Members of the Greek royal family are seeking to regain their citizenship, marking a significant change after five decades. In a major shift, they have acknowledged that Greece is now a republic, following the abolition of the monarchy in 1973.
The royals were stripped of their citizenship in 1994 after King Constantine, the late monarch, became embroiled in a dispute over former royal properties and refused to renounce his children’s claims to the Greek throne.
On Thursday, several members of the family reportedly signed a declaration recognizing Greece’s status as a republic and changing their surname to “de Grece” (French for “of Greece”). A decision regarding their citizenship has not yet been made, but once finalized, it will need to be published in the official government gazette before they can apply for Greek passports and state identity cards.
The family members seeking to regain citizenship include all five of Constantine’s children: Crown Prince Pavlos, Princess Alexia, Prince Nikolaos, Princess Theodora, and Prince Philippos. Other relatives, believed to be Constantine’s grandchildren, may also be involved, though they have not been named.
King Constantine was Greece’s last monarch, ruling from 1964 to 1973. During his reign, a military junta overthrew the government, and Constantine was exiled after attempting a counter-coup. The monarchy was abolished in 1973, a decision confirmed by a referendum the following year after democracy was restored.
Athanasios Balerpas, an official from Greece’s Interior Ministry, stated on Greek radio, “A historically unresolved matter is being settled. It’s a good time to look ahead, close the chapter of the past, and move forward as a people.”
Constantine spent much of his life in exile, living in London with his close friend, King Charles, but he returned to Greece in 2013, where he resided until his death on January 10, 2023.
This year has been eventful for the Greek royal family, with Princess Theodora marrying Matthew Kumar in a romantic ceremony at Athens’ Metropolitan Cathedral. Their wedding, initially scheduled for 2018, was delayed twice—first by the COVID-19 pandemic, and then due to Constantine’s death. After the intimate ceremony, the couple was greeted by cheering crowds, and Pavlos was seen thanking well-wishers before the newlyweds departed in a silver Range Rover.
