View source for Queen Sofía of Spain

{{short description|Queen of Spain from 1975 to 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}{{For|her granddaughter|Infanta Sofía of Spain}}
{{redirects|Sophia of Greece|the granddaughter of George I of Greece|Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark|Queen Sofía's grandmother| Sophia of Prussia {{!}} Queen Sophia of Greece}}
{{Infobox royalty
| consort      = yes
| name         = Sofía
| image        = Karaliene Sofija (cropped).jpg
| caption      = Sofía in 2009
| alt          = A photograph of Sofía aged 71
| succession   = [[Queen consort of Spain]]
| coronation   = 27 November 1975
| cor-type     = Enthronement
| reign        = {{nowrap|22 November 1975}} – {{nowrap|19 June 2014}}
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Juan Carlos I]]|14 May 1962}}
| issue        = {{Plain list|
* [[Infanta Elena, Duchess of Lugo]]
* [[Infanta Cristina of Spain|Infanta Cristina]]
* [[Felipe VI]]}}
| full name    = {{ubl|[[Greek Language|Greek]]: Σοφία Μαργαρίτα Βικτώρια Φρειδερίκη|Sofía Margaríta Bictória Freideríki}}
| house        = [[House of Glücksburg|Glücksburg]] (by birth)<br>[[House of Bourbon|Bourbon]] (by marriage)
| father       = [[Paul of Greece]]
| mother       = [[Frederica of Hanover]]
| birth_date   = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1938|11|2}}
| birth_name   = Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark
| birth_place  = [[Tatoi Palace]], [[Athens]], [[Kingdom of Greece]]
| religion     = 
| signature    = Queen Sofía of Spain Signature.svg
}}
{{Spanish Royal Family}}
{{Greek Royal Family}}

'''Sofía''' (Sophia Margaret Victoria Frederica; {{langx|el|Σοφία}} Μαργαρίτα Βικτώρια Φρειδερίκη, <small>[[Romanization|romanized]]:</small> ''Sofía Margaríta Bictória Freideríki''; born 2 November 1938) is a member of the [[Spanish royal family]] who was [[List of Spanish royal consorts|Queen of Spain]] from 1975 to 2014 as the wife of [[Juan Carlos I|King Juan Carlos I]] until [[Abdication of Juan Carlos I|his abdication]]. She is the eldest child of King [[Paul of Greece]] and his wife, [[Frederica of Hanover|Queen Frederica]].

Sofía married then Infante Juan Carlos of Spain in 1962 and became queen of Spain upon her husband's accession in 1975.<ref name=ghda>Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser  XV. "Spanien". C.A. Starke Verlag, 1997, pp. 20, 100–101. (in German) {{ISBN|978-3-79800-814-4}}</ref> On 19 June 2014, [[Abdication of Juan Carlos I|Juan Carlos abdicated]] in favour of their son [[Felipe VI]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Spain will have two kings and two queens|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/10898873/Spain-will-have-two-kings-and-two-queens.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/10898873/Spain-will-have-two-kings-and-two-queens.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=14 June 2014|date=13 June 2014|work=The Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Since her spouse's abdication, ''Doña'' Sofía has usually been referred to as {{lang|es|reina emérita}} ('queen [[emeritus|emerita]]') by the press.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-internacional-53859839 | title=Juan Carlos I &#124; Sofía, la "profesional" reina de España que siempre puso la Corona por delante | work=BBC News Mundo }}</ref>

==Early life==
Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark was born on 2 November 1938, at [[Tatoi Palace]] in [[Acharnes]], Athens, Greece, the eldest child of [[Paul of Greece|King Paul]] and his wife, [[Frederica of Hanover|Queen Frederica]]. Sofía is a member of the Greek branch of the [[House of Glücksburg|Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg]] dynasty. Her brother was the deposed [[Constantine II of Greece|King Constantine II]] and her sister is [[Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark|Princess Irene]].

