Category Archives: Greek Royals

Funeral of King Constantine II of Greece

by Susan Flantzer and Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

King Constantine II of Greece; Credit – Wikipedia

King Constantine II, the former King of Greece, died at Hygeia Hospital in Athens, Greece on January 10, 2023, at the age of 82. He had been admitted to the intensive care unit at the hospital a couple of days earlier. King Constantine II was survived by his wife, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece (born a Princess of Denmark), his elder sister Queen Sofia of Spain, his younger sister Princess Irene of Greece, his five children Princess Alexia, Crown Prince Pavlos, Prince Nikolaos, Princess Theodora, and Prince Philippos, and nine grandchildren. King Constantine II was the only son of King Paul of Greece (reigned 1947 – 1964) and Princess Frederica of Hanover.

On March 6, 1964, King Paul died and twenty-three-year-old Constantine became king. On April 21, 1967, a coup d’état led by a group of army colonels took over Greece. A military junta ruled Greece from 1967 – 1974. For more information see Wikipedia: Greek military junta of 1967–74  On December 13, 1967, King Constantine attempted a counter-coup against the military junta which failed, and King Constantine and his family had to flee to Italy. The family lived for two months in the Greek embassy and then for the next five years in a house in a suburb of Rome. King Constantine remained the head of state in exile until June 1, 1973, when the junta abolished the monarchy.  In 1974, after the fall of the junta, a referendum by the Greek people confirmed the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of the Third Hellenic Republic.

In 1973, the family moved to England, living first in Chobham, Surrey, and later in the London suburb of Hampstead. The Greek government did not permit King Constantine to return to Greece until 1981 when he was allowed to enter Greece for several hours to attend the funeral of his mother Queen Frederica. King Constantine and his family paid a private visit to Greece in 1993. After 2003, when a property dispute between Constantine and the Greek government was settled, Constantine and his family were able to make visits to Greece and purchase a summer home there. In 2013, former King Constantine II permanently returned to reside in Greece.

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Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation in Athens, Greece

Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation; Credit – By C messier – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51359657

The funeral for King Constantine II of Greece was held on January 16, 2023, at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation in Athens, Greece, followed by the burial at the Royal Cemetery on the grounds of Tatoi Palace, the former summer palace of the Greek royal family, near Athens, Greece. Ieronymos II, Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Athens presided over the ceremonies.

The Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation has been the site of important ceremonies including weddings and funerals of notable personalities including Greek royalty. It is likely that there would have been more royal events at the Metropolitan Cathedral had the Greek royals not been in exile from 1924 – 1935 during the Second Hellenic Republic and from 1967 – 2003, after the monarchy was abolished and until former King Constantine II was allowed to once again to enter Greece. The most recent royal event prior to King Constantine II’s funeral was the religious wedding of Prince Philippos, the youngest child of former King Constantine II, and Nina Nastassja Flohr, held at the Metropolitan Cathedral on October 23, 2021.

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Funeral Controversy

After the death of former King Constantine II, the Greek government held a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and the following decisions were made:

  • The former King would not receive a state funeral and would be buried as a private citizen.
  • The burial would take place near his ancestors at the Royal Cemetery on the grounds of Tatoi Palace.
  • There would be no lying-in-state.
  • In consultation between the government and the family, the church would be designated in which the funeral will take place,
  • The government would be represented at the funeral by the Minister of Culture and Sports, Lina Mendoni.
  • All the procedures provided by the protocol for the officials from abroad attending the funeral would be observed.

There was backlash over the Greek government’s decisions regarding King Constantine II’s funeral. As a result, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis agreed to allow an unofficial lying-in-state and the honors of a state leader in a private funeral. King Constantine II would lie in state at the Agios Eleftherios Chapel in Athens, Greece, next to the Metropolitan Cathedral, from 6:00 AM – 11:00 AM on January 16, 2023, the day of the funeral, to allow members of the public to pay their respects. At 12:00 PM, there would be a procession to the nearby Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation. Two hundred guests were expected at the funeral including seven current monarchs who are also heads of state, which is why it was decided that Deputy Prime Minister Panagiotis Pikrammenos would represent the Greek government. Prime Minister Mitsotakis allowed any member of the Greek government to attend the funeral. After the funeral, King Constantine’s body would be taken to the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace for a private burial.

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The Lying-in-State at the Agios Eleftherios Chapel in Athens, Greece

Agios Eleftherios Chapel; Credit – Wikipedia

On January 16, 2023, from 6:00 AM to 11:00 AM, King Constantine’s coffin lay in state in the Agios Eleftherios Chapel, next to the Metropolitan Cathedral in Athens, Greece. Thousands of mourners filed past the coffin.

Members of the public pay their respects in the Agios Eleftherios Chapel

Afterward, there was a procession to the Metropolitan Cathedral, headed by a crucifer, followed by two priests and Ieronymos II, Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Athens, then the coffin draped in the flag of Greece, and finally King Constantine’s three sons.

The procession leaving Agios Eleftherios Chapel, heading to the Metropolitan Cathedral

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The Funeral at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation in Athens, Greece

Embed from Getty Images
The coffin was carried into the nave of the Metropolitan Cathedral with King Constantine’s three sons following

After the procession from the Agios Eleftherios Chapel, King Constantine’s coffin was carried through the nave of the Metropolitan Cathedral and placed in the center of the chancel.

Crown Prince Pavlos pays his respects to his father with his brothers waiting for their turns. King Constantine’s honors can be seen beside the coffin.

Floral wreaths, icons, King Constantine’s honors, and his Olympic gold medal were placed beside the coffin. In the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, the then Crown Prince Constantine won a Gold Medal in Sailing Mixed Three Person Keel. The wreaths beside the coffin were made from lilies of the valley, the same flowers used for Queen Anne-Marie’s bridal bouquet.

Crown Prince Pavlos greets his first cousin King Felipe VI of Spain and his wife Queen Letizia on the steps of the Metropolitan Cathedral

Before the funeral started, Crown Prince Pavlos stood at the top of the cathedral’s steps and greeted the royal guests as they arrived.

 

The funeral was the traditional Greek Orthodox funeral, chanted by Archbishop Ieronymos II  and twenty other priests. To their right and left were two Byzantine choirs who also chanted part of the funeral service.

Crown Prince Pavlos gave a speech eulogizing his father

Crown Prince Pavlos, King Constantine II’s eldest son, gave a very moving eulogy, first in Greek and then in English, directly addressing his father. Pavlos made a poignant reference to his father as an Olympic gold medal winner.

Dear Papa, Constantine, Your Majesty, Grandfather, Olympic Champion,

For your dear Queen, our Mother, for us the children, your grandchildren, and for all those who come together on this day to say farewell to you for the last time, and for all those who honor your memory, and for all those for whom it is not possible to be here today.

My father, this is not the end. You shall always live in our minds and hearts, as it happens in every Greek family when they lost the dearest and most precious figure in their life.

At a very young age, you lost your father, King Pavlos, my grandfather, however, you always remained loyal to the legacy that he conveyed to you. When at the age of eighteen, you became Crown Prince of Greece and received your commission as an officer in the glorified Greek armed forces, his advice to you, and this was very dear to you, and I quote: “Devote your life to the happiness of the Motherland for it is the most noble, remarkable mission. Always remember that it is better for the king to suffer and not for the people or the country. You are the guardian and protector of your Church.” This is the legacy my grandfather left to you, that has now passed to myself, my brothers, your grandchildren, and we will protect it and honour it for the rest of our lives.

As an Olympian, you honoured your country by winning the gold medal for the 1960 Olympic Games. You brought honour to the blue and white flag of Greece and to our homeland. Your victory was a feat of tactical and physical endurance on the sea that you and your close crew navigated toward an ultimate victory.

It was a truly challenging era when you ascended the throne, dear Father. Hard conflicts, opposite passions, and the results that no one wished for. From the very first moment, you tried to overthrow the coup, your efforts did not come to a successful result. Yet you did not wish that your presence in Greece would provoke bloodshed. Always loyal to the legacy your father had given to you, you respectfully accepted the decision of the Greek people.

Your love for youth, education, and international sport has been constant. You formed the Hellenic College of London, the international school organisation of Round Square, as well as active participation in the International Olympic Committee and the World Sailing Federation. Your relationship with the International Olympic Committee led to our 2004 Olympics being here in Greece which was one of your greatest feats.

