Sofia the Great

Her husband has been widely praised for his great reign and his great contribution to Spanish life and the transition to democracy.  But there is little doubt that Juan Carlos was made great in great part by his queen consort.  Sofia, Queen of Spain is a towering figure in Spanish life.  Her husband once called her the 'great professional' but as her reign comes to an end it is just as fair for her to go into history as Sofia the Great.

The beginning of a great queen - Sofia on her wedding day to the then Prince of Spain, Juan Carlos, in Athens in 1962

Because Sofia has risen above the scandals that have hurt her family in recent years just as she has been a sure and steady influence on the crown throughout her husband's thirty nine year reign.  She married him as a princess of Greece whose own country's monarchy was in serious jeopardy and became his queen when no one gave him too much hope of staying king, let alone becoming a great one.  But the King and Queen of Spain turned their country's monarchy into one of the most popular in Europe and in large part that was down to Sofia who was never seen without a smile and whose warmth and interest in others helped bring the crown closer to the people.

Juan Carlos and Sofia of Spain at the canonisation of Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII earlier this year

She was seen as a devoted mother and later as a devoted grandmother and her interest in a wide variety of causes endeared her to many.  She saw her brother lose his throne and her husband battle for his and now she stands at his side as he stands aside for a new generation.  The influence of Sofia on Felipe is great and will be instrumental in his first months as king.  But regardless, it is clear that after thirty nine years as a hugely popular queen history will remember this queen as Sofia the Great.