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Prince Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece, Prince of Denmark (in English: Paul; born 20 May 1967) is the eldest son of Constantine II, King of the Hellenes from 1964 to 1973.[1] If Constantine is ever restored to the throne Pavlos would be his heir apparent. If no restoration occurs, following Constantine's death Pavlos will become the pretender to the defunct Greek throne.
By royal descent, he is a member of the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg line of the House of Oldenburg. His passport uses de Grecia (of Greece) as a surname, however his family refuse to adopt an official surname, saying that as their family have historically never had a surname they see no reason to do so now. His title Crown Prince of Greece, although used as a courtesy title among European royalty and in the media, academia and the public generally, is not recognised in the Hellenic Republic, which abolished the monarchy in 1973. Since reaching adulthood, he has lived in New York City and in London, and has worked as an investment consultant.
He is an experienced bluewater yachtsman and crews on the multi-record-breaking monohull Mari-Cha IV owned by businessman Robert W. Miller, his father-in-law.
Crown Prince Pavlos is the highest ranked name on the list of British line of succession to be triply related to Queen Victoria. He is a descendant of Victoria's 3rd son, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn through his mother Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, and twice a descendant of Victoria's eldest daughter Victoria, German Empress and Princess Royal through the younger Victoria's son Wilhelm II, German Emperor through his paternal grandmother Frederica of Hanover, and through the younger Victoria's daughter Princess Sophia of Prussia through his paternal grandfather King Paul of Greece.
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Early life
Crown Prince Pavlos was born on 20 May 1967 in Athens, to King Constantine II of Greece and Queen Anne Marie, by birth a Princess of Denmark. His mother is a sister of Margrethe II of Denmark. His maternal grandparents were Frederick IX of Denmark and Ingrid of Sweden.
By Greek tradition, he was named for his paternal grandfather, King Paul (Pavlos) of the Hellenes. His older sister, Princess Alexia, had been born two years earlier, in 1965. Crown Prince Pavlos was baptized into the Greek Orthodox Church, with Charles, Prince of Wales (King Constantine’s second cousin), as one of his godparents.
Military coup of 1967
Crown Prince Pavlos was born into a turbulent era in Greek politics. His father, King Constantine II, had acceded to the throne on 6 March 1964, at the age of 23, following the death of his father, King Pavlos. In July 1965, following a conflict with Prime Minister George Papandreou over control of the armed forces, King Constantine dismissed Papandreou. The effect was to destabilize the political balance which had been achieved within the country. There followed within the next 22 months a succession of unstable coalition governments, strikes, and loss of confidence by foreign investors. The term July Apostates refers to the group of George Papandreou's dissidents, led by the politician Konstantinos Mitsotakis, then also member of the Center Union, who crossed the floor to bring about the fall of the Greek government and its replacement by a government favourable to the King.
On 21 April 1967, just a month prior to Crown Prince Pavlos' birth, a military coup occurred, in which a group of colonels seized control of the government. The King decided to co-operate with the dictators and was persuaded to swear the new regime in only when the junta agreed to include a number of civilian politicians, with a royalist nominee, Constantine Kollias, as Prime Minister. Constantine's brief co-operation with the coup was later seen by many as a fatal error, since the military dictatorship soon became very unpopular. In the months following the coup, the junta continued to acknowledge King Constantine as head of state, although the king had very little actual power.
As 1967 drew to a close, the "Regime of the Colonels", led by Colonel George Papadopoulos, was increasingly characterised by suppression of civil liberties, along with imprisonment or exile of opponents. In December of that year, King Constantine attempted a counter-coup, but could not rally sufficient military support. The King fled with his wife and children to Rome. Crown Prince Pavlos' younger brother Prince Nikolaos, was born in Rome in 1969.
Abolition of the monarchy
During the years 1964–1973, Greece remained officially a monarchy, with a regency appointed in the absence of the king. Beginning in 1973, when Prince Pavlos was six years old, a series of rapid changes occurred in the government of Greece. On 1 June 1973, Constantine II was declared deposed and Georgios Papadopoulos was self-appointed President of Greece. On 29 July, 1973, the Greek plebiscite, 1973 was held to confirm the change. In November, following the government’s harsh suppression of the Athens Polytechnic uprising, Papadopoulos was ousted from office by Brigadier General Dimitrios Ioannides. Ioannides appointed Phaedon Gizikis as the new President rather than restoring the monarchy.
