The royalty has gathered in Athens to say goodbye in a private funeral to Constantine of Greece, the last King of the Hellenes, who was monarch for nine years until he had to go into exile. The imposing Cathedral of the Annunciation of Santa María, better known as the Metropolitan Cathedral, has been the setting chosen for pay tribute to Doña Sofía’s brother, who passed away on January 10 at the age of 82. The last farewell to the ancient Hellenic monarch has been a religious ceremony, celebrated by the Orthodox rite.
began the funeral mass of the King who ascended the throne at the age of 23, in 1964 and that he left his country a few years later to return with 73 become the last monarch of the Hellenes. The center of Athens has been closed to traffic and with a strong police deployment due to the presence of heads of state at this funeral ceremony, which has been prepared in detail by the eldest sons of the late King, princes Pablo and Nicholas, and the temple priests.
The coffin, wrapped in the Hellenic flag, has arrived after a small procession and funeral procession in which the three sons of the deposed King have participated, coming from the nearby chapel of San Eleftherios where it has been installed hours before so that the citizens, who have formed long lines since dawn, could show their respects. Once placed on the catafalque, his children have crossed themselves and have placed a wreath from his mother with the following inscription: Your beloved Ana María. In addition, there were the decorations that she received during her life.
The family requested that instead of flowers donations are sent to the following charities: Elpida Guest House, Axion Hellas and the Aurora Foundation. Even so, there have been a multitude of flower crowns received, including those of Queen Ana María, Kings Felipe and Letizia, Don Juan Carlos and Doña Sofía.
