Wikipedia

Greek royal family

For an overview of the monarchs of Greece, see List of kings of Greece.

The Greek royal family (Greek: Βασιλική Οικογένεια της Ελλάδος[1][2]) was the ruling family of the Kingdom of Greece from 1863 to 1924 and again from 1935 to 1973. The family is a branch of the Danish royal family, itself a cadet branch of the House of Glücksburg. The family had replaced the House of Wittelsbach that previously ruled Greece from 1832 to 1862. The first monarch was George I of Greece, the second son of King Christian IX of Denmark.[3] The current head of the family is Pavlos, who assumed the role on 10 January 2023 upon the death of his father, former King Constantine II.

Greek royal family
Βασιλική Οικογένεια της Ελλάδος (Greek)
Greater coat of arms since 1936
Personal standard of the kings of Greece
Parent familyHouse of Glücksburg
CountryGreece Kingdom of Greece
Place of originGlücksburg, Schleswig-Holstein
Founded30 March 1863
FounderGeorge I
Current headCrown Prince Pavlos
Final rulerConstantine II
Connected familiesDanish royal family
Mountbatten-Windsor
MottoἸσχύς μου ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ λαοῦ
(The people's love is my strength)
PropertiesOld Royal Palace (1863–1924)
Royal Palace (1897–1924, 1935–1967)
Tatoi Palace (1880s–1924, 1935–1967)
Mon Repos (1864–1924, 1935–1967)
Palace of St. Michael and St. George (1864–1924, 1935–1967)
Deposition1 June 1973
Websitegreekroyalfamily.gr

With the 1974 Greek republic referendum and Article 4 of the Constitution of Greece, all family members have been stripped of their honorific titles and the associated royal status. Many family members born after 1974 still use the titles "Prince of Greece" and "Princess of Greece" to describe themselves, but such descriptions are neither conferred nor legally recognised by the Greek state as royal or noble titles.[4] The family accepts that these terms are not royal titles, but rather personal identifiers.[5][6][note 1]

As of 2024, the family has assumed the last name "De Grèce" (Ντε Γκρες; "of Greece"), first used by Greek author and dynast Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark for his pen name as Michel de Grèce, as the only one familiar to them.[7]

Creation

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After the overthrow in 1862 of the first king of the independent Greek state, Otto of Bavaria, a plebiscite in Greece was initiated on 19 November 1862,[note 2] with the results announced in February the following year,[note 3] in support of adopting Prince Alfred of the United Kingdom, later Duke of Edinburgh, to reign as king of the country.[8] The candidacy of Prince Alfred was rejected by the Great Powers. The London Conference of 1832 had prohibited any of the Great Powers' ruling families from accepting the crown of Greece, while Queen Victoria was opposed to such a prospect.[9]

A search for other candidates ensued, and eventually, Prince William of Denmark, of the House of Glücksburg, the second son of King Christian IX and younger brother of the then new Alexandra, Princess of Wales, was appointed king. The Greek Parliament unanimously approved on 18 March 1863[note 4] the ascension to the Greek throne of the prince, then aged 17, as King of the Hellenes under the regnal name of George I.[10] George arrived in Greece in October 1863.[10]

Royal coat of arms

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The royal coat of arms of Greece still used by the royal family is a blue shield with the white cross of Greece with the greater coat of arms of Denmark of 1819–1903 in the centre. This was consequently also the arms of Denmark when the Danish prince William accepted the Greek throne as King George I. As such this includes the three lions of the arms of Denmark proper, the two lions of Schleswig, the three crowns of the former Kalmar Union, the stockfish of Iceland, the ram of Faroe Islands, the polar bear of Greenland, the lion and hearts of the King of the Goths, the wyvern of the King of the Wends, the nettle leaf of Holstein, the swan with a crown of Stormarn, the knight on horseback of Dithmarschen, the horse head of Lauenburg, the two red bars of the House of Oldenburg and the yellow cross of Delmenhorst. The same shield is in the personal standard of the Kings of Greece. The shield is surmounted by two figures of Heracles,[11] similar to the "wild men" of the Coat of arms of Denmark. The shield also has the Order of the Redeemer, while the royal motto reads " Ἰσχύς μου ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ λαοῦ" ("The people's love is my strength").[12]

History

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The royal family in 1900

George I married Grand Duchess Olga Constaninovna of Russia, and they had seven surviving children. After a reign of almost fifty years, George I was succeeded by his eldest son, Constantine I, who had married in 1889, Princess Sophia of Prussia, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria and sister of Kaiser Wilhelm II. In turn, all three of Constantine's sons, George II, Alexander and Paul, would occupy the throne.[13]

The dynasty reigned in Greece during the Balkan Wars, World War I, World War II (during which Greece experienced occupation by the Axis), the Greek Civil War, and most of the Greek military junta of 1967–1974.

