Former king of Greece Constantine II released a statement of condolences following the death of Prince Philip, his first cousin once removed.
He told Associated Press: “Prince Philip was a remarkable man who dedicated his entire life to duty and service for his country and the Commonwealth. My sorrow is even deeper because of our close family ties. He will be deeply missed by all of us. He was a man of great character who will be remembered for his forward-thinking, sharp wit and his constant encouraging support to Queen Elizabeth II.”
The former king and Prince Philip, two Greek-born royals, are descendants of King George I of Greece who was also Greek-born and raised.
Constantine, of the house of Glücksburg, became king at the age of 23 when his father King Paul of Greece died of cancer in 1964. He married Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark, the sister of the Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.
In June 1973, Constantine was condemned as an enemy of the Greek people by the dictatorial government. In May of that year, a Royal coup was staged by the officers of the majority royalist navy which was in name only. It should be noted that Constantine was not involved in the planning or initiation of the countercoup and not one life was lost in that event.
READ MORE: Corfu fondly remembers late Prince Philip of Britain
George Papadopoulos was the Greek head of the military coup d’état that took power in Greece on 21 April 1967.
On 1 June 1973, Papadopoulos abolished the monarchy and declared Greece a republic with himself as president. He was confirmed in office via a controversial referendum. He sought the support of the old political establishment but secured only the cooperation of Spiros Markezinis, who became prime minister.
In more recent times, Constantine, his wife and their children have been allowed to return to Greece where they now live after 40 years in exile. Matters pertaining to the rights of ‘Greek nationals’ pursuant to long settled Greek law is very relevant in this regard but that is for another time.