Family was a core value to you and our mother. It has always been our strong belief that it is the foundation of society. Together, you created a large family, inseparably united by love for each other and a sense of duty for the country. By the grace of God, you drew your last breath in our country, which you always loved above all else throughout your life.

On this day, we, your children, your grandchildren, we are the future of your family here in our land and around the world, are ready, as you have always been, to offer to Greece whatever the country asks of us.

My strength is in the love of the people. This has always been the motto and guiding light of our family. For us, and for all Greeks, the strength of the country lies in the love of the Greek people for their homeland. We, as you dear Papa, always love Hellas and its people.

Safe journey!

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The Burial at the Royal Cemetery on the grounds of Tatoi Palace

The burial of King Constantine

With the exception of King Otto, originally a Prince of Bavaria, and his wife, who returned to the Kingdom of Bavaria after Otto was deposed in 1862, and are buried in Munich, now in Germany, all other Greek kings and their wives, along with other family members, are buried at the Royal Cemetery on the grounds of Tatoi Palace, the former summer palace of the Greek royal family, near Athens, Greece. Tatoi Palace has not been used by the Greek royal family since 1967 and is now the property of the Greek government.

Some of the land surrounding Tatoi Palace was damaged in the 2021 wildfire season and there had not been any clean-up. After the announcement that King Constantine would be buried there, clean-up crews arrived. Burnt trees were removed, new trees were planted, new gravel paths were installed and the Church of the Resurrection near the Royal Cemetery was repaired. On January 12, 2023, Constantine’s sisters Queen Sofía of Spain and Princess Irene of Greece, his daughter-in-law Princess Nina of Greece, and Matthew Kumar, the fiancé of his daughter Princess Theodora of Greece, visited the Royal Cemetery to check on the clean-up effort.

After the funeral, King Constantine’s coffin was driven 18 miles/29 kilometers to Tatoi Palace in a convoy of forty cars carrying family and guests and accompanied by a police escort and two helicopters. Family, close friends, and some foreign royalty attended the burial. After a short ceremony at the Church of the Resurrection near the Royal Cemetery, King Constantine was buried next to his parents King Paul who died in 1964, and Queen Frederica who died in 1981.

King Constantine’s coffin is carried from the Church of the Resurrection to his grave

Constantine’s sons Crown Prince Pavlos, Prince Nikolaos, and Prince Philippos and his grandsons carried the coffin from the Church of the Resurrection to the grave. No press or photographers were allowed at the burial although the Private Office of HM King Constantine of Greece later provided photos of the burial.

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Family Background

Left to right: Constantine, his mother Queen Frederica, his elder sister Sofia, his younger sister Irene, and his father King Paul I in 1947; Photo Credit – www.britannica.com

King Constantine II was well-connected to many current and former royal families of Europe. King Constantine II’s parents were King Paul of Greece and Princess Frederica of Hanover, both descendants of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom‘s eldest daughter Victoria, Princess Royal who married Friedrich III, German Emperor. Through his father, King Constantine II was also a descendant of King Christian IX of Denmark.

The descendants of Queen Victoria sit upon the thrones of Denmark, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and, the United Kingdom. King Christian IX’s descendants sit upon the thrones of Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Their descendants also sat upon many former European thrones including Greece, Romania, and Serbia. Therefore, a large contingent of foreign royalty attended the funeral. Because King Constantine’s funeral was a private funeral and not a state funeral, many of the approximately 200 guests who attended the funeral were close or extended family members and other people close to the Greek royal family.

Royal Guests with Their Relationship to King Constantine II

King Constantine’s family

Family Members

Current Monarchies

Foreign royalty attending the funeral: In the front row are the monarchs of Denmark, Sweden, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain, sitting in precedence according to the length of reign from right to left. Other members of royal families are behind them

Former Monarchies

Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia, Empress Farah Pahlavi of Iran, Stephanie, Margravine of Baden and Bernhard, Margrave of Baden

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Athens Bureau. (2023) Former King Constantine was buried in Tatoi next to his parents, Greek City Times. Available at: https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/01/17/former-king-constantine-parents/ (Accessed: January 19, 2023).
  • Becatoros, Elena and Tongas, Theodora. (2023) Thousands turn out to bid farewell to Greece’s former king, The Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company. Available at: https://www.seattletimes.com/business/thousands-turn-out-to-bid-farewell-to-greeces-former-king/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all (Accessed: January 16, 2023).
  • Death and Funeral of Constantine II of Greece (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_and_funeral_of_Constantine_II_of_Greece (Accessed: January 16, 2023)
  • Euronews (2023) Funeral of Constantine II, Greece’s Last King, YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlOht7HoAA8 (Accessed: January 16, 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2014) King Constantine II of Greece, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-constantine-ii-of-greece/ (Accessed: January 16, 2023).
  • Former King Constantine of Greece Funeral (2023) Getty Images. Available at: https://www.gettyimages.com/search/2/image?events=775924981&family=editorial (Accessed: January 16, 2023).
  • Funeral of Greece’s last king, Constantine II, takes place in Athens (2023) The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/16/funeral-of-greece-last-king-constantine-ii-takes-place-in-athens (Accessed: January 16, 2023).
  • Kitsantonis, N. (2023) Constantine II, the Last King of Greece, dies at 82, The New York Times. The New York Times. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/13/world/europe/constantine-dead.html (Accessed: January 16, 2023).
  • Kokkinidis, T. (2023) Former King of Greece Constantine laid to rest near Athens, GreekReporter.com. Available at: https://greekreporter.com/2023/01/16/thousands-last-respects-former-king-constantine-greece/ (Accessed: January 16, 2023).
  • Russell, R. (2023) Greece’s last king Constantine II buried in private funeral, BBC News. BBC. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64296757 (Accessed: January 16, 2023)
  • Van Der Kiste, John, 1999. Kings of the Hellenes: The Greek Kings 1863 – 1974. Stroud: Sutton Publishing.

Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation in Athens, Greece

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation; Credit – By George E. Koronaios – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=78384160

The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation, located in central Athens near the Acropolis, is a three-aisled, domed basilica designed in a mixed Romanesque–Renaissance–Byzantine style.

Some Greek History

King Otto in traditional Greek dress; Credit – Wikipedia

Greece’s monarchy came late and lasted for a total of 130 years. Greece was part of the Ottoman Empire from the 15th century until 1821 when Greece declared its independence. The Greeks and the Ottoman Empire fought the Greek War of Independence (1821 – 1832), and with the help of the three Great Powers – France, Russia, and the United Kingdom – the Ottoman Empire was finally defeated. In 1832, the Convention of London established Greece as a kingdom, and the Great Powers appointed 17-year-old Prince Otto of Bavaria, the second son of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, to be the new kingdom’s first king. Having dismissed his regency council in 1835 when he came of age, Otto ruled as an absolute monarch for a few years, until uprisings by the Greek people occurred, demanding a constitution. Otto had no recourse but to give in to the demands and allow for a constitution and the establishment of a Greek National Assembly. In 1862, while Otto was away from Athens, a coup d’état led to the formation of a provisional government, and Otto was deposed.

King George I in 1864; Credit – Wikipedia

Still wanting a monarchy, Greece began searching for a new king. While several European princes were put forward as possible kings, the Greek people and the Great Powers soon chose Prince Vilhelm of Denmark, the second son of King Christian IX of Denmark, as their king. On March 30, 1863, the 17-year old Vilhelm was unanimously elected by the Greek National Assembly and took the name King George I of the Hellenes. In 1924, the Second Hellenic Republic was declared and the monarchy was abolished. The monarchy was restored in 1935. On April 21, 1967, a coup d’état led by a group of army colonels took over Greece. King Constantine II remained the head of state in exile until June 1, 1973, when the monarchy was officially abolished.

The Greek government did not permit former King Constantine II to return to Greece until 1981 when he and his family were allowed to enter Greece for several hours to attend the burial of his mother Queen Frederica in the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace. Constantine and his family made a private visit to Greece in 1993. After 2003, when a property dispute between Constantine and the Greek government was resolved, Constantine and his family were able to make visits to Greece and purchase a summer home there. In 2013, former King Constantine II permanently returned to reside in Greece.

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History of the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation in Athens, Greece

1918 postcard of the Metropolitan Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia

Like the modern Greek monarchy, the major cathedral in Athens is also not old. In 1833, with the establishment of the Kingdom of Greece, the new government decided to form its own national church and broke away from the Patriarch of the Orthodox Churches in Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, now Istanbul, Turkey. Known as the Church of Greece, it is part of the worldwide Greek Orthodox Church. Authority of the Church of Greece is vested in the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, comprised of diocesan bishops who have metropolitan status.  The head of the Church of Greece is the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece.

