Titles, Surname and Nationality of the Greek Royal Family, Part 2, 2024 -

[Lipe]

I believe they chose the surname of Prince Michel for practical reasons, as it was listed in a Greek registry since 2004. Otherwise, if they had created a new last name (as Michel did in the past with De Gres), the process would have taken longer, as it would have had to be analyzed to see if it could be valid or not. By choosing a surname that already existed in the Greek registry, everything went more quickly.

I would have preferred them to adopt a surname that was somehow linked to their direct ancestors, for example, the name Constantine or to have made a combination with the names of other kings, something like that.

 

[Prinsara]

So what was the reason for the hurry? (Or were they trying to avoid as much Greek bureaucracy as possible.)

 

[Adda]

And why would they submit themselves to months or years of procedures when they could get it done in a faster way? They did everything the Greek government demanded from them.

The name was already registered, and Prince Michel's widow and daughters don't seem to have any problem with the rest of the family.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

It’s interesting that they chose to hang their hat on the late Michel (who can’t contribute anything to the discussion) rather than just coming up with a different surname, something they chose, not just adopted.

Yes, it is interesting. Their announcement explained it as “we chose the one chosen by our late uncle, Michel De Gréce, that was the only familiar one to us,” but does not elaborate on why they sought a “familiar” surname. I do not speak Greek, but for what it is worth, the word for “familiar” used in the Greek version of the announcement appears to imply familiarity in the comforting emotional sense, according to the dictionary I used.

In addition to bureaucratic ease, I wonder if another unstated reason for wanting a “familiar” (existing) surname was the thought of possible legal challenges from critics or future governments. In this thread, many have implied it would be hypocritical if anyone rejected the De Grèce surname now after Michel used it without issue in Greece for 20 years. The current De Grèces’ lawyers could easily put forth the same argument.

Perhaps because having the name "of Greece" sounds strange as a surname in English, unless it is referring to royalty. But, English speakers are comfortable with two-part last names from other languages. No one would try to translate Simone de Beauvoir into "Simone of Good View" or Dick van Dyke into "Dick of Dike."

If they wanted to incorporate Greece into their last name, this was an elegant way to do it.

True, though Marie-Chantal does refer to herself as “Marie-Chantal of Greece” on her (English-language) professional website. (It formerly read “Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece” but was edited to remove the “Princess”, so “of Greece” is probably now meant as a surname.)

Our Story

Info about story

www.mariechantal.com

To clarify what @IRIS1983 said about Marie-Chantal’s book:

The original English edition was published in 2020 and republished in a second edition in September 2024. The byline is “Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece”, and the blurb on the website still uses the Princess of Greece title. (Note that it was always “Princess xxx of Greece” – not “Princess xxx of Greece and Denmark”.)

Manners Begin at Breakfast Book - Keepsake Edition

Manners Begin at Breakfast Princess Marie-Chantal’s perennial, must-have parenting resource for the modern age – modern etiquette for families - now fully revised and updated. As founder of successful lifestyle and gifting brand and mother of five children, Marie-Chantal of Greece is constantly...

www.mariechantal.com

The Greek edition was published in June 2025 and the byline is “Marie-Chantal de Grèce”. The name is written in Latin script, while the Greek words on the cover are written in Greek script. The other names on the cover (Perri Klass, Nicholas Child and Tory Burch) are also written in Latin script.

Μαρί Σαντάλ: Προωθεί στην Αθήνα το βιβλίο της στα ελληνικά αλλά και την πόλη

Με βάση το σπίτι της στην Ηρώδου Αττικού, ανακαλύπτει την Αθήνα γύρω από την περιοχή του Προεδρικού Μεγάρου

www.newsbeast.gr

[…] the surname isn't originally French and isn't registered in a French registry.

Is that really so? Michel was born with French citizenship and spent much of his life in France. Surely he would have needed to interact with the French civil registry, and enter a legal surname, at some point?

