Bio
HRH Princess Alexandra of Greece (1968- ), married 1998 Nicolas Mirzayantz
father:
HRH Prince Michael of Greece (1939-), son of Prince Christopher of Greece and Princess Françoise of France; grandson of George I, King of the Hellenes
mother:
married 1965 Marina Karella (1940- ), artist
sister:
HRH Princess Olga of Greece (1971- ), engaged 2005 to HRH Prince Aimone of Savoy-Aosta.
The daughters of
Michel de Grece, Olga and Alexandra, are exquisite specimens of style and sophistication, and are well educated in result of having been reared by two people of Letters and the Arts. Having said that, these remarkable ladies are neither royal nor princesses.
The reasons are countless and I shall quote a few:
1. Even in Great Britain, the most royal among countries with royal tradition, grand children of a monarch in the male line are the last generation to be princes, and great-grand children become peers/commoners. In another age-old kingdom, Denmark, the sons of prince Joachim, the monarch's junior-line grand children are referred to as
HH not
HRH.
2. The Greek Constitution, in the monarchy years, made provisions
only for the children of a King [
Vassilo'paes, Βασιλόπαις (singular),
Vassilo'paedaes, Βασιλόπαιδες (plural)] in a manner similar to that of the Spanish tradition (infantes/infantas), and made no mention whatsoever for a king's grand children.
3. Thus, if the title
prince instead of vassilo'paes was/is incorrect for a Greek king's child, it would be presumptuous for a king's grand child and, imaginary for a king's great-grand child.
4. All the above notwithstanding, the two ladies' grand father, vassilo'paes Christopher of Greece, resigned his rights to the Throne when he married American heiress Nancy Leeds, cutting himself off of the line of succession. Further, there is no documentation (it didn't matter anyway) that Christopher's rights were reinstated (and how) upon his first wife's death and prior to his marriage to Francoise de Guise.
5. Assuming that Christopher's rights were legally reinstated,
Michel de Grece resigned his rights (if any), as declared in the Greek Press, upon his marriage (1965) to Marina Karella, a private man's daughter who remains so.
Both in Europe and in New York's social circles, there are many personages, who are referred to as princes/ses by courtesy (like the daughters of Michel de Roumanie who were all born after their father abdicated), others presumptuously (like Mrs Miller*, wife of prince Paul, former Diadoch of Greece), and last, some who are imaginary princes/princesses.
It is very unfortunate that, despite their superior pedigree through their father, Alexandra and Olga would only be imaginary princesses, even if the monarchy was still in effect in Greece.
*In the Greek royal tradition, the only marriage of a close-to-the-Throne dynast to a commoner, that of king Alexander to Aspasia Manos, was recognized only posthumously by
Royal Decree gazetted on September 10, 1922. It was only then that the king's widow,
Madame Aspasia Manos, was elevated to, and became,
HRH Princess Aspasia of Greece and Denmark and their issue, Alexandra,
HRH Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark (later queen of Yugoslavia) but even this approval took place
only on a
non-dynastic basis!
