Constantine II dead aged 82 – Prince William’s godfather & final king of Greece dies in hospital after a stroke
CONSTANTINE II, Prince William’s godfather and the last king of Greece, has died at the age of 82.
He died in Athens after he was admitted to a hospital in the Greek capital last week with breathing problems.
Greek public broadcaster ERT said he died after suffering a stroke.
Staff at the private Hygeia Hospital confirmed he was being treated in an intensive care unit before his death.
Constantine was a close friend of his cousin King Charles – and one of Prince William’s six godparents.
In his last public appearance in Athens last year, the former king was seen in a wheelchair, accompanied by his sister, the former Queen of Spain Sofia, and other family members.
He ruled as the last king of Greece from 1964 until the country’s monarchy was abolished in 1973.
Constantine was 23 when he took the throne after his father died.
And he reigned over one of the most turbulent periods in Greece’s political history.
He was forced to flee the country in 1967 after leading an unsuccessful counter-coup against the then military junta.
He stayed in Rome until the junta abolished the monarchy in 1973.
In a referendum a year later, the Greeks rejected having a monarchy for a second time – making Constantine the last king of Greece.
Athens later stripped him of his citizenship.
But in 2002, he and other family members were compensated with €13.7million for their former property in Greece.
Constantine and his wife had five children.
They lived in Hampstead in north London for many years before he sold their property in 2013 and returned to Greece.
Constantine was also a competitive sailor and Olympian, winning a gold medal in the 1960 Rome Olympics in the Dragon class.
He later served on the International Olympic Committee.
Suffering from chronic heart and mobility problems, the former king’s health condition had worsened and he had been in hospital several times in recent months.