Beautiful & Controversial Queen Frederika Quiz

Answer: Germany

She was the daughter of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick, and Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia, the only daughter of the Kaiser Wilhelm II of the German Empire. Frederika, as a daughter of a Hanoverian prince, she was born a princess of Hanover, Great Britain and Ireland, and also a duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Because she was a descendant of Queen Victoria, she was at birth, 34th in the line of succession to the British throne, but along with all other German members of the British royal family was stripped of her British titles in 1917.

Answer: Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler, who felt a treaty with Britain would give him a free hand to destroy their mutual enemy, the Soviet Union, was very much in favour of the idea of creating an alliance between the two countries by arranging a marriage between Prince Edward, the Prince of Wales and his distant German cousin Princess Frederika of Hanover.

Answer: During the Olympic Games in Berlin

After the failing to marry Frederika to the Prince of Wales - he was already in love with Mrs. Simpson and his father was apparently not willing to press the issue - their parents, the Duke and Duchess of Hanover, arranged for Frederika to marry Prince Paul, the youngest brother and heir apparent to the childless King George ll of Greece.

Although this marriage was far from the status which she would have gained by becoming the future Queen of the United Kingdom, it was still a "good marriage" for their daughter.

They arranged to introduce each other and they finally got married on the 9th January 1938, in Athens. Frederika had to first convert to the Greek Orthodox Faith.

Answer: Spain

In 1962 Princess Sophia of Greece married Prince Juan Carlos of the House of Bourbon of Spain. Interestingly, at the time of their marriage, Spain was governed by the dictator General Franco (as "regent") and there was no crowned head of state in Spain.

Afterwards, in 1975, when Franco died, the monarchy was restored with Juan Carlos as the King and Sofia as the Queen. Almost at the same time, Greece voted by a referendum to end its monarchy. Sofia remained Queen consort of Spain until 2014 when her husband, Juan Carlos, abdicated.

Answer: South Africa

Because Cairo was not seen as safe enough due to the rapid approach of Rommel and his "Afrika-Korps", the Crown Prince Paul accompanied King George to London, where a government-in-exile was formed. Crown Princess Frederika and the children were sent to spend the next two and a half years in South Africa, where a third child, Princess Irene, was born in Cape Town in 1942, the South African general, Jan Smuts being her godfather. Princess Irene, is presently actively involved in many NGOs and charities in her country by birth, South Africa.

Answer: She established a network of "Paidopoulis" (Orphanages)

She was initially very popular when she became queen. She was responsible for setting up many of these orphanages called "Paidopouleis" (literally "City of Kids") for the child victims of the civil war and she is still remembered for this. She often went to visit the Northern border areas whilst the civil war was ravaging the country and that brave move is still cherished by many Greeks. On the other hand, her detractors say the orphanages were just a way to "brainwash" the children and "arrange" illegal adoptions to American families.

These rumors are still considered unsubstantiated.

Answer: CIA founder Allen Dulles

According to Peter Evan's book "Nemesis" the Queen became involved in an affair with CIA founder Allen Dulles. Having been introduced by shipping billionaire Stavros Niarchos on his yacht, Dulles went to extraordinary lengths to cover up their liaison.

Answer: True

Gore Vidal wrote in his memoir "Palimpsest" that the opium addicted socialite Denham Fouts claimed to be King Paul's lover when they met in the early 50s. Fouts wrote a postcard from the royal palace in Athens reputedly from Paul inviting him for a visit. Regardless of Paul's sexual orientation, he fathered three children with Frederika and both were partners in power, if not always in the bedroom.

Answer: To temporary seek refuge in a stranger's house

Opponents bitterly criticized her because her continous interventions in Greek politics, a role completely out of bounds for the consort of a constitutional monarch, which her husband was. However, her supporters said she was the target of Communists supported by the USSR and its allies. Greece was a fragile NATO member and surrounded (except for Turkey, another NATO member with complicated and difficult relations with the Hellenes) and by the Communist countries of Bulgaria, Albania and Yugoslavia.

Answer: He died of a terminal cancer

The new young, handsome and unexperienced King Constantine was not even 23 when his father died. He was not fully prepared to be king and he relied on His mother, Queen Frederika, as a source of advice. But Queen Frederika was often described as "inherently undemocratic" and notorious for her numerous arbitrary and unconstitutional interventions in Greek politics and clashes with democratically elected governments.

Her interference in politics was harshly criticized and possibly the most significant factor in the strengthening of republican sentiments. For most historians and political observers of recent Greek history, her image harmed the fresh and positive developments that Constantine brought to Greek politics.

Answer: Princess Anne-Marie of Danemark

Anne-Marie was born a princess of Denmark and is the youngest daughter of King Frederick IX of Denmark. She is the youngest sister of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, cousin of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and double cousin of her own husband, King Constantine.

The beauty, youth and charm of "Annamaria", as she started to be called in Greece, made the heyday of the Greek monarchy. The new king was also an Olympic champion, handsome and hugely charming. Their marriage was lived as a fairy tale not only in Greece but around the world.

The couple had five children.

Answer: The "Colonels' Coup"

21 April 1967 and the rise of the régime of the colonels or "The Greek Junta" which ended democratic govement in Greece had many causes: The "Cold War" and the fear of more "Soviet-friendly or Communist-tolerating" governments in the area by the USA is cited as one of the most important one reasonss.

The colonels' strong anti-communist, pro-NATO, and pro-Western views appealed to the United States. Unfortunately, faced with a difficult situation, King Constantine initially collaborated with the military dictatorship, apparently pushed by his mother, Queen Frederika, swearing in their government, and by doing so, giving them "legal" status. That very day, the 21st of April, three plotters visited Constantine in his residence in Tatoi, which they encircled with tanks, effectively preventing any form of resistance and threatening him.

The King, even today, regrets his decision.

Answer: The whole royal family was forced into exile by the military "Junta"

The king decided to launch his counter-coup on 13 December 1967. Since Athens was militarily in the hands of the colonels, Constantine decided to rely on the very loyal Royal Hellenic Air Force and Royal Hellenic Navy and fly to the northern city of Kavala, and from there to Thessaloniki, where an alternative administration would be installed. Constantine hoped international recognition and internal pressure between the two governments would force the junta to resign, and that he would return in triumph to Athens.

Unfortunately, the plot did not work as planned and he had to flee to Rome in an aircraft with just enough fuel to get there.

Answer: India

In exile, Queen Frederika made numerous trips to India and became interested in eastern mysticism, attracting criticism from the Orthodox Church. She claimed that it was her advanced research in physics that had started her on a spiritual quest. One of her famous quotes was "While Greece is the country of my heart, India is the country of my soul."

Answer: Madrid, during ophthalmic surgery

Frederika died on 6 February 1981 in exile in Madrid (where she lived with her daughter, Queen Sofia of Spain) during ophthalmic surgery. It has been often said, that she died during "eyelid surgery". This led to frequent rumours (never proved) that she died while undergoing cosmetic surgery.

She is buried at Tatoi, the Greek royal family's palace and burial ground in Greece, next to her husband, King Paul.