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Why do Greeks care about Juan Carlos Abdication? Because of the controversial dowry

To tell you the truth, Greeks do not care about Spanish King Juan Carlos abdication. But they reckon the dowry Juan Carlos received when he married Greek Princess Sofia back in 1962. The dowry was controversial and was set by her mother Queen Frederika pried the amount of 30,000 gold coins, equivalent to 9 million Drachmas or 300,000 USD and thus full tax-free. Rumors of the time spoke of a much higher amount.

The cost for the wedding celebrations that were attended by 32 kings and queens and more than one hundred princes and princesses was 2,800,000 Drachmas.

Under prime minister Konstantinos Karamansli the Parliament, although reluctant, did vote in favor of the dowry proposal to be paid by the state budget,  ςhile the opposition parties abstained from the voting.

The dowry was considered “astronomical”, the expenses for the wedding celebrations were considered as “lavish” in a country that with restricted financial means. Exhausted by the WWII and the Civil War, the country was broke with many citizens living in poverty and many enforced to migrate abroad.

80,000 roses decorated the Greek Orthodox and the Catholic Church were the wedding took place as Juan Carlos was Catholic and Princess Sophia Greek Orthodox.

 

The dowry of the “King’s child” – so the newspapers of the time –  inspired students’ protests of the time. A new slogan was invented: “Dowry to Education, not to Sophia!”

 

Students protest banners: Free Education – Groom – Education as Bride

Education Minister Kasimatis came under fire by the students who criticized him for approving the dowry amount but he was vehemently refusing to spend more money on education. Students were demanding an 15% increase on educational spending. (unofficialroyalty, AspriLexi, tsantirinews, eleftherotypia)

You may consider the “dowry memory” as outdated but it was part of our troubled Greek history. There is no newspaper, no website or blog, no television channel that did not refer to the dowry issue on the occasion of Spain King Juan Carlos Abdication.

Now some Greeks of the known kind of “mean internet users” wonder whether King Juan Carlos would return the 30,000 gold coins, with or without interest rates. But they forget, that Juan Carlos gave back the throne, not the bride 🙂

 

 

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