The Future of King-in-waiting Paul of Greece: A Study in Athens 2023.

On January 16, in the Cathedral of the Metropolitan of Athens, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece was greeted by her son, Crown Prince Pavlos, to the thunderous applause of thousands of spectators standing behind the barriers. Slightly embarrassed and holding back tears, she turned, placed her hand on her heart, and thanked them before continuing her way inside to attend the funeral of her husband. Constantine II, the last king of Greece, passed away six days ago at the age of 82 after a stroke.

Inside the cathedral, the splendor of Byzantine style reigned. There were incense, candles, and singing; queens, kings, and statesmen were present. Marie-Chantal (a children's clothing entrepreneur and wife of Pavlos) and their daughter, Princess Olympia (a London model and social activist), were there along with representatives from 10 European royal families, including seven heads of state. This was the second largest gathering of crowned heads after the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

Archbishop of Athens Hieronymus II was accompanied by 12 metropolitans of the Holy Synod and ambassadors from the Patriarchates of Constantinople and Alexandria. Together they performed the song "He Who Became King" - which was a contradiction to modern Greek society, as Constantine effectively ruled for only three years before being overthrown. Then Pavlos delivered his eulogy, and the world media exploded. "My father," he said, "this is not the end."

Suddenly, the host interrupted our broadcast: he received an urgent message. "I have exclusive news," he said live on air. "Pavlos is returning to Greece to settle permanently in Athens." He turned to me. "I'm not so sure," I replied reluctantly. "He works at Ortelius Capital Partners in New York, and his wife has a children's clothing company. One of their five children is still in school. It seems to me that it will be difficult for them to relocate practically."

But it was already too late. The rumor spread like wildfire, first on news websites, then on other TV channels, and finally as headlines in tabloids the next day. Nine days later - after the Trisagion service held according to Orthodox tradition - the family broke their silence. "The rumors are completely false. This is a vulnerable time for the queen and her family, and they will spend more time together while in Athens, but that’s all," they stated.

The restoration of the monarchy in Greece is out of the question. With the exception of a few powerful shipping dynasties, such as Niarchos, Vardinogiannis, Nomikos, Goulandris, Livanos, Chandris, and Lemos, who continue to support and communicate with the royal family—mostly abroad—the domestic elite remains aloof. Indeed, the power of this institution was evident both in television ratings during the funeral and in the media frenzy that lasted for two weeks until Crown Prince Pavlos boarded a plane and returned to New York. But this was merely press hysteria: a recent study showed that 31.2% of Greeks expressed sympathy for the king, while 45.2% felt no emotions at all.

The question of monarchy evokes strong emotions in Greece because it played an undeniable role in modern history. In 1964, Constantine was crowned as a constitutional monarch, albeit with significant influence. He was an idol of the country, an energetic modernizer who had won a gold medal in sailing at the Olympic Games inRome four years earlier. At that time, just like in the UK, Greek high society revolved around the royal family; every celebrity, local or foreign, wanted to be photographed with them. And an invitation to the palace?

But in 1967, the elected democratic government of the king was overthrown in a military coup. The king refrained from participating, hoping that he could mitigate the excesses of the new junta, and remained on the throne. However, his silence was perceived as collaboration, and for this, many of his subjects never forgave him. That same year, his involvement in a failed counter-revolution was discovered, and he was forced to leave Greece for his life. In exile, the family first moved toRome and then to the United Kingdom, where Constantine was related to the royal family both through connections with the Duke of Edinburgh and with the Queen. He settled in a luxurious mansion in the suburb of Hampstead Garden Suburb (Diana, Princess of Wales, and her sons often visited him), supported by wealthy supporters and attended by a notable court. Even there, he remained "Your Majesty."

In 1973, the first referendum held by the junta voted for the overthrow of the king. The following year, after the return of democracy to Greece, a second vote confirmed this; and Constantine and his family had to give up hope of returning to the throne. In 1981, the government allowed him to return to the country for a few hours to attend his mother's funeral, and then again in 1993 to spend a vacation, which was overshadowed by the constant harassment of his yacht by Greek warships.

Only in 2013 was he finally allowed to settle in his homeland. He chose Porto Heli, a quiet coastal area, keeping his social life to a minimum, except for very few public appearances when he visited Athens. He was referred to as Konstantinos Glucksburg - a nod to his German-Danish heritage, ignoring the fact that he was born in Greece and became the head of state by right of inheritance. He avoided political involvement and declared everywhere how happy he was to finally be back in his homeland.

In 2022, his family home in Porto Heli was sold for 15 million euros. Although Konstantin's widow, Anna-Maria, has an apartment in the capital, not far from the former Palace provided by one of the compassionate shipping magnates, only one of her five children, Prince Nikolaos, still lives in the republic. They both continue to lead a simple life, visiting a few friends without any pretentiousness. It seemed as if they were hiding.

Their deep roots have disappeared, as well as their deep wings: 10,000 acres of estate in Tatoi, where they had a summer residence; the Mon Repos palace in Corfu; an 8,000-acre estate in Polidendri in central Greece. After decades of legal battles, all the properties were sold for £10 million in 2000 (the money went to charity). But Constantine was a stoic. His close friend, bon vivant and writer Takis Theodorakopoulos, recounts how Constantine forbade him from writing attacks on the regime that treated him so poorly: "He never complained and never blamed his enemies," he says.

Just like that, the family knows that, despite the public mourning—with monarchists kissing funeral icons and shouting "Immortal!" and "Constantine, you will never die!"—any restoration or even reintegration is too painful a prospect for their beloved country. The only strong support for such an idea comes from émigré shipping dynasties that prefer London or New York to Piraeus. But most of Greek society, whether high or low, has learned to get by without them, and vice versa.

Perhaps the gossipers and influential figures were too busy tweeting about Pavlos's "sensational news" to pay attention to how his epitaph continued. "You will always live in our hearts and thoughts," he said. Not a word about a return. And while we will likely see a bit more of Pavlos in Athens - he will visit his mother or support the Greek branch of the Prince's Foundation, founded by his distant cousin King Charles III (Pavlos is the chairman of the foundation's international advisory council) - Theodorakopoulos is sure that the Greek tragedy for Pavlos is over. "Athens offers him nothing," he says. "Only envious Greeks who blame the late king for what he did not do."