Konstantinos Glyxburg: The reign, the apostasy, the Junta (vid)

The last representative of the monarchy in Greece passed away last night, at the age of 83. Constantine ascended the throne at the age of 24 in 1964 and his short reign was associated with three fateful events: His conflict with the elected Prime Minister G. In July 1965, his clash with the elected Prime Minister Papandreou in July 1965, which paved the way for the diversion to dictatorship. The legitimisation of the coup d'état of the colonels on 21 April, through the swearing in of their government. And his failed attempt to overthrow the dictators in December 1967

From the successful show MACHINE OF TIME The Time Machine records the electoral triumph of George Papandreou, but it had a dramatic ending, as it led to a break with the palace.

The elections of 63 and 64 brought the Centre Union to the fore. But instead of becoming stronger, democracy was further weakened.

The elected prime minister clashes with the young King Constantine, who denies him the defence ministry, and Papandreou is forced to resign.

The show explores the dramatic background and what followed. The defection of Centre Union MPs, allegations of bribery of MPs, and police violence on the streets.

The murder of the student Petrulas and the attempts to cover up the case.

The requirement of the palace to appoint governments leads to ungovernability and eventually the colonels will not be long in catching the whole political system asleep.

«Works and Days» of the former King Constantine Glyxburg

Ο Konstantinos Glyxburg was «king of the Greeks» from 1964 to 1973, when the monarchy was abolished by referendum. In the 1974 referendum he was finally removed from office, as the citizens chose the Regency Republic as the form of government by a vote of 69.2%.

Since 1967, after the failed counter-movement against the dictatorship that he organised on 13 December, he lived in self-exile in Italy and the United Kingdom, while in recent years he settled in Greece after accepting the verdict of the Greek people. In 1994 he was stripped of his Greek citizenship, and in 2003 he received EUR 13.7 million in compensation from the Greek State for the expropriation of the royal property.

As king, he played a crucial role in political affairs, with the key event being the 1965 clash with the then prime minister, which resulted in the resignation of the «popular government» of George Papandreou - the so-called Iouliana. This was followed by a period of intense political anomaly, the Apostasy, and finally the coup d'état of the colonels on 21 April 1967. Constantine swore in the government appointed by the junta, and when the 1967 anti-movement failed, he was forced to flee abroad with his family.

Who was Konstantinos Glyxburg

He was born on 2 June 1940 in the Palace of Paleo Psychiko. His parents were Prince Pavlos, brother and heir to King George II, and Princess Frederica of Greece, Hanover, Great Britain and Ireland. His sisters are Sophia (Queen of Spain from 1975 until the abdication of her husband King Juan Carlos of Spain in 2014) and Irene. He was married to Anna Maria, daughter of King Frederick of Denmark, and had five children; Alexia, Paul, Nicholas, Theodora and Philip. He was related to several royal families and was a second cousin of King Charles III of the United Kingdom and one of the heirs of the heir to the throne of Britain, Prince William.

He attended the National School of Anavryta in Maroussi and attended courses at the military schools of Evelpidon, Cadets and Icons and the Law School of the University of Athens. He received the ranks of Infantry Lieutenant, Ensign of the Navy and Lieutenant. He had been involved in sports and had received the gold medal in sailing at the 1960 Rome Olympics.

His family, on the eve of the Nazi advance on Athens, together with the government and the leadership of the country's Armed Forces, fled to Egypt, where they formed the so-called «Government of Egypt». They returned to Greece in 1946 with the restoration of the monarchy and the return of King George II.

Violating the Constitution

Constantine went far beyond the role envisaged for him by the Constitution. He stubbornly refused George Papandreou the assumption of the Ministry of Defence, which triggered an unprecedented institutional crisis. Constantine and Papandreou exchanged letters in high tones, but the young King never backed down, leading things into a tailspin.

It was said-and it is still said today-that Constantine, inexperienced politically, was very much influenced by his mother's wishes, of the notorious Frederick which, admittedly, had a particular influence on Constantine's father, King Paul. In any case, Constantine refused to appoint George Papandreou as Minister of Defence, who rushed to the palace on 15 July 1965 and, after an argument with the head of state, submitted the resignation of his government.

The king thought he had won the first round of the confrontation. And indeed he had. For it was clear that the palace did not want in any way a government in power that was intent on imposing its own will on the choices for the army and on slowly ridding the Greek army of officers who had played an active role in the civil war of 1946-1949.

Constantine, in fact, preferred to swear in a government of the willing, with George Athanasiadis-Nova as Prime Minister, which went down in history as the first government of apostates. This government scheme was supported by members of the Centre Union, the party of George Papandreou, despite the popular will which called for the continuation of Papandreou's government or the holding of elections. The former Minister of Coordination of that government was appointed by the former Minister of the Centre Union government and a friend of Papandreou, Konstantinos Mitsotakis.

With information from the Athensvoice and news247.gr