How 'royal' Is Their Life?

[yvr girl]

How royal are the lives of the Greek Royal Family? I know that they attend many royal events, weddings etc. They are most certainly well-connected. But what is their day-to-day life like?

I know that Nikolaos works in the King's office? What do they do? The King has no constitutional role.

I know that the Queen has been at charity events. Is she (or anyone else in the family) patron of any organizations?

Also, I have heard that they are poor (by royal standards anyway) but they seem to live a fine life to me. Do they have a household staff? I'm almost positive that Pavlos and MC have nannie(s) for their children. (Although money is no issue for them.) Do the King and Queen have a staff? Their house seems very nice, but certainly no palace.

Does anyone have any insights?

 

[kelly9480]

They seem to live like wealthy British people. They have a butler and probably have a housekeeper, maid and cook as well. This would be like a lot of other wealthy Brits live, but nothing like what they'd be living like if they were still reigning (they'd need more staff).

They devote a lot of time to the Hellenic College of London, and Constantine devotes time to various other institutions. They've also got the Anna-Maria Foundation to get up and running, so that's probably consuming a lot of time.

I read that Constantine's office keeps him in touch with Greeks around the world. That would explain what Nikolaos is doing there.

 

[tricia]

Constantine and Anne-Marie got $125 million dollars from Marie-Chantal's father, Robert Miller, when Pavlos and Marie-Chantal were married in 1995...so you can't really call them "poor".

 

[rosalyn]

What for?.....dowry?

 

[Layla1971]

What for?.....dowry?

Unfortunatly, yes it was a dowry.

 

[Lady Cathrine Rose]

Why is money not an issue for Pavlos and Marie-Chantal? Does her family give them money? Does Pavlos work?

 

[marlene]

I heard that MC got 250 million from her dad when she got married but I never heard that the royal family got anything.Are we sure about this?I'm surprised there wasn't more press coverage about it.Although there may have been and I just missed it.

 

[Layla1971]

I heard that MC got 250 million from her dad when she got married but I never heard that the royal family got anything.Are we sure about this?I'm surprised there wasn't more press coverage about it.Although there may have been and I just missed it.

Well, Princess Grace's family gave Prince Rainer $2m dollars as a dowry before their wedding, so I'm not at all surprised by MC's parents (or more correctly her father) paying a dowry. Especially since her in-laws must need an income of some sort in addition to whatever income they already have (not sure what their current income is, could anyone tell me about another thread, or post on this subject?).

 

[kelly9480]

MC's father didn't give Constantine anything. MC received a trust fund. Constantine lives off the donations by wealthy Greeks in the shipping business.

 

[Layla1971]

Well, either way he gave an amount of money around the time of the wedding. I'm not too proud to admit that I was partially wrong!

 

[Isabel]

MC's father didn't give Constantine anything. MC received a trust fund. Constantine lives off the donations by wealthy Greeks in the shipping business.

I think that is what happened. Robert Miller is a self-made man who worked hard for his money. I don't think that he would give 250 million dollars to anyone, even a former-King and his non-reigning Crown Prince son. He may have given a small amount as a dowry. The 2 million mentioned earlier or even a million sounds plausible. But, I think that MC has a trust upon she and her family can draw funds and that it most likely increases with time.

 

[lashinka2002]

Goodness, talk about being bought and sold!!

 

[lashinka2002]

Goodness, talk about being bought and sold!! The question is would Marie-Chantal marry into a family happily and stay happy (not resentful) knowing that Nicolas may not have married her but for her family's money. Ouch!!

 

[branchg]

Robert Miller paid a dowry of $30 million to Constantine, which is a very old royal tradition. Marie-Chantel also inherited a trust when she turned 21, which is estimated at $300 million.

 

[branchg]

Goodness, talk about being bought and sold!! The question is would Marie-Chantal marry into a family happily and stay happy (not resentful) knowing that Nicolas may not have married her but for her family's money. Ouch!!