Her maternal grandmother, [[Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia]], wrote in her 1965 memoir: "I have always had a particular fondness for her, and esteemed her modesty, understanding and goodness coupled with her candid realism touches with a fine sense of humour. There, she is very much like [[Paul of Greece|her father]]. [[Frederica of Hanover|My daughter]] told me what the little Sophia had once said to her about him: 'You know, Mama, I think we have the nicest Papa in the world.'"<ref>{{Cite book |last=of Prussia |first=Princess Victoria Louise |title=Life as Daughter of the Emperor |year=1965 |pages=259}}</ref>

As her family was forced into exile during the [[World War II|Second World War]], she spent part of her childhood in [[Egypt]], where she took her early education in [[El Nasr Girls' College]] in [[Alexandria]], and South Africa, where her sister Irene was born. They returned to Greece in 1946. She finished her education at the prestigious [[Schule Schloss Salem|Schloss Salem boarding school]] in Southern Germany, and then studied childcare, music and archeology in [[Athens]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}  She also studied at [[Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge]], a constituent college of the [[University of Cambridge]].<ref>{{cite web |title=HM Sofia Queen of Spain |url=https://www.fitz.cam.ac.uk/people/hm-sofia-queen-spain |url-access=subscription |website=Fitzwilliam College |access-date=11 August 2020}}</ref> She was a reserve member, when her brother Constantine, as helmsman, led Greece's [[Sailing at the 1960 Summer Olympics – Dragon|gold medal-winning sailing team]] in the [[1960 Summer Olympics]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.topendsports.com/events/summer/highlights/royals.htm|title=Royal Participants at the Olympics|website=Topend Sports |access-date=8 December 2012}}</ref>

==Marriage and family==
{{main|Wedding of Prince Juan Carlos and Princess Sophia}}
Sofía met her paternal third cousin, the then Infante Juan Carlos of Spain on a [[Cruise of the Kings|cruise]] in the Greek Islands in 1954; they met again at the [[Wedding of Prince Edward and Katharine Worsley|wedding]] of the [[Prince Edward, Duke of Kent|Duke of Kent]], her paternal second cousin, at [[York Minster]] in June 1961.<ref name=Vogue-2019>{{cite magazine |last1=Gay |first1=Danielle |title=Inside Queen Sofía and King Juan Carlos's 1962 wedding | date = 13 May 2019 |url=https://www.vogue.com.au/brides/trends/inside-queen-sofa-and-king-juan-carloss-1962-wedding/image-gallery/fd7983c60e682569b31189cbc717e205 | magazine =[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]] Australia |publisher=[[Condé Nast]] |access-date=17 September 2020}}</ref> Sofía and Juan Carlos married on 14 May 1962, at the Catholic [[Cathedral Basilica of St. Dionysius the Areopagite|Cathedral of Saint Dionysius]] in Athens.<ref name=Vogue-2019/>

[[File:Aankomst van prins Juan Carlos van Bourbon en zijn vrouw prinses Sophia, Bestanddeelnr 919-0426 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Sofía and Juan Carlos at the wedding of Prince Karl of Hesse and Countess Yvonne Szapáry von Muraszombath, Széchysziget und Szapár, [[The Hague]], 1966]]
Sofía converted from [[Greek Orthodox Church|Greek Orthodoxy]] to [[Catholic Church in Spain|Catholicism]] to become more palatable to Catholic Spain, and thus relinquished her rights to the Greek throne.

Sofía was in Greece on a private visit to her brother, [[Constantine II of Greece|King Constantine II]], when the 1967 [[Greek junta|Greek military coup]] took place. Except for a brief stay for the funeral of her mother in 1981, Queen Sofía would not visit Greece until 1998.

