King Constantine II of Greece, the former King of the Hellenes, died in Athens on Tuesday, 10 January.
He will be buried at Tatoi Royal Cemetery at the Greek Royal Family’s former summer home in Greece.
Tatoi Palace was the summer estate of the Greek royals, less than 30km from the centre of Athens. After the monarchy’s abolition in 1973, the family could keep it, but the Greek government seized the property in 1993. Constantine did take the case to the European Court of Human Rights but was only able to win money back and not the property.
Since the property was seized, there have been several proposals, including turning the former palace into a museum and a luxury spa.
The famous Tatoi Palace, the Greek royal family’s former summer retreat that later became their permanent residence, is currently being renovated to be turned into a museum.
The restoration works, which began amidst the pandemic, have unearthed dozens of historical treasures.
The Tatoi Royal Cemetery is in a wooded area on the estate. Several generations of Greek monarchs and their families have been buried at Tatoi.
King George I of Greece is buried in a tomb at Tatoi.
Originally a Danish prince, George was invited to become King of the Hellenes at the age of 18 in 1863. He was assassinated just months before marking his Golden Jubilee in 1913. George’s wife, Olga Constantinova of Russia, is buried with him.
King Constantine I, George’s successor who also ended his life in exile, is buried at Tatoi. His successor, King Alexander I, died of an infected monkey bite. King George II of Greece and King Pavlos I of Greece, Constantine II’s father, are also buried there.
Prince Philip’s father, Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, was buried at Tatoi after his death in 1944.
Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark was the last member of the Greek Royal Family to be buried at Tatoi after her death in 2007.
Many European royals are expected to be at the King’s funeral. Queen Sofia of Spain is Constantine’s older sister and Constantine’s widow. Queen Anne-Marie is the younger sister of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.
The Greek and British royal families are close as they are related, and many of the members of the Greek Royal Family have stayed permanently in the UK after the family moved there in exile. The late Greek King was the Prince of Wales’s godfather, so it is expected that William will attend though funeral attendees have yet to be confirmed.