A new cathedral in the capital city of Athens was part of a comprehensive building program that King Otto carried out. The cornerstone of the new cathedral was laid in the presence of King Otto on Christmas Day 1842. The relationship of the new Church of Greece with King Otto and his wife Amalia of Oldenburg, who he married in 1836, was strained. Although King Otto agreed that his children would be raised in the Greek Orthodox religion, he refused to convert from Roman Catholicism. Likewise, Queen Amalia refused to convert from Lutheranism. Otto and Amalia never had children and their refusal to convert to the Greek Orthodox religion led to them being greatly disliked by the Greek people and were contributing factors to King Otto being deposed in 1862.

King Otto and Queen Amalia in the Metropolitan Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia

The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation was built in several stages, and four architects worked on its construction: Danish architect Theophilus von Hansen (1842 – 1843), Greek architect Dimitrios Zezos (1846 – 1857), French architect Francois Boulanger, and Greek architect Panagiotis Kalkos (1857 – 1862). Marble from 72 demolished churches was used to build the cathedral. Work was stopped on the cathedral for three years, 1843 – 1846, due to financial problems. On May 21, 1862, the completed cathedral was dedicated to the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary in the presence of King Otto and Queen Amalia.

The Metropolitan Cathedral in 2008 while it was still being repaired due to the damage caused by the 1999 earthquake: Credit – Από Badseed – Own work CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4309396

The cathedral was damaged by an earthquake on September 7, 1999. Renovations and repairs were extensive and the scaffolding was not removed until 2016.

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The Exterior of the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation

Exterior of the Metropolitan Cathedral in 2016 after the end of the repair work caused by the 1999  earthquake; Credit – Από C messier – Έργο αυτού που το ανεβάζει, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51359657

The exterior of the cathedral is in a simple Byzantine-modern style with two bell towers. Above the main doors is a mosaic representing the Annunciation, the announcement of the Archangel Gabriel to Mary that she would conceive and bear a son through a virgin birth and become the mother of the Son of God.

The mosaic of the Annunciation above the main doors; Credit – By Κυριάκος Κ. – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=84743057

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The Interior of the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation

The layout of the traditional interior of an Orthodox church; Credit – By Phiddipus at en.wikipedia – self-made, Attribution, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13396583

Orthodox churches are set up differently than other Christian churches. They are divided into three main parts: the narthex, the nave, and the sanctuary.

The narthex is the connection between the church and the outside world. It used to be the practice that non-Orthodox people had to remain in the narthex but this practice has mostly fallen into disuse.

The nave looking toward the iconostasis; Credit – By George E. Koronaios – https://www.flickr.com/photos/140911325@N02/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=99501816

The congregation stands in the nave during services. Traditionally there is no sitting during Orthodox services and so Orthodox churches usually do not have pews or chairs. The Metropolitan Cathedral has no pews but chairs are sometimes used.

The iconostasis; Credit – © Ad Meskens / Wikimedia Commons Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=83302715

In Orthodox Christianity, an iconostasis is a wall of icons and religious paintings that divides the sanctuary from the nave. The sanctuary is where the Eucharist or Divine Liturgy is performed behind the iconostasis. The iconostasis usually has three doors, one in the middle and one on either side. The middle door is traditionally called the Beautiful Gate and is only used by the clergy. The doors on either side are called the Deacons’ Doors or Angel Doors as they often have depicted on them the Archangels Michael and Gabriel. These doors are used by deacons and servers to enter the sanctuary. Traditionally, only males may enter the sanctuary, however, no one may enter the sanctuary without a blessing from the priest or bishop.

Decorations of the interior of the Metropolitan Cathedral; Credit – By C messier – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73200702

The interior of the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation is richly decorated with frescoes, icons, and stone carvings.

Icon of the Virgin Mary and Infant Jesus; Credit- By Tzim78 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37693059

The cathedral has the tombs of Saint Philothei of Athens (1522 – 1589) and Saint Georgios V, Patriarch of Constantinople (1746 – 1821), who were killed by the Ottoman Turks while Greece was part of the Ottoman Empire. They are revered as martyrs for the freedom of Greece and the Orthodox faith.

Shrine of Saint Georgios V, Patriarch of Constantinople; Credit – By Χρήστης Templar52 – Transferred from el.wikipedia to Commons by Alaniaris using CommonsHelper.(Original text: Φωτογράφηση ρξ ιδίων), Attribution, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4313193

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Royal Events at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation

Wedding of Prince Philippos and Nina Nastassja Flohr in 2021

The Metropolitan Cathedral has been the site of important ceremonies including weddings and funerals of notable personalities including Greek royalty. It is likely that there would have been more royal events at the Metropolitan Cathedral had the Greek royals not been in exile from 1924 – 1935 during the Second Hellenic Republic and from 1967 – 2003, after the monarchy was abolished and until former King Constantine II was allowed to once again to enter Greece. Most recently, the religious wedding of Prince Philippos, the youngest child of former King Constantine II, and Nina Nastassja Flohr was held at the Metropolitan Cathedral on October 23, 2021.

Christening of Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece in 1967; Credit – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/385761524301918610/

Royal christenings held at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation include:

Embed from Getty Images
Wedding of King Constantine II of Greece and Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark in 1964

Royal weddings held at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation include:

The coffin of Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia, wife of Prince Nicholas of Greece, is carried by members of the Royal Guard at her funeral in 1957, followed by King Paul of Greece

Royal funerals held at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation include:

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Kathedrale Mariä Verkündigung (Athen) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathedrale_Mari%C3%A4_Verk%C3%BCndigung_(Athen)> [Accessed 14 February 2022].
  • El.wikipedia.org. 2022. Μητροπολιτικός Ναός Αθηνών – Βικιπαίδεια. [online] Available at: <https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%9C%CE%B7%CF%84%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%80%CE%BF%CE%BB%CE%B9%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BA%CF%8C%CF%82_%CE%9D%CE%B1%CF%8C%CF%82_%CE%91%CE%B8%CE%B7%CE%BD%CF%8E%CE%BD> [Accessed 14 February 2022]. (Greek Wikipedia)
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Eastern Orthodox church architecture – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox_church_architecture> [Accessed 14 February 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Iconostasis – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iconostasis> [Accessed 14 February 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Cathedral_of_Athens> [Accessed 14 February 2022].
  • The Royal Watcher. 2022. The Royal Watcher. [online] Available at: <https://royalwatcherblog.com/> [Accessed 14 February 2022]. (for event dates)
  • Van Der Kiste, John, 1999. Kings of the Hellenes: The Greek Kings 1863 – 1974. Stroud: Sutton Publishing.

Ancestors of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

compiled by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Credit – Wikipedia

Although the initial articles in the ancestors series dealt with current European monarchs (ancestor articles for European heirs have since been added, all the articles can be seen at Unofficial Royalty: Royal Relationships), Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, was included. The initial articles were published in 2021, the year of Prince Philip’s 100th birthday. Sady, Prince Philip died on April 9, 2021, just two months short of his 100th birthday. At that time, he was the only consort of a currently reigning European monarch to have been born royal – and it is quite likely that he may be the last.

Born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark via his patrilineal descent from his grandfather King George I of Greece (formerly Prince Vilhelm of Denmark) and his great-grandfather King Christian IX of Denmark, Philip has an impressive royal pedigree that includes British, Danish, Greek, Prussian, and Russian monarchs, in addition to rulers from German principalities, duchies, and grand duchies. Through his mother Princess Alice of Battenberg, Philip is a descendant of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Indeed, his royal pedigree is more royal than the royal pedigree of his wife Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. (See Unofficial Royalty: Ancestors of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.) The only major blip in his pedigree is the morganatic or unequal marriage of his great-grandfather Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine to Countess Julia von Hauke.

The marriage of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine to Countess Julia von Hauke deprived their children of their paternal royal titles, status, and inheritance. Julia was created Countess of Battenberg, with the style Illustrious Highness by her brother-in-law Grand Duke Ludwig III of Hesse and by Rhine. Her children took their titles from her, becoming Count/Countess of Battenberg. In 1858, the Grand Duke elevated Julia and her children to the rank of Prince/Princess, with the style Serene Highness. However, they remained ineligible for the Grand Ducal throne of Hesse and by Rhine.

