As the Princess Royal prepares for an official visit to Greece next week, fresh attention has turned to one of the most surprising absences from the late Elizabeth II’s extraordinary travel record – she never carried out an official state visit to the country.
During her 70-year reign, Queen Elizabeth II became one of the most travelled monarchs in modern history, visiting well over 100 countries across the globe.
From Australia and Canada to China, Russia and Brazil, the late monarch undertook landmark tours designed to strengthen Britain’s diplomatic and Commonwealth ties.
Yet Greece – the birthplace of her husband Philip, Duke of Edinburgh – remained notably absent.
The omission long fuelled speculation among royal historians, many of whom pointed to Prince Philip’s deeply complicated family history with Greece.
Prince Philip was born on the Greek island of Corfu in 1921 into the Greek and Danish royal families.
However, political turmoil soon engulfed the family following Greece’s defeat in the Greco-Turkish War.
Philip’s father, Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, was arrested and placed on trial in 1922, accused of military failures during the conflict. He narrowly escaped execution before the family fled the country into exile when Philip was still a baby.
Royal historian Hugo Vickers previously suggested the traumatic episode shaped Prince Philip’s lifelong feelings towards Greece.
“Prince Philip didn’t like Greece because of what happened to his family,” Vickers explained.
Although Queen Elizabeth II never visited Greece as monarch, she did briefly travel there in 1950 before ascending the throne, attending at the invitation of King Paul of Greece, who was Prince Philip’s cousin.
Relations between the British Royal Family and Greece later became increasingly delicate following the abolition of the Greek monarchy in 1973.
Constantine II of Greece, Prince Philip’s cousin and the country’s final king, spent decades living in London after being forced into exile and remained close to the Royal Family until his death in 2023.
Some historians have also argued that the Queen may never have received a formal invitation for a full state visit during her reign.
Royal overseas tours were carefully coordinated with the British government and Foreign Office, with diplomatic priorities and political sensitivities playing a major role in deciding destinations.
Despite never visiting Greece officially, Prince Philip retained personal links to the country throughout his life and occasionally travelled there privately, including visits to see his mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg.
Princess Anne’s upcoming visit to Greece will see her attend commemorations marking 85 years since the Battle of Crete.
