Queen Camilla will lead the British royal family in attending a thanksgiving service in Windsor for the late King Constantine II.
Constantine, who was a second cousin of King Charles, a first cousin of the late Duke of Edinburgh, and a godfather to Prince William, enjoyed a close relationship with the British royals.
The memorial service to celebrate his life will be held at St George’s Chapel on Tuesday morning, with Camilla stepping in for her husband Charles, who is unable to attend due to his ongoing cancer treatment.
Royals from the UK and Europe are expected to flock to Windsor for the event, given Constantine’s expansive links with other European royal families. His widow Queen Anne-Marie, former Queen of the Hellenes, and the couple’s eldest son Crown Prince Pavlos, along with Pavlos’ wife Crown Princess Marie-Chantal, will lead the Greek royals in attendance.
Constantine and Anne-Marie’s four other children are also expected on the guest list: Princess Alexia, Prince Nikolaos, Princess Theodora, and Prince Philippos.
© GettyAnne-Marie’s sisters, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, who abdicated the throne in January, and Princess Benedikte, may also make an appearance, as well as Constantine’s sisters, Queen Sofia of Spain and Princess Irene. Sofia may be joined by her son King Felipe of Spain and his wife Queen Letizia.
The service, which will take place in the nave of St George’s Chapel, will be led by the Dean of Windsor, The Right Reverend Dr Christopher Cocksworth.
© GettyConstantine died at the age of 82 in January 2023. He had been suffering from ill health for a number of years and was treated at the private Hygeia Hospital in Athens.
His funeral took place at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Athens, with a whole host of European royals in attendance, including Princess Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, who were representing King Charles and Queen Camilla, and Lady Gabriella Windsor, who was there on behalf of Prince William. Gabriella counted Constantine as one of her godfathers.
William had a “private” engagement on the day of the funeral, while Charles and Camilla had a scheduled meeting with the President of the Republic of Cyprus.
Other European royals in attendance at the funeral included King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, Prince Albert of Monaco, King Felipe of Spain’s sister Infanta Cristina, Queen Mathilde and King Phillipe of Belgium, and Queen Silvia and King Carl XVI of Sweden.
Constantine was later buried at Tatoi Palace cemetery, close to Athens.
Constantine acceded to the Greek throne in 1964 following the death of his father, King Paul I. He was proclaimed King of the Hellenes at the age of 24, however, he ruled for only a decade after a military junta abolished the monarchy. He was the last king of Greece.
Two referendums were held, a disputed one in 1973 before a second one in 1974, with both returning results in favour of the abolition of the monarchy.
Constantine lived in exile for many decades in London, before eventually returning to his native country in 2013, where he spent the last ten years of his life.
LOVE THE ROYALS? JOIN THE CLUB!
If you are reading this, the chances are you are obsessed with all things royalty – which is just as well because so are we! So obsessed, in fact, we’ve launched a club solely dedicated to covering them. So welcome to The HELLO! Royal Club. We would love you to join us there…
What is it?
Interactive community offering behind-the-scenes access, exclusive royal interviews, unmissable royal insights, and an illustrious royal Inner Circle.
Member benefits
- Two weekly newsletters, one from Emily Nash
- Video posts and audio notes from Emily Nash and the HELLO! Royal team
- Access to our royal community and opportunity to interact with club writers and members
- Participate in polls, comments and discussion threads
- Access to our Ask Me Anything sessions with our journalists
- Invitations to in-person and virtual events
- A subscription to the digital edition of HELLO! Magazine (Worth £82 annually)*
- Future ‘Inner Circle’ benefits
By royal decree
You are royally invited to join The HELLO! Royal Club – and then to go forth and spread the word to your fellow royal fans. See you in the club!
Ainhoa Barcelona
Source link