 

[Prinsara]

Yes, it is interesting. Their announcement explained it as “we chose the one chosen by our late uncle, Michel De Gréce, that was the only familiar one to us,” but does not elaborate on why they sought a “familiar” surname. I do not speak Greek, but for what it is worth, the word for “familiar” used in the Greek version of the announcement appears to imply familiarity in the comforting emotional sense, according to the dictionary I used.

In addition to bureaucratic ease, I wonder if another unstated reason for wanting a “familiar” (existing) surname was the thought of possible legal challenges from critics or future governments. In this thread, many have implied it would be hypocritical if anyone rejected the De Grèce surname now after Michel used it without issue in Greece for 20 years. The current De Grèces’ lawyers could easily put forth the same argument.

This is all very true, and yet it still feels like most (or many) people put more thought into something like a name rather than simply “it was the only one available/familiar” or avoiding legal challenges or bureaucracy. Is there any evidence they at least had discussions with Uncle Michel about this to enhance the sense of familiarity?

I know they couldn’t and wouldn’t take Glücksburg, but they seem to pride themselves on being a creative and enterprising family. If they’d managed something as euphonious and harmonious as Windsor (done under duress; this wasn’t), we probably wouldn’t still be discussing things.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

This is all very true, and yet it still feels like most (or many) people put more thought into something like a name rather than simply “it was the only one available/familiar” or avoiding legal challenges or bureaucracy. Is there any evidence they at least had discussions with Uncle Michel about this to enhance the sense of familiarity?

I know they couldn’t and wouldn’t take Glücksburg, but they seem to pride themselves on being a creative and enterprising family. If they’d managed something as euphonious and harmonious as Windsor (done under duress; this wasn’t), we probably wouldn’t still be discussing things.

Perhaps it does sound out euphoniously in Greek? More euphoniously than “af Graekenland”, per @JR76.

I think the family, like other European former royal families, wanted the most “royal” legal identity they could obtain. They may pride themselves on being creative and enterprising, but they also clearly pride themselves on royal heritage and traditions, to the extent of calling themselves Princes and Princesses of Greece well past the point where not only the politicians but the people of Greece made clear it was offensive to them.

I imagine in the family’s minds, their ideal resolution (short of a restoration) would have been for the Greek government to follow the lead of the republics of France, Germany, etc. and recognize the former royal titles as part of their legal nomenclature.

However, official recognition of royal titles was not feasible for the Greek government, as it would probably violate the Constitution’s prohibition on titles of nobility and offend many members of the general public.

So, granted that Pavlos could not be legally recognized as “Prince Pavlos of Greece” in his Greek passport, being legally recognized as “Pavlos of Greece” seems like the nearest approach.

Being surnamed “of Greece” was also, under European royal tradition, one of the two most “royal” surname choices they could have made. (The other is “of Glücksburg”, which I’m sure the government would have allowed, but we know how their father felt about that one.) I elaborated on that in this post:

Regarding the above criticisms of the family’s choice of surname:

From a pan-European perspective, the most traditionally royal surname choices for the family would be “of Greece” or “of Glücksburg”.


Originally, most European royalty and nobility did not have hereditary family names. The general pattern was that whenever a royal or noble house (family) or person required a “surname”, they would simply be called by the name of the territory or castle where they lived and/or ruled.

European royal families who partially continue in this older tradition include the Belgian, Danish, Luxembourgian and Monegasque reigning families, whose members use “of Belgium”, “to/of Denmark”, “of Luxembourg” and “of Monaco” as unofficial surnames in their daily lives, and the British royal family, which uses “Windsor” [Castle] as its official house name.

If the Greek former royal family observed this older tradition, “of Greece” would be the natural choice.


As time went on, most European royal and noble families, adopted hereditary family names. This typically involved the territorial or castle names their ancestors had used, as mentioned above, but the name became hereditary, rather than linked to the real ownership of the territory or castle.

European royal families who follow this newer tradition include the Spanish, Luxembourgian, Dutch, Belgian, Danish and Norwegian royal houses. The legal surnames “of Bourbon” (a former duchy in France), “of Nassau” (a former duchy in Germany), “of Orange-Nassau” (Orange is a former principality in France)” and “of Saxe-Coburg” (a former duchy in Germany)”, and the official house name “of Glücksborg/Glücksburg”, all refer to territories governed by ancestors of those royal families.

