Olga of Greece
Olga of Greece and Denmark (born June 11, 1903 in Tatoi , † October 16, 1997 in Paris ) was the wife of Prince Regent Paul of Yugoslavia .
Life
Childhood as a Greek princess
She was born as the eldest daughter of the Greek Prince Nikolaus , a son of King George I , and his wife Grand Duchess Jelena Vladimirovna Romanova of Russia. Her sisters were Marina, Duchess of Kent (1906–1968) and Elisabeth, Countess of Toerring-Jettenbach (1904–1955). She is also a direct cousin of Philip, Duke of Edinburgh .
Olga, named after her paternal grandmother - the Grand Duchess and Queen of the Greeks Olga Konstantinovna Romanova - grew up with her sisters in Athens . She received an education through English nannies that focused on languages, history, literature, math, courtly conversation, dancing and horse riding. During their childhood, the family often visited relatives abroad. Since Olga's mother was a born Grand Duchess of Russia, she had close contact with the Romanovs . Olga's father Nikolaus also had relatives in Denmark through his father, King George I. The relatives of the Danish King Christian IX met every summer . at Fredensborg Castle .
Before the First World War, Olga could enjoy a relatively carefree life. In 1917 the family had to go into exile after King Constantine I abdicated. She was 14 years old then. Largely destitute, the family moved to Paris , where Olga would live for the next few years. In exile, Grand Duchess Jelena looked after Russian emigrants who had fled to Paris as a result of the revolution .
Marriage and offspring
An engagement in 1922 to the Danish Crown Prince Frederik, who later became Friedrich IX. , was resolved after a few months. Olga married the Yugoslav Prince Paul on October 22, 1923 in Belgrade . After the assassination attempt on Alexander I , Paul reigned over his nephew Peter II, who was not yet of legal age . The couple had three children:
- Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia (born August 13, 1924 in White Lodge , Richmond , † May 12, 2016 in Paris )
- Prince Nikola of Yugoslavia, called Nicky (born June 29, 1928 in London , † April 12, 1954 in Datchet , Buckinghamshire )
- Princess Elisabeth of Yugoslavia (born April 7, 1936 in Belgrade )
Prince Alexander was first married to Princess Maria Pia of Savoy (* 1934), daughter of King Umberto II of Italy. Since 1973 he was married to Princess Barbara von und zu Liechtenstein (* 1942). The second son, Prince Nikola, died in a car accident at the age of 25. The only daughter Elisabeth was married three times. The actress Catherine Oxenberg (* 1961) comes from her first marriage to the American Howard Oxenberg (1919-2010 ).
Next life
After Paul signed the Tripartite Pact in 1941 , there was a coup in Belgrade and the family went into exile. During the war they were under British house arrest in South Africa .
When Olga's homeland Greece became a republic in 1975, it also lost the Greek title. Only her Danish title remained valid until her death. Princess Olga outlived her husband by 21 years and died in Paris in 1997, she was buried at the side of her husband on the Cimetière de Bois de Vaux in Lausanne .
source
- Center d'Études des Dynasties Royales Européenes
Individual evidence
- ↑ Royal Observer: Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia (1924-2016). In: koeniglicherbeobachter.blogspot.de. Retrieved May 15, 2016 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Olga of Greece |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Olga from Greece and Denmark |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Greco-Yugoslav wife of Prince Regent Paul of Yugoslavia |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 11, 1903 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Tatoi |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 16, 1997 |
| Place of death | Paris |