Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Europe's royals, in Athens, bid farewell to Greece's last king

European royalty gathered in Athens on Monday for the funeral of former King Constantine of Greece, who ruled for just three years in the 1960s before being forced into exile, with his subjects voting to abolish the monarchy in 1974.
Constantine II, a second cousin of Britain's King Charles and Godfather to heir Prince William, lived most of his life abroad, but returned to his homeland in his latter years. He died at an Athens hospital last week, aged 82.

Linked to the German House of Glucksberg which has connections with royalty throughout Europe, Constantine II was the only son of King Paul and Queen Frederica of Greece.

Royals from Europe, including Britain's Princess Anne, and Spain's King Felipe and Queen Letizia attended the Orthodox Christian service at the Metropolitan Cathedral in central Athens. Royals from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Monaco were also on the guest list.

Many are related. Constantine's eldest son, Pavlos, exchanged a bear hug with Spain's Felipe, his first cousin, on the steps of the cathedral moments before the ceremony started.

Thousands of people had earlier queued for hours outside an adjacent chapel, where Constantine's coffin draped in a Greek flag was placed, to pay their last respects.

"I was and will remain a royalist," said Dionysios Klonaris, 76. "I'm sad and proud that I was able to honour him until the final seconds of his life".

His friend, Aphrodite Koulouris, 70, added: "I live for the moment that his heir, Pavlos, becomes king."

Constantine was 27 years old and had been king for three years when he was forced into exile in 1967 with his wife Princess Anne-Marie, the youngest daughter of King Frederick IX of Denmark, and his family.

He was deeply unpopular for his decision to swear-in the military junta who seized power in April that year. He briefly cooperated with them before staging a failed counter-coup that led to his exile.

The junta abolished the monarchy in 1973; in a referendum after it fell in 1974, Greece rejected monarchy again.

Monday's service, officiated by the country's Archbishop, Ieronymos, was private, reflecting Constantine's status as a former king. Some onlookers booed the culture minister, reflecting anger that the funeral was not more official.

In the 1990s, Constantine was stripped of his Greek citizenship and the state seized a family estate at Tatoi and a palace on the island of Corfu where Britain's Prince Philip was born.

Constantine will be buried in Tatoi, where his ancestors are also laid to rest.

Additional reporting by Renee Maltezou, Angeliki Koutantou, Michele Kambas, Stamos Prousalis; Editing by Toby Chopra and Philippa Fletcher

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Budapest Central European Fashion Week Kicks Off
U.S. Celebrates Labor Day
Hungarian National Team Captain Scores Epic Goal
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Japanese Customer Sways from VW to BYD after “Unbelievable” Test Drive amid Dealership Expansion
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
White House Eyes Budapest for Peace Talks
Cave Diving Beneath the Streets of Budapest
Another American Restaurant Chain Opens in Budapest
Hungarian Opposition Politician Supports Ukrainian Commander
Opposition Leader Threatens Media Outlets
×