London Thanasis Gavos

He will be commemorated with two church services next week in Britain the one year since the death of the late King Constantine, who passed away on 10 January 2023 aged 83.

As announced by Buckingham Palace, on the morning of Tuesday 27/2 a Thanksgiving Mass will be celebrated for the life of the deceased in St. George’s Chapel, inside Windsor Castle.

The ceremony is organized by the British royal family, indicative of the close friendship that Constantine had with many of its members, but also of the kinship, as his father King Paul I was a cousin of King Charles’ father, Prince Philip.

Despite his kinship and friendship with Charles, however, the British monarch will not be able to attend the service, as he has now temporarily withdrawn from public appearances due to his cancer diagnosis and the start of his treatment.

He will lead the British royal family at the Windsor ceremony queen camilla, accompanied by other members, including possibly Prince William, whom the former king had christened.

St George’s Chapel is the church to which Queen Elizabeth’s coffin was taken after the London exodus to be buried in the royal crypt.

The family of the deceased will certainly be present, with the announcement from Buckingham Palace naming his wife Anna-Maria and his first-born son Pavlos.

Members of foreign royal families and other friends have also been invited to the ceremony, with SKAI’s information talking about 350 invitations.

The service will be officiated by the abbot of Windsor, the Reverend Dr. Christopher Coxworth, while the Orthodox part of it will be celebrated by the Archbishop of Thyatira and Great Britain, Mr. Nikitas.

His Eminence will lead the following day, Wednesday 28/2, at the memorial service which will be held at the Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sophia in Bayswater, west London.

This open memorial service is being held for as many parishioners as wish to pay their respects.