Prince Juan Carlos of Spain & Princess Sofia of Greece 1962


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rchainho said:
You knew that before marry Juan Carlos, queen Sofia was to be married to Harald of the Norway by a dowry of 25 million of french? The original dowry to be paid were 50 million of french. When Juan Carlos married with Sofia, her family received from him the amount of 20 million of pesetas.
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so did they go out with each other then? or was it meant to be an arrange marriage? just cant see those two together really!
 
it was to be an arranged marriage like another others in that time. LOL
 
these photos are so great! she was such a beautiful bride. her dress is so classic it could easily be worn by a bride today as well.
 
I found an article on the internet before, it may have been an extract from the Queen's biography where she talks about how she and the King met and the period before they got married..it was really nice to read! But I can't find it now so does anybody know the article I mean?:confused: And if so can you post a link for it please??
Thanks!
 
...sOfIa.... said:
I found an article on the internet before, it may have been an extract from the Queen's biography where she talks about how she and the King met and the period before they got married..it was really nice to read! But I can't find it now so does anybody know the article I mean?:confused: And if so can you post a link for it please??
Thanks!
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I have this article somewhere. When I find it, I'll translate it.

I used some of it to write Juan Carlos biography on this month's newsletter, you can read it here: http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/f52/november-2005-newsletter-featuring-buckingham-palace-king-juan-carlos-spain-7562.html
 
A photo by Hola, taken from monarquiahispanica.com, where we can see the details of Doña Sofia's gown:





According to the book LA BODA DE JUAN CARLOS Y SOFIA: CLAVES Y SECRETOS DE UN ENLACE HISTORICO, by Fernando Rayon (La Esfera de los Libros, s.d.), Don Juan wanted to let it clear that the marriage was an exclusive responsibility of the Royal Family, then in exile, so he wanted to assume all the protagonism of the event, in the quality of head of the RF.

Franco (who was privately preparing Don Juan Carlos to replace him in the Heading of the State) knew the importance of that event and managed that nothing failed in the preparation of the wedding.

The King and Queen of Greece (and particularly Quuen Federica, the main organizer of the wedding) wished their daughter to owe a throne in the Mediterranean Europe, so to fortify the role of their country, but also the new monarchy.

The Vatican wanted the ceremony to be organized according to the Canonical Laws and distrusted the manoeuvres that the Greek Orthodox Church was preparing, to show the privileged position of the Greek civil laws.

The monarchists wanted to take advantage of the wedding to favour their interests.
 
Elsa M. said:
A photo taken from monarquiahispanica.com, where we can see the details of Doña Sofia's gown:
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This is a beautiful picture of Juan Carlos and Sofia's wedding day. Thank you for finding it Elsa! :)

It's amazing the amount of lace that was used for the princess' gown, but used in a way that didn't overwhelm Sofia's very slight frame. What a radiant bride she made!
 
Looking through this thread I'm realizing that, in hindsight, Sophia might be one of the best royal brides that we've seen out there (since photography was invented!), but perhaps also one of the most underrated?!

That's perhaps because she's always made her simple elegance seem so easy, just like she's always tackled her public life: with such utter professionalism, to borrow her husband's words. I think Juan Carlos was smart as well as lucky to choose her as his bride. Someone was saying earlier on this thread they couldn't see her as queen of Norway. Frankly in my opinion she could well have been queen of <any> country and made a smashing success of it, like she's done in Spain. This is a queen who's never, I repeat, never, put one foot wrong in her entire career.

On a side note I think her mother, Frederika, would have preferred Harald at the time over Juan Carlos, because the former was certain of his future position as a king, whereas JC's situation was trickier, politically. Wonder whether Frederika lived to witness the glorious outcome of her son in law when he saved the day in Spain in the seventies and united the country so brilliantly.
 
princess olga said:
Looking through this thread I'm realizing that, in hindsight, Sophia might be one of the best royal brides that we've seen out there (since photography was invented!), but perhaps also one of the most underrated?!

That's perhaps because she's always made her simple elegance seem so easy, just like she's always tackled her public life: with such utter professionalism, to borrow her husband's words. I think Juan Carlos was smart as well as lucky to choose her as his bride. Someone was saying earlier on this thread they couldn't see her as queen of Norway. Frankly in my opinion she could well have been queen of <any> country and made a smashing success of it, like she's done in Spain. This is a queen who's never, I repeat, never, put one foot wrong in her entire career.

On a side note I think her mother, Frederika, would have preferred Harald at the time over Juan Carlos, because the former was certain of his future position as a king, whereas JC's situation was trickier, politically. Wonder whether Frederika lived to witness the glorious outcome of her son in law when he saved the day in Spain in the seventies and united the country so brilliantly.
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I absolutely agree with you in her success, she definitely was born to be a Queen, no matter which country.

And if you are talking about the coup de etât, it was the 23th february of 1981 and she died in the 6th of february of 1981 but Frederika did witness her daughter as a Queen, since KJC is on the throne since the 22th of November of 1975.
Hope this helps;)
 
crisiñaki said:
I absolutely agree with you in her success, she definitely was born to be a Queen, no matter which country.

