Celebrating the Life of Queen Sofia of Spain

Queen Sofia of Spain

The recent scandals and intrigues that hounded the Spanish Royal Family, one that even questioned its existence has made Queen Sofia, perhaps, Spain’s Mater Dolorosa. A Telegraph article called her the lonely royal consort. The reasons are plentiful. From the many issues to her husband’s infidelity, it is most admirable to see Queen Sofia still maintain that dignified façade, something that could have crumbled had her fate struck some mortals of lesser emotional stamina. On her 75th birthday, we celebrate Queen Sofia’s selfless life, one that has been dedicated for the service of her family and her kingdom.

The eldest child of King Paul of Greece and Princess Frederica of Hanover, Princess Sofia was born in Psychiko, Athens, Greece on 2 November 1938. She is the sister of the deposed King Constantine II. Another sister is Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark.

While she was a young girl, the princess spent some time in Egypt, where she studied early education at El Nasr Girl’s College (EGC). During World War II, the princess, together with her family, lived in exile in South Africa, returning home in 1946. She attended Schloss Salem boarding school in Southern Germany before returning to Athens where she studied childcare, music and archeology.

Sofia also attended Fitzwilliam College in Cambridge. Together with her brother, she represented Greece during the 1960 Summer Olympics as reserve member of the Gold Medal-winning sailing team.
Marriage and Family

While on a cruise in the Greek islands, Princess Sofia met Infante Juan Carlos of Spain. They once again met at the wedding of her cousin, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, at York Minster in 1961. They were eventually married on May 14, 1962, at the Catholic Cathedral of Saint Dennis in Athens. Jean Desse designed her gown. Her attendants included her sister Princess Irene, the groom’s sister Infanta Pilar of Spain, Sofia’s future sister-in-law Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark, Princess Irene of the Netherlands, Princess Alexandra of Kent, Princess Benedikte of Denmark, Princess Anne of Orleans, Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark, and Princess Tatiana Radziwill.

The couple’s marriage produced three children: Infanta Elena, Duchess of Lugo (born December 20, 1963); Infanta Cristina, Duchess of Palma de Mallorca (born June 13, 1965); and Felipe, Prince of Asturias (born January 30, 1968), the heir to the throne.

Abolition of the Greek Monarchy

Then-Princess Sofía was on holiday in Greece when the 1967 the Greek military staged their coup against the king. While King Constantine did not abdicate, the Greek Military Junta eventually deposed him in 1974 and King Constantine II was stripped of his title, citizenship and property in Greece. Until 1998, Queen Sofia had only visited Greece once, during the funeral of her mother Queen Frederica. Seventeen years later, she returned to Greece together with King Juan Carlos on an official state visit.

Queen of Spain

To make her more appealing to Catholic Spain, Sofia decided to convert from Greek Orthodoxy to Roman Catholicism. She also relinquished her claim to the Greek throne and her name from Latinized from Sophia to the Spanish variant, Sofía.

In 1969, Francisco Franco bestowed upon Prince Juan Carlos, the title Prince of Spain. While he never used the Prince of Asturias, a title reserved for the heir presumptive, Juan Carlos was already known at that time to succeed Francisco Franco with the restoration of the Spanish monarch. Juan Carlos eventually became king in 1975.

Aside from being her husband’s frequent companion in numerous state and official visits, Queen Sofia also embarks on solo solo engagements. She best known as the executive president of her namesake foundation, which, in 1993 sent relief funds to Bosnia and Herzegovina. She also sits as honorary president of the Royal Board on Education and Care of Handicapped Persons of Spain and the Spanish Foundation for Aid for Drug Addicts.

Queen Sofia’s interest lies in fighting drug addiction. She has actually gone to various places to attend meetings and conferences about eliminating drug addiction.

While the Queen remains highly respected, she does not lack any detractors. She has earned the rebuked of LGBT about her conservative stance on same-sex marriage. In one interview, she questioned why LGBTs should hold Gay Pride demonstrations after the Spanish Cortes legalized gay marriage. "I can understand, accept and respect that there are people of other sexual tendencies, but why should they be proud to be gay?” she said. "Should they ride on a parade float and come out in protests? If all of us who are not gay were to parade in the streets, we’d halt the traffic in every city,” the Queen continued.