If the Greek former royal family observed this newer tradition, “of Glücksburg” (which is the official house name of the Danish and Norwegian royal families) would be the natural choice.


So the choice of “of Greece” as a surname was in fact one of the most “royal” surname choices they could have made.

But “of Greece” in Greek (“tis Ellados”) was probably too reminiscent of the title "Prince(ss) of Greece" for the public’s taste (it certainly was for Professor Panagiotis Lazaratos). The French translation “De Grèce” puts more distance between the surname and the title in the minds of the average Greek speaker, while having the same meaning.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

The same way à former President is always called Mr President. He is just not being called mr President of X country. Barack Obama will be called mr President but not Mr President of USA.
Is so simple.

Actually that's incorrect regarding former U.S. presidents. The terms "Mr. President" and "President Jones" are used only for sitting presidents. Former presidents are "Mr. Jones" or "former President Jones." Addressing a Former President of the United States

And previously in history, United States presidents reverted to their highest pre-presidential titles (e.g. Governor or Senator) to maintain the exclusivity of the title of President; the presidential title inflation only began during the 20th century.

Even now, the USA is not the best comparison to invoke for the royalist argument, as it is a republic that no longer grants any official titles or privileges to its former royal family (despite the numerous unofficial privileges it offers to them). US documents acknowledge the Sussexes by their British titles, but not by any titles such as “Prince and Princess of the United States of America”.

Besides, Greek voters and governments are entitled to make their own decisions independently of American voters and governments.

Doesn't the Danish court refer to Anne-Marie simply as "Queen Anne-Marie" with no territorial designation?

That is how I have always seen them style her on the official website and guestlists.

 

[Mbruno]

Marie Chantal has presented the Greek translation of her children's book, but curiously, she hasn't signed her book "Nτε Γκρες" but rather "De Grèce" in French.

Marie Chantal probably doesn't know Greek or the Greek alphabet. Most likely she considers "De Grèce" to be the "latinized" version of the name (although it is actually French).

It is not a big deal in my opinion.

 

[tihkon2]

None of your answers are helpful and answer my question.
Felipe De Borbón, in English is Philip of Bourbon. King Felipe's country of nationality and where he is registered is Spain.

Sofia de Grecia is Spanish, and her surname is registered in Spain. If I translate it from Spanish to English, she is "Sophia of Spain." An article about "Sofia de Grecia" in England would spell "Sophia of Greece" because that is the translation from Spanish to English.

If I write an article in French about "Sofia de Grecia," her name would appear spelled "Sofia de Grèce."

The surname Ντε Γκρες was created and registered in a Greek registry. The family has Greek nationality. If I write an article in English about Pavlos, he will be Paul or Pavlos De Grace, but it won't be translated as "of Greece" because that's not the correct translation.

In French, "De Grèce" means "of Greece."

On the official website, in articles written in English, the family writes their surname in French, when it should be written in English, since the surname isn't originally French and isn't registered in a French registry. It was created by Michel to be registered in a Greek registry.

Why translate it into French if you're writing in English? The starting point is the Greek surname, where it's registered, not France. To translate from English to Greek, you don't have to go through French.

They can write "De Grèce" if they're writing an article in French, but not in English.

They can write whatever they want. And they do. You don't have to like it.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

The family website updated its family tree. (Interestingly, even on the Greek version of the website, the family tree is written in English only.)

No changes were made to the listed titles, but the family members who recently registered the surname De Grèce now have their legal name listed underneath in parentheses (e.g. “PRINCESS ALEXIA (ALEXIA DE GRECE)”).

Βασιλική Οικογένεια

www.greekroyalfamily.gr

They can write whatever they want. And they do. You don't have to like it.

But @IRIS1983 can also write that the answers she received weren’t helpful if she wants, and personally, when I try to answer a question, I do appreciate feedback as to whether the answer helped the asker or not.

