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Greek Royal Family
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Greek Royal Family is a direct family member of the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. Its first ruler was George I of Greece and Olga Konstantinovna of Russia, as his queen consort.
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The family came into throne when Otto I of Greece allowed United Kingdom and France to occupy the port at Piraeus to prevent Greece from aligning with Russia during the Crimean War (1853-1856). This prompted the army to bring about his overthrow in 1862. The powers offered the throne to Prince William of the Danish Glücksburg dynasty; he was crowned King George I in 1863. Members of this family would rule over Greece intermittently until 1974. [1] The beginning of George's reign was expanding Greece's territory. The royal family struggled many wars and this includes the Balkan Wars, World War I, the occupation of Italy in Greece in World War II, a civil war, parliamentary democracy and a military junta.
The rise of a military junta on April 21, 1967, known as The Regime of the Colonels or Colonels' Coup. The junta was started by a group of middle-ranking army officers led by Colonel Georgios Papadopoulos. On December 13, 1967, King Constantine II of Greece launched a counter-coup but it failed[2] and he, together with his family, went into exile in Rome .
The Greek Royal Family are no longer recognized by the Greeks as their head of state. Many members of the family are living abroad; Constantine II and his wife, Anne-Marie currently reside in London. The family still hold their royal titles, but they are not seen as representing Greece. Nevertheless, they are often addressed, and invited to royal functions, using their regnal names. They can, furthermore, represent the Kingdom of Denmark because they are Princes or Princesses of Denmark in their own right. They descend from George I of Greece who was son of King Christian IX of Denmark . His wife, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece/Anne-Marie was the youngest sister of the current Queen of Denmark. This is why they are referred to as Princes or Princesses of Greece and Denmark.
- HM King Constantine II of the Hellenes
- HM Queen Anne-Marie of Greece
- TRH The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Greece (Queen Anne-Marie's eldest son and his wife)
- TRH Prince Constantine Alexios, Prince Achileas Andreas, and Prince Odysseas Kimon of Greece and Denmark (The Crown Prince's sons)
- HRH Princess Maria Olympia of Greece and Denmark (The Crown Prince's daughter)
- HRH Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark (Queen Anne-Marie's second son)
- HRH Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark (Queen Anne-Marie's youngest son)
- HRH Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark and Carlos Morales Quintana (Queen Anne-Marie's elder daughter and her husband)
- HRH Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark (Queen Anne-Marie's younger daughter)
- HRH Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark (King Constantine II's younger sister)
- TRH The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Greece (Queen Anne-Marie's eldest son and his wife)