Greece’s closing and previous king, Constantine II, died on Tuesday elderly 82, state web site ERT information reported.
The overdue king, the one son of King Paul and Queen Frederica of Greece, ascended to the throne in 1964. His nine-year reign coincided with one of the turbulent classes within the nation’s political historical past, with an army coup on 21 April 1967 ensuing within the set up of a right-wing army dictatorship, usually referred to as the ‘Regime of the Colonels’.
A couple of months later, Constantine was once pressured to escape Greece after main an unsuccessful countercoup in opposition to the then army junta.
The overdue king remained in Rome till the regime abolished the monarchy in 1973.
But upon the junta’s fall in 1974, issues would no longer revert to how they have been prior to. In a referendum known as through a countrywide solidarity executive led through Konstantinos Karamanlis, Greeks rejected monarchy for a 2nd time, making Constantine the rustic’s closing king. Athens later stripped him of his citizenship.
In 2002, Constantine and different individuals of his circle of relatives have been compensated with €13.7 million for his or her former belongings in Greece, which incorporates the Tatoi palace property north of Athens — this is these days being restored — and a villa in Corfu, the birthplace of the overdue Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and now a museum.
The former king was once married to Queen Anne-Marie of Greece and leaves at the back of 5 kids. He could also be Prince William’s godfather, having lived in London for years prior to returning to Greece.
An achieved athlete and aggressive sailor, Constantine’s group gained a gold medal on the 1960 Olympics.
In his closing public look within the centre of Athens closing 12 months, the previous king was once noticed in a wheelchair and with nasal catheters, accompanied through his sister, the previous Queen of Spain Sofia, and different kin.
Suffering from continual center and mobility issues, the Constantine’s well being situation had worsened and he have been hospitalised more than a few instances in fresh months.