never married nor bore any children. In an 1945 interview, Dóró stated that she was "uninterested" in marriage because she "frequently [grew] tired of [her] lovers." Despite remaining a *de jure* member of the royal family until her death, Dóró stopped receiving a royal allowance in 1936, and subsequently lived off of her trust fund and income earned through product promotion and making appearances at nightlife establishments, in addition to numerous appearances in the media.

## Death

On the morning of 20 July 1969, it was reported that Dóró had been found dead at a private home in Húsavík, at only 58 years old. Police confirmed that they were investigating whether foul play was afoot, and could not rule out the possibility of homicide. The following day, it leaked in the media that she had drowned in the Northern Sea; the home she was found in was waterfront property.

Police took Hólmgeir Sigurgestarson, the owner of the home, in for questioning. Hólmgeir was a real estate executive whom Dóró had an on-and-off sexual relationship with stemming for six months. In his statement, Hólmgeir stated that Dóró had come over his house on the night of 19 July after drinking heavily. After consuming more alcohol together and having sexual relations in his sauna, they decided to swim in the Northern Sea. While swimming, Hólmgeir had gotten tired and went to bed, leaving Dóró alone. The next morning, he assumed that she had went home later in the night. The police were notified after his housekeeper discovered her body floating in the sea behind his backyard that morning, while Hólmgeir was not home. He alleged that he did not call the authorities because he had not found her body and truly believed that she had left his home after he had gone to sleep. Upon further investigation, the police cleared Hólmgeir of any wrongdoing and ruled Dóró's death an accidental drowning due to alcohol intoxication.

After her death, a weeklong national mourning period was announced in the Velkanian Isles. A private funeral reserved for friends and family was held on 23 July. The decision by the royal family to not plan a royal state funeral was considered by the media as a sign of Dóró's estrangement from the family; however, her elder sister Ragnhildur I confirmed that the decision was made due to the "tragic circumstances" of her death, and since a public funeral had been held for her mother just months prior. Dóró was then buried in the royal mausoleum beside her parents.

In a 1983 interview, her former friend Dalla Ólafsdattir stated that Dóró "would have hated" being buried beside her family, and that it was "one final way to impose their control over her." She received pushback from the media for her comments, criticizing her comments for insensitivity and disrespect, but she did not apologize as resistance was "what Dóró would have wanted."

## Titles

* **27 August 1910 – 1 January 1964**: *Her Highness* Princess Dórótea of the Velkanias
* **1 January 1964 – 20 July 1969**: *Her Royal Highness* Princess Dórótea of the Velkanian Isles