Constantine II, the last king of Greece, was laid to rest in a funeral service in Athens on Monday, with European royalty in attendance.
The late monarch died last week at the age of 82, after his health deteriorated following a stroke. Constantine was buried as a private citizen.
Τhe private burial service was held after the completion of the funeral service at the Athens Metropolitan Cathedral, led by Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Hieronymos, with the participation of senior clerics of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Greece.
Constantine’s son, Pavlos, delivered the eulogy at the service: “You will always live on in our thoughts and our hearts, as happens in every Greek family when it loses something precious.”
He spoke of moments in his father’s life, among them winning a gold Olympic medal in 1960, and the influence he exerted so that Athens would assume the organisation of the Olympic Games in 2004.
Pavlos also promised that Constantine’s children and grandchildren will safeguard his legacy and “always offer to the country and to Greece”. Afterwards, he delivered the eulogy in English.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and President Katerina Sakellaropoulou did not attend the funeral.
The government was represented by Deputy Prime Minister Panagiotis Pikrammenos and Culture and Sports Minister Lina Mendoni. Among those attending the funeral of the former king, who had been an Olympic gold medallist, was the president of the Hellenic Olympic Committee Spyros Capralos.
Among those attending were royals and nobility from across Europe. Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II, the king and queen of the Netherlands and the entire royal family of Spain attended the service. Royals from Sweden, Luxembourg and Monaco were also present.
The British royal family was represented by Princess Anne — the daughter of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Royalty attending the funeral included King Felipe of Spain with his wife Queen Letitia, Queen Mother of Spain Sofia, Constantine’s sister, with her husband King Emeritus Juan Carlos, as well as Constantine’s other sister, Irene, and the princesses Elena and Cristina, daughters of Juan Carlos and Sofia.
Source: Amna.gr