Following the National Schism during World War I and the subsequent Asia Minor Disaster, the monarchy was deposed in March 1924 and replaced by the Second Hellenic Republic.[13] Between 1924 and 1935 there were twenty-three changes of government in Greece, a dictatorship, and thirteen coups d'etat.[citation needed] In October 1935, General Georgios Kondylis, a former Venizelist, overthrew the government and arranged for a referendum on restoring the monarchy. On 3 November 1935, the official tally showed that 98% of the votes supported the restoration of the monarchy.[10] The balloting was not secret, and participation was compulsory. As Time described it at the time, "As a voter, one could drop into the ballot box a blue vote for George II, or one could cast a red ballot for the Republic."[14] George II returned to Greece on 25 November 1935, as king.

Less that a year later, on 4 August 1936, George II endorsed the establishment of a quasi-fascist dictatorship led by veteran army officer Ioannis Metaxas.[15]

George II followed the Greek government in exile after the German invasion of Greece in 1941 and returned to Greece in 1946, after a referendum that resulted in the maintaining of the constitutional monarchy.[16] He died in 1947 and was succeeded by his brother Paul. The new king reigned from the time of Greek civil war until his death in 1964, and was succeeded by his son, Constantine II.[13]

Downfall

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On 21 April 1967, the elected government of Greece was overthrown by a group of middle-ranking army officers led by Colonel Georgios Papadopoulos, and a military dictatorship was established. The military junta formed a new government sworn in by Constantine II. On 13 December 1967, the king launched a counter-coup that failed[17] and he, together with his family, fled to Rome and soon after to London.

The dictatorship nominally retained the monarchy but on 1 June 1973, Constantine II was declared "deposed," and Papadopoulos appointed himself "President of the Republic". Some two months later, on 29 July 1973, the military regime held a referendum, the official result of which confirmed, according to the junta, the abolition of the monarchy.[16]

After July 1974, the dictatorship fell. The military handed power over to Konstantinos Karamanlis, a conservative[note 5] politician who had been prime minister in the 1950s and early 60s.[18] Karamanlis formed a "government of national unity" and held a constitutional referendum on 8 December 1974. The voters confirmed the abolition of the monarchy by a vote of 69% to 31% and the establishment of a republican parliamentary democracy in Greece.[8] Later the upper house of parliament was abolished as well as freedom from prosecution for members of parliament.

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The former royal family lost its legal recognition with the constitutional amendment of 1973, finally ratified by the referendum of December 1974, and the new constitution that followed, which defined Greece as a presidential-parliamentary republic. As such, the royal and princely titles have no official status within or outside Greece, but are used in the context established by the Treaty of Vienna in 1815, which states that they are hereditary titles for life, which are retained even if the royal offices to which they are attached cease to exist.[19] In 1996, the Council of State- ruled that the use of titles was a means of identifying the person and not a title of nobility.

 
Constantine and Anne-Marie shortly after their expulsion from the Greek throne, in Rome in 1973

The issue of the former royal property was settled in 1994, which was registered with the state in exchange for compensation to the former king, [20] and in 2024, the issue of citizenship was settled with the declaration of surnames by family members.

Royal property

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Greek citizenship

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The recognition of Greek nationality - a recognition that was removed after the dethronement of the dynasty and the amendment of the constitution - was until recently a point of contention between Greek governments and the former royal family, and in particular the former King Constantine. Its resolution, with the recognition of Greek citizenship for Constantine's children and grandchildren on 20 December 2024, has smoothly closed the last open issue of the Metapolitefsi's period in Greece.[21]

