The former royal family of Greece regains its citizenship after 50 years

The ancient royal family of greece He has regained Greek citizenship and has pledged loyalty to the republic, a historic event that occurs 50 years after the country abolished the monarchy.

In a decision published in the official gazette last Friday, 10 members of the former royal family were granted citizenship following their application submitted last week. Among the beneficiaries are the five children of the deceased king Constantine II and the former Queen Anne-Maryas well as five of his grandchildren.

“It is with deep emotion that, After 30 years, we have Greek citizenship again. “The 1994 law deprived us of our citizenship, leaving us stateless with all that this implies in terms of individual rights and great emotional distress,” the former royal family said in a statement in both Greek and English.

The former royals welcomed the decision in a statement issued on Monday, saying the passing of their father and grandfather had marked the end of an era. “Our father and our family fully respected the result of the 1974 referendum,” they stated. “However, the provision of the 1994 law on citizenship, a result of the political status of the time, was not suitable for a former Greek head of state and an institution that faithfully served the country. Our father’s passing marked the end of an era”.

Constantino’s five children are Alexia, 58; Pavlos, 56; Nikolaos, 54; Theodora, 40, and Philippos, 37. Pavlos’ five children were also granted citizenship: Maria-Olympia, 27; Constantine-Alexios, 25; Achileas-Andreas, 23; Odysseas-Kimon, 19, and Aristidis-Stavros, 15. However, Other members of the royal family, including former Queen Anne-Mary, 78, did not apply for citizenship.

Reactions of left-wing leaders to the restitution of nationality to the Greek royal family

The choice to use the surname De Gréce – which is French for “from Greece” – has angered left-wing politicians, who claim that a noble title is unconstitutional. “The surname they have chosen shows that they want to maintain a myth”declared Nikos Androulakisleader of the center-left PASOK party, the main opposition party.

The former royals explained that choosing a surname was a prerequisite for the restitution of their nationality, the loss of which had left them stateless and caused them great emotional distress. The family assured their loyalty to Greece.

Left parties have also pointed out that Immigrants working in Greece must wait decades to obtain citizenshipdespite meeting the criteria. They accuse the conservative government of trying to win votes. However, the Government maintains that the issue is a formality and that democracy can protect itself. “Fifty years after the restoration of democracy, we have a strong democracy and a protected constitution that can be defended, with laws that are applied without footnotes or exceptions,” highlighted the government spokesperson, Pavlos Marinakis.

History and controversies of the Greek Monarchy

The previous king of Greece, Constantine II, ascended the throne in 1964, but his reign was marred by political instability that culminated in a military coup on April 21, 1967. Following the fall of the junta in 1974, Greeks reject monarchy in referendumwhich made Constantine the last king of Greece. Athens stripped him of his citizenship in 1994 and established the terms under which he and his family could be recognized as Greek nationals.

Constantine died last year at age 82, having returned to Greece only in his 70s. He remained a controversial figure over accusations that he failed to distance himself from heated political rivalries while he reigned from 1964 to 1973. Constantine’s family has close ties with European royalty through his marriage to the Danish princess Ana-María. His sister is the Queen Emerita Sofia of Spain and he was a second cousin of king Charles III of Great Britain and godfather of Prince William.