Order of Saints Olga and Sophia
The Royal Family Order of Saints Olga and Sophia (Greek: Βασιλικόν Οἰκογενειακόν Τάγμα Ἁγίων Ὂλγας καὶ Σοφίας, romanized: Vasilikon Oikogeneiakon Tagma Agion Olgas kai Sofias) was an order of the Greek royal family. Reserved for women, it was the third highest honour of the modern Greek state and the Crown after the Order of the Redeemer and the male-only Order of Saints George and Constantine. It was instituted in January 1936 by King George II in the memory of his grandmother (Queen Olga) and his mother (Queen Sophia).
Royal Order of Saints Olga and Sophia Τάγμα Ἁγίων Ὂλγας καὶ Σοφίας | |
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![]() Grand Cross set of the Order | |
Awarded by the head of the Greek royal family | |
Type | Dynastic Order |
Eligibility | Women (post-1974 typically members of the royal family) |
Awarded for | At the monarch's pleasure for personal services of women to the Crown |
Status | Currently constituted |
Sovereign | King Constantine II |
Grand Mistress | Queen Anne-Marie |
Grades | 1st Class 2nd Class 3rd Class 4th Class |
Statistics | |
First induction | 1936 Queen Helen, Queen Mother of Romania |
Last induction | 2018 Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece and Denmark |
Precedence | |
Next (higher) | Royal Order of the Redeemer |
Next (lower) | Royal Order of George I |
Equivalent | Royal Order of Saints George and Constantine |
![]() Ribbon bar of the Order |
The order was abolished in 1973 by the Greek state and today is awarded only by the head of the former Greek royal family.
Grades
- Dame Grand Cross
- Dame Commander
- Comander
- Gold Cross
- Silver Cross
Grand Mistresses
- Queen Helen, Queen Mother of Romania née Princess Helen of Greece and Denmark - (1936 - 1947)
- Queen Frederica née Princess Frederica of Hanover - (1947 - 1964)
- Queen Anne-Marie née Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark - (1964 - Present)
Recipients
Upon the creation of the Order, Greek Princesses and their daughters were invested in order of precedence.
- Queen Helen, Queen Mother of Romania née Princess of Greece and Denmark - 1st Grand Mistress Dame Grand Cross[1][2][3][4][5][6]
- Princess Irene, Duchess of Aosta née Princess of Greece and Denmark - Dame Grand Cross, Special Class[5][6][7][8][9]
- Princess Katherine, Lady Brandram - Dame Grand Cross, Special Class[5][6][10][11][12][13][14]
- Queen Alexandra,Queen Consort of Yugoslavia née Princess of Greece and Denmark) - Dame Grand Cross, Special Class[15]
- Princess Maria of Greece and Denmark - Dame Grand Cross, Special Class
- Princess Aspasia, The Princess Alexander of Greece and Denmark (wife of King Alexander I of Greece and mother of 4th Dame) - Dame Grand Cross, Special Class[5]
- Princess Eugénie of Greece and Denmark - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class[6][16][17][18]
- Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia (daughter of Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark) - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
- Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class[5][6][13]
- Princess Elizabeth, Countess of Toerring-Jettenbach - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
- Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class[13]
- Princess Nina Georgievna of Russia (daughter of 5th Dame) - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
- Princess Xenia Georgievna of Russia (daughter of 5th dame) - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
- Princess Margarita, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg née Princess of Greece and Denmark - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class[6][13][19]
- Princess Theodora, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Baden née Princess of Greece and Denmark - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class[6]
- Princess Cecilie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Hesse née Princess of Greece and Denmark - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
- Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class[6][18]
- Princess Marie Bonaparte (wife of Prince George of Greece and Denmark and mother of 7th Dame) - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class[17]
- Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia (wife of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark and mother of 9th, 10th and 11th Dames) - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
- Princess Alice of Battenberg (wife of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and mother of 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th Dames) - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class[6]
- Princess Françoise d’Orléans (wife of Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark) - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
- Princess Margaret, Princess of Hesse-Kassel née Princess of Prussia - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
Other dames
- Queen Frederica, Queen Consort of Greece (then Crown Princess Frederica of Greece) née Princess Frederica of Hanover - Grand Mistress Dame Grand Cross[20]
- Victoria Louise, Duchess Consort of Brunswick née Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia - Dame Grand Cross, Special Class[20]
- Queen Anne, Queen Consort of Romania née Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma - Dame Grand Cross, Special Class[21][22][23]
- Queen Sofia, Queen Consort of Spain (then Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark) née Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark - Dame Grand Cross, Special Class[5][6][24]
- Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark - Dame Grand Cross, Special Class[5][6]
