LETTER FROM ATHENS

On Christmas Eve, the former Greek royal family received an unexpected gift from the Greek state. After decades in exile, unable to obtain Greek passports, 10 members of the royal family, deposed after the return of democracy to Greece in 1974, were naturalized as Greeks and can now use the surname "de Grèce" (in French and phonetically transcribed in Greek). "It is with deep emotion that, after 30 years, we regain Greek nationality," said the former royal family on its official website on December 23. But in a country built on strong opposition between monarchists and republicans, this decision did not go unnoticed, and even provoked strong criticism from the left-wing opposition and constitutionalists.

To understand why this dynasty was deprived of its Greek nationality and forced into exile for decades, a detour into Greek history is in order.

Former King Constantine II, who came to the throne in 1964 and died in 2023, played an ambiguous role. In 1963, after a devastating civil war and 18 years of authoritarian government, Greece finally won the parliamentary elections with a democratic party, the Center Union, led by George Papandreou. But the government's decision to purge the nationalist, anti-communist army displeased the King, who asked him to resign in 1965. Two years of political instability followed – for which Constantine II would be held partly responsible. This context facilitated the coup d'état of April 1967, when army tanks invaded Athens, ushering in seven years of "colonial dictatorship."

Attempting to redress the situation, Constantine II organized a counter-coup, but failed and was forced into exile with his family. In a referendum held after the fall of the dictatorship in 1974, Greeks voted for a democratic regime and the end of the monarchy. The assets of the exiled royal family were confiscated.

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