Criticisms and Personal Setbacks

Reports have also surfaced that even her marriage is in under fire and that she and the king have been living apart for many years already. Author Pilar Eyre noted that the reserved but elegant grandmother has few real friends in Spain. Inside the Zarzuela Palace, there is an existing rift between between the King's "team" and the Queen's ladies in waiting.

Queen Sofia, a sister of Greece’s exiled King Constantine and cousin of Prince Philip, is in aspect opposite to King Juan Carlos. She is a vegetarian who disdains bullfighting and rarely speaks in public because of her heavily-accented Spanish. The king meanwhile is known for his straight talking personality and his passion for fast cars, sailing and skiing.

“It was a marriage of convenience,” says Eyre. “They have been living separate lives for a long time.

Nevertheless, no personal trial, not even a marriage on the rocks or lousy detractors could prevent the Queen from carrying on her duty for her family, for her people and for her country. After all she is still the Queen of Spain.

Happy Birthday, Your Majesty!


The Royal Blogger

Christian George Acevedo is a book worm, mentor, and scholar of wide-ranging interests. He has authored hundreds of articles for various websites, and his expertise ranges from online marketing and finance to history, entertainment and many more. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Tumblr. Contact Christian at powerwordsonlinewriting@gmail.com.

Royal History: Alfonso XIII Punishes Cousin for Marrying Without His Consent

Infante Alfonso of Spain and Princess
Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Image:
Wikimedia Commons

Madrid, July 17, 1909 - A dispatch from Madrid to the New York Times can reveal that King Alfonso XIII has stripped his cousin, Prince Alfonso of Bourbon-Orleans of his title Infante of Spain, as well as his Spanish honors and decorations after marrying Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha without securing royal consent. The marriage took place last July 15 in Coburg, Germany.

A dispatch from Coburg meanwhile revealed that "State Secretary Von Richter performed the ceremony," which was followed by "a wedding according to the rites of the Catholic Church" at St. Augustin's Church. This was followed by a Protestant wedding at the Edinburgh Castle chapel.

Prince Alfonso was born in Madrid in 1886, the son of Prince Antoine-Louis-Philippe, Duke of Galliera, and of Infanta Eulalia of Spain. He is the great-grandson of Louis-Philippe, the king who was dethroned in 1848.
Meanwhile, Princess Beatrice, born 1884, is the youngest son of Prince Alfred,  Duke of Edinburgh, second son of Queen Victoria, who also reigned as Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, making her a cousin to Queen Ena. He died in 1900. Her mother is Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, the only daughter of Czar Alexander II.

The Royal Blogger

Christian George Acevedo is a librarian, mentor, and scholar of wide-ranging interests. He has authored hundreds of articles for various websites, and his expertise ranges from online marketing and finance to history, entertainment and many more. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Tumblr. Contact Christian at powerwordsonlinewriting@gmail.com.

Queen Sofia attends Fundación Mutua Madrileña foundation day

June 12 - Queen Sofia presided over the ceremony and presented awards to individuals and entities for research and social action in celebration of the Fundación Mutua Madrileña foundation day.

The Mutua Madrileña Foundation was established in 2003, with the main aim of supporting medical research in Spain. Since then, the organization has worked with more than 1,000 medical research projects across Spain. In 2009, it expanded its areas of activity to health (focusing, along with research, prevention), culture, social action and road safety. It has also struggled against major diseases, helped fifty NGOs in carrying out their social action projects, has provided scholarships to hundreds of young people to further their studies abroad,  and has promoted corporate volunteering to help the underprivileged and has approached the arts and music to thousands of children and adults.

Crown Prince Felipe and Crown Prince Naruhito Visit the Canal de Isabel II

Don Felipe and Prince Naruhito visited the Canal de Isabel II, which controls the water cycle in Madrid.

