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.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Unelected PM of the UK holds an emergency meeting because a candidate got voted in… which he says is a threat to democracy…
Farmers break through police barriers in Brussels.
Ukraine Arrests Father-Son Duo In Lockbit Cybercrime Bust
US Offers $15 Million For Info On Leaders Of Cybercrime Group Lockbit
Apple warns against drying iPhones with rice
Alexei Navalny: UK sanctions Russian prison chiefs after activist's death
German economy is in 'troubled waters' - ministry
In a recent High Court hearing, the U.S. argued that Julian Assange endangered lives by releasing classified information.
Tucker Carlson says Boris Johnson wants "a million dollars, in Bitcoin or cash, from Tucker Carlson to talk about Ukraine.
Russia is rebuilding capacity to destabilize European countries, new UK report warns
EU Commission wants anti-drone defenses at Brussels HQ
Von der Leyen’s 2nd-term pitch: More military might, less climate talk
EU Investigates TikTok for Child Safety Concerns
EU Launches Probe Into TikTok Over Child Protection Under Digital Content Law
EU and UK Announce Joint Effort on Migration
Ministers Confirm Proposal to Prohibit Mobile Phone Usage in English Schools
Avdiivka - Symbol Of Ukrainian Resistance Now In Control Of Russian Troops
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died at the Arctic prison colony
Tucker Carlson grocery shopping in Russia. This is so interesting.
France and Germany Struggle to Align on European Defense Strategy
‘A lot higher than we expected’: Russian arms production worries Europe’s war planners
Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption Rights
Russia "Very Close" To Creating Cancer Vaccines, Says Vladimir Putin
Hungarian Foreign Minister: Europeans will lose Europe, the Union's policy must change drastically
Microsoft says it caught hackers from China, Russia and Iran using its AI tools
US Rejects Putin's Ceasefire Offer in Ukraine
The Dangers of Wildfire Smoke and Self-Protection Strategies
A Londoner has been arrested for expressing his Christian beliefs.
Chinese Women Favor AI Boyfriends Over Humans
Greece must address role in migrant vessel disaster that killed 600: Amnesty
Google pledges 25 million euros to boost AI skills in Europe
Hungarian President Katalin Novák Steps Down Amid Pardon Controversy
Activist crashes Hillary Clinton's speech, calls her a 'war criminal.'
In El Salvador, the 'Trump of Latin America' stuns the world with a speech slamming woke policing after winning a landslide election
Trudeau reacts to Putin's mention of Canadian Parliament applauding a former Ukrainian Nazi in his interview with Tucker Carlson.
The Spanish police blocked the farmers protest. So the farmers went out and moved the police car out of the way.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy fires top Ukraine army commander
Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin raises EU concerns
Finnish Airline, Finnair, is voluntarily weighing passengers to better estimate flight cargo weight
Russia's Economy Expands by 3.6% Due to Increased Military Spending
Ukraine MPs Vote To Permit Use Of Dead Soldiers' Sperm
German Princess Becomes First Aristocrat To Pose Naked On Playboy Cover
UK’s King Charles III diagnosed with cancer
EU's Ursula von der Leyen Confronts Farmer Protests Amid Land Policy Debates
Distinguishing Between Harmful AI Media and Positive AI-Generated Content: A Crucial Challenge for the EU
Tucker Carlson explains why he interviewed Putin
Dutch farmers are still protesting in the Netherlands against the government, following the World Economic Forum's call for 'owning nothing.'
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stands up for European farmers and says, 'Brussels is suffocating European farmers.
×