Constantine II, the younger brother of Queen Sofia and the last king of Greece, passed away this Tuesday at the age of 82 in a private Athens clinic. His death came nearly a decade after he left his hometown, signaling the end of a long, controversial chapter tied to exile and royal duty.
Constantine II and his wife, Ana María, were compelled to leave Greece after the 1974 overthrow of the Colonels Junta. Their return to the homeland did not come until 2013, marking a quiet reentry after forty-six years in exile.
The decisions taken during Constantine’s reign helped shape a shift in public sentiment that ultimately led to the republic being proclaimed not long after the dictatorship ended. In 1974, a nationwide referendum resulted in 69.2 percent voting in favor of abolishing the monarchy and establishing a republic.
When Constantino ascended the throne in March 1964 at the age of 24, he carried notable popularity. His early triumphs included winning Greece’s first Olympic sailing gold since 1912, in the Dragon class at the 1960 Rome Games. In September 1964, hundreds of thousands from around the world gathered in Athens for a royal wedding, as Margrethe’s sister, Princess Anne-Marie, united with the nation.
Yet the mood shifted shortly after, as the summer of 1965 saw mass demonstrations across the country against the monarchy. Citizens protested the dismissal of the centrist prime minister Georgios Papandreou, who had ushered in a new era of postwar democracy. The era that followed brought political instability that spanned nearly two years and culminated in the coup of April 21, 1967. Constantine’s inconsistent stance toward the regime fueled growing discontent, initially recognizing the putschists and later, with limited preparation, attempting to challenge them and distance himself from the regime only after it began to falter.
After the failed effort to end the junta, Constantine chose to settle in Rome with Ana María and their two eldest children. The family later moved to London, where the couple’s three younger children were born, living in exile for years.
Constantine never accepted the 1974 referendum that declared Greece a republic. The political system required his eventual return as a condition for easing his status in the country. In 1994, the socialist government of Andreas Papandreou revoked his Greek citizenship and seized royal assets. In 2002, the European Court of Human Rights ordered the Greek state to compensate the royal family with 12 million euros for the seized property, a decision that underscored the ongoing dispute over royal assets.
From 2010 onward, the king remained a guest in Greece, rarely appearing in public and often traveling by private yacht along Greek shores. In August 2010, the couple’s third son, Nikolaos, entered a landmark marriage on the island of Spetses, a ceremony attended by representatives of European royal houses. Nikolaos later settled in Athens with his wife Tatiana.
By 2014, Constantine had sold his London residence for 11 million euros and relocated to Porto Heli, a popular retreat for Greek shipowners. Ill health prompted a return to Athens, bringing him closer to hospitals. His return coincided with a period of deep economic strain within Greek society, a time when any public appearance by the former monarch drew careful media attention and public interest alike. Any legacy he leaves is entwined with Greece’s modern history and the dramatic shifts in its political landscape, from a monarchy to a republic and the nuanced debates over national identity [Citation: Greek political transition and the 1974 referendum].