In 1969, Spanish dictator [[Francisco Franco]] named Juan Carlos his successor under the official title "Prince of Spain".<ref name="Bernecker">Juan Carlos never bore the traditional title of the Spanish [[heir apparent]], Prince of Asturias. {{cite journal |last=Bernecker |first=Walther |title=Monarchy and Democracy: The Political Role of King Juan Carlos in the Spanish ''Transición'' |journal=Journal of Contemporary History |date=January 1998 |volume=33 |issue=1 |pages=65–84|doi=10.1177/003200949803300104 |s2cid=157966975 }}</ref> Juan Carlos acceded to the throne in 1975, upon Franco's death.<ref name="Bernecker"/> Juan Carlos, after his accession to the Spanish throne, returned with his family to the [[Palace of Zarzuela|Zarzuela Palace]].

The couple has three children: [[Infanta Elena, Duchess of Lugo|Elena]] (born 20 December 1963); [[Infanta Cristina of Spain|Cristina]] (born 13 June 1965); and [[Felipe VI|Felipe]] (born 30 January 1968).<ref>{{Cite web |title=S.M. la Reina Doña Sofía - Biography |url=https://www.casareal.es/EN/FamiliaReal/Reina/Paginas/reina_biografia.aspx |access-date=2022-04-25 |website=Casa Real |language=en}}</ref>

==Queen consort==
{{BLP sources section|date=October 2020}}
[[File:Queen Sofía of Spain, 1986.JPEG|thumb|Sofía departing the United States in 1986]]

Besides accompanying her husband on official visits and occasions, Sofía also has solo engagements. In her first public appearance as Queen, Sofía attended a [[Shabbat services|Shabbat service]] at the [[Beth Yaacov Synagogue (Madrid)|Beth Yaacov synagogue in Madrid]] in June 1976, marking the first time in modern Spanish history that a member of the Spanish royal family had visited a Jewish house of worship.<ref>{{cite news |title=Queen Sophia of Spain Guest at Jewish Sabbath Services |url=https://www.jta.org/archive/queen-sophia-of-spain-guest-at-jewish-sabbath-services |access-date=20 June 2023 |work=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |date=1976-06-01}}</ref>

She is executive president of the Queen Sofía Foundation, which in 1993, sent funds for relief in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is honorary president of the Royal Board on Education and Care of Handicapped Persons of Spain, as well as the Spanish Foundation for Aid for Drug Addicts. Additionally, she has served as the patroness of the [[Queen Sofía Spanish Institute]] since 2003.

Sofía takes special interest in programs against drug addiction, travelling to conferences in both Spain and abroad. The [[Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía]] is named after her, as is [[Reina Sofía Airport]] in [[Tenerife]].

Sofía is an Honorary Member of the [[Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando|San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts]] and of the [[Real Academia de la Historia|Spanish Royal Academy of History]]. She has received honorary doctorates from the Universities of [[Our Lady of the Rosary University|Rosario]] ([[Bogotá]]), [[University of Valladolid|Valladolid]], [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]], [[University of Oxford|Oxford]], [[Georgetown University|Georgetown]], [[University of Évora|Evora]], [[St. Mary's University, Texas|St. Mary's University]] ([[Texas]]), and [[State University of New York|New York]].

[[File:Spain.QueenSofia.01.jpg|thumb|Queen Sofía in 2003]]
Sofía has been honorary president of the Spanish [[Unicef]] Committee since 1971.<ref>{{cite web|title=Queen Sofía: " "I feel the same as always. Everything is going to carry on as it is"|date=4 June 2014 |url=http://elpais.com/elpais/2014/06/04/inenglish/1401891832_972457.html|publisher=El Pais|access-date=9 September 2016}}</ref> She has been working closely with [[Muhammad Yunus (economist)|Dr. Muhammad Yunus]] on his [[Grameen Bank]], which offers microcredits to women across the world. Queen Sofía has travelled to [[Bangladesh]], [[Chile]], [[Colombia]], [[El Salvador]] and [[Mexico]] to support the activities of the organization. Queen Sofía has also been a strong supporter of [[Somaly Mam]]'s ''{{lang|fr|Agir pour les Femmes en Situation Précaire}}'', an NGO combatting [[child prostitution]] and slavery in Cambodia. In 1998, Mam was awarded the prestigious [[Prince of Asturias Awards|Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation]] in the Queen's presence.

