Constantine, last Greek king whose monarchy ended in exile, dies at 82 - The Washington Post

A connection by Hygeia Hospital said the erstwhile king suffered a changeable and complications from different wellness problems.

He was the past ruler successful a 19th-century family dynasty whose connections to Greece were tenuous but that sought to gully legitimacy from connections to the wider household histrion of European royalty.

He lived for decades successful London and was a relative of King Charles III, a godfather to Prince William and portion of the extended household enactment of Greece-born Prince Philip. The erstwhile king traveled arsenic Constantine de Grecia nether a Danish passport arsenic a effect of his family’s shared lineage with a subdivision of Denmark’s royal household — successful summation to his matrimony to a erstwhile Danish princess, Ann-Marie. His sister Sophia is the woman of the erstwhile Spanish king Juan Carlos.

But for Greeks, helium remained profoundly woven into the past of the 1967-1974 right-wing dictatorship, whose ruthless suppression of absorption inactive resonates arsenic uncomfortable memories successful the country’s governmental and taste life.

Events began to unfold successful 1965 erstwhile the young king feuded with Prime Minister Georgios Papandreou, starring to the illness of his government. The governmental situation — inactive known successful Greece arsenic the “Apostasy” — began a play of upheavals and caretaker governments.

“The radical don’t privation you, instrumentality your parent and go!” protesters shouted successful 1965 successful denunciations of the king and his mother, Queen Frederica.

The ongoing governmental unrest was utilized by a clique of Greek subject officers arsenic justification to instrumentality power of the state in April 1967. The “colonels,” arsenic they were known, besides feared that the king was readying preemptive moves to instal his backers successful power.

Backed into a corner, helium agreed to officially inaugurate the junta arsenic Greece’s caller leaders. The king and his household past relocated to bluish Greece, seeking to pb a countercoup. The plans fell isolated and the household fled to Rome and aboriginal settled successful London.

“It was the worst time of my life,” helium said successful describing the departure from Greece successful a 2015 memoir released by the Greek paper To Vima. “That day, I saw my archetypal achromatic hair.”

Some officers successful the Greek navy remained loyal to him and, successful 1973, made different effort astatine a revolt against the junta. The subject rulers abolished the monarchy — adjacent arsenic helium continued to assertion helium was Greece’s rightful monarch.

Junta person George Papadopoulos labeled the erstwhile king “a collaborator with overseas forces and with murderers.”

After the dictatorship collapsed successful 1974 — pursuing a subject situation with Turkey implicit Greek attempts to unite with the land federation of Cyprus — helium sought to marque a melodramatic return. He was advised to hold by governmental leaders, who were disquieted helium would upset efforts to reconstruct democracy. Instead, a referendum was held connected whether to bring backmost the monarchy.

On the eve of the vote, the erstwhile king seemed confident. The result “will find my household and maine backmost home,” he said from London. Yet astir 70 percent of the votes formed were against reestablishing the royal family. The premier minister, Constantine Karamanlis, was quoted arsenic saying that the voters had escaped the federation of a cancerous growth.

The erstwhile king did not instrumentality to Greece until 1981, aft being fixed clearance for a five-hour sojourn to hide his parent successful the household cemetery of the erstwhile royal palace astatine Tatoi, northbound of Athens. (The Greek authorities announced that the erstwhile king’s remains would besides beryllium interred there.)

From London, the erstwhile king utilized his royal rubric and claimed ownership of household onshore successful Greece, including Tatoi. In 1994, the Greek authorities formally stripped him of his citizenship and confiscated the royal property.

A suit helium filed successful the European Court of Human Rights resulted successful a 12 cardinal euro grant — acold little than the 500 cardinal euros helium sought. In 1995, helium boasted to Vanity Fair that helium received 65,000 letters a twelvemonth from Greek citizens and needed a four-person unit to assistance grip his affairs.

His beingness successful exile was acold from a bumpy ride. He hobnobbed with different members of European royalty, who often called him “Your Majesty.” He and his woman lived successful a manse successful London’s tony Hampstead Garden Suburb. If the British royals threw a gala, helium was connected the impermanent list.

When Athens hosted the Olympics successful 2004, helium returned arsenic an honorary subordinate of the International Olympic Committee. The appearance, however, was intentionally subdued astatine the petition of organizers contempt his stature arsenic a past Olympic medal winner.

At the 1960 Rome Games, the past crown prince was portion of the golden medal-winning squad successful three-person Dragon Class sailing. He besides was the flag-bearer astatine the Rome Opening Ceremonies, and a Greek postage stamp was made successful grant of his team’s victory.

In an interrogation with NBC’s “Today” during the Athens Olympics, the erstwhile king called Greece “his country.”

“I retrieve I had the privilege of holding the emblem erstwhile our squad came in,” helium said, recounting the Rome Games, “and the roar of the assemblage was thing that is inactive successful my ears.”

For much than a decade, helium spent expanding clip successful Greece arsenic authorities made accommodations and arsenic protests implicit his beingness mostly faded. He besides made immoderate flimsy concessions. He belatedly recognized that the property of the monarchy successful Greece was agelong over.

His authoritative website listed him arsenic King Constantine, erstwhile King of the Hellenes.

The aboriginal king was calved connected June 2, 1940, successful Athens to Princess Frederica of Hanover and Prince Paul, the younger member of Greece’s King George II and heir to the throne.

Before Prince Constantine’s archetypal birthday, the household fled for Alexandria, Egypt, arsenic Nazi forces occupied overmuch of the country. The household aboriginal spent clip successful South Africa earlier returning to Greece successful 1946 — conscionable arsenic the state was moving into a disastrous civil warfare between communist-backed forces and nationalists, galore loyal to the monarchy.

The nationalist broadside won, but governmental rifts remained beardown for decades and spilled implicit into divided views connected the monarchy — which immoderate critics decried arsenic outsiders with household links to wartime foe Germany.

The prince was educated astatine boarding schools and subject academies successful mentation for the throne. His crook came successful 1964, erstwhile was helium was 23, aft the decease of his father, King Paul. (The household had ruled Greece since 1863 but for 1924 to 1935).

The last king of Greece is survived by Anne-Marie, his woman of 58 years; 5 children, Alexia, Pavlos, Nikolaos, Theodora and Philippos; and 9 grandchildren.

His lineage tracks backmost to the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, which includes Denmark and different countries. He refused to follow immoderate of those names, however, aft the Greek authorities said helium could person his passport restored lone if helium adopted a surname.

“I don’t person a name,” helium said successful 1995 successful London. “My household doesn’t person a name.”

Glücksburg is the sanction of a place, helium noted, similar immoderate London borough.

“I whitethorn arsenic good telephone myself Mr. Kensington,” helium said.