The former royal family had lost their Greek citizenship and had been stateless for almost 30 years,[note 6] under "Law 2215" (also known by its cousin, the Evangelos Venizelos Law), of 1994, which also confiscated their property.[22] The law made it a condition for the reacquisition of citizenship that a suffix be declared at the registry office, a declaration that the former King Constantine had refused to make. The former king had said in an interview: "I have no surname. My family has no surname. The law says that I am not Greek and that my family was Greek only when we exercised our monarchical duties, and therefore I had to present myself and declare a surname. The problem is that my family is Danish and the Danish royal family has no surname."[23]
The declaration was finally made on 19 December 2024, when 10 members of the former royal family, (Contantine's children Alexia, Pavlos, Nikolaos, Theodora, Philippos) and (Pavlos children: Maria-Olympia, Constantine-Alexios, Achileas Andreas, Odysseas-Kimon, and Aristides-Stavros) to the "Registrar of births, marriages and deaths" of Athens in which they expressly and unconditionally declared their respect for the Constitution, their recognition of the Presidential parliamentary republic and the result of the referendum of 8 December 1974, and their renunciation of all claims of any kind in connection with any past political office or the possession of any title, as well as the renunciation of all claims of any kind connected with the past holding of any political office or the possession of any title.[24][note 7] They chose the surname De Grèce, first used by their uncle Michel de Grèce, as the only one familiar to them.[25] Anne Maria - although she lives almost permanently in Athens - refused to apply for a surname, saying "I have no surname because my family, which comes from Denmark, have no surname either", thus identifying her position with that of the late King Constantine, who had refused all these years to choose a surname in order to obtain the Greek citizenship he so desired.[7]

The country's major opposition parties (PASOK and Syriza) have reacted negatively to this choice of surname. In particular, the constitutionalist and PASOK mp Panagiotis Doudounis believes that this choice of surname is an "indirect non-recognition of the existing state regime". The same opinion was expressed by Syriza, which stated that the Greek legal system does not recognize "titles of nobility", which is what the specific adjective is trying to imply.[26]

Dynastic lineage

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As male-line descendants of King Christian IX of Denmark, members of the dynasty bear the title of Prince or Princess of Denmark and thus are traditionally referred to as "Princes" or "Princesses of Greece and Denmark".[27] With the sole exception of Aspasia Manos (the consort of King Alexander) and her daughter Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark, as well as descendants from non-dynastic marriages,[28] none of the members were ethnically Greek.[29]

Members

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Family tree of immediate members

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See also: Kings of the Hellenes family tree
 
Descendants of Constantine II at his funeral in 2023

This section only lists living members of the royal family and deceased members who are ancestors of presently living members of the family.

King George IQueen Olga
King Constantine IQueen SophiaPrince AndrewPrince ChristopherPrincess Françoise
Queen FredericaKing PaulPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh*Marina, consort of Prince Michael*Prince Michael*
Queen Sofía of Spain*King Constantine IIQueen Anne-MariePrincess Irene*Charles III, King of the UK*Princess Alexandra, Mrs. Mirzayantz*The Duchess of Aosta*
Princess Alexia, Mrs. MoralesCarlos MoralesThe Crown PrinceThe Crown PrincessPrince NikolaosTatiana BlatnikPrincess Theodora, Mrs. KumarMatthew KumarPrince PhilipposPrincess Nina
Princess OlympiaPrince ConstantinePrince AchileasPrince OdysseasPrince Aristidis
Notes

* Member of the extended royal family

Extended family

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Italicised names denote that the individual has died. Bolded names denote that the individual is/was the head of the royal house. Please note that any living members who are not directly descended from Paul are considered extended family.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The pertinent court decision (Συμβούλιο της Επικρατείας, αριθμός 4575/1996) states (in Greek): "Η ονομασία αυτή, "πρώην βασιλιάς", αναφέρεται στο δικόγραφο όχι ως τίτλος ευγενείας, ο οποίος απαγορεύεται από το Σύνταγμα (άρθρο 4 παρ. 7), αλλά για να προσδιοριστεί η ταυτότητα του αιτούντος, ο οποίος στερείται, για τους λόγους που αναφέρθηκαν, επωνύμου. Εχει, δηλαδή, την έννοια ότι ο αιτών είναι ο Κωνσταντίνος εκείνος που διατέλεσε βασιλιάς των Ελλήνων έως την έκπτωσή του. Πρόκειται για αναφορά σε ένα ιστορικό γεγονός που, όπως και άλλα στοιχεία, μπορεί πράγματι να προσδιορίσει την ταυτότητα του πιο πάνω προσώπου, προκειμένου το πρόσωπο αυτό να τύχει δικαστικής προστασίας." Full-text available at Συμβούλιο της Επικρατείας - Αναζήτηση Νομολογίας
  2. ^ 1 December in the New Style
  3. ^ March in the New Style
  4. ^ 30 March in the New Style
  5. ^ See: People's Party; National Radical Union
  6. ^ He and his family members held only Danish diplomatic passports as descendants of the King Christian IX of Denmark
  7. ^ Similar procedure was followed in 2004, when Michael de Grèce, the former Prince of Greece, gain Greek citizenship