[[File:US Navy 090219-N-1522S-009 Spain's King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia lay a wreath with Marines at Fort George in remembrance of General Bernardo de Galvez and his army.jpg|thumb|Juan Carlos and Sofía laying a wreath in 2009]]
As Queen, Sofía never publicly commented on political issues. However, in October 2008, [[Pilar Urbano]]'s book ''La Reina muy de cerca'' ("The Queen up close") sparked strong controversy as it contained alleged statements by the Queen on issues debated in Spanish society. She criticized the military intervention in Afghanistan, where Spanish troops were taking part at the time, defended religious education in schools, and expressed her conviction that gender violence publicity{{what|date=July 2023}} would encourage new cases to occur. She also rejected [[anti-abortion|abortion]] and [[euthanasia]] as well as [[same-sex marriage]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/nos/queman/trozos/papel/apagaran/elpepiesp/20081030elpepinac_16/Tes |title=No nos queman a nosotros. Son trozos de papel. Ya se apagarán |work=El País  |date=30 October 2008 |last1=Galaz |first1=Mábel }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://elpais.com/m/diario/2008/10/30/espana/1225321216_850215.html|title="No nos queman a nosotros. Son trozos de papel. Ya se apagarán"|newspaper=El País|date=30 October 2008}}</ref> The Royal Household commented that the book "puts in Her Majesty's mouth alleged claims that [...] do not correspond exactly to the opinions expressed by Her Majesty".<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2008/10/30/espana/1225398875.html |title=La Reina tacha de 'inexactas' sus polémicas palabras publicadas en un libro |trans-title=The Queen Dismisses Her Controversial Words Published in a Book as 'Inaccurate' |work=[[El Mundo (Spain)|El Mundo]] |location=Madrid |language=Spanish |date=1 November 2008 |access-date=19 August 2018}}</ref> While the two major parties - [[Spanish Socialist Workers' Party|Socialists]] and [[People's Party (Spain)|People's Party]] - refused to comment,<ref name=Partidos>{{cite news|url=http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/PP/PSOE/ordenan/guardar/silencio/declaraciones/Reina/elpepiesp/20081031elpepinac_7/Tes |title=PP y PSOE ordenan guardar silencio sobre las declaraciones de la Reina |work=El País  |date=31 October 2008  |last1=Garea |first1=Fernando |last2=Foguet |first2=Joan |last3=Asry |first3=Karim |last4=Granda |first4=Elsa}}</ref> her opinions were subjected to heavy criticism by Republican parties like [[United Left (Spain)|IU]] and [[Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya|ERC]] and [[LGBT]] activists.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/queens-first-out-gay-footman-quits-amid-homophobia-accusations|title=Queen's First Out-Gay Footman Quits Amid Homophobia Accusations|work=The Daily Beast|date=1 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/spanish-queen-breaks-silence-and-upsets-gay-groups-979571.html|title=Spanish queen breaks silence - and upsets gay groups|work=The Independent|date=30 October 2008}}</ref><ref name=Malestar>{{cite news|url=http://www.elpais.com/articulo/sociedad/Malestar/colectivo/homosexual/palabras/Reina/elpepusoc/20081030elpepusoc_1/Tes |title=Malestar en el colectivo homosexual por las palabras de la Reina |work=El País  |date=30 October 2008 }}</ref>

