Name Marta Eketra | ||
Märta Elisabeth Margareta Eketrä (1851-1894), was a Swedish lady-in-waiting, favorite of the Swedish Queen Sophia of Nassau.
She was the daughter of the noble-born colonel and courtier Johan Gabriel Eketrä and Stanislas Margareta Tersmeden. During her childhood, she was a playmate of Louise of Sweden. In 1872, she became maid of honor to the Queen, a position she kept until her death: in 1889, she was raised to the rank of kammarfröken (the highest rank of an unmarried female courtier). Eketrä was the favorite and confidante of Sophia. In 1878, she introduced Sophia to the British preacher Lord Radstock, whose teachings came to have a great importance to the Queen: Eketrä also herself acted as the spiritual caretaker of Sophia. She accompanied the Queen on state visits, took care of the practical arrangements during Sophia's illness in 1887, saw to it that the Queens nursing school and hospital Sophiahemmet was organised according to Sophia's wishes and was elected to its board in 1890.