The announcement was made on the royal family's official website, amidst rumors of marital discord, with their last public appearance together being in February.

This development comes during a period of heightened focus on royal families across Europe. For instance, the British royal family has recently been in the spotlight due to health concerns, with both King Charles III and Catherine, Princess of Wales, undergoing cancer treatments. Earlier this year, the Danish royal family also grabbed headlines when Queen Margrethe II abdicated the throne, passing it to her eldest son, King Frederick X. Now, the spotlight turns to Greece, despite the country becoming a republic in 1973, as the descendants of the last Greek king, Constantine II, continue to capture public attention.

Constantine II, who passed away from a stroke on January 10, 2023, had five children: Princess Alexia, Prince Pavlos, Prince Nikolaos, Princess Theodora, and Prince Philippos. It is the third child, Prince Nikolaos, who has now announced his divorce from Princess Tatiana. Despite the country's current government system, the former royal family remains a topic of interest, particularly with this recent announcement of separation.

According to the statement, the decision to separate was made with "care and mutual respect, reflecting their appreciation for each other and shared moments." They emphasized their intent to remain friends and continue living in Greece.

Prince Nikolaos and the Venezuelan-born Princess Tatiana, who first met in a Swiss ski resort in 2003, quickly found common ground. Tatiana, who was then working for fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg, left her job to fully integrate into the Greek royal family. Their wedding in 2010, held on the Greek island of Spetses, was a lavish affair attended by royalty from the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and Spain. The couple's last public appearance was at a memorial service for Prince Nikolaos's late father at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.

Their separation, although speculated upon in recent months by the Greek media due to their lack of public appearances together since February, has now been confirmed. Fortunately, as they had no children, the division does not involve custodial discussions.

The Last King and International Monarchies

While the British royal family is arguably the most popular and well-known globally, many countries still maintain royal or aristocratic families. Today, there are 43 countries with a monarchy, ranging from constitutional monarchies in Europe to absolute monarchies in the Middle East and Asia.

Greece's own history with monarchy has been tumultuous, with the kingdom established in 1830, briefly becoming a republic in the 1920s and again in the 1970s, periods of dictatorship, and a final abolition of the monarchy in 1973 after a controversial referendum following a military coup in 1967. Constantine II spent many years in exile in the UK, where he developed close relationships with the British royal family, before returning to Greece in 2013 to live out his final years.

This recent announcement from Prince Nikolaos and Princess Tatiana highlights the enduring fascination with Europe's former and current royal families, even in countries like Greece, where the monarchy formally no longer exists.