Isabel said:
I don't think that Pavlos will refer to himself as King upon his father's death. King Constantine is addressed as such because he was the King of Greece at the time of the Greek monarchy's fall and went into exile as such. He actually was the reigning King of Greece at one time, whereas Pavlos will most likely not be. What will most likely happen with this family as times goes by, IMO, is that most of them will be referred to as Princes and Princesses and the title of Crown Prince itself will also no longer be used. The heir apparent will most likely be referred to as "the man who be King if Greece still had a monarchy."
People do pick on this family a lot more than other RF's because they get more media attention and are more visible and recognizable, than other member of non-reigning royal families. I think that what also needs to be kept in mind is that they do still hold titles of "Prince or Princess of Denmark" and Denmark is still a functioning monarchy.
Great post Isabel. I agree with your analysis with respect to titles completely. I don't disagree with the second half of the post either (well, not completely) . Yes, they are more visible, and one of the reasons for this is that monarchy was only abolished a little over 3 decades ago. So it wasn't actually that long ago, and many people of my parents generation are well aware of the coup in Greece & the events that led up to it/followed it. Since then the family -- and Constantine in particular -- has courted publicity through his activities and actions (not necessarily a bad thing). For instance, the former King is involved with the IOC, he's helped found a Greek school (which has/had a really poor curriculum, from what I've been told, but I can't substantiate it), he keeps company with high profile Greek shipping magnets, the Prince of Wales, the King of Spain, etc. His lawsuit against the Greek government also garnered much publicity, as did some of his 'business' dealings in the 1970s & his relationship with the family of the former Shah of Iran. All of these things have kept the family visible and, in some instances, have resulted in criticism from people (often rightly so, IMO). They court media attention -- interviews to Larry King, Hello, PdV, etc., and are not above making political statements. If one is going to voice ones political opinions publicly then one has to be willing to take the flak -- or be "picked-on" -- from those who see things differently. Conversely, other former royal families generally eschew media attention & refrain from making political statements (or do so with more tact and are less flambloyant, IMO).
Their familial ties to the royal houses of Spain and Denmark also make them more visible. Since their children are of the same age, they were oft pictured together, etc. & this too generated more interest in the family & what they were doing (which in turn led to criticisms of their lifestyles). Pavlos's marriage to the *voluntarily* high profile MC, too, has kept them in the public eye, and her lifestyle draws criticism from those who view it as superfluous. With respect to MC: if you are going to invite media into your home, then you will generate public interest. Just be prepared for the accompanying critical perspectives on your lifestyle.
Bah. I hope I'm making sense and not babbling. In any case, thanks for the engaging post.