Order_of_Saints_Olga_and_Sophia Knowpia

Royal Order of Saints Olga and Sophia
Τάγμα Ἁγίων Ὂλγας καὶ Σοφίας
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
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	Pavlos
Grand Mistress	Marie-Chantal
Grades	1st Class; 2nd Class; 3rd Class; 4th Class
Statistics
First induction	1936 Helen, Queen Mother of Romania
Last induction	2020 Princess Nina 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 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).

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 edit

Dame Grand Cross
Dame Commander
Commander
Gold Cross
Silver Cross

Grand Mistresses edit

1936 – 1947: Queen Elena, The Queen Mother of Romania (née Princess Eléni of Greece)
1947 – 1964: Queen Freideríki (née Princess Frederica of Hanover)
1964 – 2023: Queen Ánna-María (née Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark)
2023 – present: Crown Princess María (née Marie-Chantal Miller)

Recipients edit

Upon the creation of the Order in January 1936, Greek Princesses and their daughters were invested in order of precedence:

The Queen Mother of Romania (née Princess Helen of Greece and Denmark) – Grand Mistress (1936–1947)
Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark – Dame Grand Cross, Special Class
Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark – Dame Grand Cross, Special Class
Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark – Dame Grand Cross, Special Class
Grand Duchess Maria Georgievna of Russia (née Princess Maria of Greece and Denmark) – Dame Grand Cross, Special Class
Princess Alexander of Greece and Denmark (née Aspasia Manos) – Dame Grand Cross, Special Class
Princess Eugénie of Greece and Denmark – Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia – Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
Princess Paul of Yugoslavia (née Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark) – Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
Princess Elizabeth, Countess of Törring-Jettenbach (née Princess Elizabeth of Greece and Denmark) – Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
The Duchess of Kent (née Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark) – Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
Princess Paul Aleksandrovich Chavchavadze (née Princess Nina Georgievna of Russia) – Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
Princess Xenia Georgievna of Russia – Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
The Hereditary Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (née Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark) – Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
The Margravine of Baden (née Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark) – Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
The Hereditary Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine (née Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark) – Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
Princess George of Greece and Denmark (née Princess Marie Bonaparte) – Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
Princess Nicholas of Greece and Denmark (née Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia) – Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark (née Princess Alice of Battenberg) - Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
Princess Christopher of Greece and Denmark (née Princess Françoise of Orléans) – Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
The Landgravine of Hesse (née Princess Margaret of Prussia) – Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class

Other dames edit

Queen Frederica (née Princess Frederica of Hanover) – Grand Mistress (1947–1964)
The Duchess of Brunswick (née Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia) – Dame Grand Cross, Special Class
Queen Anne of Romania (née Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma) – Dame Grand Cross, Special Class
Queen Mary of United Kingdom (née Princess Mary of Teck) – Dame Grand Cross, Special Class
Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom (née Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon) – Dame Grand Cross, Special Class
Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain (née Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg) – Dame Grand Cross, Special Class
The Countess of Barcelona (née Princess María de las Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies) – Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
Queen Ingrid of Denmark (née Princess Ingrid of Sweden) – Dame Grand Cross, Special Class
Queen Marie-José of Italy (née Princess Marie José of Belgium) – Dame Grand Cross, Special Class
Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg (née Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium) – Dame Grand Cross, Special Class
Princess René of Bourbon-Parma (née Princess Margaret of Denmark) – Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
Princess Georgina of Liechtenstein (née Countess Georgina of Wilczek) – Dame Grand Cross, Special Class
The Duchess of Badajoz (née Infanta Pilar of Spain) – Dame Grand Cross

Current dames edit

Queen Anne-Marie of Greece (née Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark) - Grand Mistress (1964–2023)
Queen Sofía of Spain (née Princess Sophia of Greece) – Dame Grand Cross, Special Class
Princess Irene of Greece - Dame Grand Cross, Special Class
Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands – Dame Grand Cross, Special Class
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark – Dame Grand Cross, Special Class
Princess Tatiana Radziwiłł - Dame Grand Cross
The Dowager Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (née Princess Benedikte of Denmark) – Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
The Custodian of the Crown of Romania – Dame Grand Cross, Special Class ^{[citation needed]}
The Duchess of Soria (née Infanta Margarita of Spain) – Dame Grand Cross
Princess Alexia, Mrs Carlos Morales (née Princess Alexía of Greece) – Dame Grand Cross, Special Class
Princess Theodora of Greece – Dame Grand Cross, Special Class
Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece (née Marie-Chantal Miller) – Grand Mistress (2023–present)
Princess Nikolaos of Greece (née Tatiana Blatnik) – Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class
Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece – Dame Grand Cross, Special Class^[1]
Princess Nina of Greece (née Nina Nastassja Flohr) – Dame Grand Cross, 1st Class

References edit

^ "Familia Real de Dinamarca: Marie-Chantal Miller, la royal más esperada por su ataque a Letizia". www.vanitatis.elconfidencial.com.

External links edit

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

Greek orders timeline
Orders by precedence	1832–1909	1910s		1920s			1930s			1940s				1950s	1960s	1970–present
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.
Years
Regime	Monarchy				Republic			Mon.			Rep.	Monarchy					Rep.
	1832–1909	1910s		1920s			1930s			1940s				1950s	1960s	1970–present

[1] "Familia Real de Dinamarca: Marie-Chantal Miller, la royal más esperada por su ataque a Letizia". www.vanitatis.elconfidencial.com.

[1]

Summary