On the evening of January 15, local time, King Felipe VI of Spain and Queen Letizia arrived in Athens, Greece, where they were to attend the funeral of Constantine II, the last king of Greece.
Constantine II, who was the uncle of Felipe VI, died of a stroke on the 10th of this month at the age of 82. According to local media reports, he has been hospitalized several times in recent months, which shows that his physical condition is not optimistic.
Although Constantine II's king was unsuccessful and exiled in 1967 (and later returned), he had relatives in royal families across Europe, so funerals would be solemn.
It is reported that almost all members of the Spanish royal family attended the funeral of the former Greek king, and even Juan Carlos I, who was exiled to Saudi Arabia, that is, Felipe's father.
The 85-year-old king has long struggled to walk, but he is still alive, but he does not know whether he will wait for his son's forgiveness and return to live in Spain.
Although Juan Carlos and his wife, Queen Sophia, have been separated for many years, their marriage is enduring, and Sophia still shows concern for her husband in public.
Sophia, 84, was the eldest daughter of King Paul and Queen Frederica of Greece, but at that time the succession to the throne followed the principle of "male priority", so Sophia could only become the queen of another country at most, not the queen of her own country.
Constantine II was Sofia's younger brother, and the two had a sister, Princess Irene, now 80, who never married. After her brother was deposed, she moved to India with her mother, and after her mother's death, Erin went to Spain to join her sister.
Pavlos, the eldest son of Constantine II, personally received his cousin Felipe VI.
Pavlos, 55, holds two titles of nobility, being both crown prince of Greece and prince of Denmark. Needless to say, the title of Prince of Denmark derives from his mother, Anne Marie, the 76-year-old former Queen of Greece who is the youngest sister of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.
This really fully reflects the characteristics of the "European royal family", and you can find the bloodline anywhere.
The height of the 54-year-old King of Spain of 1.98 meters is its most striking feature, and from the photo, Pavlos' height advantage is also obvious enough, and think about the husband of the Queen of England, the former Prince Philip of Greece, it seems that the tall genes in the European royal family should flow from the Greek side. It is reported that Queen Sophia is also very tall, reaching 1.77 meters.
Queen Letizia, wearing light makeup, was talking and laughing with Pavlos' wife, Marie Chantal, and still holding hands, looking very friendly, which was also considered to be a manifestation of breaking the long-standing feud between Letizia and her Greek relatives.
The 54-year-old former crown princess, although also a "commoner", but because her father is a British billionaire, she has lived a pampered life since she was a child, and she has also taken an international route, which is completely different from Letizia's upbringing.
This is the picture of Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway holding her 18th birthday party last year, because it is a sign of adulthood, so important royals from many European countries went to participate.
The King of the Netherlands, the Crown Prince of Denmark, the Crown Prince of Sweden, etc., all brought their spouses and even children to the banquet, and Felipe VI also went, but he went alone, and Letizia was not with him. The answer given by the media is that because there will be members of the Greek royal family.
It is reported that when Letizia, who had no advantageous background, wanted to marry Felipe, who was still the crown prince, relatives on the Greek royal family obstructed in every way, and even said some defamatory words. The grudge was settled, and his royal family had big and small affairs, but whenever the Greek royal family members went, Letizia would be absent.
But this time Letizia was able to go, and it really meant to abandon the previous grudges and ease relations.
Interestingly, in the face of the former "snobs", Letizia did the opposite, choosing a coat from a high street brand to appear in Athens, it is reported that this drawstring jacket is only 175 euros (about 1273RMB), and it is also her new purchase, not the one she wore before.
I don't know if the arrogant Letizia did this on purpose, or if it was a coincidence.
It is reported that Prince William and Princess Kate of the British royal family will also go to Athens to attend the funeral, but it is reported that they seem to have gone "secretly" with Princess Anne and Prince Edward, and are expected to appear after the funeral begins.
The connection between the British royal family and the Greek royal family is also quite close, in addition to the relationship of Prince Philip, the recently deceased Constantine II is also the godfather of William, and William is the eldest grandson of Constantine II, the godfather of the 24-year-old Prince Alexius.