During his visit, the Prince of Asturias and Crown Prince of Japan toured the Main Control Center and activated carbon filters in the treatment plant, together with the President of the Community of Madrid, Ignacio Gonzalez, Secretary of State for the Environment, Federico Ramos de Armas, the mayor of Majadahonda Foxá Narcissus, the Minister of Presidency and Government spokesmen of the Community of Madrid and president of Canal de Isabel II Management, Salvador Victoria, the general Director of Canal de Isabel II Management, Adrian Martin, and deputy director of Water Quality, Alfonso King, among others.

Currently, Canal de Isabel II operates 14 reservoirs, 81 groundwater catchments, 374 tanks, 18 pump stations, 13 water treatment plants drinking, over 16,000 kilometers of network adduction and a distribution network of 7,000 kilometers of sewer, 150 wastewater treatment plants, 30 depots and 236 kilometers reclaimed water pipeline for transport.

Canal de Isabel II is the public body responsible for the management of the water cycle in Madrid. The company was founded in 1851 and its launching marked the entrance to modernity.

Crown Prince Felipe and Crown Prince Naruhito at the opening ceremony Dual Year of Spain-Japan

June 11 - Crown Prince Felipe of Spain and Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan co-chaired the very first activity of the Spain-Japan Dual Year.

During his speech at the opening ceremony of the meeting of the bilateral meeting for Spanish-Japanese business cooperation, Don Felipe has highlighted the cooperation between Spanish and Japanese economies Don Felipe also stressed that "the presence of Japanese industrial is also important for the pulse of the economy of our country. With more than 3,000 million euros direct investment in Spain, Japan ranks as the 12th biggest foreign investor in our country. Approximately 150 Japanese companies bring nearly 3,000 jobs to our country, thus contributing very relevant to the enhancement of skills and dynamism of our business." He also noted that the momentum of the business cooperation between the two countries will significantly contribute to the increase in economic and trade flows.

Don Felipe also expressed confidence that the Dual Year will help strengthen the relationships of the two countries, which began four centuries ago.

The Chambers of Commerce, in collaboration with the Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX), the Spanish Confederation of Business Organisations (CEOE) and the Chamber of Commerce in Japan, has organized this meeting, which welcomed the various companies from both countries.

After the inauguration, the sessions continued, which analyzed the economic prospects of both countries, joint business ventured with third-world countries, and the promotion of collaboration between Spanish and Japanese SMEs. 

King Juan Carlos hosts luncheon in honor of Crown Prince Naruhito Japan

June 11 - King Juan Carlos of Spain hosted a lunched in honor of Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan. The heir to Japan’s Chrysanthemum throne is on a six-day tour in Spain to commemorate Japan and Spain’s 400-year tie, which commenced June 10 and ends on June 15.

With King Juan Carlos were Queen Sofia, the Prince and Princess of Asturias, and Infanta Elena at the Zarzuela Palace.

The Japanese crown prince is set to preside over the inauguration of the "Year of Spain in Japan,” and a full program of activities is expected to keep the visiting royal busy.

The Prince of Asturias and the Crown Prince of Japan hold the honorary presidency of the "Year of Spain in Japan" and "Year Dual Spain-Japan", respectively.

The "Spain-Japan Dual Year" is aimed at promoting Spain in Japan, as well as fostering trade and understanding between the two countries, reflect the profound changes that Spanish society has undergone in recent decades and to promote a more dynamic and diversified relations between the two of the world’s most progressive countries.

Princess Letizia has abortion before marrying Prince Felipe

Princezz Letizia (Wikimedia Commons)

This might seem too much for the already-scandal ridden Spanish Royal Family, but another scathing remark is set to rub salt in the already injured reputation of the House of Bourbon. 

A book titled Adios Princesa, written no other than Princess Letizia's cousin David Rocasolano, reveals that the Crown Princess of Spain “had abortion before her engagement to Crown Prince Felipe” and that she tried to “cover up the termination,” reports Mail Online. 

The book also includes intimate “information about her life before she married Crown Prince Felipe in 2004.”