Marie-Chantel married Pavlos because they were genuinely in love and, by all accounts, have a very good marriage. Paying a dowry is done in some royal families, in particular, when the bride comes from a very wealthy family and is marrying a crown prince.

I doubt Pavlos married her for the money, and they have an iron-tight prenuptial agreement anyway, so I doubt anyone is too worried about it.

 

[kelly9480]

MC's trust fund came at the time of her wedding, just like her younger sister's came when she married.

There's no evidence Constantine got any money from Miller. He's certainly not living any better since 1995 than he was before, and, if his younger daughter's lack of her own new tiara, like what Alexia got, is any evidence, he may be a little worse off (or had to save the money for the house in Greece, or Theodora didn't need one, because the dinky little thing she has is just not enough for someone that tall and well-built).

The last royal marriage that it is known a dowry was paid was Sofia's marriage to Juan Carlos, which was funded by the Greek taxpayers. There's no evidence Anne-Marie came with a dowry. The Danes would have had a field day if they had to pay one, so it doesn't seem that dowries are a necessity to marry into the Greek royal house.

 

[fandesacs2003]

MC's trust fund came at the time of her wedding, just like her younger sister's came when she married.

There's no evidence Constantine got any money from Miller. He's certainly not living any better since 1995 than he was before, and, if his younger daughter's lack of her own new tiara, like what Alexia got, is any evidence, he may be a little worse off (or had to save the money for the house in Greece, or Theodora didn't need one, because the dinky little thing she has is just not enough for someone that tall and well-built).

The last royal marriage that it is known a dowry was paid was Sofia's marriage to Juan Carlos, which was funded by the Greek taxpayers. There's no evidence Anne-Marie came with a dowry. The Danes would have had a field day if they had to pay one, so it doesn't seem that dowries are a necessity to marry into the Greek royal house.

Costantinos may have received money from Miller and may not. Of course Pavlos received, but I do not think for him personnally, for the household. As regards Costantinos, nobody can exactly say how he lives since he left Greece in 1968. He confirmed that he left without anything, and KIng Juan Carlos hepled him, true or not we do not know. Since this time many thinks changed, Costantin received a lot of money from the Greek Government and also a lot of containers full of furnitures. Out of this, the rich Greek leaving abroad have been always helping him, so I think he should never have run out of money.
Anna Maria when she got married she did receive a big amount as present from her father, King of Denmark, and also I think another from her grand parents.
As regards Alexia's tiara, it comes from her mother, so from the Danish royal family, it belongs to them.
A mystery peplum covers the outcome related to the jewerly of the Greek royal family. Since the danish dynasty has been established in Greece, in 1860, each royal bride brought with her considerable tiaras & other important items, so we have things coming from the Romanovs, the Kaiser-Prussians, the Hannoverians, end the Danish. I hope that when Costantin left Greece he at least took these items with him, they belong to his family, otherwise they would have disappear by the military dictature people in power these period.

A last word for Pavlos & MC. IMO it is a nice loving marriage, but in any case like in any marriage each one brings that he has. Pavlos brough his titles and made her a Crown Princess, MC may have brought her money, wher is the bad point??

 

[kelly9480]

Alexia's tiara did not come from the Danes. Theodora's came from Anne-Marie, who received it from her mother (who gave a matching one to Benedikte).

Receiving a trust fund from your family (what happened with Anne-Marie) and coming with a dowry are two different things. Anne-Marie's trust fund would go to Anne-Marie, for her to spend as she pleased (though she's doubtlessly spent it on her family). A dowry goes to the husband, for him to spend as he pleased. There's no evidence Constantine got money from Frederik when he married Anne-Marie -- the Danish government and court would never admit to that, they only issue denials or corrections, but don't tend to state the facts when it comes to money.

 

[fandesacs2003]

Alexia's tiara did not come from the Danes. Theodora's came from Anne-Marie, who received it from her mother (who gave a matching one to Benedikte).