 

[tihkon2]

The family website updated its family tree. (Interestingly, even on the Greek version of the website, the family tree is written in English only.) No changes were made to the listed titles, but the family members who recently registered the surname De Grèce now have their legal name listed underneath in parentheses (e.g. “PRINCESS ALEXIA (ALEXIA DE GRECE)”).

Βασιλική Οικογένεια

www.greekroyalfamily.gr

But @IRIS1983 can also write that the answers she received weren’t helpful if she wants, and personally, when I try to answer a question, I do appreciate feedback as to whether the answer helped the asker or not.

My response was more to that poster repeatedly saying that Marie Chantal or others in the family "can't" sign their name this or that way.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

I was reading several Greek media outlets that had the news and the photos. It's obvious that the Greek press doesn't know how they have to call Queen Anna Maria: De Gres, De Grece... Anna Maria. Only one outlet I just read says, T. Basilissa Anna Maria,this is Ex Queen Anne-Marie, I think that it is correct in Greece.

[…] but we're talking about the Greek republican press, who, in compliance with the dictates of politicians, created a sickening disease with the words King and Queen; it was almost a sin to even mention them. But now they use the expression T. Basilissa Anna-Maria, and that's quite an achievement.

Which word does the initial “T.” represent?

No one disputes that when Anna-Maria married Konstantinos, he was the legitimate head of state with the official title of King and she was his legal wife and first lady of Greece with the official title of Queen. I don’t see why referring to them as “former King” and “former Queen” should be controversial.

My response was more to that poster repeatedly saying that Marie Chantal or others in the family "can't" sign their name this or that way.

Oh, I see. I assumed by “can’t” Iris meant that she believes the family members’ choices are linguistically incorrect.

 

[Mbruno]

My response was more to that poster repeatedly saying that Marie Chantal or others in the family "can't" sign their name this or that way.

From the Royal Family website, it appears that they believe that "DE GRECE" is the "English" translation of their Greek surname. So it is clear why Marie Chantal signed "DE GRECE" (or "de Grèce").

 

[Tatiana Maria]

The correct way is : HM Queen Anne-Marie, former Queen of Greece (or of the Hellenes) Title is never lost.

The correct term is HM Queen Anne Marie, former Queen of the Hellenes, [...]

That is what the family says is correct:

“2. Why are members of the former Greek Royal Family addressed using titles?

Here is the correct form of address: Queen Anne-Marie, former Queen of the Hellenes. All other members of the family are similarly styled.

These stylings were first set out in the 1815 Treaty of Vienna, which states that they are hereditary lifetime titles retained even in the event their associated royal offices cease to exist.

[…]”​

But that doesn’t make any sense. The Kingdom of Greece was non-existent at the time of the 1815 Treaty of Vienna. Greece was, in 1815, part of the Ottoman Empire, and the Ottoman imperial family had nothing to do with the Treaty of Vienna.

 

[Lipe]

Regarding a comment about the titles of the consorts of the Royal House (in section of Tatiana Blatnik), in which I stated that the consorts' titles are stated with their husband's name, I gave the example of Alice, King Charles' grandmother, I said that she was Princess of Andrew. Someone responded that it was not a tradition in the Royal House.....

I looked up her gravestone, and it says, Princess Andrew of Greece. I spelled it wrong because I put "of," but it is Andrew. The title was stated with her husband's name, Prince Andrew, because that is her consort title.

https://dannythedigger.com/wp-content/uploads/princess-Alice-Tomb-2.jpg

 

[Tatiana Maria]

But that is written in English.

I posted her son's birth certificate and baptismal invitation, which are written in Greek and which use “A. V. Y. Prinkipissas Alikis” (H.R.H. Princess Aliki).

https://static.independent.co.uk/2021/04/16/17/birthcertificate.jpg

https://static.independent.co.uk/2021/04/16/17/invitation.jpeg

 

[Lipe]

No . I don´t agree with you. . Here's another proof. This is the tombstone from the Tatoi cemetery of Maria de Bonaparte, where the Princess's ashes rest at the foot of her husband Prince George's grave. It says in Greek, ΠΡΙΓΚΙΠΙΣΣΑ ΓΕΩΡΓΙΟΥ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΑΣ, "Princess George of Greece." and then, Princess Bonaparte....