Rocasolano claimed that Princess Letizia had the abortion in 2002 before she met the Prince. A former divorcee, she used to work as a broadcaster. He revealed that the Prince and Princess themselves requested him to destroy the paperworks detailing the abortion.

“The abortion is alleged to have taken place at a time when terminations were still illegal in Spain - unless there was abnormality or the mother's life or mental well being were significantly threatened,” reports Mail Online. 

-->

Duke of Palma testifies at court

Inaki Urdangarin, the Duke of Palma and son-in-law of King Juan Carlos has testified before a judge in Mallorca after  being allegedly involved corruption scandal that accused him of malversation of funds intended for his charity. The duke, however, shrugged the accusations. This was the second time that the duke was questioned.


"The session was held behind closed doors, but Spanish media reports say the duke read a statement distancing King Juan Carlos from the corruption scandal," reports BBC.

The royal house "had no opinion, did not advise and did not authorise" any of his activities at the non-profit Noos institute, he is reported to have told the investigating judge and prosecutors.

King Juan Carlos won’t abdicate

King Juan Carlos of Spain

Despite the harrowing scandals that had inflicted Spain’s royal family since last year, King Juan Carlos will never abdicate, “reaffirming his legacy of resurrecting the monarchy,” reports Christian Science Monitor.

“In an effort to turn a page, King Juan Carlos ruled out abdicating in January, despite flagging health, other scandals biting at his popularity, including an injury during a Botswana elephant hunting extravaganza paid by a Saudi businessman, something he later apologized for in a rare public TV broadcast.”

In an interview, the 75-year-old king said in a rare interview: “I’m in good shape, and above all with the spirit to confront the challenges we face.”

“I would like to be remembered as the king who united all Spaniards and with them managed to recover democracy and the monarchy.”

King Juan Carlos looks frail during Pascua Militar

="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King Juan Carlos of Spain seems frail during the Pascua Militar.

King Juan Carlos of Spain seems frail during this year's Pascua Militar (or Military Easter) held last Jan. 6. Far from his usual robust and feisty being, the 75-year-old king was walking with two canes and is seemingly inconvenient. Last year, he had undergone hip operation. He has also gained weight and his face was red. The Pascua Militar is an annual celebration which dates back in 1782, after Spain's successful campaign in Mallorca. Queen Sofia and the Prince and Princess of Asturias also graced the event.

King Juan Carlos turns 75

King Juan Carlos on his 75th birthday

Spain's King Juan Carlos has granted a once-in-a-blue moon interview on the eve of his 75th birthday. The king expressed his concerns regarding the financial crisis that afflicts millions of his subjects.


"One of the things that is most concerning and is in the mind of many Spaniards is the lack of jobs that leads millions of families to be unable to live with dignity and forces young people to leave Spain to look for work," the King said before the country's national TVE.

His Majesty also mentioned that the country's grave situation hurts him a lot.

It would be remembered that 2012 was an 'annus horribilis' for the King and the entire Spanish Royal Family.

Last April, the King sought public apology after his hunting expedition in Africa became widely publicized and criticized following an accident. The King was also besotted by scandal after his son-in-law came on fire due to alleged corrupt practices.

Nevertheless, the King "would like to be remembered as the king who has united Spaniards, that with him democracy and the monarchy have been recovered."

Unite against crisis, Spain's king urged subjects

King Juan Carlos delivers his Christmas message

2012 was indeed a tough year for King Juan Carlos, with a handful of personal and national setbacks that only served to sum up this year. Indeed, it’s been an “annus horribilis” for the Bourbons, a year that the Iberian royals wouldn’t want to look back to. But the King, ever feisty and strong-headed, does not lose hope. In his Christmas message, as reported in Expatica.com, the King calls upon the Spaniards to remained one and united to make it through the economic crisis, whose unimagined intensity has swept Europe into the brinks of misery. More importantly, the king called upon his subjects to remain united despite Catalonia’s bid for sovereignty.


“The 74-year-old monarch, who weathered a tough year himself after shattering his hip on a luxury elephant-hunting holiday, said Spain was suffering one of the deepest crises of its modern history.
 