And if you are talking about the coup de etât, it was the 23th february of 1981 and she died in the 6th of february of 1981 but Frederika did witness her daughter as a Queen, since KJC is on the throne since the 22th of November of 1975.
Hope this helps;)
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Thanks, actually I meant the time right after JC became king, I'm a bit blurry on the facts there but do know that JC jumpstarted the democratic process after Franco's demise, and helped make Spain the democratic country we know it as today (contrary as that may seem, a King being instrumental in putting a country back on the democratic track! but this is why JC is so popular with the Spanish, even if the monarchy as an institution isn't!)

..but you're right, there was also the (short) episode of that coup, although I remember footage even on tv at the time of some very brave members of parliament, then too.
 
princess olga said:
Looking through this thread I'm realizing that, in hindsight, Sophia might be one of the best royal brides that we've seen out there (since photography was invented!), but perhaps also one of the most underrated?!
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I think the late 50's and 60's were the years monopolized by three other royal beauties, Grace of Monaco, Farah of Iran and Paola of Belgium. Sofia did not have the exotic looks that paparazzis were after. Maybe it was good for her to be the low key of the Princesess of the time considering the nest of vipers she landed in Franco's Spain. Franco's own grand daugther wanted to be the next Queen by marrying the Duke of Cadiz, Juan Carlos main rival. Sofia, like Juan Carlos, became a formidable survivor of the 60's.

Had Sofia married Harald then the Queen of Spain would have been the statuesque beauty Maria Gabriela of Savoy. She was Juan Carlos' previous love. Maria Gabriela also caught the eye of one of Franco's nephews and the Shah of Iran.
 
I think another factor in Sofia's favor is that she did not appear to involve herself too directly in the whole political-monarchist maneuvering that occurred bothe before and after JC ascended the throne. She preferred to be involved in her own sphere of interests, and she worked hard to benefit projects that she had an affinity for (arts, education, etc). I think her natural elegance and low-key public personality have served her well and have definitely contibuted to JC's popularity in Spain.
 
Credit to Queen International via Olympia:

 
Credit to Queen International via Olympia:
 
It was said that Queen Federica wanted Sofia to marry Harald. Of course JC&S's marriage was the matter of love, but do you think that Greek-born Sofia really would prefer going to cold Norway instead of sunny and warm Spain? I don't think so.:D:)
 
Toledo said:
Had Sofia married Harald then the Queen of Spain would have been the statuesque beauty Maria Gabriela of Savoy. She was Juan Carlos' previous love. Maria Gabriela also caught the eye of one of Franco's nephews and the Shah of Iran.
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Where is she now? Is she still as pretty or surgically enhanced already? I remember she was so beautiful and much much prettier than Sofia. Why couldn't he marry her?
 
I really can't imagine Maria Gabriella being the Queen Sofia is! Not slamming MG but I don't think she was exactly suited to being Queen of Spain, nor I don't think she could have put up with JC's tutelage under Franco. And of course, there would have been no Emanuel Filiberto, either.;)
 
According to the book Françoise Laot wrote, on one hand, Sophia was deeply in love with CP Harald of Norway, and her mother Queen Frederika and King Olav were delighted with the couple. The greek parliament had even approved of a dowry for Sophia... but suddenly in Norway CP Harald had a car crash, but he wasn't alone in the car, he was accompanyed by the plebeian Sonja Haraldsen...
When Sophia knew Harald was once again with Sonja... she was completely disappointed and decided to broke off the engagement.

On the other hand, Prince Juan Carlos was in love with Princess Maria Gabriela of Italy, but General Franco wanted a princess whose father was a reigning king, not a king in exile, essencially in order to reinforce the new monarchy.
After all that, Queen Frederica and Queen Victoria-Eugenia (grandmother of Prince Juan Carlos) arranged a marriage, soon after the couple met in London, (both queens were well known to be expert matchmakers).
 
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One interesting thing is that Elena looks so much like her mother...but without the beauty.
 
Princess Sofia was lovely young bride! :wub:
I love her dress and also her and J-C's story is so interesting...
But, I can't see similarities between Sofia and Elena. Maybe I'm blind :lol:
 
Yeah,there are some similarities...
but I have to say, Elena isn't beautiful... sorry, but I have to say this.
and comparing of gorgeous young Sofia and of Elena is for me something like sin :neutral:.
btw. thank you Tinika! :flowers:
 
mims111 said:
Yeah,there are some similarities...
but I have to say, Elena isn't beautiful... sorry, but I have to say this.
and comparing of gorgeous young Sofia and of Elena is for me something like sin :neutral:.
btw. thank you Tinika! :flowers:
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You're welcome :flowers: ! And--that was sort of my point, that there are a lot of similarities but, unfortunately, Elena did not inherit any of Sofia's outer beauty.
 
Jackswife said:
I really can't imagine Maria Gabriella being the Queen Sofia is! Not slamming MG but I don't think she was exactly suited to being Queen of Spain, nor I don't think she could have put up with JC's tutelage under Franco. And of course, there would have been no Emanuel Filiberto, either.;)
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Well, she isn't Emanuele Filiberto's mother, she's his aunt so..;)



Another small video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeGu_8jfVdo&mode=related&search=
 
Thanks Crisinaki! I enjoyed that video! After seeing the video I must agree with Princess_Olga: Sofia is one of the most unrrated royal brides, her dress looks much better on moving images then on pictures IMO.
 
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