Princess Anne consoles Prince Pavlos at King Constantine's burial

2023-01-16

Princess Anne looks sombre as she consoles Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece at his father King Constantine’s burial ceremony at the former summer palace of Tatoi

King Constantine II of Greece died of a stroke at the age of 82 last week
The former European monarch was the Duke of Edinburgh’s nephew
Members of the public queued through the night to see him lying in state
His public funeral today was followed by a 29km procession to Tatoi Palace

Princess Anne cut a sombre figure as she consoled Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece at his father King Constantine’s burial ceremony today.

The Princess Royal, 72, who was the late Greek monarch’s second cousin, attended King Constantine’s funeral in Athens with husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.

They joined European royals – such as Queen Letizia of Spain, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium – at the Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral for the public service.

Anne and her husband then attended the private burial ceremony at the former Greek royal summer palace of Tatoi, where the late Queen’s daughter offered her condolences to King Constantine’s sons Pavlos and Prince Nikolaos of Greece.

Princess Anne cut a sombre figure as she consoled Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece (pictured right) at his father King Constantine’s burial ceremony today

King Constantine passed away from a stroke on January 10 in the Greek capital at the age of 82 – more than 50 years after he was exiled in a military coup.

Princess Anne appeared stoic as she entered the cathedral in Athens with her husband this morning.

Today’s public funeral was followed by a 29km procession to Tatoi Palace, where a separate private ceremony was held, before Constantine will be laid to rest with other members of the Greek royal family.

Earlier today, Constantine’s son Crown Prince Pavlos bowed his head as he looked over his father’s coffin inside the church.

Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece (centre L) and Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark (centre R) carrying the coffin of the late former King of Greece Constantine II, during the burial ceremony, at the Tatoi estate, north of Athens

Members of the former Greek royal family stand next to the coffin of Greece’s late former King Constantine II

Former Queen Anne-Marie held on to a Greek flag next to her sons, former Crown Prince Pavlos and former Prince Nikolaos, next to the coffin of Greece’s late former King Constantine II

Crowds gathered around Tatoi chapel during the private burial of the King Constantine II of Greece

Carriers move the coffin of former King of Greece Constantine II as Philippos (3R), Pavlos (2R) and Nikolaos (R) follow the coffin of their father during his funerals in Athens

Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece, and Greece’s former Queen Anne Marie attend the funeral service of former King of Greece Constantine II in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens

Sweden’s King Carl XVI (right) and Queen Silvia (centre right), Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II (centre left), Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, (left) and Monaco’s Prince Albert II (centre) exit the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens after the funeral service to the former Greek King Constantine II

The Princess Royal attends the funeral service of former King of Greece Constantine II

Princess Anne looked sombre as she arrived at the Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral in Athens to pay her respects to her second cousin

Shortly afterwards, the grieving son greeted Queen Letizia of Spain with a kiss on the hand on the top of the cathedral steps.

The Spanish monarch, 50, styled her hair in a chic updo and opted for minimal jewellery to offset her tailored black coat dress.

Prince Albert of Monaco also made the journey to Greece and was pictured acknowledging crowds of mourners with a wave as he entered the cathedral.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands looked visibly emotional as they arrived at the service arm-in-arm.

Princess Anne was accompanied to the funeral by her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence

King Constantine II’s wife Queen Anne Marie, his son Crown Prince Pavlos and Pavlos’ wife Princess Marie-Chantal pictured next to the monarch’s coffin

There are a total of 200 guests who attended today’s proceedings – including European royalty and Greek businessowners

Constantine’s son Crown Prince Pavlos bowed his head as he looked over his father’s coffin inside the church

Meanwhile, former Spanish king Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, who is Constantine’s sister, were among other high-profile European royalty in attendance.

It comes after Greek mourners lined the streets of Athens to pay their respects to King Constantine II – who was the Duke of Edinburgh’s nephew – before funeral processions began this morning.

Members of the public queued through the night to see the last King of Greece’s coffin at the chapel of Agios Eleftherios, next to the cathedral, this morning.

