Former King Constantine of Greece died on Tuesday after a long illness. He lived to be 82 years old.
He was king of Greece from 6 March 1964 until the abolition of the royal house in the country on 1 June 1973.
Konstantin was trained as an officer and studied law at the University of Athens. In 1960 he won gold in sailing in the Dragon class at the Rome Olympics. he is the only son of King Paul and Queen Frederika, he writes Great Norwegian encyclopedia.
He was, together with King Harald, Vice President in World Sailing – formerly known as the International Sailing Federation.
In 1964 he was proclaimed king at the age of 23.
In the same year he married the Danish princess Anne Marie, sister of the Danish queen Margrethe.
They have two daughters and four sons. His eldest son Paul, Duke of Sparta (b. 1967), would be heir to the throne.
According to the Greek newspaper Kathimerini In recent days, the former king was hospitalized in the Igea hospital after an acute stroke.
After the restoration of democracy in Greece – in 1974 – a referendum was held. There was a majority for the king to remain deposed.
After being deposed as king, Constantine II lived in exile for almost 40 years. The first time he returned to Greece was to attend the funeral of his mother Queen Fredrika in 1981.
It has also been in prolonged conflict with the Greek state. While in exile, he sued Greece for confiscating his property, demanding €500 million. The case was heard in the European Court of Human Rights.
It ended with him receiving €12 million in compensation.
Konstantin is survived by his wife Anne-Marie, five children and nine grandchildren.
