The House of Glücksburg is one of the most dominant royal houses, and it currently rules in Denmark and Norway, while having branches that range from the British royal family to the now deposed Greek monarchy.
The House of Wittelsbach started ruling the European nation in 1832 before Glücksburg became the ruling house in 1862 following the unpopularity of King Otto. George I was installed as the monarch, although there had been hopes that Queen Victoria's eldest son, Prince Albert, would become the King of Greece, the idea was rejected.
The royal family was originally deposed in 1924 with the pro-monarchy government being blamed for the loss of Greece's war against Turkey. A public referendum in 1935 restored the monarchy, but it was once again disbanded in 1973 after King Constantine II attempted to lead a coup against the ruling military junta. Even though the junta was overthrown the following year, the Greek public voted against restoring the monarchy in a 1974 referendum.
Although they no longer rule the country, the Greek wing of the House of Glücksburg is still in existence, so scroll down to lean all you need to know…
The family tree
© HELLO!King Constantine II
© NurPhotoBorn on 2 June 1940, Constantine ruled Greece from 6 March 1964 up until the overthrowing of the Greek royal family on 1 June 1973. Constantine was the second child and eldest son of the then Crown Prince Paul and Crown Princess Frederica and moved ahead of his sister to due to agnatic primogeniture laws.
Like many royals born at his time, Constantine had to flee his home country due to World War II, initially settling in Egypt before arriving in South Africa. However, with growing Republic sentiment in Greece, Constantine didn't return home until 1946 when a referendum was held, with the result being in favour of the monarchy.
Constantine became Crown Prince at the young age of just six following the death of his grandfather, George, in 1947. When he was nine, Constantine began being prepared for the throne and served in the Greek military when he turned 15. In his youth, Constantine was a keen sportsman and he managed to win a gold medal at the 1960 Olympic Games in the sailing event.
The royal was only 23 when he acceded to the throne, with his father dying of stomach cancer on 6 March 1964. However, Constantine headed to the throne at a time of great political unrest and his appointment of Georgios Athanasiadis-Novas as Prime Minister of Greece in 1965 following the resignation of Georgios Papandreou led to protests on the streets, which were only resolved by the 1967 elections.
In 1967, a military coup was launched leading to the formation of a new government, which was sworn in by Constantine. However, the Greek monarch organised a counter-coup months later, which ultimately failed, leading to the royal family fleeing Greece. Constantine was still King of Greece for six years until the junta abolished the monarchy on 1 June 1973.
When the junta fell the following a year, a referendum was held on restoring the monarchy, however, the Greek public voted resoundingly against this. The former King spent much of the rest of his life outside of the country, but caused headlines during a family holiday back to his homeland in 1993.
Constantine would later sue the Greek government following their seizing of his family's historic home and assets and a judgement from the European Court of Justice found in his favour in 2000. Constantine spent much of the rest of his life in London, where he was close with the then Prince Charles. In 2013, he returned to Greece where he lived out his days as a private citizen.
On 18 September 1964, Constantine married Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark, and the pair welcomed five children: Princess Alexia, Crown Prince Pavlos, Prince Nikolaos, Princess Theodora and Prince Philippos.
On 6 January 2023, Constantine was admitted to hospital following a major stroke and he died four days later on 10 January 2023. His funeral was attended by many royals across the world.
Queen Anne-Marie
© Patrick van KatwijkBorn on 30 August 1946, Anne-Marie is the wife of King Constantine and ruled as his Queen Consort from 1964 up until the abolition of the Greek monarchy on 1 June 1973. Anne-Marie was born into the Danish royal family and was the youngest daughter of Frederik IX and Ingrid.
Anne-Marie met her future husband when she was 13 and the pair secretly got engaged two years later, marrying just two weeks after Anne-Marie became 18. Anne-Marie quickly won the favour of the Greek public when she started learning the language and history of the country. Due to the marriage, Anne-Marie and her descendants have no further claim to the Danish throne.
As Queen Consort, Anne-Marie continued the running of Her Majesty's Fund, which was set up by her mother-in-law, Queen Frederica, later renaming the organisation to the Anne-Marie Foundation. The royal was part of the legal case with her husband over the seizure of their property and the pair used the money to set up the Anna-Maria Foundation, which assists those affected by natural disasters, Anne-Marie has been the organisation's president since 2019.
