Members of the former Greek royal family were granted Greek citizenship and pledged loyalty to the republic. Ten family members, including children and grandchildren of former King Constantine, who died in 2023, applied for citizenship last week, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
Their choice to use the surname De Grece – which means “from Greece” in French – angered left-wing politicians. “The last name they chose shows that they want to perpetuate the myth,” said Nikos Andrulakis, leader of the center-left opposition PASOK party.
However, members of the former royal family said the choice of surname was a prerequisite to regaining their nationality, the loss of which “caused them considerable emotional distress”. The family, as they said, “was and will be loyal to Greece”. “With deep emotions, we have Greek citizenship again after thirty years,” they stated.
The former Greek king Constantine II. ascended the throne in 1964, but his rule was marred by political instability, culminating in a military coup on April 21, 1967. After the fall of the junta in 1974, the Greeks rejected the monarchy in a referendum, making Constantine the last Greek king. Athens stripped him of his citizenship in 1994 and defined the conditions under which he and his family can be recognized as Greek nationals.
Leftist parties said that migrants working in Greece had to wait decades for citizenship – despite meeting the criteria. Conservative government left she accused that she was trying to get votes in this way. However, the government claims that it is a formality and that democracy can protect itself.
