Former King of Greece Constantine II has died at the age of 82

former king Greece Constantine II, who was in power before the Republic was restored in 1974, died in Athens on Tuesday, January 10 at the age of 82, Greek public broadcaster ERT announced. The former monarch, cousin of King Charles III and godfather of Prince William,”He died (…) of a strokeHe was hospitalized in Athens last week with respiratory problems, Greek media reported.

A scion of the Schleswig-Holstein-Glücksburg family, Constantine was a cousin of British King Charles III and godfather to his son William. He was also the brother of Sofia, mother of King Philip VI of Spain. Greece’s monarchy was abolished by referendum in 1974, ending the Danish dynasty that had been established in 1863 by Constantine II’s grandfather, George I.

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turbulent period

Constantine II ascended the throne at the age of 23 in 1964, one of the most turbulent periods in contemporary Greek history. The ensuing political crises were fertile ground for the Colonel’s coup in April 1967 and the junta’s seven-year term that the CIA was accused of supporting.

According to US diplomatic documents published later, Constantine also tried to impose martial law in 1967 to avoid the return of George Papandreou or his socialist son Andreas, who was elected prime minister fifteen years later. He left Greece in 1968 and lived for forty years in London, before returning to his country in 2013. He is married to Anne-Marie, sister of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, and leaves five children.