Princess Sofia of Romania
| Princess Sofia | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg){kind=spacer} Sofia in 2025 | |
| Born | 29 October 1957 Tatoi Palace, Kingdom of Greece (now Republic of Greece) |
| Spouse | Alain Biarneix (m.1998 - div.2002) |
| Issue | Elisabeta-Maria de Roumanie-Biarneix |
| House | Romania (since 2011) Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (until 2011) |
| Father | Michael I of Romania |
| Mother | Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma |
| Religion | Romanian Orthodox |
Princess Sofia of Romania (born 29 October 1957) is the fourth daughter of King Michael I of Romania and Queen Anne.
Sofia is a professional photographer and is also a patron of the arts in Romania.
Life
Sofia was born on 29 October 1957, at Tatoi Palace in Decelea, Kingdom of Greece, she shares the same day and month of birth with her paternal great-grandmother Queen Marie, who was also born on a 29 October. She was baptized in the Romanian Orthodox Church; her godmother and namesake is her father's first cousin Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark, later Queen Sofía of Spain. She was educated in Switzerland where her family lived and in the United Kingdom.
She has three elder sisters, Margareta (b.1948), Princess Elena (b.1951) and Princess Irina (b.1953), as well as a younger sister, Princess Maria (b.1964).
Sofia spent her childhood at her family homes in Lausanne, Switzerland and in the United Kingdom at Ayot House, St Lawrence, Hertfordshire. During holidays she and her sisters spent time with their grandparents, Helen, Queen Mother in Florence, Italy at Villa Sparta and in Denmark with Princess Margrethe and Prince Rene. As a young girl, Sofia and her sisters were told “fascinating tales of a homeland they couldn’t visit” by their father.
Her teenage years were spent in Europe with her family, where she and her sisters received primary and secondary education.
Today, Princess Sofia has been living in Romania since 2018 and represents Her Majesty Margareta, Custodian of the Romanian Crown, at official public events in the Capital, across the country, and abroad. She also develops, in her own name, projects in the fields of culture, art, and education.
Education
Sofia studied at the University of North Carolina in Asheville, US, where she studied Fine Arts and Photography for a couple of years. Later she studied to obtain a bachelor’s degree in graphic design and a master’s degree in photography at Corcoran College of Arts and Design in Washington, D.C.
Marriage
Princess Sofia has a daughter from her former marriage to Alain Michel Leonce Biarneix "de Laufenborg" (b. Nancy, France on 10 July 1957). They married on 29 August 1998 in a civil ceremony in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. Later they divorced in 2002. -Elisabeta-Maria de Roumanie Biarneix (b. Argenteuil, France on 15 August 1999).
Titles, styles and honours
Titles and styles
- 29 October 1957 – 10 May 2011: Her Royal Highness The Princess Sofia of Romania, Princess of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
- 10 May 2011 – present: Her Royal Highness The Princess Sofia of Romania
Honours
Dynastic
House of Romania: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Crown- House of Romania: Member, Special Class of the Royal Decoration of the Custodian of the Crown of Romania
Ecclesiastical
- Order of Our Lady of Prayer (Romanian Orthodox Church)
Award
United Nations Philanthropy International Organization and Saned International Organization: Recipient of the Kotinos International Award, Certificate of Excellence Archived 3 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine
References
- ↑ "Principesa Sofia". Casa Majestății Sale. Retrieved 2025-07-20.
- ↑ "Romania's Exiled King Longs to Take His Family Home—after 42 Years—and Reclaim His Throne". People.com. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
- ↑ "ASR Principesa Sofia". Casa Majestății Sale. Retrieved 2025-07-20.
- ↑ "Ordinul Coroana României". Casa Majestății Sale. Retrieved 2025-07-20.
- ↑ "Ordinul de Familie Custodele Coroanei Române". Casa Majestății Sale. Retrieved 2025-07-20.
- ↑ Romania Regala
Other websites
