At the chapel of Agios Eleftherios in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens, members of the former royal family rushed at noon on Saturday to pray for the former King Constantine II, who is hospitalised and in a very critical condition in the intensive care unit of Hygeia hospital.
Earlier, some of the family members had traveled from abroad to stand by the former king, who is fighting to stay alive.
His sister Sofia, who has the title of Queen Mother on the Spanish throne, arrived in Greece unexpectedly, while Benjamin of the Philippos family and his wife Nina Flohr, traveled from Jaipur in India to Athens after the serious health development of his father.
Constantine's sister, Irene, was also present at the Cathedral chapel, as were Marie-Chantal and Tatiana Blatnik, wives of Pavlos and Nikolaos.
The family members previously took a short walk in the centre of Athens and had lunch at one of the restaurants on Mitropoleos Street, while afterwards they all wanted to spend a few moments of prayer together in the Metropolis chapel.
The stroke
The 82-year-old former monarch suffered an acute stroke while he was at his home in Athens, and was rushed to the ICU of the "Hygeia" hospital. He faced several health problems in recent years.
It is recalled that he contracted the coronavirus in January 2022, while in December 2021 he was transferred to the hospital with pulmonary edema due to aspiration. He suffered a stroke in the past, while he also faces mobility problems.
The former king and his wife had moved to Kolonaki from Porto Heli, last spring, in order to be monitored by his doctors and to be close to "Hygeia", where he is being treated.
The last time the former king, in a wheelchair and with nasal catheters, appeared in public was on October 19, 2022, at a meal with his family in the centre of Athens.
Photos: Papadakis press/Angelos Ligas
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