Funeral of King Constantine - January 16, 2023


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LadyFinn said:
Nicolae of Romania posted these photos to his Facebook
"With a heart full of pain I retreated today, to the church of San Eleftherios in Athens, to the catafalque of King Constantine II of the Hellenes, first cousin to my grandfather King Mihai. Since I learned the sad news, the images and emotions experienced in June 2008 when I celebrated the Diamond Wedding of my grandfather and grandmother have been running through my mind and soul. We then met many members of our family in an explosion of joy and love that we will never forget. King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie, Queen Sofia of Spain, King Simeon of the Bulgarians and the other distinguished guests with whom I have the same blood, through King Mihai and Queen Anne, showed me much sympathy.
My condolences and deepest sympathy to Her Majesty Queen Anne-Marie, my cousin, His Royal Highness Prince Pavlos, Her Majesty Queen Sofia, His Majesty King Felipe (my godfather) and all members of our family.
May He rest in eternal light!"
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Nicolae posted also these old photos
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When all was still well between mama Elena and son Nicholas. Hopefully his uncle-by-law Prince Radu and Nicholas have exchanged some friendly words. Funerals do have that effect.

Usually Princess Margareta is a faithful attendant to royal funerals and she herself has a Greek Princess as grandmother, making her 1/4 Greek. Maybe she felt not able to attend?

Margareta von Hohenzollern, Princess of Romania
|
Michael von Hohenzollern, King of Romania x Anne princesse de Bourbon de Parme
|
Carol II von Hohenzollern, King of Romania x Princess Helena of Greece and Denmark
 
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Livia said:
I think mostly for security reasons, with the exception of Leonor and Sofía, all of the succesion line of Spanish Crown were on Athens which it was very unusual situation and can be a potential huge security risk... and Leonor is in UK and Sofía has school (She's 15 so school is obligatory for her).
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If security was a reason, no head of state (Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain) or heir (CP Haakon, CP Frederik) could have come, which was not the case. I think it is more simple and nothing unusual from what we see every time at a major royal event. Some Royals come, some not - and royal teenagers very rarely attend events like these, especially funerals.

Wow, I guess this was a greek politician who was so heavily booed...?!
 
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When the Deputy PM (the male) and the Culture Minister (the female) arrived the crowd made it clear what they thought ��
 
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eya said:
What an emotional, moving, sad day was...

"“Your Beloved Anna-Maria”

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FmlModGX0AAyyyt?format=jpg&name=large
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FmmY7v5aEAAOLLg?format=jpg&name=large


Happy days..

https://files.thetoc.gr/Content/Ima...96452f850c18b17ff69573.jpg?v=1&maxwidth=2000&
https://files.thetoc.gr/Content/Ima...0841adaa3dfc76652e89c8.jpg?v=1&maxwidth=2000&
https://files.thetoc.gr/Content/Ima...6e40f3bb59e3a11933fa35.jpg?v=1&maxwidth=2000&
https://i2.prth.gr/files/2014/09/17/f2m.jpg
https://64.media.tumblr.com/ffc25438f91a91b64073ea25e7f8d1d1/tumblr_nd7sa9O93f1qzfmh5o1_r1_500.jpg
https://scontent.fath4-2.fna.fbcdn....7ySi7vs9zc0k_aii6isc3_VqN_kA3c91w&oe=63ECFC44
https://gos.bbend.net/media/news/2016/08/30/447032/photos/full/anna-maria-11.jpg
https://api.europeana.eu/thumbnail/...s/edm-record/ELIA/000100-22_400665&type=IMAGE
Click to expand...


Thank you for sharing these photos especially the older ones of the couple. King Constantine looked absolutely besotted with his bride. :twohearts:
 
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The lunch -that then morphed into dinner- of the family at the Grand Bretagne has ended.



IRIS1983 said:
These images of Queen Anna Maria are very sad and painful. They spent 61 years together, it must be very sad to say goodbye to the love of your life.
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The love of her life since she was 16...One can only pray for her! :cry: :cry:

Durham said:
As the coffin was being carried into the cathedral there was a lot of shouting. Can anyone tell me what was being said please?:flowers:

I'm presuming it was expressions of sorrow.
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I remember hearing "Worthy" "Eternal" "Memory Eternal" "KING Konstantinos" being shouted before the supporters began to sing the national anthem, which is what broke the sons on both occasions.
 
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As the coffin was being carried into the cathedral there was a lot of shouting. Can anyone tell me what was being said please?:flowers:

I'm presuming it was expressions of sorrow.
 
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Why was the crown of Greece not at the funeral? At the funerals of other Greek kings, such as that of King Constantine's mother, the crown was placed on top of the coffin.
 
Archduchess Zelia said:
The crowd chanting Princess Alexia's name and the cheers Queen Anne-Marie go were extremely poignant. Teared me up. Especially when Anne-Marie looked back at the crowd and put her hand over her heart.
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When Queen Anne-Marie turned around to acknowledge the crowd as she entered the cathedral, all I could think of was the famous pictures of her doing the same thing as she went into the same cathedral for her wedding.

