Former Greek royal family regains Greek citizenship

Lived in exile for decades

Members of Greece’s former royal family have regained their Greek citizenship. They officially recognized the republican system of government in the country, marking a historic step 50 years after the monarchy was abolished. This was reported by Ekathimerini.

The late King Constantine II and his family were stripped of their Greek citizenship in 1994 due to a dispute with the government over former royal property and claims that he refused to renounce any rights to the Greek throne for his descendants.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, Athanasios Balerpas, stated that relatives of the late king, who passed away last year at the age of 82, signed a declaration on Thursday recognizing the republican government and adopting the new surname «De Grèce,» which translates from French as «of Greece.»

«This resolves an issue that has historically remained unresolved. Let’s look to the future. I think this is a good moment because it closes a chapter with the past, and now we can move forward as a nation,» Balerpas said in an interview with state radio.

The decision on citizenship was published in the government gazette on Friday (7035/2024), allowing the De Grèces to apply for state-issued IDs and Greek passports.

The decision applies to all five children of Constantine II and former Queen Anne-Marie — Alexia, Pavlos, Nikolaos, Theodora, and Philippos — as well as to five grandchildren of the late king.

The Greek monarchy was abolished in a referendum in December 1974, when voters overwhelmingly supported a republican constitution a few months after the fall of a seven-year military dictatorship.

Members of the royal family lived in exile for decades before Constantine returned as a private citizen at the age of 70. They were stripped of their Greek citizenship in 1994 during a legal dispute over former royal estates, which are now state-owned.

Previously, they refused to adopt a surname, distancing themselves from the name Glücksburg, which was established by law in 1994 and considered by them to tie their identity too closely to their German origins, making them seem less legitimate as Greeks.

Some MPs from left-centrist and left-wing opposition parties objected to the surname chosen by the former royal family, arguing that it sounded more like a title than a typical surname, though they did not challenge their right to citizenship.

Photo: Michael Varaklas/AP, Bazaar