In May 2012, Sofía was reportedly refused permission to  attend the celebrations for the [[Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II]] by the Spanish government, citing tensions over fishing rights at [[Gibraltar]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/9276931/Queen-Sofia-of-Spain-Europes-lonely-royal-consort.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/9276931/Queen-Sofia-of-Spain-Europes-lonely-royal-consort.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Queen Sofia of Spain: Europe's lonely royal consort|last=Alexander|first=Harriet|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=20 May 2012|access-date=24 November 2017|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In July 2012, Sofía visited the Philippines for a fourth time. She inspected several development projects around the former Spanish colony that her country's government is funding via the ''Agencia Española de Cooperacion Internacional para el Desarollo'' (AECID). She visited the [[National Library of the Philippines|National Library]], [[National Museum of the Philippines|National Museum]] and the [[Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines]], which had the oldest extant university charter in Asia and housed the world's largest collection of [[suyat]] scripts. She also met with Spanish nationals residing in the Philippines, and attended a reception at the Spanish Embassy. She also attended a [[state dinner]] in her honour at [[Malacañan Palace]] hosted by [[President of the Philippines|President]] [[Benigno Aquino III]],<ref>[http://www.casareal.es/noticias/news/20120701_viaje_cooperacion_reina_filipinas-ides-idweb.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120706035627/http://www.casareal.es/noticias/news/20120701_viaje_cooperacion_reina_filipinas-ides-idweb.html|date=6 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://globalnation.inquirer.net/43045/albay-gives-spanish-queen-warm-welcome |title=Albay gives Spanish queen warm welcome |work=Inquirer Global Nation |date=5 July 2012 }}</ref> and thanked the president for promoting the [[Spanish language]] in the Philippine educational system.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/264032/pnoy-and-spain-s-queen-sofia-welcome-return-of-spanish-language-in-phl-schools/story/ |title=PNoy and Spain's Queen Sofía welcome return of Spanish language in PHL schools |last=Legaspi |first=Amita O. |date=3 July 2012 |access-date=14 June 2018 |work=[[GMA News Online]]}}</ref>

== Queen Emerita ==
Following [[Abdication of Juan Carlos I|her husband's abdication]] as King in 2014, Sofía has focused on her sponsoring activities,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.elcomercio.es/gente-estilo/reina-sofia-cumpleanos-80-edad-emerita-20181102014359-nt.html|website=El Comercio|title=Una reina que va a más|date=2 November 2018|first=Antonio|last=Paniagua}}</ref> spending her time between [[La Zarzuela]] and, in the summer months, the [[Marivent Palace]] in [[Palma de Mallorca]]. She regularly accompanies her son and his family at events.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.elmundo.es/loc/2016/07/09/577fce7eca474198348b461f.html|website=[[El Mundo (Spain)|El Mundo]]|title=Doña Sofía encuentra su refugio en Marivent|date=9 July 2016|first=Consuelo|last=Font}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.revistavanityfair.es/realeza/articulos/veranos-de-dona-sofia-reina-emerita-en-marivent-palma-de-mallorca/25396|website=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]|title=Doña Sofía, la solitaria reina de Palma|first=Paloma|last=Simón|date=3 August 2017}}</ref>

==Honours==
[[File:Royal Monogram of Queen Sofía of Spain.svg|right|thumb|115px|Royal Monogram]]
{{main|List of titles and honours of Queen Sofía of Spain}}
Queen Sophia was awarded the [[Order of the Queen of Sheba]] by Emperor [[Haile Selassie]] of Ethiopia in 1973 upon her and her husband King Juan Carlos's visit to the capital Addis Ababa.
Sofía was appointed to the Grand Cross of [[Order of Charles III|The Royal and Distinguished Order of Charles III]] on 10 May 1962<ref>{{in lang|es}}
[http://www.boe.es/boe/dias/1962/06/01/pdfs/A07498-07498.pdf Decree 1192/1962, 1 June. HRH Princess Sofia Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III.] [[Boletín Oficial del Estado|BOE]] (Spanish Official Gazette), 62/06/01.</ref> and to [[Order of Queen Maria Luisa|The Royal Order of Queen Maria Luisa]] on 14 May 1962.{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}} The Queen of Spain was appointed to the Collar of the [[Order of Charles III|Royal and Distinguished Order of Charles III]] as dame on 31 October 1983.<ref>{{in lang|es}} [http://www.boe.es/buscar/doc.php?id=BOE-A-1983-28595 Royal Decree 2747/1983, 31 October. HM Queen Sofia Collar of the Order of Charles III.] [[Boletín Oficial del Estado|BOE]] (Spanish Official Gazette), 83/11/02.</ref> Since then, Queen Sofía has received different appointments and decorations by more than 40 foreign states. In 2024, Queen Sofía was awarded the insignia (bow medal and collar) as a Knight of the [[Order of the Golden Fleece]].<ref>{{in lang|es}} [https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2025-442 29 October. HM Queen Sofia awarded the insignia (collar) of the Order of the Golden Fleece.] [[Boletín Oficial del Estado|BOE]] (Spanish Official Gazette), 24/10/29.</ref>