'The serious economic crisis we have been going through for some years has reached an intensity, breadth and persistence that no-one had imagined,' he said in his annual address to the nation.
Spaniards, especially the young, are desperate over their finances, unemployment and uncertainty, he said.
 
'We cannot ignore that there is pessimism, and that its effects are felt in the social climate we are living in,' the king said, after a year of mass street demonstrations and two general strikes.
Thus, the king said that austerity measures have to be planned and implemented in a manner that would complement economic growth, seeing that today's sacrifices guarantees tomorrow's welfare.
But of all the measures to combat the crisis, 'the main stimulus that will get us out of this crisis is called confidence,' he said.

Juan Carlos urged a return to politics that 'instead of provoking confrontation, out of a respect for diversity brings together our common parts to combine our strengths, not to divide them.'

He spoke hours after Catalan president Artur Mas was sworn in for a new four-year term, promising to seek a referendum in 2014 on "self-determination" for the northeastern region despite fierce opposition from Madrid, which says that the step would flout the Spanish constitution.
Juan Carlos called on Spanish politicians to forego short-term ambitions for the greater good and to "open new doors to hope", alluding to the creation of democracy after the death in 1975 of General Francisco Franco.

Urging mutual respect, he called for the promotion of values such as 'the recognition of our plurality and the protection of the different languages, cultures and institutions of Spain.

'It is time for us to look ahead and do what we can to close the open wounds. It will be a new success of us all, citizens and institutions, based on respect for the law and democratic means.'

The king, who remains widely respected for his role in steering the country to democracy after Franco, emerged from hospital three weeks ago after having his left hip replaced.

He had undergone two operations in April on his other hip which he broke during an elephant hunting trip to Botswana, which provoked a public uproar and forced him into an unprecedented apology.

The royal family's reputation also took a hit this year because of corruption charges against the king's son-in-law Inaki Urdangarin who is suspected of embezzling public money paid to a non-profit institution under his control.

King Juan Carlos sacked by Spanish WWF

King Juan Carlos' safari trip to Africa was the reason why he was
ousted as president of WWF Spain

After the huge embarrassment he’d endured after his highly publicized African safari trip, King Juan Carlos of Spanish received another slapped on his face after World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature’s branch in Spain decided to abolish the position of honorary president, which was held by the King.

The King’s hunting trip to Botswana in April this year has caused much furor from environmentalists, as well as from his fellowmen who continues to suffer from Eurozone’s credit crunch.

The King has already publicly apologized but it was too late. More than 85,000 people petitioned through the internet for the King’s resignation.

"Although this type of hunting is legal and regulated, many members consider it to be incompatible with the position of honorary patron of an international organisation that aims to protect the environment," the WWF statement said on Saturday. The vote to abolish the position of honorary president was carried by a 94% majority, it said.

King Juan Carlos takes seven percent pay cut

King Juan Carlos takes a pay cut

Amidst the worsening credit crunch that’s taking Europe by storm, Spain’s king Juan Carlos has agreed on a seven-percent pay cut. This puts his income 20,900 euros less  than previous year’s 292,000 euros.

Meanwhile, Crown Prince Felipe loses 10,450 euros from his last year’s 131,000 euro salary.

The royal household aims to save 100,000 euros this year in the wake of protests over austerity measures that saw Spanish civil servants lose their Christmas bonus or equivalent to seven percent of their salaries. 

Queen Sofia: Europe's Lonely Queen

Queen Sofia of Spain, Europe's lonely queen consort

In the May 20 article of The Daily Guardian, Queen Sofia of Spain has been labeled as Europe’s loneliest “Europe’s lonely queen consort.”

I can tell.

From the recent scandals that rocked the House of Bourbon to reports of his husband’s infidelity, Queen Sofia, who was born into the Greek Royal Family, could only wish to escape these heartbreaking events and enjoy the company of his relatives in England. But that never happened. Forty-eight hours before her flight to London, the powers-that-be in the government, angry over Britain’s stubbornness to return the much-disputed rock of Gibraltar, cancelled her trip on her behalf. This left Queen Sofia lonelier than ever.