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/Grave_of_Princess_Marie_at_her_husband%27s_tomb_on_2023-05-29_%28photo_205326%29.jpg/250px-Grave_of_Princess_Marie_at_her_husband%27s_tomb_on_2023-05-29_%28photo_205326%29.jpg

 

[Tatiana Maria]

No . I don´t agree with you. . Here's another proof. This is the tombstone from the Tatoi cemetery of Maria de Bonaparte, where the Princess's ashes rest at the foot of her husband Prince George's grave. It says in Greek, ΠΡΙΓΚΙΠΙΣΣΑ ΓΕΩΡΓΙΟΥ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΑΣ, "Princess George of Greece." and then, Princess Bonaparte....

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/Grave_of_Princess_Marie_at_her_husband%27s_tomb_on_2023-05-29_%28photo_205326%29.jpg/250px-Grave_of_Princess_Marie_at_her_husband%27s_tomb_on_2023-05-29_%28photo_205326%29.jpg

Thank you! It is good to learn something new. So both formulas were used in Greek (since a birth certificate is also an official source).

 

[Tatiana Maria]

On November 26 Queen Anne-Marie, Prince Pavlos as Vice President of King’s Trust International, Prince Nikolaos and Princess Chrysi attended a dinner in Athens to mark "80 years since the founding of the British Hellenic Chamber of Commerce and 10 years of King's Trust International":

The British Hellenic Chamber of Commerce and King’s Trust International Celebrate Landmark Anniversaries in Empowering Entrepreneurship

www.greekroyalfamily.gr

PRESS RELEASE: BHCC - King's Trust International | Joint Anniversary Dinner | Wednesday, 26 November 2025 - BHCC

The British Hellenic Chamber of Commerce has been established in Athens for over 50 years and has a current membership of over 600 Greek and British companies.

www.bhcc.gr

Andreas Megos on Instagram: "On November 26, the British Hellenic Chamber of Commerce (BHCC) and King’s Trust International (KTI) co-hosted a prestigious Dinner, at the Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens, to mark their milestone anniversaries: 80 years

805 likes, 9 comments - andreas_megos on December 1, 2025: "On November 26, the British Hellenic Chamber of Commerce (BHCC) and King’s Trust International (KTI) co-hosted a prestigious Dinner, at the Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens, to mark their milestone anniversaries: 80 years since the...

www.instagram.com

I wondered if the family were claiming royal titles for this event since it was arguably "international" despite taking place in Greece, but apparently only Anne-Marie did so.

The British Hellenic Chamber of Commerce and King’s Trust International joint press release says:

"Especially designed to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the BHCC and the 10th anniversary of KTI in Greece, the event was honoured by the presence of Matthew Lodge, His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Hellenic Republic, Pavlos De Grèce, Vice President of King’s Trust International, Will Straw, CEO of King’s Trust International, Anna Kalliani and Kenny Evangelou, BHCC Presidents, BHCC Board of Directors and distinguished Members, as well as prominent guests from the business and youth sectors.

[...] Queen Anne-Marie and Anna Kalliani - Greek President of the British Hellenic Chamber of Commerce

Nikolaos De Grèce, Chrysi Vardinogianni, Pavlos De Grèce - Vice President of King’s Trust International, Anna Kalliani - Greek President of the British Hellenic Chamber of Commerce, Matthew Lodge - His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Hellenic Republic and Kenny Evangelou - British President of the British Hellenic Chamber of Commerce"​

It seems Chrysi kept her own prestigious surname instead of using her husband's.

