Tomb Of Constantine II, Former King of Greece, Damaged By Severe Weather

The tomb of former King of Greece Constantine II suffered damage caused by severe weather, according to a local TV news show, but was repaired within hours, the report added.

Mega TV’s Live News aired footage on Friday showing corroded soil around the tomb, which hasn’t been set in marble yet as religious customs in Greece see the engraved headstone constructed in the forty days following a person’s passing.

The former monarch of Greece was laid to rest at the estate of the former royal residence of Tatoi, north of Athens, on January 16, during a private ceremony in the presence of members of royal families from all over Europe.

There, Constantine II was buried near the tombs of his parents, King Paul and Queen Frederica of Greece, and other royal ancestors.

The royals buried at Tatoi besides King Constantine II

Tatoi Royal Cemetery is a private cemetery located on the south end of the vast estate surrounding the former royal residence, in a large wooded area.

Besides Constantine II, five late Kings of Greece are buried at Tatoi; also four Princes and eleven Queens, Princesses or Grand Duchesses – which makes it a place of unique historical significance.

In the early 20th century, a separate mausoleum was built to house the bodies of King Constantine I, his Queen Sophia, and their son Alexander, the young King who died tragically from the effects of a monkey bite in 1920.

The rest of the royals are buried in tombs with crosses near the Royal Chapel at Tatoi.

Tatoi Palace in disrepair despite announced preservation plans

A decade ago, the former royal residence in Tatoi was shortlisted among the fourteen most endangered monuments and sites in Europe, according to Europa Nostra, a pan-European Federation for Cultural Heritage.

Purchased by King George I with private funds he had brought from Denmark during the 1880s, the Tatoi estate was passed down as private property to Constantine II until 1994, when the royal estates were officially confiscated by the government as a result of the abolishment of monarchy in Greece in 1973.

The property was abandoned completely by the Greek state until 2007, when consecutive governments started to speak of preservation plans which never really took off until 2019.

But in summer 2021, the estate suffered a new blow, as it became engulfed by catastrophic wildfires which destroyed the natural landscape, as well as a number of important estate buildings and any heirlooms that were stored in them.

Following the passing of Constantine II, which forced local authorities to speed up the clean-up of the burnt land ahead of his funeral, Culture and Sports Minister Lina Mendoni said that the government intended to open the doors of Tatoi estate to the public as a museum by 2025.

The budget for the project is estimated at 90 million euro, according to Mendoni.