“She was really looking forward to it,” said Pilar Eyre, whose book The Loneliness of the Queenhas been top of the best seller list in Spain since it was published in January. “It was a huge blow for her to be stopped from attending.”

On May 19, Spanish newspaper El Mundo featured a huge picture of the 27 royals, with the headline: “The only absence was Cousin Sofia.”

The newspaper also pointed out that protocol would have probably seen Queen Sofia seated next to Queen Elizabeth, owing to their close family ties.

“It was to be a real treat for her to see her family, get dressed up and also relax with friends who live similar lifestyles,” said Eyre.

“But now she has to return to her role of supporting the King in silence, and just keep her head down. She is suffering a huge amount.”

However, even Queen Sofia’s marriage is in under fire and reports that the king and she have been living apart for many years already. Eyre also notes that the reserved but elegant grandmother has few real friends in Spain. Inside the Zarzuela Palace, there is an existing rift between between the King's "team" and the Queen's ladies in waiting.

Queen Sofia, a sister of Greece’s exiled King Constantine and cousin of Prince Philip, is in aspect opposite to King Juan Carlos. She is a vegetarian who disdains bullfighting and rarely speaks in public because of her heavily-accented Spanish. The king meanwhile is known for his straight talking personality and his passion for fast cars, sailing and skiing.

“It was a marriage of convenience,” says Eyre. “They have been living separate lives for a long time.

“But it is fair to say that, in a long and unhappy history, this is a particularly painful moment.”

Spain's Queen Sofia cancels trip to Diamond Jubilee lunch

Queen Sofia of Spain

Amidst the rising cheer and excitement with the upcoming diamond jubilee celebrations, Spain’s Queen Sofia snubbed the invitation to join the queen and other heads of state for lunch at Windsor Castle.



A spokesman for Spain’s Royal Family told that Queen Sofia’s presence is deemed “inappropriate in current circumstances.” The cancellation was not a personal matter, but rather engineered by the Spanish government, as a protest to Prince Edward’s upcoming visit to Gibraltar, a British possession that sits on southern the tip of Spain.


Royal insiders said that the queen was pretty upset that what should be a joyous celebration with her royal kin (both Spain’s king and queen are Queen Elizabeth’s distant cousins) was “hijacked by political machinations.”


The lunch for sovereign monarchs will be the largest gathering of crowned heads since the death of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 2002. 

No golden jubilee for Spain’s king and queen

King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, seen here with other members of the
Spanish Royal Family, will not be celebrating their upcoming golden
 wedding anniversary.

Spain’s King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia will not be celebrating their golden wedding anniversary either in public or private.

This announcement has fueled speculation that the royal pair are actually estranged. However, claims also surface that the move is aimed to appease the public who are still angry over the king’s lavish safari trip to Africa in April. 

Queen Sofia attends 'Encuadernaciones en las Bibliotecas Reales' Exhibition in Madrid

Queen Sofia attends Encuadernaciones en las Bibliotecas Reales Exhibition held at Royal Palace in Madrid last April 24. Images courtesy of Getty Images.

  

Spain’s Royal Family in Crisis

Happy times no more? Spain's House of Bourbon in crisis.

Spain's Royal Family is in the middle of its worst crisis in years following a series of scandals, including the revelation that King Juan Carlos went on an extravagant trip to Africa despite the recession. Many people in Spain are now asking tough questions about the role of the monarchy. For full story, visit Spiegel. 

‘I’m Sorry’: King Juan Carlos apologizes for safari trip

The Daily Mail reports that Spain's king Juan Carlos today apologised for going elephant-hunting in Africa while everyday people in his country endure a severe economic crisis. In an unprecedented act of royal contrition, the monarch said: 'I am very sorry. I made a mistake. It won't happen again.' This admission came after calls grew that he be stripped from his honorary presidency of the Spanish branch of the World Wildlife Fund. 

The king looks sheepish as he walks with crutches while leaving 

the Madrid Hospital where he was operated after a hip fall.