King Constantine II, Last King of Greece and Prince William’s Godfather, Dies at 82

The Associated Press reported that late last night, Constantine II of Greece died. He was the last king of Greece before the nation’s monarchy dissolved in the 1970s. He was 82 years old.

Doctors at the Hygeia Hospital in Athens confirmed that the former monarch passed away in the hospital on the evening of January 10th.

Born At The Beginning Of WWII, Constantine And His Family Were Forced To Flee.

Born to Prince Paul, Constantine became heir apparent after Paul’s older brother, King George II, passed away. He was also the nephew to the late Prince Philip, husband of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Constantine Ascended To The Throne In The 1960s.

At the age of 23, Constantine II became the last king of Greece’s monarchy in 1964.

He Was Quite Well-Liked At The Time.

However, his popularity would soon fade when he faced conflict with the elected Center Union government.

After A Coup Was Staged In 1967, Constantine II Was Forced Into Exile.

Though he would return much later in life, Constantine lived out the rest of his days as Greece’s King outside of the nation.

Constantine Was Officially Stripped Of His Title In 1974.

The dictatorial government that forced him into his very exile was the same one that reformed the Greek government, abolishing the monarchy. While the dictatorship collapsed the next year, Constantine would still not return.

Constantine Remained In Exile, Spending Much Of His Time In London.

Nephew of Prince Philip, Constantine spent much of his exile close to the British Royal Family. He was especially close to King Charles III and became the godfather of Prince William.

Constantine Would Not Return To Greece Until 1981, To Attend His Mother’s Funeral.

He would only return briefly to visit Queen Frederica and then visit from time to time in the years after. He finally returned to live in Greece in the 2010s, where he would pass away.

Constantine Was Quite Involved In Prince William’s Life.

ET reports that the former king attended multiple events for the British heir, including his 1982 christening, 1997 confirmation, and 2011 wedding to Kate Middleton. Constantine II additionally attended the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

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News Of His Death Comes The Same Day As Prince Harry’s Memoir, ‘Spare’

Released on the same day that Constantine would pass away, Spare provides details of Prince Harry’s relationship with his older brother.

Harry Refers To William As His ‘Beloved Brother And Archnemesis.’

In the book, Harry discusses the complicated relationship he has with William, including several conflicts they’ve had over the years.

Harry Alleges That He And William Had A Physical Altercation Over Meghan Markle.

Harry also states that William tried to discourage him from proposing to Meghan. William also allegedly did not tell Harry about his own engagement and did not ask Harry to be his best man.

Meanwhile, sources state that William is furious with the details of Harry’s book.