Memorial services for Constantine II, the last King of Greece, are set to be held in the coming months.
The first will be in Athens in February when the official royal mourning period for Constantine II comes to an end. Constantine died on January 10th 2023 and was buried from the Metropolitan Cathedral in Athens on January 16th 2023. A memorial service will take place forty days after the king’s death, on February 19th 2023.
That service will take place at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Athens. Constantine’s widow, Queen Anne-Marie, along with their eldest son, Crown Prince Pavlos, will lead mourners. All of Constantine’s children and grandchildren will all take part. His sisters, Queen Sofia of Spain and Princess Irene of Greece are also expected to attend. Afterwards, a small ceremony will be held at the tomb of the late king in the grounds of Tatoi Palace.
For Crown Prince Pavlos and his siblings, it is important to be there for their mother Queen Anne-Marie during a difficult time.
Crown Prince Pavlos left Greece this week to return to his home in New York. There are varying reports over whether he will move permanently to Greece now that he is head of the royal family. However, there will be no statements or interviews about that until at least the middle of February, when the 40 day mourning period is over.
It’s also expected that there will be a memorial service for King Constantine in London in the coming months. Journalist Andreas Mogas said the ceremony is expected to take place and see relatives who couldn’t attend the funeral in Athens attend, most likely to include King Charles III and the Prince of Wales.
King Constantine II of Greece was the last King of Greece, reigning from 1964 to 1973. He was the son of King Paul and Queen Frederika of Greece. He was educated in Greece and the United Kingdom, and served in the Greek Navy. He became King at the age of 23 following his father’s death. In 1967, he was ousted in a military coup and went into exile. The Greek monarchy was abolished following a referendum in 1974.
