Thousands of people flocked to the church of Agios Elefterios in Athens to bid farewell to Greece's last king Constantine II, who died on Jan. 10 after suffering a stroke four days earlier. The religious ceremony was officiated by the Orthodox rite at the request of the Greek royal family itself. Constantine II will be buried in the cemetery of Tatoi, about 12 miles from the capital.
Constantine II's consort, Anne-Marie, and her five children, Alexia, Pavlos, Nikolaos, Theodora and Philippos, were accompanied by the rest of the royal family and other European monarchs.
Queen Emeritus Sofia of Spain, sister of Constantine II, was accompanied by Juan Carlos I, King Emeritus of Spain, and the current monarchs Felipe VI and Leticia.
Other European monarchs who attended the funeral of Constantine II were Margaret II of Denmark, Philip of Belgium and Charles XVI of Sweden.
Supporters of the Hellenic crown began to gather at the gates of the temple early in the morning to gain access to the chapel where the coffin of the former monarch was placed.
State Funeral
At first, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis refused to make the funeral of Constantine II a state funeral. Finally, he gave in after pressure from the Orthodox Church and the large presence of European royalty and supporters of the abolished Hellenic monarchy.
Mitsotakis came under a lot of criticism for his stance from political representatives such as former Prime Minister Andonis Samaras.
