Former King Constantine II of Greece, who was in power before the republic was restored in 1974, died in Athens on Tuesday at the age of 82, Greek public broadcaster ERT announced.
The ERT announced that the former monarch, cousin of King Charles III of the United Kingdom and godfather of Prince William, “has died (…) of a stroke”.
Greek media reported that he was hospitalized in Athens last week due to respiratory problems.
Constantine, who was descended from the Glücksburg royal family, was the brother of Sophia, the mother of King Philip VI of Spain.
Greece’s monarchy was abolished by a referendum in 1974 that ended the Danish dynasty that had been established in 1863 by Constantine II’s grandfather, George I.
Constantine II ascended the throne at the age of 23 in 1964 in one of the most turbulent periods in contemporary Greek history.
The political crises that followed provided grounds for the colonel’s coup in April 1967 and the removal of the military junta, which the CIA was accused of supporting.
According to later US diplomatic documents, Constantine attempted to impose martial law in 1967 to prevent the return of George Papandreou or his socialist son Andreas, who was elected prime minister 15 years later.
He then left Greece and lived for 40 years in London in a 9,000-square-foot mansion in Hampstead, before returning in 2013.
Married to Anna Maria, sister of Margareta II, Queen of Denmark, they have five children.
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