Many monarchs, including King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium and Queen Margrethe of Denmark were present, as were other heirs, such as Prince Haakon and Princess Mette-Marit of Norway.
Representing the UK, however, were King Charles’ sister and brother-in-law, Princess Anne and Sir Timothy Laurence, as well as one of King Constantine’s godchildren, Lady Gabriella of Windsor, who was asked to attend on Prince William’s behalf.
Upon confirmation of their absence, fans were quick to share their disappointment on both the Royal Family and the Prince and Princess of Wales’ Instagram accounts on Monday.
“@princeandprincessofwales where are the condolences for the ex-king of Greece, his funeral today. William’s godfather, Prince Philip’s nephew,” one commented on William and Kate’s last Instagram post, which showed photos from their engagement in Liverpool last week.
Another added: “Why are the Prince and Princess of Wales not in Athens to attend the funeral of Prince William’s godfather, Constantine of Greece?”
Many other royal fans took to Charles and Camilla’s official account to ask similar questions. “What about paying respects on the passing of King Constantine of Greece,” one wrote in the monarch’s latest post, which also highlighted William and Kate’s trip to Liverpool, which took place three days after Constantine’s death.
On Twitter, many continued to voice their disappointment. “I hadn’t loaded of expectations but still it’s very disappointing that William didn’t go. He’s the PoW and King Constantine was his godfather. He should have gone,” said one, whilst royal blogger Gert’s Royals remarked: “William’s lack of attendance today keeps in line with past UK attendance at Big Foreign Royal events. I’ve tracked the big foreign royals’ events since 2017, with 8 or more monarchies present. William attended none of the events (Except for UK ones).”
Charles and William’s absences were justified by the Palace. The monarch and the Queen Consort had a scheduled meeting with the President of the Republic of Cyprus and Mrs Anastasiades, and the Prince of Wales had a “private” engagement, that was not recorded on the Court Circular.
