Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark (11 June, 1903 - 16 October, 1997) was the granddaughter of King George I of Greece and wife of the last Prince Regent of Yugoslavia.

Ancestry

Olga was born in Tatoi, the eldest daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark and his wife, Grand Duchess Helen Vladimirovna of Russia.

Prince Nicholas was the third son of King George I and Olga, Queen of Greece. His older brothers were Constantine I of Greece and Prince George of Greece. His younger brother was Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, father of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Helen Vladimirovna was a daughter of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia (22 April, 1847 - 17 February, 1909) and Marie Alexandrine Elisabeth Eleonore von Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Her paternal grandparents were Alexander II of Russia and Marie of Hesse and by Rhine. Her maternal grandparents were Friedrich Franz II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Augusta of Reuss-Köstritz.

Her paternal grandfather George I was a son of Christian IX of Denmark and Luise of Hesse-Kassel. His older siblings were Frederik VIII of Denmark and Alexandra of Denmark, Queen consort of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. His younger sisters included Dagmar of Denmark, Queen consort of Alexander III of Russia, and Thyra of Denmark, consort of Ernst August of Hanover, 3rd Duke of Cumberland.

Her paternal grandmother Olga, Queen of Greece was a daughter of the Russian Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich Romanov and Alexandra Iosifovna.

Marriage and children

Brought up in relative poverty, she married in Belgrade 22 October 1923 HRH Prince Paul of Yugoslavia, the regent after the assassination of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia. (He also was reputedly the great love of American-born Member of Parliament Sir Henry Channon .) She then became officially known as Princess Paul of Yugoslavia. Prince and Princess Paul had three children:

• Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia
• Prince Nikola of Yugoslavia
• Princess Elisabeth of Yugoslavia

Diminished status

Yugoslavia became a republic in 1945, and the Yugoslav Royal Family went into exile, Paul and Olga settling in South Africa. Greece became a republic in 1975 and stopped recognizing royal titles in Greek citizens. Olga's Yugoslavian and Greek titles were thus of questionable validity in those respective nations, but her Danish title remained valid, and she continued to be known as Princess Olga until her death.

Namesake cousin

Princess Olga Isabelle of Greece and Denmark (born 17 November 1971 - ), daughter of Prince Michael of Greece and Marina Karella (17 July, 1940 - ).

External link

Greek Royal Family website