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Royal fans share disappointment over King Charles and Prince William's absence at funeral

Princess Anne, Sir Timothy Laurence and Lady Gabriella Windsor attended in their place


charles william© Photo: Getty Images
Andrea Caamano
Website Editor
January 17, 2023
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On Monday, royals from all over the world gathered in Athens, Greece, to bid farewell to King Constantine II.

Many monarchs, including King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium and Queen Margrethe of Denmark were present, as were other heirs, such as Prince Haakon and Princess Mette-Marit of Norway.

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Representing the UK, however, where King Charles' sister and brother-in-law, Princess Anne and Sir Timothy Laurence, as well as one of King Constantine's godchildren, Lady Gabriella of Windsor, who was asked to attend on Prince William's behalf.

Upon confirmation of their absence, fans were quick to share their disappointment on both the Royal Family and the Prince and Princess of Wales' Instagram accounts on Monday.

Prince Pavlos of Greece greeting Princess Anne and Sir Timothy Laurence© Photo: Getty Images

Prince Pavlos greeting Princess Anne and Sir Timothy Laurence as they arrive for the funeral

"@princeandprincessofwales where are the condolences for the ex-king of Greece, his funeral today. William's godfather, Prince Philip's nephew," one commented on William and Kate's last Instagram post, which showed photos from their engagement in Liverpool last week.

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Another added: "Why are the the Prince and Princess of Wales not in Athens to attend the funeral of Prince William's godfather, Constantine of Greece?"

Lady Gabriella Windsor looking sombre at the funeral of King Constantine© Photo: Getty Images

Lady Gabriella Windsor, King Constantine's goddaughter, attended on behalf of Prince William

Many other royal fans took to Charles and Camilla's official account to ask similar questions. "What about paying respects on the passing of King Constantine of Greece," one wrote in the monarch's latest post, which also highlighted William and Kate's trip to Liverpool, which took place three days after Constantine's death.

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King Willem Alexander hugging Prince Pavlos of Greece as former Queen Beatrix looks on© Photo: Getty Images

-King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands embraced Prince Pavlos as his mother watched on

On Twitter, many continued to voice their disappointment. "I hadn't loads of expectations but still it's very disappointing that William didn't go. He's the PoW and King Constantine was his godfather. He should have gone," said one, whilst royal blogger Gert's Royals remarked: "William's lack of attendance today keeps in line with past UK attendance at Big Foreign Royal events. I've tracked the big foreign royals events since 2017, with 8 or more monarchies present. William attended none of the events (Except for UK ones)."

King Constantines funeral leaving the church on its way to the cemetery© Photo: Getty Images

The funeral was attended from royals from all over the world

Charles and William's absences were justified by the Palace. The monarch and the Queen Consort had a scheduled meeting with the President of the Republic of Cyprus and Mrs Anastasiades, and the Prince of Wales had a "private" engagement, that was not recorded on the Court Circular.

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