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
Grand Cross set of the Order
Awarded by the head of the Greek royal family
TypeDynastic Order
EligibilityWomen (post-1974 typically members of the royal family)
Awarded forAt the monarch's pleasure for personal services of women to the Crown
StatusCurrently constituted
SovereignKing Constantine II
Grand MistressQueen Anne-Marie
Grades1st Class
2nd Class
3rd Class
4th Class
Statistics
First induction1936 Queen Helen, Queen Mother of Romania
Last induction2018 Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece and Denmark
Precedence
Next (higher)Royal Order of the Redeemer
Next (lower)Royal Order of George I
EquivalentRoyal 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

Recipients

Upon the creation of the Order, Greek Princesses and their daughters were invested in order of precedence.

  1. Queen Helen, Queen Mother of Romania née Princess of Greece and Denmark - 1st Grand Mistress Dame Grand Cross[1][2][3][4][5][6]
  2. Princess Irene, Duchess of Aosta née Princess of Greece and Denmark - Dame Grand Cross, Special Class[5][6][7][8][9]
  3. Princess Katherine, Lady Brandram - Dame Grand Cross, Special Class[5][6][10][11][12][13][14]
  4. Queen Alexandra,Queen Consort of Yugoslavia née Princess of Greece and Denmark) - Dame Grand Cross, Special Class[15]
  5. Princess Maria of Greece and Denmark - Dame Grand Cross, Special Class
  6. 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]
  7. Princess Eugénie of Greece and Denmark - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class[6][16][17][18]
  8. Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia (daughter of Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark) - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
  9. Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class[5][6][13]
  10. Princess Elizabeth, Countess of Toerring-Jettenbach - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
  11. Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class[13]
  12. Princess Nina Georgievna of Russia (daughter of 5th Dame) - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
  13. Princess Xenia Georgievna of Russia (daughter of 5th dame) - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
  14. Princess Margarita, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg née Princess of Greece and Denmark - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class[6][13][19]
  15. Princess Theodora, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Baden née Princess of Greece and Denmark - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class[6]
  16. Princess Cecilie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Hesse née Princess of Greece and Denmark - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
  17. Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class[6][18]
  18. Princess Marie Bonaparte (wife of Prince George of Greece and Denmark and mother of 7th Dame) - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class[17]
  19. 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
  20. 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]
  21. Princess Françoise d’Orléans (wife of Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark) - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
  22. Princess Margaret, Princess of Hesse-Kassel née Princess of Prussia - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class

Other dames

References
  1. "Photo" (JPG). oi39.tinypic.com.
  2. "Photo" (JPG). image.stirileprotv.ro.
  3. "Photo". www.greekroyalfamily.gr.
  4. "Shows 5 women wearing the order".
  5. "Shows 8 women wearing the order".
  6. "Shows 14 women wearing the order".
  7. "Photo" (JPG). www.vivailre.it.
  8. "Photo" (JPG). 66.media.tumblr.com.
  9. "Photo" (JPG). 66.media.tumblr.com.
  10. "Photo" (JPG). s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com.
  11. "Photo". 3.bp.blogspot.com.
  12. "DINASTÍAS - Los Foros de la Realeza • Ver Tema - ESCALERA DE ATENAS. Gala Juan Carlos y Sofia". dinastias.forogratis.es.
  13. "Shows the 4 women wearing the order".
  14. "Photo" (PNG). www.royalchronicles.gr.
  15. Butschal, Ursula. "Emerald Sautoir of Imperial Emeralds - Necklace of Imperial Emeralds of Marie Queen of Yugoslavia - Serbia". www.royal-magazin.de.
  16. "Photo" (JPG). s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com.
  17. "Princess Eugenie with her mother princess marie".
  18. "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".
  19. "Photo" (PNG). 4.bp.blogspot.com.
  20. "Crown Princess Victoria Louise, Duchess of Brunswick and her daughter Crown Princess Frederica of Greece".
  21. "Photo". 1.bp.blogspot.com.
  22. "Photo" (JPG). s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com.
  23. "Photo" (JPG). i1.wp.com.
  24. "Photo" (JPG). atthespanishcourt.files.wordpress.com.
  25. "Photo" (JPG). s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com.
  26. "Photo" (JPG). athena71001.a.t.pic.centerblog.net.
  27. "Crown Princess Margrethe of Denmark and Princess Beatrix, Princess of Orange".
  28. "Queen Victoria Eugenie with her maternal cousin's (Princess Margaret of United Kingdom) daughter Queen Ingrid, Queen Consort of Denmark".
  29. "Photo" (JPG). c5.staticflickr.com.
  30. "Photo". media.gettyimages.com.
  31. "Photo" (JPG). 1.bp.blogspot.com.
  32. "made a dame in 2013".
  33. "Media cache".
  34. "Familia Real de Dinamarca: Marie-Chantal Miller, la royal más esperada por su ataque a Letizia". www.vanitatis.elconfidencial.com.

Media related to Order of Saints Olga and Sophia at Wikimedia Commons

  • 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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