The moments of emotion – The presence of kings, heirs and representatives of royal houses – The wreath of Anna – Maria – The farewell and the queues at the Cathedral chapel from six in the morning
On the shoulders of his three sons and grandsons he was carried to his last abode near the graves of his parents and other ancestors, in Tatoi. It was preceded by a trisage in the Church of the Resurrection, in the complex of the royal tombs in which Archbishop Hieronymos officiated, as well as in the exodus procession in the Metropolis. The members of Constantine’s immediate family, Anna Maria, children, grandchildren, his sisters Irene and Sofia, together with her husband Juan Carlos, and her three children – the King of Spain, Philip and her daughters.
Despite the family’s initial decision not to allow the public to enter the site of Tatoi, the assembled were finally allowed to enter on foot after the burial. Three moments were particularly emotional during the long ceremony leading up to the burial: When Anna Maria entered the Metropolis and stood in front of the coffin of her partner of six decades, at the funeral of their first-born son, Pavlos, but also when children and grandchildren carried the coffin on their shoulders. However, the wreath with which Anna Maria said goodbye to the former king Constantine was also special: It was made of migue, the same white flowers from which her bridal bouquet was made.
A crowd of people, however, had gathered from early in the morning outside the chapel of the Metropolis, where the body of the former king was taken at six in the morning. The coffin was covered with the Greek Flag, while the citizens who wanted to say goodbye to the former King Constantine were more than the police had estimated, as a result of which a small extension was given to the time of the body’s stay in Agios Eleftherios.
Among those who went to the chapel were former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and his wife Georgia, while the funeral was attended by the Minister of the Interior Makis Voridis, as well as Anna Michele Asimakopoulou, ND MEP and representative of the deceased.
The guests
The body was transferred to the cathedral of the Metropolis a few minutes after the sons of the late King Constantine arrived there. Nicholas and Philip took their places inside the temple, while their older brother Paul received the distinguished guests, kings, successors and members of eleven royal houses from Europe. Among them, the Honorary King of Spain Juan Carlos who accompanied Queen Mother Sofia, King Felipe and Queen Letitia of Spain, the royal couples of the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, Prince Albert of Monaco, Prince- Crown Prince Haakon of Norway with his wife Princess Mette Marit. Princess Anne of Great Britain represented the British royal family.
Among the guests Greek representatives of business and social life. Shortly before the start of the funeral service and after the guests had taken their seats according to the protocol, the brides of the former king arrived at the Metropolis Tatiana Blatnik and Nina Flor together with the youngest daughter of the family, Theodora. The eldest daughter followed, Alexia with her husband Spanish architect Carlos Morales-Quintana and their children, while recently arrived Anna Mariaaccompanied by her daughter-in-law, wife of her first-born son Pavlos, tMarie Sandal. The children of Pavlos and Marie Sandal had arrived earlier.
The government was represented by its vice president Panagiotis Pikrammeno and the Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni. The greeting between Paul and the (cousin) King of Spain, Philip, was particularly warm, while a warm welcome was reserved for the gathered crowd in the Metropolis and Anna Maria.
The funeral from Paul
The wife of the former King Constantine did not hide her emotion, listening to the funeral of her son, Pavlos, who, among other things, said: “This is not the end father, you will always live in our hearts, as it does in any family that loses something precious in their life. You lost your father, the late King Paul, my grandfather, at a very young age. But you kept his bequest. You glorified the country with the Gold Medal at the 1960 Olympic Games. You gave honor to our homeland. It was a battle of the mind. It was a difficult time, father, when you ascended the throne. Cruel conflicts. Abyssal passions. And the result was something no one wanted. From the first moment you resisted with vigor to search for a way to overthrow the coup plotters. Your efforts have failed. But you did not want to become the cause of new bloodshed by staying in Greece. Always faithful to your father’s legacy, you respectfully accepted the decision of the Greek people.”
After the end of the exodus procession in which archbishop Hieronymos and the twelve synodal hierarchs officiated, the motorcade to Tatoi began. Citizens had begun to gather there who wanted to pay their respects to the former king, who after the burial were finally allowed to enter the royal tombs on foot.
The former royal family entered the Church of the Resurrection where Anna Maria and their children covered the coffin with the family coat of arms and carefully placed the decorations and Olympic medal of the deceased. Then there was a trisayo and the ceremony ended with the burial. The son of the late Nikolaos was obviously moved, who together with his brothers Pavlos and Filippo and his older nephews carried the coffin with their father on their shoulders, to the point of his eternal rest.
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