The late Greece royal, who also happened to be Prince William's godfather, has passed away at the age of 82 after he was admitted to hospital with breathing issues.
- Jan 12, 2023
AceShowbiz - Greece's last King Constantine II has passed away aged 82. The late royal - a cousin of Britain's King Charles - died on Tuesday, January 10, 2023 in intensive care in an Athens hospital after being hospitalised a number of times in recent months.
He was taken to hospital last week with breathing problems and had recently been suffering from heart and mobility issues.
The former king was last seen in public in Athens in 2022 when he was in a wheelchair with nasal catheters in. He was alongside his sister, former Queen of Spain Sofia, and other members of his family.
Constantine - who is Prince William's godfather - ascended to the throne in 1964 aged 23 after winning a gold medal in sailing in the 1960 Rome Olympics. However, his popularity would later wane when there was a military coup in 1967.
After an attempted counter-coup, Constantine was forced to go into exile abroad. The monarchy was later abolished in 1973 after nearly 70 per cent of Greeks voted for it to end in a referendum, meaning Constantine was the last king of Greece.
In 1994, the Greek socialist government stripped the king of his citizenship and he won €12 million in 2002 after taking legal action at the European court of human rights, despite seeking €500 million.
Constantine was married to Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark. The couple had five children, Alexia, Pavlos, Nikolaos, Theodora, and Philippos together, and nine grandchildren. He travelled with a Danish passport after being stripped of his Greek citizenship.
