The last royal Sophia of Sweden - the princess from Nassau and her husband, Oscar
Which means Sofia is the queen that never was. But Sweden has had a trio of women with that name as consorts already. Here are the Royal Sofias of Sweden.
Sofia of Denmark, Queen of Sweden 1261 - 1275
The first Swedish queen with the name came from neighbouring Denmark, liked chess and lived a rather colourful life which ended with her returning home after her husband was deposed. Sofia Eriksdotter was the daughter of King Eric IV of Denmark but after he was murdered in 1250, when she was 9, she lived under the rule of her uncles and in 1261 she was married off to King Valdemar I of Sweden, making her a queen at the age of 20.
Sofia of Denmark became Queen of Sweden in 1261
They had six children but when Sofia was visited by her sister, Jutta, her husband gave a more than friendly welcome to his in law and the affair is said to have left the queen heartbroken. King Valdemar was deposed by his brother, Magus III, in 1275 with Queen Sofia hearing of the change in her status while she played chess. She returned to Denmark soon afterwards leaving Valdemar behind and she died in 1286.
Sophie Magdalene of Denmark, Queen of Sweden 1771 - 1792
Sophie Magadelene began life as a Danish princess who, for a brief period, was first in line to her country's throne but who went down in the history books as having potentially put a cuckoo in the Swedish royal nest. She was the daughter of King Frederick V of Denmark and his wife, Louise, who had been a daughter of George II. When Sophie's big brother died she was first in line to succeed as queen but a new baby brother not long afterwards ended her tenure as heiress and she was soon promised in marriage to the future King of Sweden, Gustav. Despite a lot of wrangling and several arguments about whether the marriage should go ahead, the twenty year old princess was wed by proxy to her betrothed in 1766 and arrived in her new home not long afterwards. Hopes had been high in some parts of the Swedish court that the new princess would bring a breath of fresh air to the place but Sophie's shyness soon saw her being labelled 'cold' and her dominant mother-in-law, Queen Louisa Ulrika, ensured she stayed firmly in second place.
Sophie Magdalene of Denmark, Queen of Sweden 1771 - 1792
Life as a consort was just as tricky. Sophia became Queen of Sweden in 1771 but her husband soon imposed absolute monarchy again and his consort became known for her coldness with her sister-in-law describing her as 'silent and haughty'. And then there was the curious case of the brand new Crown Prince. In 1778, twelve years after their marriage, King Gustaf and Queen Sophia finally welcomed a son. But far from widespread rejoicing there was widespread gossiping after it was reported that they had asked a nobleman called Adolf Munck to help them consummate their marriage. This soon turned into claims that the baby now in line to be king wasn't actually the child of a king at all but the offspring of a relationship between Sophia and Munck. By the time a second son, Carl Gustaf, arrived in 1782 the queen had fallen out even further with her mother in law who had helped spread rumours that the Crown Prince wasn't a royal baby at all. Her husband was murdered in 1792 and Queen Sophia increasingly retired from public life as her controversial son, Gustaf Adolf, grew up to be king. She would see him deposed as well and Queen Sophia died in 1813 after over 20 years of increasing isolation.
Sophia of Nassau, Queen of Sweden 1872 - 1905
For over a century, Sophia of Nassau was the longest reigning consort Sweden had ever known. That record now belongs to Queen Silvia but Sophia still has a special place in history. Because just like the Sofia about to walk down the aisle to marry a second child of a king, this Swedish royal bride also wed for love and made a lasting mark in her adopted country's history as a result.
Sophie of Nassau is now Sweden's second longest reigning queen consort
Sophia Wilhelmine Marianne Henriette of Nassau was born in 1836. Her father died when she was three and she saw her formidable mother help suppress a coup when she as twelve years old. This same mum, Pauline of Wurttemburg, took her off to Russia not long afterwards to help expand her education. The death of Princess Pauline was undoubtedly a huge blow to Sophia but in 1856 she would fall in love and see her life changed forever. Oskar of Sweden, second son of the king, came to her home after being told to go off and find himself a nice royal bride as he needed a wife now his big brother and sister-in-law couldn't have any more children and their daughter wasn't allowed to succeed under the constitution. He fell for Sophia, she fell for him and in 1857 they got married. She moved to Sweden and when she had a son in 1858 her popularity was assured. She was young, pretty, royal and had a baby boy. Sophia was a dream princess come true.
Queen Sophia of Sweden around the start of her reign
Not long afterwards, she became Crown Princess of Sweden when her brother in law took the throne. She had two more sons and insisted on sending them to public school rather than restricting their education to the palace walls. She became Queen of Sweden in 1873 and was looked to by some parts of Swedish society to influence the new king, Oskar, who was somewhat unpopular and seen as politically naive, In later life, she turned increasingly to religion and she became known for her passion for social causes including better medical care for all parts of society. Like the queen who would take her record as Sweden's longest serving consort, Sophia supported the training of nurses and set up the first school for their instruction in her adopted country. She was seen as a liberal voice at the court and even in later life her advice and ideas were much sought after. She was consort until the death of her husband in 1907 - a reign of 35 years.
Sophia of Nassau during her time as Dowager Queen of Sweden
As a dowager, she continued her work to support nursing and on her death in 1913 her grandson remarked 'the old time died with Grandma'. Her great, great grandson is now King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and in a few days time her great, great, great grandson will bring the latest royal Sophia into the Royal House of Sweden.
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