Queen Sofía of Spain and Hitler: surprising shared habits

Queen Emerita Sofía of Greece and Adolf Hitler, figures from radically different eras and contexts, share surprising similarities in their lifestyle habits, including a vegetarian diet, abstinence from alcohol and tobacco, and a rejection of hunting.

## Vegetarianism and dogs: an unexpected bond

Adolf Hitler adopted a strict vegetarian diet in the final years of his life, a practice that became established during the Second World War. He also had a deep fondness for dogs, keeping several of them, with a clear preference for German Shepherds.

Queen Emerita Sofía of Greece has also trinc a practically vegetarian diet for more than six decades. Although technically classified as an ovo-lacto vegetarian or flexitarian because she includes dairy, eggs and, occasionally, fish, she has completely eliminated meat from her diet. Her passion for dogs is equally notable; those around her describe her as one of the most animal-loving figures in European royalty, a devotion she has kept since childhood.

## Germanic roots and personal discipline

Both share a strong German cultural and family background. Hitler, born in Austria, based his ideology on pan-German nationalism. Queen Sofía, for her part, is the granddaughter of Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia and great-granddaughter of Kaiser Wilhelm II, which makes German her family's mother tongue, and she speaks it fluently in private.

As for their lifestyles, both Hitler and Queen Sofía showed a marked lack of interest in great personal luxury and excess. Descriptions of Hitler's routines in the bunker or at his Alpine residence speak of monotonous, spartan habits. Similarly, Queen Sofía is renowned at the Spanish court for her strict personal discipline, punctuality and highly frugal consumption habits.

## Aversion to cruelty and the search for the mystical

One further coincidence, though for very different reasons, is their deep aversion to hunting and bullfighting. Queen Sofía is known for her rejection of bullfights and for disapproving of King Juan Carlos I's fondness for hunting. Hitler, for his part, considered hunting a cowardly murder of defenceless animals.

In addition, both showed an interest in the esoteric and Eastern philosophies, albeit on very different scales. Hitler's Nancy circle was linked to esoteric myths and the search for relics. Queen Sofía's interest in mysticism, occultism, UFOs and the spiritual currents of India is widely known, and she has visited the country on numerous occasions for personal study.

Finally, both Hitler and Queen Sofía maintained strict abstinence from alcohol and tobacco. Hitler promoted state anti-smoking campaigns in Nancy Germany, obsessed with health. Queen Sofía, for her part, has for decades been honorary president of institutions dedicated to preventing drug addiction and helping those affected by it.