King Charles paid a tribute to his late cousin former King of Greece Constantine on Wednesday wearing a tie covered in fluttering Greek flags.
Charles missed Tuesday’s memorial service for Constantine at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle as his cancer treatment continues, while Prince William had been due to give a reading but pulled out for “personal reasons.”
Camilla led the British and international royals in a Thanksgiving Service, a year after Constantine’s death.
Dressed in a dark overcoat, navy suit and a white shirt, Charles could be seen wearing the Greek tie in an apparent tribute to the former King.
King's sweet tribute to his late cousin Constantine https://t.co/R5glG3gfMS via @MailOnline
— Heather Venter (@heather_venter) February 28, 2024
Charles has reportedly sought spiritual advice from his friend Archimandrite Ephraim, Abbot of the Greek Orthodox Vatopedi monastery on Mount Athos.
Abbot Ephraim is said to have told Greek media outlets: “Yes, he has been in contact since the diagnosis and I believe he’ll overcome it. Charles has a spiritual sophistication, a spiritual life.”
Charles and his Greek flag tie
It is not the first time that King Charles wears a tie with the Greek flag.
He was recently seen wearing a Greek flag tie at the COP28 summit in Dubai in late November. The gesture came amid disagreements between British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis over the Parthenon Sculptures.
King Charles, in addition to his tie, also wore a matching handkerchief when delivering a speech to the summit’s delegates from around the world. The King’s tie is thought to be crafted by Pagoni Maison des Cravates in Athens.
The gesture followed a high-profile diplomatic spat between Athens and Downing Street over the Elgin Marbles, also known as the Parthenon sculptures. Sunak accused Greece of “grandstanding” on the Parthenon sculptures issue during a recent diplomatic row and a last-minute meeting cancelation with Mitsotakis.
King Charles was the second cousin to Constantine through their fathers. Constantine’s father, King Paul of Greece, and the Duke of Edinburgh were first cousins. They shared a grandfather, George I of Greece.
Not only was Constantine a second cousin, once removed, to Prince William but he was also one of the future king’s godfathers. William was given six godparents: former King Constantine, Princess Alexandra of Kent, the Duchess of Westminster, the Earl Mountbatten of Burma, Lady Susan Hussey and Sir Laurens van der Post.
Both through birth and through marriage, Constantine had familial ties to the monarchies of Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Norway and Britain.
Related: King Charles: The Monarch Who Loves Greece
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