 

[Lipe]

The truth is that, if you go to the official website of the Royal House, since they received Greek nationality and complied with everything established by the 1994 law, including recognizing the republic and renouncing future claims against the Greek state... they have gradually been using "De Grece" to identify themselves, even in English. However, Queen Anne-Marie, who is the only member, along with Princess Irene, who did not accept the content of that 1994 law, continues to be identified in Greek and English with their royal titles.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Nina Flohr, at least, continues to call herself "Princess of Greece" even after her husband regained his Greek passport (they technically never lost their Greek nationality, only their documentation).

https://en.protothema.gr/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pr2.png

(Note that she signed "Princess Nina of Greece", not "of Greece and Denmark". Greek princes and princesses never utilized their subsidiary "Prince/ss of Denmark" title in daily life, just as the Danish princes and princesses do not use their subsidiary "Count/ess of Monpezat" titles in their daily lives.)

Nina Flohr, at least, continues to call herself "Princess of Greece" even after her husband regained his Greek passport (they technically never lost their Greek nationality, only their documentation).

https://en.protothema.gr/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pr2.png

(Note that she signed "Princess Nina of Greece", not "of Greece and Denmark". Greek princes and princesses never utilized their subsidiary "Prince/ss of Denmark" title in daily life, just as the Danish princes and princesses do not use their subsidiary "Count/ess of Monpezat" titles in their daily lives.)

Actually, it would appear the signature was edited after Protothema reported on it. "Princess Nina of Greece" was changed to "Nina (Flohr) of Greece".

https://kisawasanctuary.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025.02.28-Impact-Report-2025.pdf

 

[IRIS1983]

Nina can use the title of Princess, because it is a personal title, it is not a State title. This is valid among royal houses. But it is striking that they (Alexia, Pavlos, Nikolaos, Filippos, Theodora) who are the children of a King, they are not consorts, identify themselves as De Grèce on the official website.

I would understand them doing this on the Greek part of the website, to avoid controversy with the Greek press. But it is more striking that they don't use it on the English part.

On the other hand, I don't believe they lost their documentation, because they received new passports that don't recognize that they were born in Greece, like Alexia and Pavlos, or that they were born with Greek nationality, as is the case with Nikolaos. On the contrary, they received new passports dated 1974, or in the case of Theodora and Filippos, Constantine, Olympia... the date is the date they received this passport.
Therefore, I believe that the nationality was revoked, not just the documentation.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

The law of 1994 did not and could not truly deprive them of their citizenship, because withdrawing their citizenship was forbidden by the Constitution of 1975 (which remains in force until now). Then and now, the Constitution states:

"Article 4. […] 3. All persons possessing the qualifications for citizenship as specified by law are Greek citizens. Withdrawal of Greek citizenship shall be permitted only in case of voluntary acquisition of another citizenship or of undertaking service contrary to national interests in a foreign country, under the conditions and procedures more specifically provided by law."​

So long as the family members did not voluntarily acquire foreign citizenship and did not undertake service contrary to Greek national interests, the Constitution simply did not permit the Government to withdraw their citizenship.


This is a translation of what the law of 1994 actually says in regards to the family’s citizenship:

"Article 6.

5. Greek citizenship to Constantine Glyxburg and members of his family, after the expiry of the special legal status which governed their citizenship before the change in the form of the constitution, shall be recognized and proved only if the following conditions are cumulatively met:

a) If an express and unconditional declaration of respect for the Constitution, acceptance and recognition of the constitution of the Presidential Parliamentary Republic and of the result of the referendum of 8 December 1974, which determined the form of the constitution in an unalterable manner, is made before the Athens registrar.

(b) If a waiver of all claims of any kind in connection with the past exercise of a political office or the holding of any title is expressly and unconditionally declared before the same registrar.

(c) If an entry has been made in the registers of men or in the municipal or communal public registers of the State with the name, surname, and other legally required identification data.

A decision of the Minister of the Interior establishes that the above conditions have been met. Passports, travel, and other relevant documents issued to such persons shall be automatically cancelled if the above conditions are not met."

Pavlos and Nikolaos: proceed with the application for Greek citizenship - The three requirements - ProtoThema English

Crucial element is the surname they choose - "I have a surname. Of Greece. Why should I change it?" said Paul recently

en.protothema.gr

So the effect of the 1994 law was that the family’s citizenship was no longer “recognized and proved”, meaning that their citizenship documents (including passports) were canceled and could not be renewed until they complied with the conditions (declaration, waiver, registration). But in principle, the citizenship itself was never lost.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Pavlos de Grèce defended his choice of surname in an interview on ANT1's talk show Enopios Enopio on February 12, 2026.

