The prince was the last surviving grandson of the Greek King George I.
Yesterday, the Greek royals gathered in Athens for the funeral of Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark. The prince died on July 28 at the age of 85.
Funeral
The funeral was attended by a large part of the royal family. For example, the Greek Queen Anne-Marie was present with her son, Crown Prince Pavlos. Anne-Marie is a sister of the Danish Queen Margrethe. Of course, Michael’s wife and daughters, Marína Karélla, Princess Alexandra and Princess Olga were also present at the ceremony. Queen Sofía of Spain and her sister Irene also came to say goodbye to the prince – a distant cousin of the two, who are both sisters of the deceased King Constantine II last year.
The funeral was held in a church in Athens, after which the coffin was buried at the Royal Cemetery of Tatoi. This cemetery has been used by the Greek royals since 1880. The father of Britain’s Prince Philip, Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, is also buried here.
Crown Prince Pavlos, Marina Karella and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece
Queen Sofia of Spain and her sister Princess Irene (left)
Last year too, the Greek royal family had to gather at Tatoi, where they buried their last king, Constantine II.
Prince Michael
Michael was born in 1939, the only child of Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark. In 1965, he gave up his rights to the throne so he could marry his great love Marina, who is not of royal blood. What a gesture of sincere love!
Perhaps the name ‘Prince Michael’ doesn’t ring a bell, but that’s not so strange. This has to do with the complicated history of the Greek royal family. Prince Michael is namely a second cousin of the late King Constantine of Greece. He was the last living grandson of the Greek King George I, who reigned from 1863 to 1913. Since Prince Michael was a first cousin of Prince Philip, King Charles was his second cousin.
Source: Hello! Magazine | Image: NL Beeld