References

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  1. ^ [vasiliˈci ikoˈʝenia tis eˈlaðos]
  2. ^ Wording follows the terminology used in FAQ on the family's website
  3. ^ "Greece:The Rise of Nationalism". MSN Encarta Online Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 2 November 2009. Retrieved 1 August 2006.
  4. ^ Article 4, Paragraph 7 of the Greek Constitution states "Titles of nobility or distinction are neither conferred upon nor recognized in Greek citizens."
  5. ^ Γιατί αποδίδονται τίτλοι στον πρώην Βασιλέα των Ελλήνων και τα μέλη της οικογένειάς του;
  6. ^ Technically, according to the Greek courts (Συμβούλιο της Επικρατείας, (αριθμός 4575/1996)), the personal identifier for Konstantinos is "Konstantinos, former King of Greece", something that the family accepts. Presumably, the identifier carries to the other family members having titles conferred to them by the Greek state before 1974, with their identifier becoming "former Prince" and "former Princess." The courts have not ruled on the validity of the identifiers for family members born after 1974.
  7. ^ a b Vassilis Tsakiroglou (23 December 2024). "Ντε Γκρες: Γιατί τα παιδιά του τέως διάλεξαν την ιθαγένεια από τη βασιλεία - Η ιστορία, το παρασκήνιο και τα σχέδια της οικογένειας" [De Grece: Why the ex's children chose citizenship over royalty - The story, the background and the family's plans]. Protothema (in Greek).
  8. ^ a b "Constitutional History". Hellenic Parliament. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
  9. ^ Clogg, Richard (1979). A Short History of Modern Greece. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521295178.
  10. ^ a b c Van der Kiste, John (1994). Kings of the Hellenes. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0-7509-0525-5.
  11. ^ Ἑφημερίς τῆς Κυβερνήσεως τοῦ Βασιλείου τῆς Ἑλλάδος [Government Gazette of the Kingdom of Greece] (PDF) (in Greek), Athens: National Printing Office, 28 December 1863
  12. ^ "Greek Royal Arms". aroyalheraldry.weebly.com. 30 March 2022.
  13. ^ a b c Van der Kiste, John (1999). Kings of the Hellenes: the Greek kings, 1863 - 1974. Stroud: Sutton. ISBN 978-0-7509-2147-3.
  14. ^ "By the Grace of God", Time, 18 November 1935
  15. ^ The Metaxas Project: King George II of Greece
  16. ^ a b Nohlen, Dieter; Stöver, Philip (2010). Elections in Europe: A Data Handbook. Nomos. ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7.
  17. ^ "Greece : Aftermath of the Civil War". MSN Encarta Online Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 31 October 2009. Retrieved 1 August 2006.
  18. ^ "1974: Greek military rule gives in to democracy". 23 July 1974. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  19. ^ https://www.greekroyalfamily.gr/en/faq.html
  20. ^ Helena Smith (29 November 2002). "Court deals decisive blow to deposed Greek royals". theguardian.com.
  21. ^ "Greece's former royal family seeks to regain citizenship 50 years after end of monarchy". The Guardian. 21 December 2024.
  22. ^ "Νόμος για δήμευση της βασιλικής περιουσίας" [Law on confiscation of royal property]. Kathimerini (in Greek). 12 April 1994.
  23. ^ "Το παρασκήνιο πίσω από την ιθαγένεια και το επώνυμο της τέως βασιλικής οικογένειας - Γιατί δεν θέλουν το "Γλύξμπουργκ"" [The background behind the citizenship and surname of the former royal family - Why they don't want "Glücksburg"]. The toc.gr (in Greek). 19 December 2024.
  24. ^ "Τέως βασιλική οικογένεια: Στο ΦΕΚ η απόφαση ανάκτησης της ελληνικής ιθαγένειας" [Former royal family: the decision to recover Greek citizenship is published in the Official Gazette]. Kathimerini.gr (in Greek). 20 December 2024.
  25. ^ "Announcement 23/12/2024". greekroyalramily.gr. 23 December 2024.
  26. ^ "Γιατί ΠΑΣΟΚ και ΣΥΡΙΖΑ έχουν ενστάσεις για το επώνυμο "Ντε Γκρες" της τέως βασιλικής οικογένειας" [Why PASOK and SYRIZA object to the surname "De Grece" of the former royal family]. Thetoc.gr (in Greek). 20 December 2024.
  27. ^ Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser XV, C.A. Starke Verlag, 1997, p.20.
  28. ^ Prince Michael of Greece married the Greek artist Marina Karella in 1965. The non-dynastic marriage brought forth two daughters, Alexandra and Olga.
  29. ^ "Revealed: the intriguing family ties between the late King Constantine II of Greece and Europe's monarchies". Tatler. 13 January 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
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