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Tuesday, March 10. 1964
'Fun Loving' Prince Accepts Duties of Monarchy
The new King of the Hellenes, at 23, is Europe's youngest head of state.
During the past few months King Constantine has become less the fun-loving sportsman and more the introspective young crown prince faced with the inevitable destiny of monarchy.
To friends, it was almost as if he already knew, or had a premonition that the illness of his father, the late King Paul, would put the responsibilities of state on his shoulders.
"TINO" TO HIS FAMILY and intimates, King Constantine is engaged to 17-year-old Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark, now slated to become a queen while still a teenager.
Constantine is blue-eyed, fair-haired, weighs 176 pounds and stands just under six feet, two inches. He has an athlete's manner of moving and a competitive spirit that should serve him well in maintaining the position of the monarchy in modern, democratic Greece. Those who know him describe him as charming and witty, with unaffected manners and a strong character.
As Crown Prince, Constantine was the first member of modern royalty to win an Olympic gold medal, and the first Greek to win one in half a century. With only 18 months experience in competitive yachting, he sailed his dragon class
boat "Nirefs" to victory in the 1960 Olympic Regatta in Naples. He returned home to Athens that summer a hero.
The young king is an excellent horseman and likes fast cars, but after his engagement to Princess Anne-Marie he remarked to a friend, "I'm through with sports cars, I'm getting married."
THEY BECAME ENGAGED in January, 1963, when Anne-Marie was only 16 and at school in Copenhagen. She was still studying at Montreuin in Switzerland when King Paul was operated on Feb. 21 and she flew out to join the Greek royal family.
Anne-Marie's parents, King Frederick and Queen Ingrid of Denmark, wanted to observe Danish law and allow their daughter to marry only after her 18th birthday this Aug. 30. The wedding date was fixed for January. 1965.
Anne-Marie is expected to convert from the Protestant church to Greek Orthodox before their marriage.
It was not immediately known if this would be advanced or delayed because of Constantine's accession.
THE TWO HAVE the same great-great-grandfather, King Christian IX of Denmark, making them cousins, five times removed.
Constantine was born June 2, 1940,
the year Italian Dictator Benito
Mussolini invaded Greece. With
German help. Greece was eventually overrun by the Axis and the royal family went into exile.
A LOST WORLD—Abounds In New Adventure!
sports from his father who took up yachting again himself to help train "Tino" for the Olympics.
"THEN I HAD TO become sort of a sailing professor to the women in the family," the former Crown Prince once said. "I helped teach my mother and two sisters to sail." It was intended he should lead the Greek team to the Tokyo Olympics.
outside Athens, which was specially funded for him and draws students from all sections of society. The Crown Prince also attended classes at the University of Athens and received instruction at officers' training schools for all three branches of the Greek armed services. In 1958 he received weapons' training in the United States.
Constantine appears to be as strong-willed in his royal position as in sports competition. A few months ago, while abroad, he spoke out bitterly against critics of his 46-year-old mother's alleged role in Greek politics and against gossips who said his engagement to Anne-Marie was in danger.
As soon as the Crown Prince was properly backgrounded, King Paul began including him not only in informal royal functions but also in conferences on government affairs.
"I know I shouldn't comment on these things," he said, "but I'm angry at the gossips."
KING PAUL MADE SURE his son got an education with plenty of discipline, physical training and without pampering. He broke the Greek royal tradition of private education and sent Prince Constantine to the Anavryta boarding school
As Constantine has no brothers, Princess Irene becomes next in line to the throne until such time as Constantine has children. Constantine was first in line to King Paul instead of Sophie because males are preferred.
His youngest sister, Princess Irene, was born May 11, 1942, while they were in exile. Now 21, she is unmarried. Princess Sophie, 25, the eldest child of King Paul and German-born Queen Frederika's three children, is married to Prince Don Juan Carlos of Spain.
The royal family returned to Greece in September, 1946, and King Paul succeeded to the throne six months later on the death of his brother, King George II.
Constantine inherited his flair for
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