After her husband's death, Marina continued to be an active member of the British royal family, carrying out a wide range of royal and official engagements. She served as president of the Wimbledon
All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club for 26 years, In 1947, Marina visited Greece and Italy. In June 1952, she laid the foundation stone of the new
St Mark's Church in
Bromley, London, which had been damaged in the war. Later in 1952, Marina visited
Sarawak (then a British
Crown Colony), where she laid the foundation stone of the
St. Thomas's Cathedral in
Kuching. She also visited the
Batu Lintang camp, a former Japanese internment camp that had been converted into a teacher training college, and travelled to
Sibu, where she opened the outpatient department of the Lau Kheng Howe Hospital. In 1954, Marina was granted an Apartment at
Kensington Palace as a permanent grace-and-favour residence. During her early widowhood she had often stayed with her mother-in-law at
Marlborough House; however Mary's death in 1953 created a need for Marina to have her own London residence. The Apartment had stood vacant for nearly 15 years, having previously been the home of
Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, prior to her death in 1939. As the apartment was considered too large for Marina's needs, its eastern half was divided to create Apartment 1A. The works were budgeted at £80,000 but ultimately cost £127,000. During the renovations, Marina reportedly considered removing an original Wren staircase inside Apartment 1, finding it "too much like a servant's staircase" and too narrow for descending in full evening dress; palace officials intervened to prevent its removal. Marina and her three children took up residence in October 1955, and Apartment 1 remained her home until her death in 1968. In March 1957, when the
Gold Coast achieved independence from Britain as
Ghana, Marina was appointed to represent the Queen at the celebrations. 50 years later, at the 50th anniversary of Ghana's independence, her son, Edward, was appointed by the Queen to represent her. Marina earned a place in the
International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1960, together with the
Princess of Monaco, Patricia Lopez-Willshaw, and
Merle Oberon. In 1964, she undertook an extensive tour of Australia and officially opened
Gladesville Bridge in
Sydney. In September and October 1966, when the British Protectorates of Bechuanaland and Basutoland became the Republic of
Botswana and the Kingdom of Lesotho respectively, Marina was again appointed to represent the Queen at both independence celebrations. The main public hospital in
Gaborone, the new capital of Botswana, is named
Princess Marina Hospital. She served as Chancellor of the
University of Kent at Canterbury from 1963 until her death. Marina died at 11:40 am on 27 August 1968 at Kensington Palace from a
brain tumour, aged 61. She was buried in the
Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore. Her funeral was the last royal ceremony attended by her brother-in-law, the former king
Edward VIII. Marina's will was sealed in London after her death. Her estate was valued at £76,166 (equivalent to £940,600 in 2022). ==Legacy==