One of my readers recently bought this postcard of Queen Olga of the Hellenes, widow of King George I, and all but one of her granddaughters. He has allowed me to use the image in a post.
The photo, one of a series, was by George Boucas, the court photographer, taken in 1923.
I may be off on the identifications.
Three girls in front: L-R Princess Katherine, Princess Sophie, and Princess Cecile
Back: L-R: Princess Marina, Princess Theodora, Princess Xenia of Russia, Princess Margarita, Princess Elisabeth Queen Olga, Princess Helen, Princess Nina of Russia, Princess Olga, Princess Irene.
Two granddaughters are not in the photo: Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna of Russia and Princess Eugenie of Greece and Denmark.
Nice picture! BTW, I have always wondered if Prince Philip met his paternal grandmother (Queen Olga) while she was alive? I know that Prince Philip was brought to England for his maternal grandfather's funeral (Prince Louis of Battenberg).
ReplyDeleteIm sure he did. He was 5 when his grandmother died. Prince Phillip lived with his family in a house on the property of Prince George of Greece (his paternal uncle). Prince Nicholas of Greece (another paternal uncle) and his family also lived in Paris. Queen Olga lived in Italy with her youngest son Cristopher the last few years of her life but Im sure she also visited her 3 older sons and grandchildren in Paris on occasion.
ReplyDeleteNone of Philip's biographies refer to meeting Olga, who suffered from ill health in the final years of her life. This included eye issues
ReplyDeleteVorres, Ian. The Last Grand Duchess, [Charles Scribners and Sons, New York] 1964., pg. 171
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to note, that in later years, Olga recalled her meeting Prince Philip, the future Duke of Edinburgh (1921-2021) during a visit of Queen Olga of Greece, who left her own exile in Italy to see her god-daughter Olga and the Dowager Empress at Hvidore, Denmark. The Greek Queen brought Prince Philip, her six-year-old grandson along. “I remember young Philip as a wide-eyed youngster, with blue eyes sparkling with humour and mischief. Even then, when a mere child, he possessed a mind of his own, though he seemed rather subdued in the presence of my mother. I served him tea and cookies, which vanished in a split second. I could never have imagined then that this lovely child would one day be the consort of the Queen of England.
Philip was 5 when his grandmother died. She did visit France for medical treatment in the final years of her life.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I think I need to read again The Last Grand Duchess as I missed that info.
ReplyDeleteThe one next to Marina is Margarita. And then Xenia and Theodora.
ReplyDelete