The royal shares five children with her husband: Princess Alexia, Crown Prince Pavlos, Prince Nikolaos, Princess Theodora and Prince Philippos.
Queen Sofia
© Carlos AlvarezBorn on 2 November 1938, Queen Sofia is the older sister of Constantine and while she was never Queen of Greece, she served as the Queen of Spain from 1975 to 2014 following her marriage to King Juan Carlos.
The royal renounced her rights to the Greek throne in order to marry Juan Carlos and the couple share three children: Infanta Elena, Infanta Cristina and King Felipe. Like her family, Sofia would not regularly visit her home country due to exile, however, she and her husband financially supported Constantine and Anne-Marie when they were cut off from funds.
Princess Irene
© P Anastasselis/ShutterstockBorn on 11 May 1942, Princess Irene is the youngest child of King Paul and Queen Frederica and the younger sister of Constantine. Irene was born in South Africa after the Greek royals fled their homeland during World War II.
Irene has mostly lived outside of the public eye and has never married. Following the exile of the Greek royals, she lived with her mother in India. After Frederica's death in 1981, Irene moved to live with her sister Sofia in Spain.
Princess Alexia
© WPA PoolBorn on 10 July 1965, Princess Alexia is the eldest child of King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie and was heir presumptive to the Greek throne until the arrival of her brother, Crown Prince Pavlos in 1967.
Alexia was brought up in exile from her homeland and she graduated with a BA in History and Education before becoming a teacher in Southwark, London. The royal later moved to Barcelona, where she became a teacher specialising in children with developmental disorders.
On 9 July 1999, she walked down the aisle with architect Carlos Morales, their wedding was postponed after the bride and groom were injured in a sailing accident in May 1999. In the accident, Alexis fractured her collarbone, while Carlos fractured his kneecap.
The couple share four children: Arrietta (b. 2002), Anna-Maria (b. 2003), Carlos (b. 2005) and Amelia (b. 2007).
Crown Prince Pavlos
© Max Mumby/IndigoBorn on 20 May 1967, Crown Prince Pavlos is the head of the Greek royal family following the death of his father, King Constantine on 10 January 2023 and would currently be King had the monarchy not been abolished.
Due to his father's attempt to lead a coup against the military junta in Greece, Pavlos was evacuated from the country when he was just seven months old. The royal was educated in both the United States and United Kingdom, where his family eventually settled, and he undertook military training at Sandhurst, rising to the rank of lieutenant.
Following his education and military service, Pavlos became an investment consultant and co-founded hedge fund Ortelius Advisors. Several months after his father's death, Pavlos confirmed that he was now living back in Greece.
In 1992, Pavlos met Marie-Chantal Miller in New Orleans and the pair wed on 1 July 1995. The couple share five children: Princess Maria-Olympia, Prince Constantine-Alexios, Prince Achileas-Andreas, Prince Odysseus-Kimon and Prince Aristidis-Stavros.
Crown Princess Marie-Chantal
© Max Mumby/IndigoBorn on 17 September 1968 as Marie-Chantal Miller, she is the wife of Crown Prince Pavlos and if the Greek monarchy remained would currently be the Queen Consort of the country.
Born in London, Marie-Chantal studied in Hong Kong, Switzerland, Paris and New York City. In 1992, she met Crown Prince Pavlos at a party in New Orleans and she walked down the aisle with the royal on 1 July 1995, with the pair welcoming five children: Princess Maria-Olympia, Prince Constantine-Alexios, Prince Achileas-Andreas, Prince Odysseus-Kimon and Prince Aristidis-Stavros.
Marie-Chantal has quite the business career and in 2000 founded the luxury childrenswear company Marie-Chantal. In 2019, the royal published her debut book, Manners Begin at Breakfast, which is billed as an etiquette guide for modern families.
Prince Nikolaos
© Max Mumby/IndigoBorn on 1 October 1969 in Italy, Nikolaos is the third child of King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie. After initially studying in London, Nikolaos graduated from Brown University in Rhode Island and started working for the Fox Television Network. Since 1998, he has worked in his late father's private office and he also serves as a board member on his mother's charity, the Anna-Maria Foundation.
On 25 August 2010, Nikolaos walked down the aisle with Tatiana Blatnik, however on 19 April 2024, the duo confirmed they were separating. The pair share no children.
