Days of our Lives Classic Character Recap: Princess Gina Von Amberg

Long before she was a personality residing in a microchip implanted in her doppelganger’s brain, Princess Gina was a living, breathing disillusioned artistic aristocrat with a penchant for plundering and gaudy lipstick.

Who Is Princess Gina?

Widowed following the passing of Prince Phillip Von Amberg, expectant mother Gina found her talents as a painter in high demand from chronic malefactor Stefano DiMera.

Following the birth of her daughter, Greta, Gina joined her new compatriot and his enslaved muscle — codename: The Pawn — in a crime spree that saw her produce facsimiles of Old Masters that were then pilfered for the DiMera private collection.

In the ensuing years, Gina fell under the sway of The Pawn and secretly yearned for a life in which they could settle down and raise Greta. When Stefano chose to deactivate the man and place him up for auction, he lied to Gina and insisted that her crush was dead.

Subsequently, a deep and abiding melancholy overtook Gina and she refused to paint and participate in any further mischief. Enraged, Stefano imprisoned her at Chateau de Reves, her Parisian country estate,

It was there, in that lavish jail cell, where a contented Gina nursed her fantasy of The Pawn’s survival and of his noble quest to locate and free her.

The Fog Lifts
In 1998, Gina was brought back to her senses by the reappearance of her daughter who had made her way to Paris with Eric Brady in tow. In quick succession, Gina learned that not only had Stefano downloaded her memories and personality onto a computer chip but he had also kidnapped a woman named Hope Brady and implanted said chip into her brain.

Furthermore, she learned that The Pawn, AKA John Black, was indeed alive and well. Consumed with hatred against her former ally, Gina cornered Stefano and set him alight! When the burns proved only superficial, she imprisoned him in the tower room of her home. And soon, Stefano had company…

Altered States
Convinced that the best way to worm her way into John’s affection was to impersonate her much younger lookalike, Gina kidnapped Hope, locked her up with Stefano, and underwent cosmetic surgery to make the resemblance perfect.

Now in Salem, Gina tried her damndest to tear John away from Marlena but she soon realized that her efforts were futile. Instead, she turned her affections to Hope’s former husband, Bo.

And her scheme would have no doubt worked had it not been for the interference of young Shawn-Douglas who became convinced that something wasn’t quite right with his “mother.”

The End of Princess Gina

With the Brady remarriage set for New Year’s Eve 1999, Gina planned to ring in 2000 by becoming a new bride…and losing a son. She was caught shooting at the teen by Marlena whom she also turned the gun on.

Leaping in to save his child and close friend, Bo tried to wrestle the gun away but it went off and fatally wounded Gina. Thanks to an identifiable scar on her person, Gina was quickly identified and her body flown back to Paris.

At the funeral, the coffin collapsed, Gina’s corpse spilled out and landed in such a way that her hand pointed in the direction of the tower room where Hope and Stefano had been prematurely interred.

The mourners and other attendees raced to the pair’s rescue and following the extraction, Gina was finally laid to rest. Days of our Lives airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes.