Queen Olga (1851-1926), consort of King George I

[juliamontague]

Olga Konstantinovna, later Queen of Greece, with her mother. Coloured by me

 

[CarolinaLandgrave]

Queen Olga (1851-1926)

Does anyone have a good source of info in Queen Olga? Her genealogy (I know she was a Russian Grand Duchess)...
And some good pictures of her?
Thanks!

 

[Philippe Egalite']

Does anyone have a good source of info in Queen Olga? Her genealogy (I know she was a Russian Grand Duchess)...
And some good pictures of her?
Thanks!

Look at Wikipedia. If you search for "Queen Olga" or Queen Olga of Greece" you will also be referred to the national Portrait Gallery site where you'll find a magnificent portrait of hers by Vandyk dating back to 1922. She is in mourning dress following the unexpected death of her son Alexander. Please note that during the short interregnum, she became Regent of Greece.

 

[Warren]

Here's the Wikipedia entry,​

here's a larger version of the Wikipedia Queen Olga portrait,​

and here's the National Portrait Gallery Vandyk Portrait of Queen Olga.
o​

 

[Philippe Egalite']

In my post #3 above, I quoed inadvertently King Alexander as Queen Olga's son. He was, in fact, her grandson, the second son of her first son King Constantine I.

 

[Philippe Egalite']

I read (I believe in a book by prince Michael on the Greek Royal Family) that Queen Olga was feeling extremely homesick and whenever a boat of the Russian Navy arrived in Piraeus, the port adjacent to Athens, she would visit with the sailors joking and having fun with them.

 

[sinulord]

It's interesting to note that since the Prince of Wales is a direct descendant of Queen Olga, he will, upon his ascension to the British Throne, become the first British monarch to also descend from the Imperial House of Romanov. And perhaps also the only royal descendant of Queen Olga that will be a reigning monarch

 

[CarolinaLandgrave]

Are there any good books about Queen Olga? I find her quite interesting, just from the little I have read about her.

 

[EmpressRouge]

Olga must have inherited her good looks from her mother, Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg
File:Grand Duchess Alexandra Iosifovna.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In Jewels of the Tsars, Prince Michael describes his great-grandmother as a natural beauty, using only simple pearls to highlight her good looks instead the usual grand Romanov jewels. She would also "keep her corsets on at night in order to preserve her wasp-like waist, and had silver and ivory paper knives made in the charming shape of her foot."

 

[BELTRANEJA]

She is very like to her mother.
Olga brings many traditions of Russian Orthodox Church to the Greek royal family. King George was not orthodox, but she belonged to the Russian Orthodox Church.
The crowns suspended over the heads of the spouses in the weddings of Royal family belonged to the Russian Orthodox Church, this was not the tradition of Greek Orthodox church.
http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/4405/weddingmxs.jpg

other picture of Olga
http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/6893/olgaa.jpg
http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/2583/queenolga.jpg

 

[roimat]

In fact, the Crowns at the royal weddings is a tradition that Queen Olga brought from Russia. All eastern Orthodox countries-Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Modenegro- have this tradition, not only in royal weddings but in every wedding.

 

[EmpressRouge]

Portrait of young Olga as a Grand Duchess
Olga of greece image by pastroyals on Photobucket

 

[BELTRANEJA]

other pictures
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/6202/olgagreece.jpg

with her sons
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/563/olgaviuda.jpg
With family of russia.
Grand Duchess Elisabeth Mavrikievna (wife of Konstantin Konstantinovich ), Olga with her sons Constantine and Nicholas and before the Grand Duchess Alexandra Iosifovna (mother of Olga) and Grand Duchess Elisabeth Feodorovna

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/5254/olga.jpg


when was the Bolshevik Revolution , Queen Olga was living in Russia, she traveled to Saint Petersburg to leave of country, but Greece was a Republic and they didn´t recognized her Greek passport, she had that to ask aid to the embassy of Denmark, Denmark helped to her to leave of Russia with a Danish passport.Part of her family was assassinated in Russia

 

[stef]

thank you! by pictures.

her live was very interesting. where did she died??

 

[BELTRANEJA]

She died in Italy, the family was exiled in Italy

 

[BELTRANEJA]

These pictures of the Queen Olga of Greece I love. She was a very elegant woman, her dress was typical of the Russian court to which she belonged.

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/2249/yutyu.jpg
http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/7951/ugikui.jpg

In this photo she reminds me of Princess Theodora

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/3706/olga4.jpg

 

[stef]

The first photo, the dress is beautiful .... This is very elegant..

 

[CarolinaLandgrave]

It's interesting to note that since the Prince of Wales is a direct descendant of Queen Olga, he will, upon his ascension to the British Throne, become the first British monarch to also descend from the Imperial House of Romanov. And perhaps also the only royal descendant of Queen Olga that will be a reigning monarch

Will not the Prince of Asturias, upon becoming King of Spain, also be a reigning monarch descending from Queen Olga??? His mother was, before her marriage, Sophia of Greece.

 

[EmpressRouge]

Will not the Prince of Asturias, upon becoming King of Spain, also be a reigning monarch descending from Queen Olga??? His mother was, before her marriage, Sophia of Greece.

True, but two reigning monarchs already have Romanov blood: Margarethe of Denmark and Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. Romanov bloods has run through the Danish monarchs since 1947 through Queen Alexandrine.

Nicholas I > Michael Nikolaevich > Anastasia Mikhailovna > Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Queen of Denmark

Margarethe and her first cousin, Carl Gustaf, are descended twice over from Grand Duchess Maria Pavlova through their grandmother Margaret of Connaught and great-grandmother Victoria of Baden, via the houses of Prussia and Saxe-Weimar:

Paul I > Maria Pavlova > Marie of Saxe-Weimar > Frederick Charles of Prussia > Louise Margaret of Prussia > Margaret of Connaught, Crown Princess of Sweden

paul, tsar of russia > maria of russia > augusta of saxe-weimar > louise of prussia > victoria of baden (queen of sweden)

 

[CarolinaLandgrave]

Good Call Empress R!!!
I totally missed those - didn't even cross my mind; as I was thinking solely along the lines of any being descendants of Queen Olga.

 

[snowflower]

Here are some photos of Olga when she was still a Grand Duchess

 

[snowflower]

here is an engagement photo with her whole family and a painting of hers

When she became Queen she was very young and many times she would react in a sort of childish way that often scandalized the Russian ladies in waiting that came with her in Greece as well as the older Greek ladies in waiting who still held memories of Queen Amalia ( always regal and behaving with must pomp). For example , when the Prince and the Princess of Wales made their first official visit in Greece , Olga was very nervous because she wanted Alexandra to have a good time and to like her ( they didn't really know each other then ). But she was bored of all these preparations and the protocoll and the ambassandors etc. The day they would arrive in Athens, she was sitting in the Throne room in Athens Palace and was supposed to recieve her guests there. She sat there and kept waiting and waiting with her ladies and she was so bored she was playing with a pearl necklase. The Russian lady in waiting came in , bowed and said " Your Majesty, Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales have arrived" . She exclaimed " At last!" , stood up , and rushed off the room while everyone was looking startled. She started going down the stairs panting and shouting for her hunband to hear " Villy! Come, come, Alix is here!" She even got out of the palace and she greeted them out of her breath when they got out of the carriage. Bertie was astonished at first, but Alexandra was charmed by the unceremonial way she greeted her....

 

[BELTRANEJA]

she was very young when arrived to Greece.
In fact, one of her passions was play with her dolls

 

[CarolinaLandgrave]

Was Queen Alexandra close to Queen Olga? Alix was very close to her sibling, for sure, and I know she was close to Alexander III.....

 

[snowflower]

Was Queen Alexandra close to Queen Olga? Alix was very close to her sibling, for sure, and I know she was close to Alexander III.....

I believe they were very close although not as close as Olga and Dagmar. But that seems logical considering the many annual visits the Greek Royals would pay to Russia ( In fact , Olga and Dagmar along with Elisaveta Mavrikievna were sort of the united force against Marie Pavlova and her court ) Alexandra liked a lot Olga's simple and childish manners which very often compatible to her own, and all of George's sisters prefered much more her than Lovisa of Sweden ( Frederick's wife). Alexandra also gave the name Olga to Toria to honour he sister in law.

By the way, here is a nice picture of Olga , Alexandra and Dagmar/ Minnie ( found on gettyimages)

 

[Vasillisos Markos]

The photograph of the three women, Alexandra, Olga, and Dagmar/Minnie, shows each in a dress made from the same material! Although each dress appears to differ in style about the bosom, it appears these three royals were not adverse to being same in the same dress.

 

[snowflower]

I believe it was done on purpose , sort of a joke. I ve seen many photographs with royals wearing the same clothes which were made exactly for the photograph. The picture was taken during a visit at Denmark and I really feel sorry for the seamstress who had to make three same dresses and make sure they would look flattering for each lady. I mean, while Alexandra is gorgeous, Olga appears sort of matronly. Anyway, if I was Olga ( who was a little plump) I don't if I would have the courage to pose dressed the same with my two thin and perfectly silhouetted sisters in law .

 

[CarolinaLandgrave]

I have to agree, Snowflower, I don't think I would have the confidence to pose next to Alix and Minnie - but there again, it shows Queen Olga's great character!!!

 

[snowflower]

You are right her character was unique in may way . I ve came across many descriptions of her in many Greek books , fictional and non fictional and she is always prsented the same way: calm and serene, with a kind voice and and eyes that look at one with sweetnes, most of the time dressed in white or cream colours and always wearing a black velvet ribbon in her fair hair. Queen Victoria though quite higly of her and wrote once to her daughter Vicky :"The Greek Queen is a very amiable woman, whose character is marked by true and sincere kindness. She is quite bautiful, with nice blond hair and the angelic face of a madonna and although she is a true Romanov, she has none of the pride that is a common trait of the rest of her family, our dear Marie included".

 

[CarolinaLandgrave]

She was indeed quite a woman if she could get a compliment, being a Romanov, out of Queen Victoria.
Queen Victoria didn't have much liking for the Imperial Family.