I wonder if she was thinking back to how things were almost 60 years ago, when she first went to Greece. What a life!
 
I saw the whole Mass on you tube. It was a great Moment , Queen Anne Marie full if dignity , Crown Prince Pavlos who welcomed everybody , The emotion of Prince Nikolaus , ,people in the Church remaining sittting when the Royals entered the Cathedral.
But on the second row , I saw King Juan Carlos who was suffering standing so long and the sorrow of his wife Queen Sophia who lost her Brother. What an indifference ! (like in the past King Umberto and sitting next to Queen Marie José)
 
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Here's a nice gallery with 50 photos of this most special day, it seems like 15 minutes ago people were queueing in the little Chapel of Agios Eleftherios...

https://www.protothema.gr/greece/ar...stadinos-to-teleutaio-adio-se-50-fotografies/

https://i1.prth.gr/images/w640/_webp/files/2023-01-16/DSC_3003a_2_2.jpg
https://i1.prth.gr/images/w640/_webp/files/2023-01-16/5781293.jpg



Very moved by this little picture of (former) Queen Beatrix and Farah Diba, the lives those two ladies have had...
https://i1.prth.gr/images/w640/_webp/files/2023-01-16/PSK_8715a.jpg
 
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IRIS1983 said:
These images of Queen Anna Maria are very sad and painful. They spent 61 years together, it must be very sad to say goodbye to the love of your life


https://scontent-mad1-2.xx.fbcdn.ne...hoOEUKKFLuSrCJqQdm3Zl6cbpkAyhe1sw&oe=63CA0430

https://scontent-mad1-2.xx.fbcdn.ne...IqXLEfD9B2MFR3g_Fw7BpzXgtY4IM4yxw&oe=63CA7C95

https://scontent-mad1-2.xx.fbcdn.ne...ZETkiq07nEPbGbTonEUULNb6B9YkbPE5w&oe=63CB8EA8
Click to expand...

The first picture is especially touching. You can see that both Queen Margrethe and Nikolaos have their hands on her back. And Princess Benedikte looks like she's about 10 seconds away from pushing past the others and taking her sister in her arms.
 
Blog Real said:
Why was the crown of Greece not at the funeral? At the funerals of other Greek kings, such as that of King Constantine's mother, the crown was placed on top of the coffin.
Click to expand...

Maybe the Crown of the Kingdom of the Hellenes is no longer with the royal family?
 
kimebear said:
Be glad that neither Charles nor William were there. Then it would be all about them and shouting from the press about Harry's tawdry little book. King Constantine deserved a day of grace and dignity for himself and his family. There was no need for drama about other royals getting the spotlight.
Click to expand...

After watching the video of the service, I must say that security seemed to be very lax. I am sure that would have been a major concern if Prince William or King Charles III had been in attendance.
 
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IRIS1983 said:
These images of Queen Anna Maria are very sad and painful. They spent 61 years together, it must be very sad to say goodbye to the love of your life


https://scontent-mad1-2.xx.fbcdn.ne...hoOEUKKFLuSrCJqQdm3Zl6cbpkAyhe1sw&oe=63CA0430

https://scontent-mad1-2.xx.fbcdn.ne...IqXLEfD9B2MFR3g_Fw7BpzXgtY4IM4yxw&oe=63CA7C95

https://scontent-mad1-2.xx.fbcdn.ne...ZETkiq07nEPbGbTonEUULNb6B9YkbPE5w&oe=63CB8EA8
Click to expand...
It is heartbreaking... May God provide strength to Her Majesty!

Duc_et_Pair said:
Maybe the Crown of the Kingdom of the Hellenes is no longer with the royal family?
Click to expand...
It was used in 1981 for the funeral of Queen Mother Frederica!

maria-olivia said:
I saw the whole Mass on you tube. It was a great Moment , Queen Anne Marie full if dignity , Crown Prince Pavlos who welcomed everybody , The emotion of Prince Nikolaus , ,people in the Church remaining sittting when the Royals entered the Cathedral.
But on the second row , I saw King Juan Carlos who was suffering standing so long and the sorrow of his wife Queen Sophia who lost her Brother. What an indifference ! (like in the past King Umberto and sitting next to Queen Marie José)
Click to expand...
When they noticed a royal head of state entered, they went up (Queen of Denmark, for instance)! Everyone curtsied for Queen Anne-Marie!
 
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Duc_et_Pair said:
Maybe the Crown of the Kingdom of the Hellenes is no longer with the royal family?
Click to expand...

It's possible. I read on some website that the crown would be in the possession of the royal family, but without certainty. Is it in some palace or museum? Is it may be that someone here at TRF can clarify this matter.
 
Thank you for all your updates. It seems to have been a dignified and lovely ceremony.
Queen Anna-Marie is a beautiful lady. She’s getting more and more beautiful with age.
 
