In a meeting that the Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos regarded as “historic”, he and his wife Vlassia Pavlopoulou-Peltsemi received the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall at the Presidential Estate in Athens on Wednesday.
In regards to the visit, according to Kathimerini, it was pointed out by Mr Pavlopoulos that the bonds of friendship between the two nations go as far back as the establishment of the Greek nation itself, noting the battle of Navarino and Lord Byron as the key points between them. President Pavlopoulos also spoke of Prince Charles’ Greek heritage through his father, Prince Phillip, and extended his hopes that there will be more visits to come in the future.
Prince Charles also spoke of the deep bonds that connect the two countries and shared his gratitude for his first formal invitation to visit Athens. Finally, he too talked about his wish to have the opportunity to visit Athens again. A few days earlier, the Prince of Wales had visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Syntagma in order to lay a wreath of roses in honour of those that had fallen.
Meanwhile, in an exclusive interview printed in the hard-copy edition of Kathimerini, Prince Charles praised Greece saying it is in his blood.
“Apart from anything else, Greece is in my blood and I have long had a fascination for her ancient culture and history, not to mention the fact that I have been so fortunate to have visited some of Greece’s many beautiful and unique places,” he said stressing that his father was born in Corfu.
“Knowing that Greece, and so many Greeks, have been going through such a very difficult time in recent years, I wanted to find a way – however small and inadequate – to help the young people of Greece achieve their full potential, whether through skills training or assisting them to set up their own enterprises,” he added.
“This is something my Prince’s Trust has been doing in the United Kingdom – and now, increasingly, overseas – for the last 42 years, and so, feeling deeply for the predicament facing the Greek people, I wanted to see if the experience we have developed over all these years might be of some assistance in overcoming the challenges confronting such a very special country.”