- Queen Mary, Queen Consort of United Kingdom (then Queen Mary, Queen Mother of United Kingdom) née Princess Mary of Teck - Dame Grand Cross, Special Class
- Queen Elizabeth, Queen Consort of United Kingdom (then Queen Elizabeth, Queen Consort) née Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon - Dame Grand Cross, Special Class[25]
- Queen Beatrix I of the Netherlands (then Princess Beatrix, Princess of Orange) - Dame Grand Cross, Special Class[5][26]
- Queen Victoria Eugenie, Queen Consort of Spain née Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg - Dame Grand Cross, Special Class[4][27]
- Infanta María de las Mercedes, Countess of Barcelona née Princess María de las Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class[4]
- Queen Ingrid, Queen Consort of Denmark née Princess Ingrid of Sweden - Dame Grand Cross, Special Class[4][6][27][28]
- Queen Margrethe II of Denmark (then Crown Princess Margrethe of Denmark) - Dame Grand Cross, Special Class[6][26]
- Queen Marie José, Queen Consort of Italy née Princess Marie José of Belgium - Dame Grand Cross, Special Class[29]
- Grand Duchess Joséphine Charlotte, Grand Duchess Consort of Luxembourg (then Princess Joséphine Charlotte, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg) née Princess Joséphine Charlotte of Belgium - Dame Grand Cross, Special Class
- Princess Margaret of Denmark - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class[4][18]
- Princess Tatiana Radziwiłł (daughter of 7th Dame) - Dame Grand Cross[6][30]
- Queen Anne-Marie, Queen Consort of Greece née Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark - Grand Mistress Dame
- Princess Benedikte, Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (then Princess Benedikte of Denmark) née Princess of Denmark - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
- Princess Gina, Princess Consort of Liechtenstein née Countess Georgina of Wilczek - Dame Grand Cross, Special Class
- Crown Princess Margareta of Romania - Dame Grand Cross, Special Class
- Infanta Pilar, Duchess of Badajoz (then The Infanta Pilar of Spain) - Dame Grand Cross
- Infanta Margarita, Duchess of Soria (then The Infanta Margarita of Spain) - Dame Grand Cross
- Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark - Dame Grand Cross, Special Class
- Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark - Dame Grand Cross, Special Class
- Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece née Marie-Chantal Miller - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
- Princess Tatiana, Princess Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark née Tatiana Blatnik - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class[31][32]
- Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece and Denmark - Dame Grand Cross, Special Class[33]
References
- "Photo" (JPG). oi39.tinypic.com.
- "Photo" (JPG). image.stirileprotv.ro.
- "Photo". www.greekroyalfamily.gr.
- "Shows 5 women wearing the order".
- "Shows 8 women wearing the order".
- "Shows 14 women wearing the order".
- "Photo" (JPG). www.vivailre.it.
- "Photo" (JPG). 66.media.tumblr.com.
- "Photo" (JPG). 66.media.tumblr.com.
- "Photo" (JPG). s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com.
- "Photo". 3.bp.blogspot.com.
- "DINASTÍAS - Los Foros de la Realeza • Ver Tema - ESCALERA DE ATENAS. Gala Juan Carlos y Sofia". dinastias.forogratis.es.
- "Shows the 4 women wearing the order".
- "Photo" (PNG). www.royalchronicles.gr.
- Butschal, Ursula. "Emerald Sautoir of Imperial Emeralds - Necklace of Imperial Emeralds of Marie Queen of Yugoslavia - Serbia". www.royal-magazin.de.
- "Photo" (JPG). s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com.
- "Princess Eugenie with her mother princess marie".
- "Princess Eugenie of Greece and Denmark (left) with her fathers cousin Princess Margaret of Denmark, Mother of the Queen Consort of Romania (centre) and Princess Sophie in the back".
- "Photo" (PNG). 4.bp.blogspot.com.
- "Crown Princess Victoria Louise, Duchess of Brunswick and her daughter Crown Princess Frederica of Greece".
- "Photo". 1.bp.blogspot.com.
- "Photo" (JPG). s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com.
- "Photo" (JPG). i1.wp.com.
- "Photo" (JPG). atthespanishcourt.files.wordpress.com.
- "Photo" (JPG). athena71001.a.t.pic.centerblog.net.
- "Crown Princess Margrethe of Denmark and Princess Beatrix, Princess of Orange".
- "Queen Victoria Eugenie with her maternal cousin's (Princess Margaret of United Kingdom) daughter Queen Ingrid, Queen Consort of Denmark".
- "Photo" (JPG). c5.staticflickr.com.
- "Photo". media.gettyimages.com.
- "Photo" (JPG). 1.bp.blogspot.com.
- "made a dame in 2013".
- "Media cache".
- "Familia Real de Dinamarca: Marie-Chantal Miller, la royal más esperada por su ataque a Letizia". www.vanitatis.elconfidencial.com.
External links
- The Greek Royal Orders
- The depicted picture is from the book: "Hellenic Orders, Decorations and Medals", Athens 1991, by George J. Beldecos, ISBN 960-85054-0-2, © Hellenic War Museum
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Order of the Redeemer | . | Rep. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Order of Honour | Rep. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Order of Saints George and Constantine | . | . | . | Dynastic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Order of Saints Olga and Sophia | . | . | . | Dynastic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Order of George I | . | . | . | . | Dynastic | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Order of the Phoenix | . | Rep. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Order of Beneficence | . | Rep. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970-present |