Line of succession to the former Greek throne

The Coat of Arms of the former Greek Royal Family

The Greek monarchy was abolished by the then-ruling military regime on 1 June 1973, an act that was confirmed by plebiscite on 8 December 1974 after the regime's fall. The title of king is used by the last reigning monarch, Constantine II (r. 1964–1973). His son, the Crown Prince Pavlos, who was born in 1967, is the heir apparent to the pretended title.

Law of succession

According to Article 45 of the Greek Constitution of 1864 [1] and the Greek Constitution of 1911,[2] the crown descended according to primogeniture among the descendants of George I, males before females. In 1952, the succession clause was clarified to stipulate that the crown is inherited with preference to the descendants of the current king in order of primogeniture, the males taking preference,[3] i.e., the sovereign's sons (and their descendants, in respective order) inherit according to seniority of age among siblings with males before females, followed by the sovereign's daughters (and their descendants, in respective order) in like manner.

Current situation

Line of Succession in June 1973

Notes

According to the 1864 and 1911 Greek Constitutions

  • Prince Philip renounced his rights to the Greek and Danish throne as well as his Greek titles on 28 February 1947 before his marriage to Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II). He was awarded the title the Duke of Edinburgh on his wedding day by George VI and after being granted the title of Prince by his wife in 1957 was styled Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
  • Prince Peter was deemed to have forfeited his succession rights by marrying a twice-divorced Russian commoner Irina Aleksandrovna Ovtchinnikova in 1939.

According to the 1952 Greek Constitution

References

  1. British and Foreign State Papers. Volume 56. British Foreign Office. 1870. p.577. (In French)
  2. 1911 Constitution
  3. http://norfid.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/suntagma-ths-elladas-19521.pdf
  4. Kerr, Stephen. The Juridical Analysis of the Succession to the Headship of the Royal House of Bourbon Two Sicilies. 1973. International Academy for the Promotion of Historical Studies. 2005, retrieved 15/06/2010.
  5. "Prince Michael Weds Commoner", The New York Times, 8 February 1965, page 3.
  6. Willis, Daniel (1999). The Descendants of Louis XIII. Baltimore, MD: Clearfield Co. pp. 94, 762. ISBN 0-8063-4942-5.
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