Constantine’s coffin was draped in a Greek flag as members of the public were invited into the chapel to say their goodbyes to the former monarch.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia greeted King Constantine II’s mourning family before heading inside the church

Queen Letizia and King Felipe of Spain were joined by his parents Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia to pay their respects

Left: Crown Prince Pavlos greeted Queen Letizia of Spain with a kiss on the hand ahead of the funeral. Right: The mourning son also gave the European royal a quick peck on the cheek

Prince Albert of Monaco waved to crowds outside of the cathedral this morning as he arrived at the funeral

Left: King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima looked visibly emotional ahead of the service in Athens. Right: King Willem-Alexander and his mother Princess Beatrix

Former Spanish monarchs Queen Sofia of Spain and Juan Carlos I pictured arriving at Metropolitan Cathedral in Athens

Former Spanish monarchs King Juan Carlos (pictured centre right) and Queen Sofia of Spain (pictured left) attend at the funeral for former King Constantine II of Greece

Princess Anne also attended the funeral of former Greek monarch, King Constantine II in Athens

King Constantine’s family arriving at the former royal summer estate of Tatoi for the private ceremony

Over the weekend, royals from across Europe – including Queen Margrethe of Denmark and King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain – flew into the Greek capital to attend the funeral today.

The public funeral saw the King’s widow, Queen Anne-Marie, attend, as well as his son Crown Prince Pavlos, who is now the head of the former Greek royal family.

Deputy Prime Minister Pangagiotis Pikrammenos and Culture and Sports Minister Lina Mendoni represented the Greek government at the service.

Among the other European royals to attend were King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, as well as Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands.

Left: King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden looked sombre in black as they arrived at the Greek cathedral. Right: King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium arrived moments later

King Felipe and Queen Letizia bowed their heads in front of the coffin as a mark of respect for the late monarch

Queen Mathilde and King Philippe of Belgium pictured inside the church ahead of the funeral service

Former Spanish King Juan Carlos, his wife Queen Sofia and former Princess Irene took their seats before the funeral service began

King Constantine II’s coffin pictured being taken into the cathedral after members of the public paid their respects this morning

Family members, attendees and clergymen gather around the coffin during the burial ceremony of the late former King of Greece

There are a total of 200 guests who attended today’s proceedings – including Greek shipowners and businessmen.

King Constantine’s public funeral was followed by a 29km procession to Tatoi Palace, where there will be a separate private ceremony and he will be laid to rest with other members of the Greek royal family.

A second cousin of King Charles and Godfather to Prince William, Constantine II lived most of his life in exile after a Greek referendum which rejected the monarchy in 1974.

He was the only son of King Paul and Queen Frederica of Greece and the last king of the country.

His public funeral (pictured) was followed by a 29km procession to Tatoi Palace, where there will be a separate private ceremony and he will be laid to rest with other members of the Greek royal family

Former Queen Sofia of Spain pays her respects at the funeral of former King Constantine II of Greece

A second cousin of King Charles and Godfather to Prince William, Constantine II lived most of his life in exile after a Greek referendum which rejected the monarchy in 1974. Pictured, Constantine II’s funeral

Constantine, an Olympics gold medalist in sailing, was 27 years old and had been a king for three years in 1967, when he was forced into exile with his wife Princess Anne-Marie, the youngest daughter of King Frederick IX of Denmark and his family. Pictured, Constantine’s funeral

Greek mourners queued through the night to see their former King’s coffin at the Agios Eleftherios chapel

King Constantine II of Greece, pictured here at the 75th birthday dinner of his sister-in-law Queen Margrithe of Denmark in 2015

He wasn’t to return to Greece for decades, where he was deeply unpopular for his decision to swear-in the colonels who seized power in April 1967. He briefly cooperated with them before staging a failed counter-coup, that led to his exile.

The military junta abolished the monarchy in 1973. In a referendum after the fall of the junta in 1974, Greece rejected monarchy again.

After the referendum, his relationship with Greece was testy. He was allowed to return only for a few hours in 1981 to bury his mother, Queen Frederika, at the family estate at Tatoi, about 20 kilometres north of Athens.

In the 1990s, Constantine was stripped of his Greek citizenship and the state seized Tatoi and a palace on the island of Corfu where Britain’s Prince Philip was born.

The King had been in ill health in recent months, having several hospital admissions towards the end of 2022.

He is survived by his wife, the former princess Anne-Marie of Denmark, youngest sister of Queen Margrethe II; five children, Alexia, Pavlos, Nikolaos, Theodora and Philippos; and nine grandchildren.

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