Former King Constantine was buried in Tatoi next to his parents

Former King Constantine of Greece burial

The final farewell to the former King Constantine was addressed by his family and members of European royal families in a ceremony performed by the Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens shortly before 16:00 in Tatoi. The ceremony, at the request of the family, took place away from the media.

Shortly after 16:00 the guests began to leave for the burial site.

Earlier, his sons, Pavlos, Nikolaos, and Philippos, and his grandsons carried the coffin with his body on their shoulders.

Inside the chapel, a Trisagion was held, while the members of the former king's family knelt at the end of the ceremony.

A little earlier, the last farewell was addressed by his sister, Irene, the Felipe VI of Spain and his wife Letizia, and former King of Spain Juan Carlos, who arrived supported by his daughters.

The burial of the former king took place in the royal cemeteries, next to the graves of his parents, Pavlos and Frederica, which was also his wish. Civilians were also present at the site early in the morning.

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A convoy of at least 40 cars arrived in Tatoi, headed to the Church of the Resurrection, where a Trisagion was held. Front and back, the motorcade wass accompanied by police cars. In addition to the family, there were official guests as well as close friends of the deceased.

His body was transported by motorcade, from the Metropolis of Athens and under strict security measures. In addition to the hearse and his family, foreign kings who came to Athens for his burial were also at the burial site.

The police presence from all the services was very strong in Tatoi, where citizens have also been directed. However, the police prohibited entry to those who did not have an invitation.

Earlier, the funeral procession took place in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens, with his family members visibly emotional.

Constantine's son, Pavlos, delivered the eulogy at the service: "You will always live on in our thoughts and our hearts, as happens in every Greek family when it loses something precious."

He spoke of moments in his father's life, among them winning a gold Olympic medal in 1960, and the influence he exerted so that Athens would assume the organisation of the Olympic Games in 2004.

Pavlos also referred to the moments that led to the dissolution of democracy in Greece, saying: "From the first moment you resisted strongly and sought ways to overthrow the dictators".

He also promised that Constantine's children and grandchildren will safeguard his legacy and "always offer to the country and to Greece". Afterwards, he delivered the eulogy in English.

As the body was carried out of the Church, those gathered there sang the national anthem.

The government was represented by Deputy Prime Minister Panagiotis Pikrammenos and Culture and Sports Minister Lina Mendoni. Among those attending the funeral of the former king, who had been an Olympic gold medallist, was the president of the Hellenic Olympic Committee Spyros Capralos.

Royalty attending the funeral included King Felipe of Spain with his wife Queen Letitia, Queen Mother of Spain Sofia, Constantine's sister, with her husband King Emeritus Juan Carlos, as well as Constantine's other sister, Irene, and the princesses Elena and Cristina, daughters of Juan Carlos and Sofia.

The funeral was also attended by Princess Anne, the sister of King Charles III of Britain, Queen Margrethe of Denmark and her son, and Crown Prince Frederik and Princess Benedikte, sister of the Queen of Denmark and of the former Greek queen consort Anne-Marie, the wife of Constantine.

Other royals included the King Carl Gustaf of Sweden and Queen Silvia, the Crown Prince of Norway Haakon and his wife Princess Mette-Marit, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg Henri, the King of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander with his wife Queen Maxima, the Queen Mother Princess Beatrix and Prince Albert of Monaco, and King Philippe of Belgium and his wife Queen Mathilde.

Former royals included Serbian royal couple Catherine and Alexander, Mariya Vladimirovna from Russia and former prince Radu from Romania.

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