The status of the Battenberg family was raised considerably by two marriages. In 1884, Alexander and Julia’s son Prince Louis of Battenberg married Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, the daughter of Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and Princess Alice of the United Kingdom and therefore, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Louis of Battenberg and Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine are Prince Philip’s maternal grandparents. The following year Queen Victoria’s youngest child Princess Beatrice married Prince Louis of Battenberg’s brother Prince Henry of Battenberg, and they are the ancestors of the Spanish royal family.

In 1917, due to anti-German sentiments during World War I, King George V of the United Kingdom decreed that all his relatives who had Germanic names and titles and were British subjects should exchange their old names and titles for new English-sounding ones. The Battenberg surname was anglicized to Mountbatten – berg being the German word for mountain – and Philip’s grandfather Prince Louis of Battenberg, who had become a British subject, became the Marquess of Milford Haven in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.

Prince Philip is:

A descendant of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom through his mother
Queen Victoria → Princess Alice of the United Kingdom → Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine → Princess Alice of Battenberg → Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark

A descendant of King Christian IX of Denmark through his father
King Christian IX of Denmark → King George I of Greece (born Prince Vilhelm of Denmark) → Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark → Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark

A descendant of Peter the Great of Russia and Catherine the Great of Russia through his father
Emperor Peter I (the Great) → Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna → Emperor Peter III of Russia married Empress Catherine II (the Great) (born Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst) → Emperor Paul → Emperor Nicholas I → Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia → Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia → Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark → Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark

Parents, Grandparents, Great-Grandparents, Great-Great-Grandparents, and Great-Great-Great-Grandparents of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1921 – 2021)

The links below are from Unofficial Royalty,  Wikipedia, Leo’s Genealogics Website, or The Peerage.

Parents

Prince Philip’s parents; Credit – Wikipedia

Grandparents

Prince Louis of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, maternal grandparents Credit – Wikipedia

Great-Grandparents

Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, great-grandparents; Credit – Wikipedia

Great-Great-Grandparents

Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia and Charlotte of Prussia, great-great-grandparents; Credit – Wikipedia

Great-Great-Great-Grandparents

Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia and Duchess Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, great-great-great-grandparents; Credit – Wikipedia

Sources:

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Assassination of George I, King of the Hellenes (1913)

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2020

On March 18, 1913, King George I of the Hellenes was shot and killed while out walking in Thessaloniki, Greece. His assassin, Alexandros Schinas, died six weeks later under somewhat mysterious circumstances.

King George I of the Hellenes. source: Wikipedia

King George I of the Hellenes

King George I was born Prince Christian Vilhelm Ferdinand Adolf Georg, a younger son of the future King Christian IX of Denmark. His siblings included King Frederik VIII of Denmark, Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, and Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia.

In 1863, at just 17 years old, he was elected unanimously by the Greek National Assembly as King of the Hellenes, replacing King Otto who had been deposed to the previous year. Taking the name George I of the Hellenes, he was enthroned in Denmark on June 6, 1863, and arrived in Greece in October of that year. He married Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia and the couple had eight children. King George I went on to reign for nearly 50 years and was much loved by the Greek people.

For more information, see Unofficial Royalty: King George I of the Hellenes

The Assassin – Alexandros Schinas

Not much is known about Alexandros Schinas’s life before the King’s assassination. Born in Greece, it was reported that he had left the country and moved to New York City for several years. Shinas stated that he had been deported from Thessaloniki because he was “a good Greek patriot” in 1910. However, in a later interview, he stated that he had sought financial assistance from the palace in 1911 and been turned away, suggesting that he had remained in Greece. What is known is that by 1913 he was back in Greece, and told authorities that he had contracted tuberculosis and had suffered from fits of delirium.

For more information, see Wikipedia: Alexandros Schinas

The Assassination

A depiction of the King’s assassination. source: Wikipedia

Thessaloniki – Greece’s second-largest city – had been under the Ottoman Empire until the Greeks successfully took the city on November 9, 1912, during the First Balkan War. Several days later, King George I, accompanied by his son Crown Prince Constantine, rode through the streets in triumph.

By March 1913, King George I was approaching his 50th year on the Greek throne and was planning to step down in favor of his son, Crown Prince Constantine, in October of that year. On March 18, the King went for an afternoon walk through the streets of Thessaloniki. As he was known to do, he went out with just an aide-de-camp and very little security protection. That day, it would prove to be a fatal choice. Various reports exist of exactly what happened – some state that Schinas was lying in wait and leaped out from hiding to shoot the King. Others, including Schinas’s interviews with authorities, state that he wandered from a nearby cafe, happened to see King George I and in a fit of delirium, pulled his gun and fired. Either way, the result was the same. The bullet entered the king’s back, piercing his heart and lungs, and exited through his abdomen. The king collapsed and was quickly put into a carriage and taken to the hospital but died before arriving.

What happened to King George?

Tomb of King George I. photo by Kostisl – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25375493

The King collapsed following the attack and died in the carriage before arriving at the nearby hospital. His family traveled to Salonika, where the king’s body lay for a week. On March 25, a grand procession took place with the King’s coffin being borne on a gun carriage and accompanied by the rest of the Greek royal family, making its way to the Royal Yacht Amphitrite and sailing for Athens.

In Athens, the King lay in state for three days in the Metropolitan Cathedral followed by a lavish state funeral. The coffin was then interred in the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace, the summer home of the Greek Royal Family.

What happened to the assassin?

Alexandros Schinas in custody. source: Wikipedia

Alexandros Schinas made no attempt to flee after shooting King George I and was quickly subdued and taken into custody. In an interrogation, he claimed that he had no prior plans to kill the King, but stated that he was delirious due to his tuberculosis. He stated that he simply saw the King walking just behind him, and pulled his gun, and fired. However, it was also widely reported that he held some animosity toward the King, having been turned away when seeking financial assistance at the palace.

Six weeks later, on May 6, 1913, Schinas died after falling from a window in the Magistrate’s office. The guards claimed that he jumped, while others claimed that he was thrown from the window.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Wedding of Prince George, Duke of Kent and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

The wedding of Prince George, Duke of Kent and Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent by Bassano Ltd 12 x 10 inch glass plate negative, 29 November 1934 NPG x95790 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Prince George, Duke of Kent and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark were married in a Church of England ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London, England on November 29, 1934, followed by a Greek Orthodox service at the Private Chapel in Buckingham Palace. This was the last time a foreign princess married into the British Royal Family. It was the first time that a royal wedding was broadcast over the radio.

George’s Early Life

Prince George with his siblings in 1902; (Sitting left to right, John, Mary, George, Standing left to right Albert (future King George VI), Henry, Edward (known as David, future King Edward VIII); Credit – Wikipedia

Prince George, Duke of Kent was the fifth of six children of the future King George V and Queen Mary. He was born on December 20, 1902, at York Cottage on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England. George’s siblings were King Edward VIII, later Duke of Windsor; King George VI; Mary, Princess Royal, Countess of Harewood; Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester; and Prince John who died at age thirteen due to epilepsy complications.

George’s education began privately at home, and then he attended St Peter’s Court Preparatory School in Kent, England. After attending the Royal Naval Colleges at Osborne and at Dartmouth, George served in the Royal Navy until 1929. He then became the first member of the British Royal Family to work as a civil servant, taking up positions in the Foreign Office and then the Home Office. On October 12, 1934, six weeks before his marriage to Princess Marina, he was created Duke of Kent, Earl of St Andrews, and Baron Downpatrick.

Learn more about Prince George at Unofficial Royalty: Prince George, Duke of Kent

Marina’s Early Life

Marina on the right with her sisters Olga and Elizabeth; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark was born on December 13, 1906, in Athens, Greece. She was the youngest of the three daughters of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark (a son of King George I of the Hellenes, born Prince Vilhelm of Denmark) and Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia (a granddaughter of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia). Through her father, Marina was the first cousin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Marina and her sisters grew up with their paternal grandparents in Athens, Greece. They were educated by English governesses and were taught foreign languages, history, and mathematics by private tutors. The year 1913 brought the family’s idyllic life to an end. Marina’s grandfather King George I was assassinated. In 1917, when her uncle King Constantine I was forced from the Greek throne, Marina’s family joined Constantine in exile in Switzerland. World War I had wiped out her mother’s Russian fortune and the family faced financial difficulties for the first time in their lives. Marina’s family returned to Greece in 1920 when King Constantine I was restored to the throne but again went into exile two years later when he was forced to abdicate. After stays in Italy and England, Marina’s family settled in Paris, where they relied upon the generosity of her father’s elder brother Prince George and his very wealthy wife Princess Marie Bonaparte.

