Former king of Greece Constantine II laid to rest in former royal estate of Tatoi

Former King Constantine: Feverish preparations for his burial in Tatoi

A funeral service of the Greek Orthodox rite for Constantine was held at the Athens Metropolitan Cathedral with full royal protocol, officiated by the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Ieronymos and co-officiated by all 12 Metropolitans of the permanent Holy Synod of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Greece.

The eulogy was delivered by Prince Pavlos, the first-born son of Constantine and former Queen Anne-Marie of Denmark.

Several royal European heads of state attended the funeral and interment service, along with dignitaries from around the world.

Members of many of Europe’s foremost royal families, including Britain’s Princess Anne, and Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia attended both the funeral and interment services. Also among the official guests were royals from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Serbia and Monaco.

A memorial service for Greece’s last monarch was held at the gravesite.

Mourners from around Greece and abroad had gathered since the early morning hours to pay their last respects to Constantine II, whose body lay in state for several hours before the funeral in a chapel adjacent to the Metropolitan Cathedral. Allow no official honors were bestowed by the Greek state, which has been a republic since 1974, thousands of people nevertheless lined the streets leading to the cathedral in central Athens and outside its courtyard.

The Greek government was represented by Deputy Prime Minister Panagiotis Pikrammenos and Culture Minister Lina Mendoni. Additionally, the president of Hellenic Olympic Committee, Spyros Kapralos, was among the mourners at the Metropolitan Cathedral, as Constantine was an Olympic gold medalist in sailing at the 1960 Rome Olympics.