On 15 July 1974 Ioannides attempted a coup in Cyprus. Makarios III, President of Cyprus, was removed from power and Nikos Sampson of EOKA B hand-picked as his replacement. The Greek coup triggered the Turkish invasion of Cyprus and occupation of Northern Cyprus by the Turkish Armed Forces. Amidst fears of war with Turkey, the junta agreed to resign, and invited former Prime Minister Constantine Karamanlis to establish a civilian government.
On 17 November, 1974, the Greek legislative election, 1974 were held, resulting in a victory for Karamanlis and his New Democratic (ND) party. On 8 December, 1974, the Greek plebiscite, 1974. As in the one of the previous year, the outcome was in favour of a republican constitution (69%), over restoration of the monarchy (31%). Constantine Karamanlis, who had served as Greek Prime Minister under King Paul, in his radio address in the evening of 8 December 1974, as the polling returns became known declared that "A carcinoma was resected today from the body of the nation".
King Constantine accepted that his reign was at an end. He and Queen Anne Marie had been settled with their family in London for some time. Crown Prince Pavlos' youngest siblings were born in London, Princess Theodora in 1983, and Prince Philippos in 1986.
Education
Crown Prince Pavlos was educated in London at the Hellenic College of London, the United World College-USA in New Mexico, USA and at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. After completing these he earned a Master of Science in Foreign Service degree at Georgetown, where he was roommates with his cousin, Felipe of Spain, the Prince of Asturias.
Titles, styles, honours and arms
Titles and styles
Crown Prince Pavlos has used the following titles and styles:
- His Royal Highness The Crown Prince of Greece, Prince of Denmark (1967–1973)
- His Royal Highness The Crown Prince of Greece (pretended 1973–present); Prince Pavlos of Denmark
- His Royal Highness Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece, Prince of Denmark (used outside of Greece 1973–present)
Marriage and issue
Crown Prince Pavlos married American heiress Marie-Chantal Miller (now styled as Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess of Greece, Princess of Denmark) on 1 July 1995. After their marriage, the couple resided in New York City, where he worked as an investment consultant. Their children are:
- HRH Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece and Denmark, born 25 July 1996 in New York City
- HRH Prince Constantine Alexios of Greece and Denmark (named after his grandfather), born 29 October 1998 in New York City
- HRH Prince Achileas-Andreas of Greece and Denmark, born 12 August 2000 in New York City
- HRH Prince Odysseas-Kimon of Greece and Denmark, born 17 September 2004 in London
- HRH Prince Aristide Stavros of Greece and Denmark, born 29 June 2008 in Los Angeles[2][3]
Ancestry
Footnotes
- ^ The monarchy was initially abolished in 1973 by the Regime of the Colonels. Rather than reinstating the monarchy prior to holding a referendum, the new democratic government which replaced the regime left the republic in place, and accepted the Greek president as head of state until the referendum took place. The referendum opted not to reinstate the monarchy.
- ^ The Greek Royal Family - News and Media
- ^ WWD.com - The Littlest Prince
References
- Hindley, Geoffrey (2000). The Royal Families of Europe. New York: Caroll & Graf. ISBN 0-7867-0828-X.
- Miroslav Marek. "Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg". Genealogy.Eu. http://www.genealogy.euweb.cz/oldenburg/oldenburg7.html#G1. Retrieved 30 June 2005.
- Woodhouse, C.M. (1998). Modern Greece a Short History. London: Faber & Faber. ISBN 0-571-19794-9.
- Γιάννης Κάτρης (1974). Η γέννηση του νεοφασισμού στην Ελλάδα 1960-1970. Athens: Παπαζήση.
- Αλέξης Παπαχελάς (1997). Ο βιασμός της ελληνικής δημοκρατίας. Athens:Εστία. ISBN 960-05-0748-1.
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Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece
Cadet branch of the House of Oldenburg
Born: 20 May 1967 |
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| Greek royalty | ||
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| Preceded by Constantine II of Greece current pretender |
Line of succession to the Greek throne 1st position |
Succeeded by Prince Constantine Alexios of Greece and Denmark |
| Preceded by Queen Anne-Marie of Greece |
Line of succession to the British throne | |
| Preceded by Princess Alexia |
Crown Prince of Greece 1967–1973 |
Succeeded by Monarchy Abolished |
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