Learn more about Princess Marina at Unofficial Royalty: Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, Duchess of Kent

The Engagement

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In September 1933, Marina made a trip to London with her sister Olga and Olga’s husband Prince Paul of Yugoslavia. Both Marina and George attended a luncheon at Claridge’s Hotel. The two were second cousins as they were both great-grandchildren of King Christian IX of Denmark. They had met many times before but at the luncheon, they each paid more attention to the other. George’s eldest brother encouraged him to court Marina.

The next summer, Marina’s mother and other members of the Greek royal family came to London and George and Marina began a serious courtship. On the evening of August 20, 1934, after a game of backgammon, Marina’s family left her alone with George and it was then that George proposed. On August 28, 1934, Buckingham Palace announced the engagement of Prince George, Duke of Kent to Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark.

The Wedding Site

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Westminster Abbey was completed around 1060 and was consecrated in 1065, during the reign of Edward the Confessor. Construction of the second and present church was begun in 1245 by Henry III who selected the site for his burial. In 1269, Henry III oversaw a grand ceremony to rebury Edward the Confessor in a magnificent new shrine, personally helping to carry the body to its new resting place.

Westminster Abbey was the wedding venue for six royal weddings during the reigns of the Plantagenet kings including that of King Richard II to Anne of Bohemia in 1382. That would be the last royal wedding at Westminster Abbey until the reign of King George V. Queen Victoria’s granddaughter and King George V’s first cousin Princess Patricia of Connaught married The Honorable Alexander Ramsay at Westminster Abbey in 1919. This was the first major royal event after World War I.

The wedding of George’s sister Princess Mary and Viscount Lascelles in 1922 was the first time a child of a monarch had married at Westminster Abbey since 1290 when Margaret of England, daughter of King Edward I, married John II, Duke of Brabant. George’s brother Prince Albert, Duke of York, the future King George VI, had married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon at Westminster Abbey in 1923. Because there had not been a royal wedding for eleven years, there was much excitement about the wedding of George and Marina.

Wedding Guests

1,500 guests attended the wedding at Westminster Abbey. Members of the British royal family attended the wedding along with members of the royal families of Denmark, Greece, and Yugoslavia. Also in attendance were members of the former reigning royal families of Russia, Prussia, Austria, and other lesser royals who had also lost their thrones after World War I. Among the guests were the American-born British shipbroker Ernest Simpson and his American wife Wallis, who would soon become a household name. Also in Westminster Abbey, was an eight-year-old bridesmaid, the niece of the groom, the future Queen Elizabeth II, and the thirteen-year-old first cousin of the bride, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, the future Duke of Edinburgh.

Bridesmaids and Supporters

The wedding of Prince George, Duke of Kent and Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent by Bassano Ltd, 12 x 10 inch glass plate negative, 29 November 1934, NPG x95791 © National Portrait Gallery, London

George’s two eldest brothers The Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VIII, later the Duke of Windsor) and The Duke of York (the future King George VI) served as best man and his supporter.

The eight bridesmaids were related to the bride and/or the groom:

  • Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark, the bride’s first cousin and groom’s second cousin, daughter of King Constantine I of Greece and Princess Sophie of Prussia (granddaughter of Queen Victoria), married Prince Aimone, Duke of Aosta
  • Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark, the bride’s first cousin and groom’s second cousin, daughter of King Constantine I of Greece and Princess Sophie of Prussia (granddaughter of Queen Victoria), married Major Richard Brandram
  • Princess Eugénie of Greece and Denmark, the bride’s first cousin, daughter of Prince George of Greece and Denmark, married (1) Prince Dominic Radziwill (2) husband Prince Raymundo della Torre e Tasso, Duke of Castel Duino
  • Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna of Russia, the bride’s first cousin and the groom’s second cousin, daughter of Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia and Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (granddaughter of Queen Victoria), married Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia
  • Princess Juliana of the Netherlands, the bride’s first cousin once removed, the future Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, daughter of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, married Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld
  • Princess Elizabeth of York, the groom’s niece and the bride’s second cousin once removed, the future Queen Elizabeth II, married the bride’s first cousin Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark
  • Lady Iris Mountbatten, the groom’s second cousin, daughter of Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke, (grandson of Queen Victoria), married (1) Hamilton O’Malley (2) Michael Bryan (3) William Kemp
  • Lady Mary Cambridge, the groom’s first cousin once removed, daughter of George Cambridge, 2nd Marquess of Cambridge (nephew of Queen Mary), married Peter Whitley

Wedding Attire

The Wedding of Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent and Prince George, Duke of Kent by Elliott & Fry vintage contact print, 29 November 1934 NPG x104247 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Prince George, Duke of Kent was dressed in military uniform with ropes, sash, and medals including the Royal Victorian Order, the Order of the Thistle, the Order of the Garter, and the Order of St Michael and St George.

Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent by Elliott & Fry half-plate negative, 29 November 1934 NPG x82064 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Princess Marina was considered to be the most glamorous of the early Windsor brides. Her gown, designed by British designer Edward Molyneux, was made from silver and white brocade with a flower design and was lined with silver lamé. The court train was fifteen feet long and the sleeves were long and in a medieval style. The veil, made of handmade lace and white tulle, had been worn by Marina’s mother, born Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia, and by Marina’s sister Olga at their weddings. It was secured by the Kent City of London Fringe Tiara, a wedding gift to Marina from the City of London. Princess Marina was the first British royal bride to wear the now de rigueur tiara.

The Kent City of London Fringe Tiara; Photo Credit – http://orderofsplendor.blogspot.com

The Wedding

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At 8 AM on November 29, 1934, the first guests began to arrive at Westminster Abbey, dressed in uniforms and evening dress. An hour later, arriving guests found it difficult to make their way into Westminster Abbey due to the huge crowds that had gathered.

The groom’s parents King George V and Queen Mary led the royal procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, departing as scheduled at 10:35 AM. King Haakon V (first cousin once removed of both the bride and groom) and Queen Maud of Norway (the groom’s aunt), King Christian X of Denmark (the first cousin once removed of both the bride and groom) and his wife Queen Alexandrine, former King George II of Greece (second cousin of both the bride and groom), Prince Paul of Yugoslavia (the bride’s brother-in-law) and Princess Nicholas of Greece (the bride’s mother) followed in the royal procession to Westminster Abbey. Prince George, Duke of Kent left St. James’ Palace at 10:44 AM with his brothers The Prince of Wales and The Duke of York. Two minutes later, Princess Marina and her father Prince Nicholas of Greece left Buckingham Palace.

At 10:50 AM, members of the various royal families began the royal procession into Westminster Abbey which ended with King George V and Queen Mary. Following the royal procession, the groom made his way down the aisle accompanied by his two eldest brothers the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VIII, later the Duke of Windsor) and the Duke of York (the future King George VI). Princess Marina, on the arm of her father Prince Nicholas of Greece, and accompanied by her eight bridesmaids, proceeded to the altar to the organ playing “The Bridal March” by Hubert Parry. Eight-year-old Princess Elizabeth of York and ten-year-old Lady Mary Cambridge carried the bride’s veil. After the bride reached the altar, the hymn “Gracious Spirit, Holy Ghost” was sung.

Cosmo Gordon Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury conducted the wedding ceremony and referring to the radio broadcast, he said, “The whole nation, nay the whole empire, are wedding guests.” The couple took their vows as the bridesmaids stood in two lines behind them. After two prayers and the choir’s melodious “Amens”, the bridal couple moved to the altar. Psalms were sung and the Lord’s Prayer was said. After additional prayers and the hymn “God Be in My Head”, the Archbishop of Canterbury gave his address followed by his benediction and the national anthem, “God Save The King.” The choir then sang an anthem specially written for the occasion, “Alleluia, The Lord Send You Help from the Sanctuary”. Next, the wedding register was signed in the Chapel of St. Edward the Confessor by the bride and groom, their parents, and other royalty.

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Upon return to Buckingham Palace, a Greek Orthodox wedding ceremony was held in the Private Chapel officiated by The Metropolitan Dr. Strinopoulos Germanos, Head of the Greek Orthodox Church in England.

