Greece’s Prime Minister Kyiriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday ruled out a state funeral for the late Constantine II, who will be buried as an ordinary citizen in Tatoi, the former summer residence of the Greek monarchy.
With this decision, the Greek government has disregarded the demands of the ex-king’s family, who asked to see Constantine II off at an official funeral for his role as head of state for nine years, between 1964 and 1973.
Mitsotakis has chaired a ministerial meeting convened ‘ex profeso’ to address the details of the funeral of the former monarch for which, however, has not yet been determined date and place, according to the newspaper ‘iEidiseis’.
Sources consulted by the aforementioned media have advanced that the chosen date could finally be next Monday, January 16, in the cathedral of Athens. The details of the funeral will be decided in collaboration with the family of the deceased.
The Prime Minister has confirmed that the State will be represented at the ceremony by the figure of the Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, and has guaranteed the fulfillment of the protocol for all those foreign dignitaries attending the funeral.
After the funeral, Constantine II will be buried in Tatoi, where the remains of some of his relatives also rest, including his mother, Frederica of Hanover, who is also the mother of Queen Sofia.
Constantine II is considered a controversial figure in Greek history for his role during the military dictatorship that ruled the country between 1967 and 1974. After his death on Tuesday, Mitsotakis said the ex-king’s life «marked and was marked by turbulent moments in the country’s modern history.»
«It is written the formal epilogue of a chapter that has been definitively closed with the 1974 referendum,» the Greek prime minister moved, alluding to the vote in which the Greek population approved by a large majority the end of the monarchy as a form of state.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
