King Juan Carlos & Queen Sofia of Spain

[grandduchessella]

I know but the only thing I'm trying to clear up in my own mind is--was it in the most recent bio?

[Eurohistory]

I do not know where you may have read this, but it has been mentioned in various books dealing with His Majesty.

Arturo Beéche

[grandduchessella]

I had read it in an article that I was pretty sure was in connection with a very recently published bio. It was either in Majesty or Royalty but I can't exactly remember--I only buy them when there's an 'old royals' article and then skim through the rest. I figured since you're on top of the royal books you would remember if one recently came out that contained such allegations. On the other hand, I buy used copies of Majesty & Royalty for the old articles so it could've been a few years ago.  :-/

[Robert_Hall]

Now you have me curious as well. I had read about the accusation in a rabidly anti-monarchist article some time ago. So it was not a biography. at least that I had read.
As I recall, the piece was actually very fascist- accusing JC of betraying Franco an such.

[SSKENDER]

I hered that when Konstantinos Karamarlis when to spain for a state visit he got a very frost Reception by the queen she was very angre like her brother for his betrayle to the family so at a banquit she wore her biggist and most impressive tiara and the highst greek decloration she had it had to be said that Karamarlis owed his political carrea to the monachy.  

He did.  Karamanlis was called from obscurity, where he was a Minister of Public Works in the Papagos government of 1952-55, by King Pavlos, and was given the mandate to form a government and hold new elections if need be.  He was not in line to succeed Papagos as party head, and many of the party were miffed at King Pavlos for side stepping them and giving the premiership to Karamanlis.  But this was 1955, only 6 years after the end of the Communist Guerrilla war (I prefer to call it that, than a civil war), and Greece need a stable government and a stable premier.  Karamanlis presented such a new political face, who could bring stability and free of all old party entanglements.  
He became so arrogant, that he left the country in "self-exile" than to face the possibility of election defeat, 8 years later, in 1963.  
The rest is history.......

[SSKENDER]

Just a follow up to my post the other day that the Queen was in Athens, apparently Marina Karella, Prince Michael of Greece's wife, was debuting her paintings at the Benaki Museum, and the Queen, along with her brother King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie, Princess Irene, and Prince Michael, were on hand to support her work.

Regards

[jfkhaos]

Iskenderbey, any idea if there is a photo of this gathering?

[SSKENDER]

Hello Everyone,

Here are the pics from Queen Sofia recent visit to Greece, to attend Marina Karella's (Princess Marina) art exhibition, also attended by King Constantine, Queen Anne-Marie, Princess Irene, and Prince Michael.

 Queen Sofia greeting her sister-in-law, Queen Anne-Marie

 Princess Irene greeting her brother, King Constantine, & Queen Sofia greeting Prince Michael

Princess Irene, Queen Sofia, Queen Anne-Marie, King Constantine

 Queen Sofia greeting her brother, King Constantine

[Dina24]

Did Queen Sophia ever convert to Catholicism?  I remember reading somewhere that there were both Greek Orthodox and Catholic ceremonies when she married Juan Carlos.  If she did convert, when was it?

I apologize if this has already been covered in another thread.

Thanks!

[SSKENDER]

Queen Sophia became Catholic after her marriage, during her honeymoon, and on a yacht off of Greek territory, so as not to offend the Greek Orthodox.
She considers it to have simply been a recognition of the Pope, not a conversion, as the only thing she had to learn was the Latin ritual/liturgy, since the basic Greek Orthodox/Roman Catholic tents are the same (with some differences) and her Greek Orthodox baptism is recognized by the Roman Catholic church.
They had two seperate marriage ceremonies to satisfy both the Catholics and the Orthodox.

I watched the Papal funeral today (even though I'm Orthodox, the pope remains one of our Patriarchs, and I believe in the need for greater Christian unity, and evenmoreso because of his international religious work and work towards Christian unity), and I wondered to myself what Sophia was thinking when she was listening to the Orthodox "Christ is Risen", the Easter chant, as her Greek-Catholic counterparts sang it after the Litany of the Saints.  

[Dina24]

Thank you very much Iskenderbey!

Seeing her at the Pope's funeral this morning is what made me think of the question.  I also was wondering what she thought about the Orthodox priests participation.

[Robert_Hall]

If you mean the Eastern Rite bishops chanting- they are Catholics, just not Roman. There were several Orthodox  representatives however.

[frederika]

I thoght queen sofia converted straight after the othodox wedding at the cathlic one at st Denis.

queen Ena i think converted from the protistant faith to the cathlic at her wedding sofias mother did not convert untill 1946 8 years after her marrige but she later renounced both faiths.

[Madal]

Ena converted from the protistant faith to the cathlic before her wedding. She converted in San Sebastian on  march 7,  1906 and she got married on may (1906)

[SSKENDER]

I thoght queen sofia converted straight after the othodox wedding at the cathlic one at st Denis.

queen Ena i think converted from the protistant faith to the cathlic at her wedding sofias mother did not convert untill 1946 8 years after her marrige but she later renounced both faiths.

No, at the time of her marriage, Sofia was still Greek Orthodox.  The Catholic ceremony was first, then the Orthodox ceremony.
Her entrance to the Roman Catholic church, occurred after the wedding, on their honeymood, off the shores of the Greek mainland.
Regards