Pavlos De Grèce : Interview at the the talk show “Enopios Enopio”

www.greekroyalfamily.gr

Pavlos de Grèce on the possibility of creating a political party: “A lot goes through my mind” - ProtoThema English

“I want to be useful to my country; politics is an art of solving problems” – “I like the name de Grèce” – “Greece’s economy is doing better, but there are problems in everyday life”

en.protothema.gr

“I like the name de Grèce; it suits me. It is a name my uncle Michael used in France, and it suited him as well — he used it as a writer. The name had already been used by my uncle; he had obtained two passports. It wasn’t something new we came up with. It connected us to the family, so there is no issue. If someone thinks it implies a title, it does not. For many years we went around without a surname — we were princes without a last name, and that was very difficult.”​

 

[IRIS1983]

I think the issue of the royal family's passport is clarified by Pavlos's interview.
The 1994 law left them without a Greek passport, rendering them stateless.

Denmark issued a passport, but it referenced their stateless status, which caused many problems.

When he traveled, at the airport of each country he entered, the authorities didn't accept the passport and sent him to immigration, where he had to wait and prove its validity.

In conclusion, his passport was not a diplomatic passport of Denmark.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

I don't know if their Danish passport called them "stateless", but under Greek law, they were considered (latent) Greek citizens and not stateless:

The law of 1994 did not and could not truly deprive them of their citizenship, because withdrawing their citizenship was forbidden by the Constitution of 1975 (which remains in force until now). Then and now, the Constitution states:

"Article 4. […] 3. All persons possessing the qualifications for citizenship as specified by law are Greek citizens. Withdrawal of Greek citizenship shall be permitted only in case of voluntary acquisition of another citizenship or of undertaking service contrary to national interests in a foreign country, under the conditions and procedures more specifically provided by law."​

So long as the family members did not voluntarily acquire foreign citizenship and did not undertake service contrary to Greek national interests, the Constitution simply did not permit the Government to withdraw their citizenship.


This is a translation of what the law of 1994 actually says in regards to the family’s citizenship:

"Article 6.

5. Greek citizenship to Constantine Glyxburg and members of his family, after the expiry of the special legal status which governed their citizenship before the change in the form of the constitution, shall be recognized and proved only if the following conditions are cumulatively met:

a) If an express and unconditional declaration of respect for the Constitution, acceptance and recognition of the constitution of the Presidential Parliamentary Republic and of the result of the referendum of 8 December 1974, which determined the form of the constitution in an unalterable manner, is made before the Athens registrar.

(b) If a waiver of all claims of any kind in connection with the past exercise of a political office or the holding of any title is expressly and unconditionally declared before the same registrar.

(c) If an entry has been made in the registers of men or in the municipal or communal public registers of the State with the name, surname, and other legally required identification data.

A decision of the Minister of the Interior establishes that the above conditions have been met. Passports, travel, and other relevant documents issued to such persons shall be automatically cancelled if the above conditions are not met."

Pavlos and Nikolaos: proceed with the application for Greek citizenship - The three requirements - ProtoThema English

Crucial element is the surname they choose - "I have a surname. Of Greece. Why should I change it?" said Paul recently

en.protothema.gr

So the effect of the 1994 law was that the family’s citizenship was no longer “recognized and proved”, meaning that their citizenship documents (including passports) were canceled and could not be renewed until they complied with the conditions (declaration, waiver, registration). But in principle, the citizenship itself was never lost.

 

[IRIS1983]

Their Greek passport couldn't contain any information because it had been destroyed. They have a new passport, currently a new passport dated 1974. Denmark granted them this passport because their Greek passport had been destroyed; they didn't have a passport, and European legislation doesn't allow people without a passport. Denmark granted it in compliance with European law, but obviously, this had to be reflected as statelessness because it was an exceptional way of granting a passport.