Greece’s former King Constantine II died Tuesday at the age of 82 at Ygeia private hospital in Athens, where he had been admitted last week. His entire family was with the former monarch many days ago, including his sisters Doña Sophia and Doña Irene who came from Spain to be with him in the last moments of his life. .
of Former Greek King Constantine II The man, who was in power before the republic was restored in 1974, died in Athens on Tuesday at the age of 82, Greek public broadcaster ERT announced.
former sovereign, cousin of King Charles III of England Prince William’s godfather “died (…) of a stroke,” ERT announced.
He was hospitalized in Athens last week with respiratory problems, according to Greek media.
A descendant of the royal family of Glucksburg, Constantine was the brother of Sophia, mother of King Philip VI of Spain.
the last king
The Greek monarchy was abolished by a referendum in 1974 that ended the Danish dynasty established in 1863 by King Constantine II’s great-grandfather George I.
Constantine II came to the throne in 1964 at the age of 23. He is one of the most turbulent times in modern Greek history.
The ensuing political crisis provided a favorable basis for the Colonel’s coup of April 1967 and the military regime accused of supporting the CIA.
According to later published US diplomatic documents, Constantine tried to impose martial law in 1967 to prevent the return of either Georges Papandreou, elected prime minister 15 years later, or his socialist son Andreas.
He then left Greece and lived in a 9,000-square-foot mansion in Hampstead, London for 40 years before returning in 2013.
He married Anna Maria, sister of Queen Margarita II of Denmark, with whom he had five children.
life in exile
Constantine II ruled the Hellenes for only three years and spent most of his life in exile due to a military coup.
He was born on June 2, 1940 in Saikiko, an upmarket suburb of Athens, Greece. He is his second of his three children to King Pablo and Federica of Greece, and his older sister is Sophia, Emeritus Queen of Spain.
On April 23, 1941, his family left Greece due to the threat of German and Italian invasion during World War II.
They lived in Crete, Egypt and South Africa until returning to Athens on September 27, 1946.
In April 1947, his father succeeded his late uncle, George II, to the throne and, at the age of 16, ascended the throne of Greece and began an education that would prepare him for his future duties as king. .
In July 1956, he was appointed an honorary corporal of the Special Forces, and in 1958 he became an officer of the Army, Navy and Air Force.
From 1959 to 1963, he studied constitutional law and political economy at the University of Athens.
After his father’s death, he ascended the throne as King Constantine II of Hellenes on March 6, 1964, and on September 18 married Anna Maria, the daughter of the King of Denmark, with whom he had five children. 1965), Pablo (1967), Nicholas (1969), Theodora (1983), Philippos (1986).
A political confrontation between the king and liberal leader Georges Papandreou in 1967 escalated to a crisis when the monarch decided to dissolve parliament and call new elections. He stepped down from power eight months after him.
On December 14, 1967, Constantine II fled first to Rome and then to London before returning to Greece in 2013.
In June 1973, the military government declared a parliamentary presidential republic and abolished the monarchy after the King refused to justify the military dictatorship, which remained in power until 15 July 1974.
The new caretaker government held a referendum on December 8, 1974 and received nearly 70% of the vote, proving its preference for the republican model over the monarchical model.
Conflict with Greece
He returned to Greece for the first time since his exile in 1967 on February 12, 1981, having obtained permission from the Greek authorities for six hours to attend the funeral of his mother, Queen Frederik.
On February 28, 1991, he announced the transfer of almost all of his property to the Greek people under certain conditions. This was accepted by the Mitsotakis government and approved by Parliament on September 30, 1992, against the opposition of PASOC, the Socialist Party of Greece. .
The property donated by the former monarch included some 4,000 hectares of Tatoi Mansion near Athens. His 3,900-hectare estate in Polidendri, central Greece, which he owned, and his 24-hectare estate in Corfu, Mon Repos.
On August 9, 1993, he embarked on a private cruise around the Greek islands with his family, sparking criticism from the opposition.
In September 1993, PASOK won the general election and, in accordance with its election promises, approved a law on 13 April 1994 nationalizing the property of the former king and his family and stripping them of Greek citizenship.
On November 10, 1999, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg upheld Constantine and his family’s claim for the confiscation of property against Greece, ruling in favor of the plaintiffs, and the state must return the property. bottom. To the former king he compensates 12 million euros.
A long-running dispute between Constantine and Greece continued in January 2007, this time over a London auction of defunct royal assets, despite attempts by Greek authorities to stop a bid.
return
However, tensions with the government on duty never gave up his efforts to leave exile in London and return to Greece. He settled in the town of Portugelli in the Peloponnese in 2013.
Already on Greek soil, we celebrated our Golden Wedding Anniversary on September 18, 2014 at the Piraeus Yacht Club.
Among his most recent public appearances stands out his attendance at the 80th birthday of King Juan Carlos, celebrated at Madrid’s Zarzuela Palace on 5 January 2018.
In 2022, he moved to Athens to be closer to the hospital and doctors who monitor his health.
Constantine II’s health had been fragile over the years. Already in 2009, he underwent surgery in a London hospital to replace his coronary valve and unblock the arteries of his heart.
In December 2021, he was hospitalized with pneumonia and again in January 2022 with covid-19. In early 2023, he was admitted to a hospital in Athens.
A lover of sports, in adolescence Constantine was an explorer and chief commissioner of the Greek “Scouts”.
From an early age, he began practicing swimming, climbing and, above all, sailing. In this last sporting event he competed at the Olympic Games in Rome, where he won a gold medal in the “Dragon” class (light sailing).
Source: Biobiochile