===Arms===
{{Infobox COA wide
| image             = Coat of arms of Sofia, Queen of Spain (Golden Fleece).svg
| imagesize         = 220
| bannerimage       = Personal Standard of Sofia, Queen of Spain (Golden Fleece).svg
| badgeimage        =
| notes             = The Queen's coat of arms has no official status. In Spain, only the coats of arms of the [[Coat of arms of the King of Spain|King]] and the [[Coat of arms of the Prince of Asturias|Prince of Asturias]] are official
| adopted           =
| crest             = The [[Spanish Royal Crown]] ([[Half-arch (crown)|Crown's arches]] differenced as consort)
| torse             =
| helm              =
| escutcheon        = Impaled, '''I''' quarterly, 1st Gules a castle Or, triple-embattled and voided gate and windows, with three towers each triple-turreted, of the field, masoned Sable and ajoure Azure ('''[[Kingdom of Castile|Castile]]'''); 2nd Argent a lion rampant Gules crowned, langued and armed Or ('''[[Kingdom of León|Leon]]'''); 3rd Or, four pallets Gules ('''[[Crown of Aragon]]''') and 4th Gules a cross, saltire and orle of chains linked together Or, a centre point Vert Argent ('''[[Kingdom of Navarre|Navarre]]'''); enté en point, with a pomegranate proper seeded Gules, supported, sculpted and leafed in two leaves Vert ('''[[Kingdom of Granada|Granada]]'''); inescutcheon Azure bordure Gules, three fleurs-de-lys Or ('''[[House of Bourbon|Bourbon-Anjou]]'''); '''II''', Azure, a cross argent ('''[[Greece]]'''); Inescutcheon, quarterly by a cross Argent fimbriated Gules, the Cross of the [[Order of the Dannebrog]], 1st Or, three lions in pale passant Azure, crowned Or, langued and armed Gules and nine hearts Gules ('''[[Denmark]]'''); 2nd Or, two lions in pale passant Azure, langued and armed Gules ('''[[Schleswig]]'''); 3rd Azure, party per fess, in chief three crowns Or (the former '''[[Kalmar Union]]'''), per pale, in dexter base, Gules, a stockfish Argent crowned Or ('''[[Iceland]] ancient'''), in sinister base, Azure, party per pale, a) a ram passant Argent armed and unguled Or (the '''[[Faroe Islands]]'''), b) a polar bear rampant Argent ('''[[Greenland]]'''); 4th party per fess, the chief, Or, in gold, nine hearts Gules arranged 4, 3, 2 beneath a lion passant Azure, langued and armed Gules ('''[[King of the Goths]]'''), the lower half, Gules, a crowned lindorm Or ('''[[King of the Wends]]'''); overall an escutcheon Gules quarterly, 1st a nettle leaf Argent with a indented bordure Gules ('''[[Holstein]]'''), 2nd a swan Argent gorged with a crown Or ('''[[Stormarn (gau)|Stormarn]]'''), 3rd a knight dressed in armor Or on a horse Argent and an oval shield Azure with a cross Or on his arm ('''[[Dithmarschen]]'''), 4th a horse's head Or ('''[[Saxe-Lauenburg|Lauenburg]]''') overall another escutcheon party per pale, in dexter Or, two bars Gules ('''[[House of Oldenburg|Oldenburg]]'''), in sinister Azure, a cross Or ('''[[Delmenhorst]]''').
| orders            = The collar of the [[Order of the Golden Fleece]].
| banner            = The Queen's personal Royal Standard is [[Royal Standard of Spain|that of her husband]] (a dark blue square flag) bordered with the colors of the [[List of Greek flags#Historical variants of the national flag|former royal standard of Greece]] (a white cross on a blue field), which was used by her father, and charged with her personalized coat of arms.{{cn|date=June 2023}}
| badge             =
| symbolism         = The personal coat of arms of the Queen [[Impalement in heraldry|impale]]s the [[Coat of arms of the King of Spain|Spanish Royal Arms]] (her husband's shield) to the dexter (viewer's left) with her [[Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Greece|father's shield]], the arms of [[Paul of Greece|King Paul of Greece]] – the [[Coat of arms of Greece|arms of Greece]] with an inescutcheon which bears the [[coat of arms of Denmark]] (1819–1903 version) as used when [[George I of Greece|George I]] became king of Greece in the 1860s and showing the dynastic link to the [[Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg]] dynasty; a shield containing a cross from the [[Order of the Dannebrog]] and subcoats representing Denmark, Schleswig, the former Kalmar Union, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Holstein, Stormarn, Dithmarschen, Lauenburg, Oldenburg, Delmenhorst, and the former Danish royal titles of ''King of the Wends and Goths''.{{cn|date=June 2023}}
| previous_versions =
}}