After the Wedding

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A wedding breakfast was held for 120 guests at Buckingham Palace. There were five wedding cakes and the largest one was cut with the groom’s sword. Shortly before 1:30 PM, the newlyweds appeared on the balcony. As George and Marina left Buckingham Palace for Paddington Station, they were pelted by rose petals confetti shaped in symbols of good luck: silver shoes, horseshoes, and true lovers’ knots. The Prince of Wales and the Duke of York then ran after the carriage in the palace forecourt tossing the symbols of good luck at the newlyweds.

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On the way to Paddington Stations, the couple was greeted by crowds of people lining the streets. They spent their honeymoon at Himley Hall in Himley, Staffordshire, England, the country estate of William Ward, 3rd Earl of Dudley.

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At Paddington Station, ready to leave for their honeymoon

Children

 

George and Marina had three children. Sadly, just six weeks after the birth of their youngest child Prince Michael, George was killed when his military plane crashed in Scotland on August 25, 1942.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Hough, Richard. (1991). Born Royal – The Lives and Loves of the Young Windsors. Leicester: Ulverscroft.
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  • Mehl, Scott. (2014). Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/princess-marina-duchess-of-kent/ [Accessed 26 Oct. 2019].
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  • Nytimes.com. (1934). Glittering Gathering in Abbey.. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/1934/11/30/archives/glittering-gathering-in-abbey.html?searchResultPosition=4 [Accessed 26 Oct. 2019].
  • Nytimes.com. (1934). MARGOT ASQUITH HAILS ‘LOVE MATCH’; Happy Expressions on Faces of Princess Marina and Duke of Kent Move Her. THRONGS WELL MANNERED Writer Marvels at Good Humor of Britons That Makes Rulers Safe in Their Midst.. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/1934/11/30/archives/margot-asquith-hails-love-match-happy-expressions-on-faces-of.html?searchResultPosition=3 [Accessed 26 Oct. 2019].
  • Nytimes.com. (1934). PRINCE GEORGE GOES ABROAD FOR A BRIDE; His Wedding With Princess Marina Allies Windsor With a Dispossessed Dynasty. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/1934/09/02/archives/prince-george-goes-abroad-for-a-bride-his-wedding-with-princess.html?searchResultPosition=2 [Accessed 26 Oct. 2019].
  • Orderofsplendor.blogspot.com. (2012). Wedding Wednesday: Princess Marina’s Gown. [online] Available at: http://orderofsplendor.blogspot.com/2012/10/wedding-wednesday-princess-marinas-gown.html [Accessed 26 Oct. 2019].
  • Pope-Hennessy, James. (1959). Queen Mary, 1867-1953. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.

Admiral Perikles Ioannidis, second husband of Princess Maria of Greece and Denmark

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Perikles Ioannidis with his wife Princess Maria of Greece (on the left) and his mother-in-law Dowager Queen Olga of Greece (on the right); Credit – Wikipedia

The second husband of Princess Maria of Greece and Denmark, Perikles Ioannidis was born on November 1, 1881, in Corinth, Greece. He attended school in his hometown and then entered the Hellenic Naval Academy, graduating with the rank of Ensign.

Perikles was a fervent monarchist and supported King Constantine I of Greece in his disagreements with Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos called the National Schism.  Eventually, their disagreement over how Greece should participate in World War I led to Venizelos forcing King Constantine I from the Greek throne and into exile. Perikles was sentenced to three years in prison because of his support of the king. After the November 1920 parliamentary elections were won by the monarchist People’s Party, Perikles was released from prison and recalled to the navy where he attained the rank of admiral.

Princess Maria of Greece and Denmark was the daughter of King George I of Greece (born Prince Vilhelm I of Denmark) and Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia. Maria had married Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia in 1900. George and Maria’s marriage was never particularly happy. Maria was not in love with her husband, despite his apparent devotion to her. She had never wanted to leave Greece and soon found excuses to leave Russia and her husband. She spent more time in Greece and elsewhere in Europe, often using her daughters’ health as the reason for her travels. Maria and her two daughters were in England when World War I broke out and chose not to return to Russia. They never saw George again. On January 28, 1919, George was killed by a firing squad with three other Grand Dukes of Russia at the Fortress of Peter and Paul in St. Petersburg, Russia.

In 1920, Maria was able to return to Greece when her eldest brother King Constantine I was brought back to power. She traveled aboard a Greek destroyer commanded by Perikles. Maria was determined to marry a Greek and a romance developed. Perikles and Maria married two years later, on December 16, 1922, in Wiesbaden, Germany. They had no children.

Maria with her daughters, circa 1918; Credit – Wikipedia

Upon his marriage, Perikles acquired two stepdaughters, the daughters of Maria and her first husband:

The couple settled in Athens but In 1924, the Second Hellenic Republic was declared and the monarchy was abolished. They lived many years in exile, first in the United Kingdom until 1925, and then in Italy until 1935. In 1935, Perikles and Maria were able to return to Greece when the monarchy was restored with Maria’s nephew King George II upon the throne. Perikles and Maria’s marriage did have its issues. Perikles had mistresses and often gave his mistresses jewelry stolen from his wife. Maria lost money playing backgammon and Perikles was forced to carefully monitor their expenses. Maria died of a heart attack at the age of 64 in Athens, Greece on December 14, 1940. She was buried at the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace near Athens.

Statue of Admiral Perikles Ioannidis in Rhodes one of the islands of the Dodecanese; Credit – By Thanasis Christodoulou – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46619481

In 1947, upon the return to Greece of the Dodecanese, a group of Greek islands that had been occupied during World War II, Perikles was named military governor until the establishment of a civilian government in 1951. Perikles then returned to Athens where he spent the remainder of his life devoted to philanthropy and public service. He was president of the Piraeus Yacht Club and a benefactor of the Historical and Ethnological Society of Greece. He bequeathed his collection of photographs and historical items to the Historical and Ethnological Society of Greece and the society’s collection is now housed at the National Historical Museum in Athens.

Admiral Perikles Ioannidis survived his wife by twenty-five years, dying in Athens, Greece on February 7, 1965, at the age of 83. He was buried with his wife Princess Maria of Greece and Denmark in the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace.

Grave of Perikles Ioannidis and Princess Maria in the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace Credit – Par Kostisl — Travail personnel, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25382837

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Fr.wikipedia.org. (2019). Periklís Ioannídis. [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perikl%C3%ADs_Ioann%C3%ADdis [Accessed 7 Nov. 2019].
  • Mehl, Scott. (2019). Princess Maria of Greece. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/princess-maria-of-greece/ [Accessed 7 Nov. 2019].
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. (2019). Perikles Ioannidis. [online] Available at: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perikles_Ioannidis [Accessed 7 Nov. 2019].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. (2019). Иоаннидис, Периклис. [online] Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%98%D0%BE%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B8%D1%81,_%D0%9F%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%81 [Accessed 7 Nov. 2019].

First Cousins of Queen Sofia of Spain and King Constantine II of Greece

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Queen Sofia of Spain (born 1938)

(All photos credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

Queen Sofia, the wife King Juan Carlos I of Spain, was Queen Consort of Spain from her husband’s accession in 1975 until his abdication in 2014 in favor of their son, King Felipe VI. Born Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark on November 2, 1938, at Villa Psychiko, in the suburbs of Athens, Greece, She married the future King Juan Carlos of Spain, a descendant of Queen Victoria via her youngest daughter Princess Beatrice, and had two daughters and one son.

 

King Constantine II of Greece (1940 – 2023)

King Constantine II of Greece was the King of Greece (styled King of the Hellenes) from 1964 until the monarchy was abolished in 1973. He was born on June 2, 1940, at Villa Psychiko, in the suburbs of Athens, Greece. In 1964, Constantine married Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark, the youngest daughter of King Frederick IX of Denmark, and a descendant of Queen Victoria via her son Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught. Constantine and Anne-Marie had five children.

Sofia was the eldest of the three children and Constantine was the second of the three children and the only son of King Paul of Greece and Princess Frederica of Hanover, both descendants of Queen Victoria’s eldest child Victoria, Princess Royal who married Friedrich III, German Emperor. Sofia and Constantine’s paternal grandparents were King Constantine I of Greece and Princess Sophie of Prussia. Their maternal grandparents were Ernst August III of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick and Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia, the only daughter of Wilhelm II, German Emperor. Queen Sofia of Spain and King Constantine II of Greece have fifteen first cousins. They share their first cousins with their sister Princess Irene of Greece.

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Paternal Aunts and Uncles of Queen Sofia of Spain, born Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark and King Constante II of Greece: Children of King Constantine I of Greece and Princess Sophie of Prussia

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Maternal Aunts and Uncles of Queen Sofia of Spain, born Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark and King Constante II of Greece: Children of Ernst August III of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick and Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia

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PATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Paternal First Cousins: Children of King Alexander of Greece and Aspasia Manos

Princess Alexandra of Greece, Queen of Yugoslavia (1921 – 1993)

Princess Alexandra of Greece was the only child of King Alexander of Greece and his commoner wife Aspasia Manos, the daughter of Petros Manos, who had served as Master of the Horse to Alexander’s father King Constantine I. Aspasia would not be recognized as Queen. King Alexander died after contracting septicemia from a monkey bite. Aspasia was four months pregnant at the time, and gave birth to their daughter, Alexandra, in March 1921. Princess Alexandra married King Peter II of Yugoslavia and they had one son Crown Prince Alexander. After World War II, the Yugoslav monarchy was abolished and Alexandra and Peter separated.

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Helen of Greece and King Carol of Romania

King Michael of Romania (1921 – 2017)

King Michael of Romania, also known as Mihai, was King of Romania twice, from 1927 – 1930, and then from 1940 – 1947, when the monarchy was abolished. Michael married Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma, the daughter of Prince René of Bourbon-Parma and Princess Margaret of Denmark. The couple had five daughters. Michael worked as a commercial pilot and also worked for an aircraft equipment company. It would be 43 years before he set foot on Romanian soil again. Eventually, the Romanian government restored Michael’s citizenship and returned several properties to the royal family. When Michael died in 2017, he was the second oldest living descendant of Queen Victoria. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was older by four months.

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Irene of Greece and Prince Aimone, Duke of Aosta

Prince Amadeo, Duke of Aosta (1943 – 2021)

Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta was a claimant to the head of the House of Savoy, the former royal family of Italy. Amedeo married Princess Claude of Orléans, the daughter of Prince Henri of Orléans, Count of Paris, the Orléanist claimant to the French throne. The couple had two daughters and one son before divorcing. Amedeo married again to Silvia Paternò di Spedalotto but the couple had no children.

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Katherine of Greece, The Lady Katherine Brandram and Major Richard Brandram

Paul Brandram’s christening: Lady Katherine Brandram and her husband with their son, held by Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent

Paul Brandram (1948 – 2020)

Paul Brandram grew up in England. He married Jennifer Steele and they had two daughters and one son before divorcing after eighteen years of marriage. He made a second marriage to Katherine Moreton.

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MATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Ernst August IV, Prince of Hanover, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick and Princess Ortrud of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg

Princess Marie of Hanover, Countess of Hochberg (born 1952)

Princess Marie of Hanover married Count Michael of Hochberg and had two sons.

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Ernst August V at the wedding of his son Christian, 2018; Credit – www.zimbio.com

Prince Ernst August V of Hanover (born 1954)

Ernst August V is among the senior male-line descendants of King George III of the United Kingdom. This line is directly descended from King George III’s son, Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, who became King of Hanover due to the Salic Law which forbade female succession following the death of his brother King William IV and the accession of Queen Victoria. Ernst August V is the Head of the House of Hanover and pretender to the thrones of the Kingdom of Hanover and the Duchy of Brunswick.

Ernst August first married Chantal Hochuli, the daughter of Johann Gustav Hochuli, a Swiss millionaire from his family’s chocolate company and architect. The couple had two sons and divorced. He then married Princess Caroline of Monaco and had one daughter. While initially very happy, the couple, still legally married, now leads separate lives.

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Prince Ludwig Rudolph of Hanover, held by his mother after his christening. Also in the photo is his father and his elder brother Prince Ernst August

Prince Ludwig Rudolph of Hanover (1955 – 1988)

Prince Ludwig Rudolph married Countess Isabelle von Thurn und Valsassina-Como-Vercelli and the couple had one son. Ludwig died by suicide shortly after discovering the body of his wife, who had died from a drug overdose.

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Princess Olga of Hanover (born 1958), unmarried

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Princess Alexandra with her husband

Princess Alexandra of Hanover, Princess of Leiningen (born 1959)

Princess Alexandra of Hanover married another descendant of Queen Victoria, Andreas, 8th Prince of Leiningen.  The couple had two sons and one daughter.

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Prince Heinrich of Hanover (born 1961)

Prince Heinrich of Hanover is a historian and publisher. He writes under the name Heinrich von Hannover. He married Thyra von Westernhagen whose family is from the landed nobility of Thuringia, Germany and who studied forestry at university. The couple had two sons and one daughter.

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Prince Georg Wilhelm of Hanover and Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark (sister of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh)

Prince Welf Ernst of Hanover (1947 – 1981)

Welf married Wibke van Gunsteren and they had one daughter. Welf and his wife became disciples of the Indian mystic Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh also known as Osho.  They took the names Vimalkirti (“Spotless Splendor”) and Wibke Prem Turiya (“Spiritual love”) and moved with their daughter to Poona, India to live in Osho’s ashram.  In 1979, the couple divorced but continued to live together in India.  Welf died at a clinic in Poona, India from a cerebral hemorrhage after collapsing during a morning karate practice session.  After Welf’s death, his daughter was brought to England by her grandparents so she could have a normal education.

Welf Ernst and his siblings Georg and Friederike are also first cousins of the children of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh: Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward.

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Prince Georg of Hanover (born 1949)

Prince Georg of Hanover married Victoria Anne Bee, daughter of Robert Bee and Eleonore Gräfin Fugger von Babenhausen. The couple had two daughters.

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Princess Friederike of Hanover, Mrs. Jerry Cyr (born 1954)

Princess Friederike of Hanover is a godchild of her aunt by marriage, Queen Elizabeth II. She attended Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada and remained in Canada. Friederike married Jerry William Cyr, son of Gordon Paul Cyr and Emma Grandbois in Vancouver, Canada. The couple had one daughter and one son.

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Prince Christian Oscar of Hanover and Mireille Dutry

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Works Cited

  • Lundy, D. (2019). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2019). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
  • Wikipedia. (2019). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)

Princess Irene of Greece

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

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Princess Irene of Greece

Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark is the youngest child of King Paul of the Hellenes and Princess Friederike of Hanover. She was born on May 11, 1942, in Cape Town, South Africa, and has two older siblings:

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Irene was born in Cape Town, where her family was living in exile during World War II. They returned to Greece in 1946, and the following year, Irene’s father became King of the Hellenes. Irene was given a very diverse education, studying philosophy and archeology, as well as becoming fluent in several languages. She also developed a remarkable talent as a pianist, training with the famed concert pianist Gina Bachauer, and later performing for charitable causes in Europe and the United States. From the time of her father’s death, and brother’s accession to the throne, in March 1964, until the birth of Constantine’s daughter Alexia in July 1965, Irene was the heiress presumptive to the Greek throne. Her elder sister Sophia had relinquished her succession rights upon her marriage in 1962.

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Following the overthrow of the Greek monarchy in 1967, Irene and her mother lived for several years in Rome before moving to India in 1969. Here, Irene studied Vedanta philosophy and religion. By the time of her mother’s death in 1981, Irene had also been spending large amounts of time in Spain, which soon became her permanent residence. She lives in an apartment at Zarzuela Palace in Madrid, the home of her sister Sophia.

In the mid-1980s, she became involved in several philanthropic ventures. When, in 1985, the European Community planned to slaughter several million cattle to artificially reduce milk production, the Princess organized for thousands of cows to be shipped to India, where they would be protected. The following year, she established Mundo en Armonía (World in Harmony Foundation), a non-profit foundation that promotes compassion for animals and harmony between people. She continues to serve as the organization’s president to this day. In 1994, she joined her brother in filing a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights over properties and assets which has been confiscated by the Greek Republic.

In 2002, Princess Irene received a share of the compensation made to the Greek Royal Family for these properties and assets. She used the money to establish a Greek branch of World in Harmony to promote causes in Greece.  In 2018, Princess Irene was granted Spanish citizenship, by Royal Decree.

In addition to her work with World in Harmony, the Princess is involved with numerous organizations, including:

  • Patron, African Cultural Organization of South Africa (ACOSA)
  • Patron, Ashram International
  • Patron, Banco Santander Central Hispano Foundation
  • Honorary President – Spanish Chapter, European String Professors Association (ESTA)
  • Vice President, Dr. T.M.P. Mahadevan Foundation
  • Patron – Spanish Chapter, Yehudi Menuhin Foundation
  • Vice Chair, Sarvodaya International Trust
  • Member of the Honorary Council, The Peres Center for Peace Association in Spain

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Princess Katherine of Greece, The Lady Katherine Brandram

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Katherine of Greece, Lady Katherine Brandham

Princess Katherine of Greece was the youngest child of King Constantine I of the Hellenes and Princess Sophie of Prussia. She was born at the New Royal Palace in Athens, Greece (formerly known as the Crown Prince’s Palace) on May 4, 1913. Through her mother, Katherine was a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria.

Katherine had five older siblings:

Katherine’s christening took place on June 14, 1913, with the following godparents:

Princess Katherine was born into a life of upheaval. At just three years old, she survived a fire at Tatoi Palace, with her mother running two kilometers carrying the young princess. At four years old, her father was forced from the throne – replaced by his younger son, King Alexander – and the family went into exile in Switzerland. Her father returned to the Greek throne in 1920 but was again forced to abdicate two years later in favor of his eldest son, King George II. The family again went into exile – settling in Palermo, Sicily, where her father would die in January 1923. The family moved to Villa Sparta in Florence, where Katherine continued her education, supervised by an English governess.

Princess Katherine (on her father’s knee) with her family, c1919. (standing – Princess Helen, Prince Paul, Princess Irene; sitting – Prince George, Queen Sophie, King Constantine I). source: Wikipedia

Katherine was then sent to England to continue her studies, attending the North Foreland Lodge in Kent. Following her education, she returned to Florence, living with her mother and sisters, and becoming close to the Italian Royal Family. She also maintained close contact with her Greek relations, and in 1934, served as a bridesmaid at the wedding of her cousin, Princess Marina of Greece, to Prince George of the United Kingdom, Duke of Kent, in London. Katherine returned to Greece in 1935 when her brother George was restored to the throne and worked as a nurse with the Greek Red Cross at the outbreak of World War II. Once again forced to flee, the family left Greece in April 1941, traveling to Crete, then to Alexandria, Egypt, before settling in Cape Town, South Africa in July 1941. There, she returned to nursing at a hospital in Cape Town, particularly caring for soldiers who were suffering from blindness.

The family left South Africa and returned to Egypt in 1944, and in May 1946, Katherine decided to join her brother George who was living in exile in the United Kingdom. While traveling onboard the RMS Ascania, she met Major Richard Campbell Andrew Brandram, an officer in the British Royal Artillery, who was traveling home on leave from his position at the British Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. The two quickly fell in love and were engaged three weeks after returning to Britain. Despite Brandram being a commoner, the engagement was met with approval and great happiness by the Greek royal family. King George II, however, asked them to keep the engagement private due to the unstable political situation in Greece at the time. In September 1946, the monarchy was again restored, and Katherine accompanied her brother back to Athens.

The engagement was formally announced in February 1947 and the family was looking forward to the wedding as a time of celebration for the Greek people. Sadly, King George II died on April 1, 1947, just three weeks before the wedding. His successor – his younger brother Paul – insisted that the wedding should take place as scheduled, and Katherine and Richard were married on April 21, 1947. Two ceremonies – Church of England and Greek Orthodox – took place in the ballroom of the Royal Palace in Athens.

King George VI of the United Kingdom issued a decree on August 25, 1947, granting Katherine the “style, title, place and pre-eminence as the daughter of a Duke”, and she became styled as Lady Katherine Brandram. Later that year, Katherine and her husband attended the wedding of her first cousin, Philip Mountbatten, and the future Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.

Following a honeymoon in Greece, the couple returned to Baghdad, and upon returning to England, they settled in Eaton Square, Belgravia, London. They later moved to Marlow in Buckinghamshire, England.

The Brandrams had one son:

  • Richard Paul George Andrew Brandram (1948 – 2020), married  (1) Jennifer Diane Steele, had two daughters and one son, divorced  (2) Kate Moreton, no children

Lady Brandram and her husband with their son (held by Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent). photo: Par Queen Luisa — Collection particulière, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6430088

Katherine lived a relatively quiet life in England, mostly out of the public eye other than an occasional royal event. She retained close ties to her Greek relatives, both at home and in Britain, and often joined them for family functions such as christenings and memorial services. One of her last public appearances was at a Service of Thanksgiving at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor, England for the Duke of Edinburgh’s 80th birthday in 2001.

In her later years, she joined her nephew King Constantine II and niece Princess Irene in a legal battle against the Greek Republic over properties that had been confiscated. The Greek monarchy was abolished in 1974 and the royal family’s properties and assets were confiscated. Five years later, the confiscation decree was abolished, and the properties were returned. These included Tatoi Palace, Mon Repos on the Island of Corfu, and the Royal Estate at Polydendri, of which Katherine was a co-owner. However, the properties were again confiscated in 1994. At that time, Katherine, Constantine, and Irene filed a complaint before the European Court of Human Rights. After a long battle, in 2000 the Court ordered the Greek government to compensate the Greek Royal Family. The decision was confirmed upon appeal in 2002 and Katherine received 300,000 Euros.

Tomb of Princess Katherine, Lady Brandram at Tatoi Palace. photo: By Kostisl – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25383440

Lady Brandram died in London on October 2, 2007. She is buried along with her husband in the Royal Cemetery at the Tatoi Palace in Greece. From 2002 until her death, she was the last surviving great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

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Prince Michael of Greece

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

photo: Yorgos Papadakis. source: Prince Michael’s Chronicles

Prince Michael of Greece

Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark is the son of Prince Christopher of Greece and Princess Françoise of Orléans. Born in Rome on January 7, 1939, Michael was an only child. His godparents included two of his first cousins – Princess Helen of Greece, Queen Mother of Romania, and King George II of the Hellenes. Some of his other first cousins include The Duke of Edinburgh, Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, King Alexander of Greece and King Paul of Greece.

Michael’s father died when he was just a year old, and with the onset of World War II, he and his mother left Italy and moved to Morocco to live with his maternal grandmother. In 1948, they moved to Paris where Michael began his education. In 1953, Michael’s mother died, and he was then raised by his uncle, Henri, Comte de Paris. Michael graduated from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Paris in 1960, with a degree in Political Science. He then returned to Greece in 1959 and served four years in the Greek Army.

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On February 7, 1965, in the ballroom at the Royal Palace in Athens, Prince Michael married Greek artist Marina Karella, the daughter of Theodore Karella and Elly Chalikiopoulos. Although he was third in line for the Greek throne at the time, Michael’s marriage was considered unequal and he was forced to relinquish his rights in order to receive the consent of King Constantine II. Marina did not receive the title Princess of Greece and Denmark nor the style of Royal Highness. She is instead styled as Marina, Consort of Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark. Their wedding was attended by many members of the Greek royal family, as well as members of several foreign royal and noble families, and King Constantine II served as Michael’s best man. Michael and Marina have two daughters, neither of whom have dynastic rights but are styled as Princesses of Greece:

After the overthrow of the Greek monarchy in 1967, Michael and his wife were the only members of the royal family given permission to remain in the country. However, they decided to leave in 1972 and settled in Paris. By then an established author, Michael continued his writing. The family later moved to New York in 1980 where they lived for 13 years before returning to Paris, and eventually back to Greece.

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Prince Michael has written over 30 books, biographies, and historical novels as well as fine arts and photography books, and is a contributing writer to Architectural Digest. He maintains his own website filled with stories and recollections from his life, and many of the people, and events, in it. A listing of his works can be found here.

In 2008, Michael and his wife founded the ELIZA Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, in Greece. The society’s purpose is to protect children suffering from abuse and neglect. For Michael and Marina, the motivation to get involved went back to their time in New York in the early 1990s. Prince Michael met a young girl, named Elisa Izquierdo, at a preschool. The two quickly developed a bond, and the Prince offered to pay her school tuition through high school. In 1995, at just 6 years old, Elisa was murdered by her mother. Her death led to public outrage and demands for better treatment and advocacy for children. Elisa’s Law was passed in New York State the following year, redefining the responsibilities of the state and social services, and increasing the accountability of all involved in child protection. Prince Michael and his wife, devastated by what happened to Elisa, decided to use their resources and recognition to help bring awareness.

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