Former King Constantine: Feverish preparations for his burial in Tatoi

Preparations are feverish in Tatoi for theburial of the former king Constantine on Monday.

At the site, in the royal cemetery of Tatoi, special crews have started working to remove the trunks and branches of burnt trees left by the fire in August 2021.

After a meeting at the PM’s office at the Maximos Mansion, it was decided that the former king will be buried on Monday, as a private person, in the cemetery in Tatoi, which was also Constantine’s wish, where the tombs of his mother, Frederica, and his father, King Pavlos.

According to information, the family has also imvited Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who has yet to respond to the request. It is worth noting that Mr. Bartholomew performed a memorial service, on Wednesday, in memory of the former king.

In case the Ecumenical Patriarch answers negatively, the funereal service will be performed on Monday in the Metropolis of Athens by Archbishop Ieronymos, accompanied by other metropolitans. The Archbishop of Athens and all Greece will officiate at the funeral procession, at the royal tombs in Tatoi, following the request of the family of the late King Constantine.

As stated in a statement issued by the Archdiocese, during yesterday’s meeting chaired by the Blessed Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, Mr. Ieronymos, His Beatitude and the Reverend Synods expressed their heartfelt condolences to the family of the extradited former King Constantine II ‘, which invited them to perform the funereal sequence according to the provisions of ecclesiastical order and etiquette.

Attendees at Constantine’s funeral

For Constantine‘s funeral, in addition to his children and grandchildren, members of European royal families are also expected.

The British royal family is expected to be represented by Princess Anne, who is on an official trip to Cyprus.

According to information, there are discussions so that King Philip of Spain, nephew of Constantine, son of his sister, Queen Mother of Spain, Sophia, who has been in Athens for days, following the rapid deterioration of Constantine’s health, will also come to Athens.

He will be buried privately

According to information, both from the Holy Synod and from the environment of Archbishop Hieronymos, the family of the former king requested that Archbishop Hieronymos and the Hierarchy perform the funereal procession, i.e. that the ceremony be performed in the presence of other metropolitans, in the Metropolis of Athens.

It is noted that Constantine’s sons, Pavlos and Nikolaos Glyxburg, have undertaken on behalf of the family to conduct the talks with both the government and the Archdiocese, regarding the funeral procedures.

Government decisions

The former king will be buried as a private citizen
Burial will take place near his ancestors in Tatoi
In consultation between the government and the family, the Church in which the Funereal Liturgy will take place will be determined
The government will be represented at the funeral by the Minister of Culture and Sports, Lina Mendoni
All the procedures provided by the Protocol for the officials from abroad attending the funeral will be observed.