That Greece has officially abolished the monarchy in 1974 is a fact that some Greeks still cannot digest half a century later. Members of the former royal family and their spouses still tip toe on the earthy soil with imaginary titles as “prince of whichever” and “duchess of whatever” and are occasionally being greeted accordingly by monarchy-nostalgic members of the democratically elected foot folk or high-ranking clergymen.
On Monday, at an event marking the liberation of Mani, south Peloponnese, from the Ottomans, the mayor of eastern Mani, Petros Andreakos, addressed Pavlos De Grece, the eldest son of former king Constantine who was deposed in a referendum with 70% in 1974, as “prince.”
“As we are among Greeks only, each of us has the right to believe whatever we want. However, I personally believe that titles do not die and that they follow a person throughout his life. So, I welcome Prince Pavlos,” Mayor Andreakos has reportedly said.
The ‘prince’ did not correct the mayor. On the contrary, in a tone that would befit a heir to the throne and not a citizen of a democratic country, he declared: “The homeland is everything to me.”
“Whether the ‘homeland’ he was referring to was the one that abolished the monarchy or some other one remains unknown, noted newspaper documentonews.gr that also posted a video from the event.
Speaking to Real FM, on Tuesday, Deputy Interior Minister Vasilis Spanakis said that the Constitution does not recognize titles of nobility and distinctions, adding that “all local government, all citizens, have the obligation to implement the Constitution and the laws” of the country.
Asked about the possibility of imposing sanctions, Spanakis replied that “the appropriate procedures will be implemented.”
Last December, ten members of the former royal family regained Greek citizenship by formally acknowledging the country’s republican system of government and adopting a new surname, “De Grece”, which is French for “of Greece.”
PS At the end of the day, we have narrowly escaped an international embarrassment, then had the mayor, the bishop and whoever else was at the event were properly informed about the state of things, for example, that the last and deposed king Costantine died in January 2023, they could have used another royal title for Constantine’s first-born Pavlos 😉…
BTW there is a small group of Greek royalists dreaming that Pavlos would establish a political party and govern the country.
Notice: There is ONLY ONE Prince. This ⇓
For incidents like this,and antonis samaras criticizing the prime minister,the New Democracy government of Kiriakos Mitsotakis is quick to impose swift and decisive punishment on government officials whose behaviour is considered contrary to New Democracy beliefs.But when it comes to dealing with Mr Karamanlis,the minister in charge during the greatest rail disaster in the nations history,there is only applause,a resignation only for the eyes of the public,a seat in parliament to continue collecting his handsome salary and a pension,and a determined effort by New Democracy,particularly mr Mitsotakis and Mr Georgiadis,to shield him from any responsibility.I guess for New Democracy,the severity of your transgressions and the punishment you receive,depends on your last name and the family you belong to,NTROPI!