Constantine II of Greece

Constantine II (Greek: Κωνσταντῖνος Βʹ, Βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἑλλήνων, Konstantínos Βʹ, Vasiléfs ton Ellínon; born 2 June 1940) was King of Greece from 1964 until the abolition of the monarchy in 1973, the sixth and last monarch of the Greek Royal Family.

He succeeded his father Paul in March 1964, being styled His Majesty Constantine II, King of the Hellenes (Greek: Κωνσταντῖνος Βʹ, Βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἑλλήνων). Although the accession of the young monarch was initially regarded auspiciously, his reign soon became controversial: Constantine's involvement in the Apostasia of July 1965 made him unpopular in broad parts of the population and aggravated the ongoing political instability that culminated in the Colonels' Coup of 21 April 1967.

The coup stood on scant legitimate ground until Constantine, as head of state, agreed to inaugurate the putschist government, thereby legitimizing it; this act became the subject of much criticism. On 13 December 1967, he was forced to flee the country following an abortive counter-coup against the junta, although he remained de jure head of state until 1 June 1973, when the junta abolished the monarchy and declared a republic.

This abolition was confirmed after the fall of the junta by a plebiscite on 8 December 1974, which established the Third Hellenic Republic. Constantine has never officially abdicated and remains a pretender to the Greek throne. He has continued to live abroad since 1967, but enters and leaves his native country freely and has a house on the coastal resort of Saronida, outside Athens.

Early life

Constantine was born at Psychiko, a plush suburb in northern Athens, the nephew of King George II and the second child and only son of the king's brother and heir-presumptive, Crown Prince Paul. His mother was Crown Princess Frederika, the former Princess Frederika of Hanover. Constantine's older sister Sofia is the current queen consort of Spain, while his younger sister, Princess Irene, has not married.

He was one year old when Nazi Germany invaded Greece, and he spent the next four years in exile in Egypt and Cape Town, (where his sister Irene was born), with his family. He returned to Greece with his family in 1946. King George died in 1947, and his brother became King Paul, making Constantine crown prince. He was educated at a preparatory school and later a boarding school where he was an above average student academically. A fellow student recalled him as, "a good chap, a young man with all the right instincts. He was at his best on the playing fields."

Constantine served in all the three armed services, attending the requisite military academies. He also attended the NATO Air Force Special Weapons School in Germany, as well as the Athens University where he undertook courses at the law school.

As a young man, Crown Prince Constantine was a keen sportsman. In 1960, at the age of 20, he competed in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, winning a gold medal in sailing (Dragon Class). He was also a strong swimmer and has a black belt in karate, with interests in squash, track events and riding.