Receiving a trust fund from your family (what happened with Anne-Marie) and coming with a dowry are two different things. Anne-Marie's trust fund would go to Anne-Marie, for her to spend as she pleased (though she's doubtlessly spent it on her family). A dowry goes to the husband, for him to spend as he pleased. There's no evidence Constantine got money from Frederik when he married Anne-Marie -- the Danish government and court would never admit to that, they only issue denials or corrections, but don't tend to state the facts when it comes to money.

I've read that Alexia's tiara comes from her mother! If not where did it come?
As regards the dowry, yes in the older times it was really given directly to the husband, not now anymore. We do not know for Costantin, but when he married AM he was a powerfull CP, he really did not needed money! Greek people were paying enough for them. Hope that the money that AM received was secured in various Banks out of Greece, so it should have helped them when they left the country.

 

[kelly9480]

Alexia's tiara was purchased by her parents (I read as a birthday present). It's not one that had been in either the Greek or Danish families before.

Constantine was king when he married Anne-Marie. I hope Anne-Marie's trust funds were based someplace like Switzerland, Britian or Luxembourg.

 

[Beatrice]

Marie-Chantal designs clothes and accessories for children but they are really expensive-i saw in a catalogue a necklace which costed 350$ so we can consider her a business woman(but not exactly self-made..).Pavlos is a very good Economist his work will be appreciated in a few years

 

[Daneborn]

Back in the 80's, when I started reading magazines with my eyes, I remember it was said that it was Queen Ingrid who made it economicly possible for her daughter and son-in-law to buy a place and set up an appropriate life style for themselves in London.

 

[kelly9480]

It wouldn't be surprising if Ingrid helped a bit. She had an inheritance from her parents and husband that probably included a trust fund. It would be surprising, though, if Anne-Marie had blown through her own inheritance that she would have received either upon marriage in 1964 or her father's death in 1972. Especially as the family was supposedly supported by the Shah until 1979. You'd think they'd have had the common sense to put some of the money away for hard times, but this is Constantine we're talking about and he's not known for his financial acumen (he apparently lost loads on some failed business ventures in the 70s or 80s).

 

[Roxsteve]

What is a dowry?

 

[moosey60]

What is a dowry?

Traditionally in some cultures (e.g. Hinduism), the bride's family gives a gift to the husband's family : usually money, jewellery; in some areas of the world, dowries can include animals like camels, cows, pigs, etc.

Sometimes, if the dowry is not high enough, the husband's family will reject the bride and the wedding won't go through.

In some situations, husbands marry only for the dowry, and the bride can sometimes be subjected to slavery...sad events. I've heard of brides (in Afghanistan, I think) who have torched themselves to escape their life.

 

[Beatrice]

You'd think they'd have had the common sense to put some of the money away for hard times, but this is Constantine we're talking about and he's not known for his financial acumen (he apparently lost loads on some failed business ventures in the 70s or 80s).

Lol!You're SO right.I think it was 1992 when Greece's former President of Republic Konstantinos Mitsotakis helped him a lot by sending many masterpieces of Art from the Greek palace in London.He(Constantine)gave them for a great amount of money but he has absolutely nothing now.He actually used to work in London for the late Giannis Latsis(i think i'm not sure..)At least Pavlos is a good Economist

 

[Jo]

A dowry is seen nowadays as a gift to the bride and bride-groom by the bride's family (it can money or property) The irish still give a drowy to the bridegroom and bride. It is not a selling of the bride to the bridegroom. People in upper society still give dowries when a daughter marries. It's just a tradition.

 

[branchg]

Constantine and Anne-Marie have plenty of money and are certainly very well-off. We don't have to worry about them.

 

[Lady Marmalade]

I think the most ironic thing about their Majesties, is even without crown and country, they are certainly VERY royal. If you look at their blood lineage, it is extremely impressive.

Their children are certainly wholly royal and not half...like the heirs of Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and The Netherlands.

 

[kelly9480]

Constantine and Anne-Marie have plenty of money and are certainly very well-off.

They are financially dependent on other people. That's not my definition of "having plenty of money" or being "very well-off". They aren't worrying where their next meal will come from, but, by royal standards, they aren't wealthy at all.

Their eldest son, however, is a different story altogether...