# The Princess — Daniel Deronda character guide

> The Princess in Daniel Deronda by George Eliot.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Princess Halm-Eberstein, Leonora Halm-Eberstein, Leonora

**First appearance:** 0060-l

## Snapshot

A celebrated singer who buried her Jewish past and her son with it, she summons Deronda to Genoa to hand him a heritage she spent a lifetime escaping.

## Who they are

The Princess Halm-Eberstein built a brilliant career by severing herself from her father, her faith, and the infant son she left behind. Cold, imperious, and exhausted by her own renunciations, she meets Deronda not with maternal warmth but with a confession delivered like a verdict. Her refusal to soften makes Deronda's discovery of his origins both a gift and a wound, and it sets him on the path that will define the rest of the novel.

## Relationships

### [Daniel Deronda](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/daniel_deronda_se/characters/daniel_deronda)

_family_

The Princess (Leonora) is Daniel's biological mother, a tragic figure who abandoned him and later reveals his Jewish heritage.

### [Daniel Deronda](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/daniel_deronda_se/characters/daniel_deronda)

_family_

The Princess (Leonora) is Daniel's biological mother, a tragic figure who abandoned him and later reveals his Jewish heritage.

### [Daniel Deronda](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/daniel_deronda_se/characters/daniel_deronda)

_family_

The Princess (Leonora) is Daniel's biological mother, a tragic figure who abandoned him and later reveals his Jewish heritage.

## In the story

### [Book VI: Revelations](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/daniel_deronda_se/chapters/book-vi-revelations)

Reveals herself as Deronda's mother and explains her past choices.

### [Book VII: The Mother and the Son](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/daniel_deronda_se/chapters/book-vii-the-mother-and-the-son)

The Princess, Leonora Halm-Eberstein, reveals herself as Deronda's mother and explains her reasons for giving him up.

### [Chapter L](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/daniel_deronda_se/chapters/l)

Deronda's mother, the Princess Halm-Eberstein, is the object of his wait; her letter and eventual arrival in Genoa mark a pivotal moment, though her veiled communication creates emotional distance.

### [LI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/daniel_deronda_se/chapters/li)

Reveals her past as the Alcharisi, her rebellion against her father's Judaism, and her decision to have Deronda raised as an English gentleman; speaks of her impending death.

### [LIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/daniel_deronda_se/chapters/liii)

Deronda's mother reveals her defiance of her father's wishes and her lack of maternal love. She gives Deronda a miniature portrait and asks him to be happy.

### [LV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/daniel_deronda_se/chapters/lv)

Deronda recalls his second interview with her; she has left the hotel.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/daniel_deronda_se/characters/the_princess
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/daniel_deronda_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/daniel_deronda_se/characters