The King Took Me to See Shrek: Greece's It-Girl
A Glimpse into the Life of Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece
Princess Maria-Olympia, known affectionately as Olympia to her friends, has fond memories of spending time with her godfather, King Charles. One of her favorite childhood moments was having bacon and scrambled eggs with him before heading to see Shrek The Musical at the theatre. She recalls being around 11 years old at the time. While this might sound like a typical family outing, the unique twist is that the godfather in question is none other than King Charles, and the meal took place at Highgrove House, where she still occasionally visits for tea.
“We talk about his rewilding efforts, which I admire—though honestly, I don’t know how to garden,” she says over Zoom from her New York apartment, where she shares space with two of her younger brothers. “We don’t speak all the time, of course. But I used to see him a lot when I was younger, which was more special.”
At 29, Olympia is the eldest of five children and the only daughter of Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece, and Marie-Chantal, Crown Princess of Greece. Born on Corfu, she spent most of her life in London after her grandfather, King Constantine II, lost the crown following the abolition of the Greek monarchy in 1973. Although the family has since regained their citizenship, they have no legal claim to the throne in the Hellenic Republic.
“I have no royal duties, and we only just got our Greek passports this year!” she says. “The family joke is that my dog, Eccho, got a passport before the rest of us.”
Despite her royal title, Olympia doesn’t live a life of constant luxury. “I’ve borrowed couture jewellery for events. It’s a novelty to have bodyguards follow you about for an evening. But I don’t walk around in one of the Greek family tiaras,” she explains.
Her Instagram account, with 308K followers, showcases her modeling work for brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Bulgari, and Louis Vuitton, along with behind-the-scenes glimpses of her role as a contributing editor at Moda Operandi. Her feed also features yachting trips around the Greek islands and glamorous fashion events.
A recent highlight was the 30th birthday celebration of Electra Niarchos, part of Greece’s renowned Niarchos family, held in Scotland. “That’s one of the best parties I have ever been to. We all dressed in the theme of ‘tartan punk,’ and we only sat down for 45 minutes to eat family style, instead of three boring courses, before everyone was up dancing,” she recalls.
Had she been born a few decades earlier, Olympia would have fit right in with the stars and socialites who frequented the Bunny Mellon mansion, the setting for a new Tiffany ad campaign starring her. Rachel Lambert, better known as ‘Bunny’ Mellon, was an American socialite, philanthropist, and horticulturist who lived on the 4,000-acre Oak Spring farm estate in Virginia until her passing in 2014 at the age of 103. She was also an avid jewellery collector, leaving 142 Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co treasures to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
“When Bunny passed away, the housekeeper found some of her necklaces secretly stowed away in the walls for safekeeping. Can you imagine hiding your diamonds in the foundations of your house? It’s the coolest thing I’ve ever heard,” says Olympia.
Bunny lived a long, wealthy life—famously designing the White House Rose Garden. Her grandfather, Jordan W Lambert, co-founded the company that made Listerine, while her father Gerald’s business was sold in 2000 to Pfizer for $90 billion.
Bunny was also a close friend of the novelist Truman Capote and was part of his inner circle of ‘Swans’—glamorous socialites he wrote about in his scandalous short story La Côte Basque, published in Esquire magazine in 1975. Other Swans included the Italian noblewoman Marella Agnelli, the magazine editor Babe Paley, and the interior designer Lee Radziwill, the younger sister of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Much like Olympia’s social-media feed, their lives were a parade of fashion, wealth, and social events.
Olympia’s love for glamour stems from her fashion-forward mother, Marie-Chantal. “Five years ago, I found out she had been hoarding all her archival pieces in the attic of our house in Gloucestershire,” she says. “For my whole childhood, I slept underneath a designer wardrobe of Valentino dresses and black-tie gowns! Now I borrow them for events.”
As for her family’s crown jewels? “I don’t know. Maybe you’ll eventually find them in my walls,” she jokes.
Bird on a Rock by Tiffany Earrings, £8,750, Pendant, £18,400, and Ring, £32,200, tiffany.co.uk.
