In 1613, at the intercession of Queen Dowager Christina, Sophia von Deppen was given a grant of land by the King The manor Finsta had been granted by Duchess Sophia in 1577 to Deppen's father, presumably for life, given that it had lapsed by 1613. By 1616 the reason for the grant to Deppen had become clear, for she was a Maid of Honour to the Queen Dowager. She was in all likelihood named for Duchess Sophia, whom her father appears to have served, just as she served the Queen Dowager. In that way the manor of Finsta stayed in the family and continued to support them for decades at a time. It illustrates both the increasing dependence of the nobility on service to the Crown and women's part in the web of royal service.

Everyday power flowed constantly from the throne, so to be situated in close proximity was a great advantage. Even at a time when the Queen Dowager was politically marginalised she could bestow considerable favours. Thus, in 1638, a grant of six farms was made to Queen Dowager Maria Eleonora's former Maids of Honour, the Flentzen sisters. The following day the Queen requested that the newly-wed husband of one of the sisters should receive leave to spend time with his bride. A month later the Queen demanded that the Council give her former Chamberer Anna Persdotter an improved grant of four farms as inheritable property. A former washerwoman was given an annual gift of six barrels of grain at the same time.

A single grant or office could maintain the position of a noble family for a long time. To most people serving at court the potential to bend royal power to one's benefit was the pinnacle of their ambition, yet the vast network that managed the fount of royal favour was complex. On the face of it, Sophia von Deppen was a prime example of how women were placed at court by their families as an instrument of family ambition.