==Notable published works==
* ''En Decelia: fragmentos cerámicos de Decelia y miscelánea arqueológica''. [[Athens]], (1959–1960). Edited in Spanish in Spain, 2013.<ref>[http://www.logintegral-libros.com/?editorial=Editorial-CSED&libro=EN-DECELIA Logintegral] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103180532/http://www.logintegral-libros.com/?editorial=Editorial-CSED&libro=EN-DECELIA |date=3 November 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.marcialpons.es/libros/en-decelia-fragmentos-ceramicos-de-decelia-y-miscelanea-arqueologica/9788494103308/|title=En Decelia: fragmentos cerámicos de Decelia y miscelánea arqueológica}}</ref> {{ISBN|9788494103308}}

==See also==
* [[Descendants of Christian IX of Denmark]] - Lists other members of European royalty who share a common ancestor with Queen Sofía of Spain
* ''[[Joyas de pasar]]''

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Queen Sofía of Spain}}
* [https://www.casareal.es Official website of the Spanish Royal Family]
* [https://www.fundacionreinasofia.es Official website of the Queen Sofia Foundation]

{{S-start}}
{{S-hou|[[House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg]]|2 November|1938|Living||[[House of Oldenburg]]}}
{{S-roy|es}}
{{S-break}}
{{S-vac|last=[[Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Queen consort of Spain]]|years=22 November 1975 – 18 June 2014}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Navboxes
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{{Spanish consorts}}
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{{Danish princesses}}
{{Infantas of Spain by marriage}}
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{{OGH Recipients}}
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[[Category:1938 births]]
[[Category:Converts to Roman Catholicism from Eastern Orthodoxy]]
[[Category:Princesses of Denmark]]
[[Category:Fellows of Exeter College, Oxford]]
[[Category:Fellows of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:Former Greek Orthodox Christians]]
[[Category:Princesses of Greece]]
[[Category:House of Glücksburg (Greece)]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Nobility from Athens]]
[[Category:Spanish infantas by marriage]]
[[Category:Spanish people of Danish descent]]
[[Category:Spanish people of German descent]]
[[Category:Spanish people of English descent]]
[[Category:Spanish people of Russian descent]]
[[Category:Spanish Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:Spanish royal consorts]]
[[Category:Juan Carlos I]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany]]
[[Category:Royal Olympic participants]]
[[Category:Autonomous University of Madrid alumni]]
[[Category:Alumni of Schule Schloss Salem]]
[[Category:20th-century Eastern Orthodox Christians]]
[[Category:20th-century Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:21st-century Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Medal of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 1st class]]
[[Category:Daughters of kings]]
[[Category:Spanish queen mothers]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of Jamaica]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Outstanding Merit]]
[[Category:Greek female sailors (sport)]]