Thousands turn out to bid farewell to Greece’s former king

With occasional renditions of the Greek national anthem, thousands of people lined up since before dawn on Monday outside Athens’ cathedral to pay their final respects to Greece’s former and last king, Constantine, who died last week at the age of 82. Greece’s monarchy was definitively abolished in a referendum in 1974, and Constantine spent decades in exile before returning to settle in his home country once more in his waning years. The government announced Constantine would be buried as a private citizen, without honours reserved for former heads of state, in Tatoi, the former royal estate north of Athens, next to where his parents and ancestors are buried. Royals from across Europe, including the Spanish and Danish royal families who were closely related to Constantine, were in Athens to attend the service and burial, while hundreds of police were deployed in the Greek capital. Constantine’s wife, Anne-Marie, is the sister of Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II, while his sister Sophia is the wife of Spain’s former King Juan Carlos, and mother of Spain’s current monarch, King Felipe VI. Constantine was one of the godparents of Britain’s Prince William, heir to the throne. A limited lying in state was allowed in a chapel next to the capital’s metropolitan cathedral, where the funeral service was to be held, with members of the public allowed to visit Constantine’s flag-draped coffin from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. Braving the pre-dawn darkness and winter chill, thousands of people young and old lined up for hours, some clutching flowers.