Royal families are fascinating groups of people, and the public is forever infatuated with everything there is to do with them. The world is full of royal families, and the Greek royal family is an interesting and complex one to focus on. Here is everything you need to know about the Greek royal family and their backstory.
The Greek Royal Family: Decades of Ups and Downs
Royal families are no strangers to secrets and scandals. While their lives look glamorous on the outside, plenty of seedy and eyebrow-raising incidents and behaviors go on behind the palace walls. The Greek royal family has had their share of triumphs and tribulations, ranging from royal weddings, births, and amassed fortunes to total downfalls and exile.
King and Queen More Than Husband and Wife
Former Greek King Constantine and his displaced Queen Anne-Marie, met when they were mere children. She was only 13 years old, and he, a few years older than she, was accompanying his parents, King Paul and Queen Frederica, on state business in Denmark. They met again a few years later, and Constantine declared Ann Marie as his future bride. They married when Anne Marie was 18 years old. Like many royal couples, Constantine and Ann Marie share a lineage. They are actually third cousins and have the same great-great-grandfather, Christian IX of Denmark, and the same great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria.
Members of the Greek Royal Family
While the Greek royal family goes back for centuries, here are the contemporary members of the former monarchy.
Constantine II
Constantine II served as the King of Greece following the death of his father, King Paul. In title, Constantine remained King from 1964 until 1973, although for much of that time the disgraced Greek King and his family lived abroad. This is because only a few years into his rule, the Greek monarchy was dissolved and Constantine, his wife Anne-Marie, and their two young children were forced into exile.
Queen Anne-Marie
Former Queen-Marie has royalty coursing through every vein in her body. She is the wife of the former King of Greece, mother to four (former) royal children, daughter of a King, sister to another Queen, and cousin to yet another European King. In the world of European royals, Anne-Marie is very well connected.
Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark
She is the eldest child of the former King and Queen and the mother to four of Constantine II and Anne-Marie's nine grandchildren. A young Princess Alexia fled with her family to London at a very tender age and was educated at the Hellenic College in London, and later at University, where she earned a degree in teaching. She married architect and yachtsman Carlos Morales Quintana and together, the couple has four children.
Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece, Prince of Denmark
Crown Prince Pavlos would have followed in his father's footsteps, becoming King upon Constantine's death, if it not for the fallen empire. After his family fled their native land, thanks to the former King's failed countercoup, Pavlos was educated at the London education institution that his parents founded. He later moved stateside, earning a BA and MA in foreign services from Georgetown University. Pavlos has spent the majority of his adult years living in both London and New York, working in investment consulting. He is wed to British heiress Marie-Chantal Miller and together, they have five children.
Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark
The third child of the former King and Queen, Prince Nikolaos, was the first former Greek royal to be born abroad. He too was educated at the same school as his siblings, later attending Brown University, where he majored in international relations. The former Prince wed his longtime girlfriend, Tatiana Blatnik, in 2010.
Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark
Theodora was born some fourteen years after Prince Nikolaos. She was educated at an all-female boarding school, as well as American higher learning institutions before settling on a career in acting. She goes by the name Theodora Greece and has starred in The Bold and the Beautiful. She is currently engaged to Matthew Kumar.
Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark
Prince Phillippos is the last of the Greek royal children. He was born in London, received his higher education in American, and made a life for himself in New York, working in investments. Recently, the former royal wed heiress, Nina Flohr, in a private ceremony with only the couple's fathers in attendance.
Nine Royal Grandchildren
There are nine royal grandchildren in the family:
- Arrietta Morales y de Grecia (born to Princess Alexia and Carlos Morales Quintana; 2002)
- Ana-Maria Morales y de Grecia (born to Princess Alexia and Carlos Morales Quintana; 2003)
- Carlos Morales y de Grecia (born to Princess Alexia and Carlos Morales Quintana; 2005)
- Amelia Morales y de Grecia (born to Princess Alexia and Carlos Morales Quintana; 2007)
- Princess Maria-Olympia (born to Prince Pavlos of Greece and Marie-Chantal Miller; 1996)
- Prince Constantine Alexios (born to Prince Pavlos of Greece and Marie-Chantal Miller; 1998)
- Prince Achileas-Andreas (born to Prince Pavlos of Greece and Marie-Chantal Miller; 2000)
- Prince Odysseas Kymon (born to Prince Pavlos of Greece and Marie-Chantal Miller; 2004)
- Prince Aristidis Stavros (born to Prince Pavlos of Greece and Marie-Chantal Miller; 2008)
Overthrown Royals
Following the passing of Constantine II's father, King Paul, the handsome young royal took the throne and ruled with his Queen for a few short years before a military coup was staged. Following a failed countercoup, Constantine, Anne-Marie, and their two first-born children left Greece and headed abroad to safety. They would remain in exile for several decades, only returning to their homeland in recent years.
Displaced but Not Poor
The Greek royal family might have had to leave their homeland and live among the commoners, but that doesn't mean that they are exactly roughing it. Members of the family still have properties, wealth, and jewels galore.
Tiaras to Top the Rest
If there is one thing that the former Greek royals have an abundance of, it's tiaras. The gold, diamonds, and precious jewels in the royal collection are priceless, having been passed through various lineages with some pieces dating back hundreds of years.
- The Antique Corsage Tiara- This diamond and pearl masterpiece was given to former Queen Anne-Marie on her 18th birthday by her mother Ingrid of Denmark. It has been worn by the likes of Anne-Marie, her daughters, and daughter-in-laws on their wedding days.
- The Greek Emerald Parure Tiara- This work of art is both a tiara and a glittering necklace. It was commissioned by Queen Elisabeth and contains jewels from Queen Olga's collection.
- The Ruby Olive Wreath Tiara- The diamond and ruby tiara is jaw-dropping. Originally the tiara belonged to Queen Olga before being purchased by King Paul for his Queen, eventually getting passed to the head of Anne-Marie.
Lavish Pads Abroad
When Constantine and his family left Greece, they used their wealth, their wits, and their esteemed contacts to continue a life of comfort and luxury. The family home, where Constantine and Anne-Marie lived during their forty years of exile, sold for over ten million dollars, if that gives you any indication as to just how well off the former royals were during their time of recluse.
Incredible Soirees
Throughout their years living in exile, the former King and Queen attended and threw lavish parties for their high profile friends and families. In 1986, Constantine took over the Claridge's Hotel in London to celebrate his wife's birthday.
Friends in High Places
The Greek royal family no longer rules, but their high society friends and royal family never went anywhere. The former royals spent their exile years canoodling with royal families from all over the globe, many of whom the former King and Queen are related to.
- Queen Sophia of Spain- Anne-Marie's sister
- Queen Margrethe of Denmark- Constantine's sister-in-law
- Phillip of Spain- Constantine's cousin
- Prince Charles- Constantine's second cousin
- Prince William- Godson of Constantine
A Return Home
Sometimes you can go home, even if you are a disgraced King who has been living in exile for decades. Constantine and Ann Marie returned to Greece roughly 50 years after they were forced out. No longer a strapping young man with a glittering crown and a title above all others, Constantine and his wife now live among the commoners on Greek soil, finally home for good.
