Prince William’s godfather and the last king of Greece who spent decades in exile, has died at the age of 82, his doctors have announced.
The former king suffered from chronic heart and mobility problems, according to Reuters. His condition had worsened, and he had been hospitalized in recent months.
Constantine was one of William’s six godparents, and was a close to King Charles who was his second cousin.
He ruled as the last king of Greece from March 1964 until the country’s monarchy was abolished in 1973.
Constantine acceded to the throne at the age of 23, the AP reported. By then, he was already an Olympic gold medalist in sailing.
Much of his reign was filled with political strife, and he was forced into exile by 1967.
Constantine was born in Athens on June 2, 1940, to Prince Paul and Princess Frederica of Hanover.
Greek-born Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh and husband of the late Queen Elizabeth II, was an uncle to Constantine.
He and his wife, Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark, lived in Hampstead in north London for many years before he sold his property in 2013.
He ruled over one of the most turbulent periods in Greece’s political history.
Constantine was also a competitive sailor and Olympian, winning a gold medal in the 1960 Rome Olympics in the Dragon class.
