Constantine II of Greece

Members of Greece's former royal family have applied for Greek citizenship and formally acknowledged the country's republican system of government, in a landmark move 50 years after the monarchy was abolished.

Members of Greece's former royal family have regained Greek citizenship and formally acknowledged the country's republican system of government, in a landmark move 50 years after the monarchy was abolished.

The referendum of December 8, 1974 definitively resolved the constitutional issue in Greece, with a decisive outcome: 69% in favor of the republic and only 31% supporting the monarchy.

A joint meeting of the Political Council and Parliamentary Group is scheduled for tomorrow. Intervention by Doukas and Papandreou for a progressive front

The former royal palace at Tatoi will be open to the public by 2025, Culture Minister Lina Mendoni has said, a day after former king Constantine II was buried alongside his ancestors at the former royal estate.

"Citizens will have access to the old palaces by 2025," she said, in an interview with private broadcaster Real FM radio.

Deputy Prime Minister Panagiotis Pikrammenos will also represent the government at the funeral of Greece's former King Constantine II, it was announced Friday.

This follows an earlier announcement which declared that the government would only be represented by Culture Minister Lina Mednoni.

On Monday, January 16, the funeral procession of the former King Constantine will be held in the Metropolitan Church of Athens, and then his burial will follow in Tatoi, near his ancestors.

The Greek Republic is mature enough to be able to deal with and talk about its history and the protagonists of that history without insecurity and without passions becoming excessively inflamed.

The death of the former king Constantine II is an opportunity to assess his reign and its aftermath from a cool and calm perspective, without insulting anyone or overly praising anyone. 

The last king of Greece, Constantine II, died late Tuesday night, 100 years after the death of his grandfather, Constantine I, who died on January 11, 1923. Constantine was the last king of the dynasty that began with George I, who succeeded Otto in 1863 and remained king of Greece for the next 50 years.

Greece's former King Constantine II, who died on Tuesday night aged 82, will be buried privately at a former royal estate north of Athens, the Greek government said on Wednesday.

Deposed by military rulers and spurned by his subjects who voted to ditch the monarchy in 1974, Constantine II was the only son of King Paul and Queen Frederica of Greece.