HRH Princess Sophie is the fourth daughter of King Michael I of Romania. She was born in Tatoï, Athens, Greece, on the 29th October 1957, sharing the date of birth with her great grandmother Queen Marie, who was also born on a 29th October.
She studied in Switzerland and in the United Kingdom, and then began her university studies in Fine Art and Photography at the University of North Carolina at Asheville in the United States. She then attended the “Corcoran School of the Arts and Design” in Washington D.C., in order to obtain a bachelor’s degree in graphic design and a master’s degree in photography.
However, the events of 1989 in Romania changed the course of her life. She interrupted her studies and returned to the family home in Switzerland to help her father and her country. She played an important role in consolidating His secretariat alongside her sister Her Majesty Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania.
Throughout the 1990’s, she worked on numerous projects for the Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation, travelling across the country, assisting the Romanian people in their struggle to recover their identity after decades of tyranny. As vice-President, she contributed to identifying major projects, in fundraising campaigns across the United States and in organising humanitarian aid. The princess also helped promote the Foundation’s activity on the international scene.
HRH Princess Sophie is an author, and an internationally recognised photographer, having exhibited her work throughout Europe and beyond. She is the recipient of the Kotinos International Award for excellence in Photography Art 2018, given in collaboration with the Philanthropy International Organisation and Saned International.
Today HRH Princess Sophie lives in Romania. She is dedicated to supporting the Royal Family’s efforts to celebrate Romania nationally and internationally, and raise awareness of the country’s exceptional history, culture and natural beauty.
As a Senior Working Member of the Royal Family, she complements this mission by using her professional talents as an artist/photographer to capture and document the country’s diverse cultures, history, environment and way of life and by creating visual journeys through Romania that offer extraordinary insights to parts and facets of the country rarely seen.
HRH Princess Sophie is also on the board of the Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation.