Μόχθων δ’ ουκ άλλος ύπερθεν ή γας πατρίας στέρεσθαι.
- Euripides
There is no greater grief that the loss of one’s fatherland.
RIP King Constantine II of Greece (1940-2023)
Constantine II, the last King of Greece, died aged 82 in Athens. A much-loved second cousin of King Charles III and godfather to Prince William, Constantine ascended to the Greek throne in 1964, but was forced to leave the country just three years later following a military coup. Constantine and his family then settled in the UK, where they lived for decades after the Greek monarchy was abolished in 1973.
In 2013, in the midst of the economic crisis, Constantine and Anne-Marie returned permanently to Greece after four decades of exile. “All Greeks who live in exile want to return. It’s in their blood,” he said at the time. His death closes a chapter on Greece’s history. It’s been decided that he would not be given a state funeral.
