Former King of Greece Constantine was rushed to a hospital in Athens on Wednesday after suffering a stroke, according to Antenna TV and the Greek City Times.
The 81-year-old former monarch who resides in Porto Cheli, eastern Peloponnese, was initially taken to the local health center where staff succeeded in stabilizing his health condition. Later it was decided that he should be transferred to an Athens hospital.
“If the Greek people decide that they want a republic, they are entitled to have that and should be left in peace to enjoy it.”
Constantine, who reigned as the last King of Greece, from 1964 until the abolition of the Greek monarchy in 1974, has recently been confined to a wheelchair. He had suffered another stroke in the past and had been hospitalized for four days.
He was last seen in public at the marriage in Athens of his youngest son Philippos who married Nina Flohr in October. It was the third wedding for the couple who first wed last December in a small civil ceremony in St Moritz, Switzerland. The wedding was followed by a high society party in Cambridgeshire.
Constantine and his wife Anne-Marie lived in London until 2013 when the political climate in Greece was deemed sufficiently calm for them to take residence in the country again.
He has since repeatedly said that he recognizes and fully supports the Greek Republic, stating in a Time interview: “If the Greek people decide that they want a republic, they are entitled to have that and should be left in peace to enjoy it.”
After the abolition of the monarchy, Greece took over the Tatoi Palace, the estate of the former Greek Royal Family, located just north of Athens. The Former King was compensated after a long legal battle at the European Court of Human Rights.
Greece is now hoping to convert the captivating estate, which has been left abandoned for the past 50 years, into a hub of culture, history, and luxury.
In addition to shops, restaurants, and nature trails, a luxury hotel and spa will be constructed on the property.
Source: Greek City Times