RoyalNight said:
Queen Anna-Marie is a beautiful lady. She’s getting more and more beautiful with age.
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So true. IMO she is one of several royal ladies who do so (one of the others for example Princess Alexandra of Kent)
 
maria-olivia said:
I saw the whole Mass on you tube. It was a great Moment , Queen Anne Marie full if dignity , Crown Prince Pavlos who welcomed everybody , The emotion of Prince Nikolaus , ,people in the Church remaining sittting when the Royals entered the Cathedral.
But on the second row , I saw King Juan Carlos who was suffering standing so long and the sorrow of his wife Queen Sophia who lost her Brother. What an indifference ! (like in the past King Umberto and sitting next to Queen Marie José)
Click to expand...
It was also heartbreaking to see Princess Irene, she looks very frail. She seems to be the "forgotten Princess", Just like Sofia she was the Sister of Konstantin, She lived in Greece, she had to flee. I hope she is having a good time with her sister..
I wounder what would her job have been if the monarchy hadn't been abolished?
 
Marengo said:
Yes, I wondered about that too. But I suppose it can happen. Prince Amedeo was also only 15 years old when he became the godfather of his cousin, Pss Elisabeth. But it was the first time I heard about it as well.
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The Prince of Wales himself was also just 16 years young when he became godfather to Prince Constantine Alexios.

wartenberg7 said:
If security was a reason, no head of state (Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain) or heir (CP Haakon, CP Frederik) could have come, which was not the case. I think it is more simple and nothing unusual from what we see every time at a major royal event. Some Royals come, some not - and royal teenagers very rarely attend events like these, especially funerals.
Click to expand...

Livia's explanation seems most plausible. Had the Leonor and Sofia attended the Spanish succession list (1-9) would all be gathered in one place heavens forbid something were to happen. Not the smartest idea!
 
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Livia said:
I think mostly for security reasons, with the exception of Leonor and Sofía, all of the succesion line of Spanish Crown were on Athens which it was very unusual situation and can be a potential huge security risk... and Leonor is in UK and Sofía has school (She's 15 so school is obligatory for her).
Click to expand...


Well I don’t think The King of Spain would be in trouble for bringing his daughter Sofia to a relevant and family funeral, making her miss one day of school. We all missed lessons for much less in our school years. I think Sofia could have easily come if she/they wanted. I believe it’s more due to the fact she may have known Constantine little and is not much in touch with her cousins.
 
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Pretty sure that 99% of the royal followers would want Nikolaos, the only one who actually lives in Greece and actively works for the people of Greece, to be the Head of the House. The outpour of love towards Pavlos today was a surprise even for him, and it was nice because I'm pretty sure he's aware that his middle brother is more respected, and he was clearly nervous during his reading but he pulled through with themendous dignity.

Well, I was just thinking that Pavlos would either get some sort of post-funeral enlightenment that would prompt him to be more involved, and that in case this didn't happen, he should pass on his responsibilities to Nikolaos (if he wants them)....It turns out To Vima Magazine reports that Pavlos is thinking about moving to Greece. I'll believe it when I see it, that would be SHOCKING (in a good way). :eek:

https://www.tovima.gr/2023/01/16/so...irofories-oti-metakomizei-monima-stin-athina/
 
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Some people I noticed (probably already mentioned):
- Christian and Alessandra of Hanover
- Simeon of Bulgaria
- Alexander and Katherina of Serbia

And as announced: Radu (Romania) and Maria (Russia)

I am a bit surprised I haven't seen Leka of Albania. And the no shows of the king's nephew and niece on Benedikte's side of the family is also a bit of an unpleasant surprise; I would have expected to see both Gustav and Nathalie as well.

Whom was accompanying Noor? One of her daughters perhaps?


And Anne Marie wore her wedding cross to the funeral. Another lovely touch (the flowers were also inspired by their wedding)

As someone already said, it must have dawned on Konstantinos-Alexios that he is now the heir... I assume that's the reason he was positioned as he was (front row, next to his mother; the wife of the current Head of the family - but before his aunts and uncles (seated in birth order, except for Pavlos (and family)).

Hugs from Willem-Alexander but also from Margaretha, Joachim and Felipe for Pavlos (although not the 'bear hug' seemed reserved for both Willem-Alexander and Felipe).

An Ard Ri said:
What a wonderful turnout from the Spanish Royal Family with the Infantas and some of their children.

Princess Irene looks very frail and was getting support from her niece The Infanta Cristina.
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All of their children were present. The only ones that weren't were Leonor and Sofia (children of the king; not the infanta's).
 
sm1939 said:
So please Princess Ann and her Husband has gone, import that a senior

member of the British family went !
Click to expand...

All the more sign William could have attended. It clearly was not an issue of safety for a senior royal. Nor busy schedule as Anne has one of the busiest.

While Gabriella is the only royal godchild to attend, all the others were either represented by their parents who chose Constantine (Beatrix for Constantijn, Alexander for his twin sons, Maria for Grand Duke Georgi) or their spouse (Radu for Margareta).
 
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