A memorial service was held at the former royal residence of Tatoi, north of Athens, for the former King of Greece Constantine who died one year ago.
His children, grandchildren and his wife Anna Maria attended the service of the former King who passed away at the age of 83. Some supporters of the monarchy, which was abolished by a referendum in 1974, were also in attendance.
Reports say that a second memorial service will be held in February at Windsor Castle, under the auspices of King Charles. The family of the former Greek King has close ties with the British Royal family. Constantine’s eldest son Pavlos baptized Prince William.
A few hours before the memorial service of the late King Constantine, his son Pavlos uploaded a photo of his father on Instagram.
Life and reign of Constantine in Greece and abroad
Constantine was born on June 2, 1940, in a suburb of Athens. He was the second child and only legitimate son of Prince Paul, the heir presumptive of Greece. His mother, Princess Frederica, was a German aristocrat and princess of Hannover.
Constantine was sent to a boarding school in his younger years and then attended Victoria College of Alexandria, Egypt, where he crossed paths with fellow royalty, King Hussein of Jordan. Actor Omar Sharif was another one of his classmates.
The young crown prince served in all three branches of the Greek military and attended each of their academies. This also gave him the opportunity to attend the NATO Air Force Special Weapons School in Germany.
On March 6, 1964, King Paul died of cancer, and Constantine inherited the throne. He was just twenty-three at the time. He had already been appointed regent prior to this due to his father’s worsening health
The new king inherited a precarious political position in Greece. The country was still shaken by the civil war which lasted from 1944 to 1949. Greek society remained polarized between the conservative and royalist right versus the liberal and socialist left.
On April 21, 1967, a group of middle-ranking army officers led by Colonel George Papadopoulos took advantage of the political turmoil destabilizing Greece and successfully took control of the government during a coup.
Ultimately, the political instability in Greece proved fatal for the Greek royal family who were essentially exiled. Although Constantine officially remained king until 1973, he never returned to Greece as the reigning monarch.
In July 1973 the Greek military junta called a referendum, which abolished the monarchy for the second time in Greek history. Then in 1974, the democratically elected prime minister, Konstantinos Karamanlis, called a referendum which legitimately confirmed the abolition.
Constantine spent most of the remainder of his life in London. He was a close friend of King Charles III and became the godfather of Prince William.
With his wife Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark, whom he married in 1964, he had five children.
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