Princess Tatiana
© Jamie McCarthyBorn on 27 August 1980 as Tatiana Blatnik, she is the former wife of Prince Nikolaos. Tatiana was born in Caracas, Venezuela before being raised in Switzerland. The royal graduated from Georgetown University in 2003 with a degree in sociology and became an events planner for Diane van Furstenberg.
Tatiana resigned from her role in 2010 to focus on her own wedding to Prince Nikolaos, walking down the aisle with the Greek prince on 25 August 2010. The pair remained married for 14 years before announcing their decision to separate on 19 April 2024.
Princess Theodora
© Milos BicanskiBorn on 9 June 1983, Theodora is the fourth child of King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie. Due to her family's exile from Greece, Theodora was born in London. The royal pursued an acting career after graduating from Brown University with a Theatre of Arts degree.
Theodora's best-known role was as secretary Alison Montgomery on the American soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. Other credits have included Gates of Hades, Respect Greece and The Great Awakening.
On 16 November 2018, her engagement to American lawyer Matthew Kumar was confirmed. The pair were due to marry in May 2020, however the wedding was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The wedding was postponed again following the death of Theodora's father, King Constantine on 10 January 2023. HELLO!'s sister publication HELLO! Greece reports the pair are due to marry in 2024.
Prince Philippos
© Max Mumby/IndigoBorn on 26 April 1986, Prince Philippos is the fifth and youngest child of King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie. Philippos was born in London due to his family's exile from their homeland and he graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in foreign relations. The royal currently works as an analyst for Ortelius Capital after previously interning with the United Nations.
On 12 December, the royal married Nina Flohr after proposing to her on a boat. Due to COVID restrictions at the time, only their parents were present at their first wedding.
Princess Nina
© Max Mumby/IndigoBorn on 22 January 1987 as Nina Flohr, Princess Nina is the wife of Prince Philippos and the daughter of airline magnate Thomas Flohr, who founded luxury airline firm VistaJet. Born in Switzerland, Nina studied in the UK and US before becoming the creative director at her father's company.
In 2016, Nina left her role and the following year, she founded the Kisawa Sanctuary, a luxury hotel alongside the Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies, an environmental conservation centre, both of which are located in Mozambique.
In 2018, she met Greek royal Prince Philippos and the pair got engaged in 2020, having a very private wedding due to coronavirus restrictions. The pair had a more public reception the following year with Princess Beatrice amongst the guests.
Princess Maria-Olympia
© WWDBorn on 25 July 1996, Princess Maria Olympia is the first child and only daughter of Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal. Born in New York City, Maria-Olympia, who generally goes by Olympia, was mostly raised in London.
Fashion has long been an interest for the royal, attending a couture show at the age of 11 before studying graphic design in a Swiss boarding school and interning for Dior. Olympia has since become a model and has walked the runway in brands like Dolce & Gabbana.
Prince Constantine-Alexios
© Patrick van KatwijkBorn on 29 October 1998, Constantine-Alexios is the second child of Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal. If the Greek monarchy was still around, Constantine-Alexios would be the heir apparent to the throne due to male-favoured primogeniture rules.
Like his sister, Constantine-Alexios has entered the modelling world, including for brands like Dior. However, the royal is also in touch with his creative side and he is a talented painter and sculptor, often sharing his works on his official Instagram page.
Prince Achileas-Andreas
© Arturo HolmesBorn on 12 August 2000, Prince Achileas-Andreas is the third child of Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal. The royal was born in New York City, and like his aunt, he has pursued a career in acting, making his professional debut in The Bold and Beautiful. He also appeared in Jennifer Lawrence's comedy, No Hard Feelings in a small part.
Prince Odysseus-Kimon
© InstagramBorn on 17 September 2004, Prince Odysseus-Kimon is the fourth child of Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal. Not much is known about the teen, but last year he began his university studies at the New York University.
Prince Aristidis-Stavros
© InstagramBorn on 29 June 2008, Prince Aristidis-Stavros is the youngest child of Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal. The royal keeps a low profile, but it was confirmed that he is studying at Wellington School in Somerset.
READ: Crown Prince Pavlos pays tribute to late father King Constantine on poignant anniversary
MORE: Princess Tatiana of Greece to keep her royal title following divorce from Prince Nikolaos
