The Spanish royal family and part of the European nobility arrived in Greece to bid farewell to Constantine II

Former monarch Constantine II of Greece arrives at the Yacht Club of Greece, on September 18, 2014, in Piraeus, near Athens. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)

The Spanish royal family and numerous members of the European nobility will say goodbye this Monday in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens to the last king of Greece, Constantine II, brother of Queen Sofia, who died last Tuesday at the age of 82.

The funeral will be private by decision of the Greek government, which has not wanted to give it state status because the deceased had ceased to be king in 1974, after Greece abolished the monarchy.

Some factions on the right have criticized this decision, but the prime minister, the conservative Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has defended it, arguing that Constantine II was a private person and should be buried as such.

”He was head of state of the kingdom of Greece, which no longer exists. And we must not forget that he had lost his Greek citizenship, ”Mitsotakis stressed, adding that the funeral“ will be carried out with dignity ”.

A worker cuts tree trunks next to the graves of members of the ancient Greek royal family, on the estate of the summer palace where the late King Constantine II of Greece will be buried, in Athens. REUTERS/Stelios Misinas

Although the installation of a funeral chapel as such is not planned, the Executive has finally agreed to the family’s wish to give people who so wish the opportunity to go to the cathedral, where the coffin will be exposed from six to half past ten in the morning (04:00 to 8:30 GMT).

About 200 people are expected to attend the funeral, of which about 130 will arrive from abroad, including several monarchs.

The entire Spanish royal family will be in Athens: Queen Sofía has been in the city for days as she accompanied her brother in the last days of his life. Felipe VI, nephew of the deceased, and Queen Letizia will arrive separately, while King Emeritus Juan Carlos will come directly from Abu Dhabi, and the princesses Elena and Cristina are already in the Hellenic capital.

Among the closest family will be Queen Margrethe of Denmark, sister of Constantine’s wife, Anne-Marie of Denmark, as well as Crown Prince Frederick and Princess Benedicta, the monarch’s older sister.

Former Queen of Spain Sofia and former Princess of Greece Irene, sisters of the late former King of Greece Constantine II, walk among the graves of members of the former Greek royal family, on the property of the summer palace where Constantine II will be buried . REUTERS/Stelios Misinas

In addition, the kings of Sweden, Belgium and the Netherlands will attend the funeral ceremonies; Princess Anne of England, the Crown Prince of Norway, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Prince Albert of Monaco.

Throughout the day there will be draconian security measures in the center of Athens, where the cathedral is located, with some 1,500 police deployed in the area, drones monitoring from the air and snipers positioned at key points.

After the funeral that will be officiated by the Archbishop of Athens and Primate of the Orthodox Church in Greece, Jerome II, the coffin with the mortal remains of Constantine will be transferred to the cemetery in the former royal estates of Tatoi, where, among other members of Hellenic royalty, lie their parents, King Paul and Queen Frederick of Hanover.

There the narrowest environment will give him burial, without the presence of means.

The sons of former King Constantine II of Greece, Crown Prince Pavlos, Prince Nikolaos and Prince Philippos leave the Maximos Mansion following a meeting with members of the Greek government. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis

Since the abolition of the monarchy in 1974 and the exile of the king, the Tatoi estate began to deteriorate due to lack of use and care.

After many fluctuations regarding ownership, in 2003 Tatoi passed definitively into the hands of the Greek State, which, due to an opinion of the European Court of Human Rights, was nevertheless forced to pay the family compensation of 13.2 million euros. .

The Government of Mitsotakis has approved a restoration plan that includes the creation and opening of a museum, four exhibition areas, numerous public service points such as shops, restaurants and cafeterias, a hotel and several areas set aside for different agricultural activities.

Constantine II was crowned King of Greece in 1964 at the age of 24, although shortly after the establishment of the dictatorship of the Colonels in the country, in 1967, he was forced to go into exile with his entire family in Rome.

Wedding of King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie on September 18, 1964 in Athens. From left in the top row of the bridal maidens: King Frederick IX of Denmark, Queen Ingrid of Denmark, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, King Constantine of Greece, Queen Frederick of Greece and King Gustaf VI of Sweden . Back row left: Crown Princess Margaret of Denmark. Ritzau Scanpix 2023/Vagn Hansen via REUTERS

In 1974, after the fall of the military junta, a referendum was held in the country, in which 69.2% of the population opted for the republic, making Constantine the last king Greece has had.

(with information from EFE)

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