United Kingdom (Commonwealth Union)_ Queen Camilla will attend a thanksgiving service but without her husband the King, for the life of Greece’s last monarch, who passed away in January.
Buckingham Palace said Queen Camilla will be joined by other British Royals for a thanksgiving service for the life of King Constantine of Greece, who passed away at the age of 82 on 10th January 2023, after suffering from ill health for a number of years. A private burial was conducted for him in the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi, with several royals attending his funeral in Athens, including the Princess Royal and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.
Buckingham Palace confirmed that Her Majesty Queen Camilla will be accompanied by other members of the British Royal Family to attend the service at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor.
Also in attendance is Anne-Marie, Queen of the Hellenes and her son the Crown Prince Pavlos, as well as other Greek royals.
Constantine II, succeeded his father as King of the Hellenes in 1964 as the only son of King Paul I and Queen Frederica. He would however, rule for less than a decade after a military junta abolished the monarchy.
King Constantine, who was the last King of Greece, and his family are closely linked to the British royals, with him being a nephew of the late Prince Philip.
He was also one of William’s six godparents, who include Princess Alexandra and Lady Susan Hussey. In March 1997, the late King attended his confirmation.
Up to this day, King Constantine has had close relationship with the British royals, being named as one of Prince William‘s godparents by King Charles, while Prince William would later become godfather to Constantine’s first grandson, Constantine-Alexios.
Before eventually returning to his native country in 2013, King Constantine lived in exile for many years in Hampstead Garden Suburb.
He and his wife, Queen Anne-Marie (sister to Denmark’s Queen Margrethe), shared five children – Princess Alexia, Crown Prince Pavlos, Prince Nikolaos, Princess Theodora and Prince Philippos. The King also had two sisters, Queen Sofia of Spain who was mother of King Felipe, and Princess Irene.
The King and the Prince of Wales sadly, could not attend Constantine’s funeral in Athens last year. While the monarch and Queen Camilla had a scheduled meeting with the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Prince William had a “private” engagement that was not recorded on the Court Circular.
King Charles, is a second cousin of Constantine through their fathers.
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A Buckingham Palace statement reads: “The Queen, accompanied by members of the royal family, will attend a thanksgiving service for the life of King Constantine of the Hellenes at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, on 27th February. The service in the Nave of St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, will be led by the Dean of Windsor, The Right Reverend Dr Christopher Cocksworth, and will be attended by Foreign Royal Families and other guests”.
King Charles will be one royal missing from the guestlist. Following the diagnosis on the King’s health, the King and Prince Harry met up quickly when the Duke of Sussex rushed from LA to be with his dad.
Prince Harry took to the media to give his thoughts on his father’s illness, sitting down for an interview with Good Morning America whilst spending three days in Canada for celebrations ahead of the 2025 Invictus Games. During the appearance, the Duke of Sussex opened up about his family life in Montecito, his father’s diagnosis, and the Invictus Games.
