by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2012

In 1832, the Convention of London established Greece as a kingdom, and the Great Powers appointed 17-year-old Prince Otto of Bavaria, the second son of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, to be the new kingdom’s first king. In 1862, while Otto was away from Athens, a coup d’état led to the formation of a provisional government, and Otto was deposed.

On March 30, 1863, 17-year old Prince Vilhelm, the second son of King Christian IX of Denmark was unanimously elected by the Greek National Assembly and took the name King George I of the Hellenes. Except for the period when the monarchy was abolished and then restored, King George and his descendants reigned in Greece until the monarchy was abolished in 1973.

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Embed from Getty Images 
In 2014, descendants of King Paul I and Queen Frederica paid their respects at the Tatoi Cemetery on the 50th anniversary of King Paul’s death

With the exception of King Otto and his wife, who returned to the Kingdom of Bavaria after Otto was deposed, and are buried in Munich, Germany, all other Greek kings and their wives are buried at the Royal Cemetery on the grounds of Tatoi Palace, the former summer palace of the Greek royal family, near Athens, Greece.

On August 6, 1899, at the initiative of Queen Olga, wife of King George I, work began on the Chapel of the Resurrection of the Lord designed by Greek architect Anastasios Metaxas on a hill covered with pine and cypress trees, a short distance from the Tatoi Palace.  Originally, Anastasios Metaxas planned to build a burial crypt under the chapel but King George I refused because he wanted to be buried “under the sun of Greece.” Since then, members of the Greek royal family have been buried in white marble tombs scattered around the chapel in the pine and cypress forest. Members of the royal family select their burial place during their lifetime and mark it with a stone. Only the tombs of King Constantine I, his wife Queen Sophie, and King Alexander are in a mausoleum designed by Greek architect Emmanuel Lazarides.

• Wikipedia: Tatoi Palace

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King Otto of the Greeks
reigned February 6, 1833 – October 23, 1862

• Unofficial Royalty: Otto of Greece

King Otto was born Prince Otto of Bavaria on June 1, 1815, the son of King Ludwig I of Bavaria and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. In 1832 when the Convention of London created Greece as a kingdom, the throne was offered to Otto, and he became the first King of Greece on February 6, 1833. He married on December 22, 1836, to Duchess Amalia of Oldenburg. He was deposed on October 23, 1862, and returned to the Kingdom of Bavaria.

King Otto died July 26, 1867, in Bamberg, Bavaria. He is buried in the Wittelsbach Royal Crypt at the Theatinerkirche, Munich, Bavaria, Germany.

• Unofficial Royalty: Theatine Church of St Cajetan in Munich, Germany

Duchess Amalia of Oldenburg
Queen of the Greeks

• Unofficial Royalty: Amalia of Oldenburg

Amalia was born December 21, 1818, in Oldenburg, Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, now in Lower Saxony, Germany, the daughter of Augustus, Grand Duke of Oldenburg and Princess Adelheid of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym. She married King Otto on December 22, 1836. The couple had no children.

Queen Amalia died on May 20, 1875, in Bamberg, Kingdom of Bavaria. She is buried with her husband in the Wittelsbach Royal Crypt at the Theatinerkirche in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.

• Unofficial Royalty: Theatine Church of St Cajetan in Munich, Germany

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King George I of the Hellenes
reigned March 30, 1863 – March 18, 1913

• Unofficial Royalty: King George I of Greece

King George I was born Prince Wilhelm of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, on December 24, 1845, at the Yellow Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark. His parents were the future King Christian IX and Louise of Hesse-Kassel. He was named King of Greece by the Great Powers on March 30, 1863. He married on October 27, 1867, Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia.

King George I was assassinated while on an afternoon walk in Thessaloniki, Greece on March 18, 1913. He is buried in the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace.

• Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of George I, King of Greece

Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia
Queen of the Hellenes

• Unofficial Royalty: Olga Konstantinovna of Russia

Grand Duchess Olga was born September 3, 1851, the daughter of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich of Russia and Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg. She married King George I of the Hellenes on October 27, 1867. The couple had eight children.

Queen Olga survived her husband for 13 years. She died on June 18, 1926, in France and was initially buried in Italy, where the Greek royal family was living in exile. In 1936, after the monarchy was restored, she was reinterred in the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace.

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Children of George I

Prince George of Greece and Denmark
(June 24, 1869 – November 25, 1957)
Unofficial Royalty: Prince George of Greece and Denmark
Prince George was born on June 24, 1869, the second son of King George I and Olga Konstantinovna. He married Princess Marie Bonaparte on November 21, 1907. The couple had two children, Peter (1908-1980) and Eugénie (1910-1989). He died in Saint-Cloud, near Paris, on November 25, 1957, and is buried in the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace.
Wikipedia: Tatoi Palace

Princess Marie Bonaparte, Princess George of Greece and Denmark
(July 2, 1882-September 21, 1962)
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Marie Bonaparte
Princess Marie Bonaparte was born July 2, 1882, in Saint-Cloud, daughter of Prince Roland Bonaparte and Marie-Félix Blanc. She married Prince George of Greece in 1907. Princess Marie became a renowned psychoanalyst, quite controversially at the time. Marie died in Saint-Tropez on September 21, 1962, and is buried in the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace.
Wikipedia: Tatoi Palace

Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark, Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna of Russia
(August 30, 1870 – September 24, 1891)
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark
Princess Alexandra was born August 30, 1870, the eldest daughter of King George I and Olga Konstantinovna. She was married on June 17, 1889, to Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia (Oct 30, 1860 – Jan 30, 1919), and took the name Alexandra Georgievna. She died at the Ilyinskoye estate, near Moscow and was initially interred at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Saint Petersburg. Her remains were returned to Greece in 1939 and buried in the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace.

Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark
(January 22, 1872 – February 8, 1938)
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark
Prince Nicholas was born on January 22, 1872, the third son of King George I and Olga Konstantinovna. On August 29, 1902, he married Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia. The couple had three daughters – Olga, Princess Paul of Yugoslavia (1903-1997); Elizabeth, Countess of Toerring-Jettenbach (1904-1955); and Marina, Duchess of Kent (1906-1968). Prince Nicholas died on February 8, 1938, in Athens. He is buried in the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace.

Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna, Princess Nicholas of Greece and Denmark
(January 17, 1882 – March 13, 1957)
Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna
Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna was born at Tsarskoye Selo, Russia on January 17, 1882, daughter of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich and Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. She married Prince Nicholas on August 29, 1902. Elena died March 13, 1957, and is buried in the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace.

Princess Maria of Greece and Denmark, Grand Duchess Marie Georgievna of Russia, Mrs. Ioannidis
(March 3, 1876 – December 14, 1940)
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Maria of Greece and Denmark
Princess Maria was born March 3, 1876, the second daughter of King George I and Olga Konstantinovna. On April 30, 1900, she married Grand Duke George Mikhailovich (1863-1919) and became Maria Georgievna. The couple had two daughters – Nina (1901-1974), and Xenia (1903-1965). She remarried on December 16, 1922, to Perikles Ioannidis (1881-1965). Grand Duchess Maria died in Athens on December 14, 1940. She is buried in the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace.

Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark
(April 7, 1880 – November 2, 1880)
Princess Olga was born April 7, 1880, the third daughter of King George I and Olga Konstantinovna. She died November 2, 1880, and is buried in the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace.

Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark
(February 2, 1882 – December 3, 1944)
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark
Prince Andrew was born February 2, 1882, in Athens, the fourth son of King George I and Olga Konstantinovna. He married, on October 6, 1903, to Princess Alice of Battenberg, and the couple had five children.
– Princess Margarita (1905-1981)
– Princess Theodora (1906-1969)
– Princess Cecilie (1911-1937)
– Princess Sophie (1914-2001)
– Prince Philip (1921-2021)
Prince Andrew died on December 3, 1944, in Monte Carlo. He is buried in the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace.

Princess Alice of Battenberg, Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark
(February 25, 1885 – December 5, 1969)
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Alice of Battenberg
Princess Alice was born February 25, 1885, at Windsor Castle, the daughter of Prince Louis of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine (later the Marquess and Marchioness of Milford-Haven). She married Prince Andrew on October 6, 1903. Alice is the mother of Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, as well as four daughters.

Princess Alice died at Buckingham Palace on December 5, 1969. She was initially interred in the Royal Crypt at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. In 1988, she was reinterred in a crypt below the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene, in Jerusalem.
Unofficial Royalty: St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle
Wikipedia: Saint Mary Magdalene Church

Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark
(August 10, 1888 – January 21, 1940)
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark
Prince Christopher was born on August 10, 1888, the youngest son of King George I and Olga Konstantinovna. On February 1, 1920, he married Nancy Stewart Worthington Leeds, a very wealthy American widow. She died just 3 years later. Christopher remarried, on February 11, 1929, to Princess Françoise of Orléans. The couple had one son, Prince Michael (b 1939). Prince Christopher died January 21, 1940, and is buried in the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace.

Nancy Stewart Worthington Leeds, Princess Anastasia of Greece
(January 20, 1873 – August 29, 1923)
Unofficial Royalty: Nancy Stewart Worthington Leeds
Nancy Stewart Worthington Leeds was born Nonnie May Stewart on January 20, 1873. She had married twice before marrying Prince Christopher on February 1, 1902, becoming Princess Anastasia of Greece. She died of cancer on August 29, 1923, at Spencer House in London. Per her wishes, she is buried with her parents at the Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York City.
Wikipedia: Spencer House, London
Wikipedia: Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx)

Princess Françoise of Orléans, Princess Christopher of Greece and Denmark
(December 25, 1902 – February 25, 1953)
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Françoise of Orléans
Princess Françoise of Orléans was born December 25, 1902, daughter of Jean d’Orléans, Duke of Guise, and Princess Isabelle of Orléans. She married Prince Christopher on February 11, 1929. Princess Françoise died February 25, 1953, in Paris, and is buried in the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace.

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Constantine I of the Hellenes
reigned March 18, 1913 – June 11, 1917 (deposed)
reigned December 19, 1920 – September 27, 1922 (abdicated)

• Unofficial Royalty: King Constantine I of Greece

Constantine was born August 2, 1868, the eldest son of King George I and Olga Konstantinovna. He married Princess Sophia of Prussia on October 27, 1889. Constantine succeeded his father as King of the Hellenes on March 18, 1913. He was later forced to relinquish the throne, on June 11, 1917, in favor of his son Alexander. When Alexander died, Constantine returned to the throne. He was again forced from the throne and abdicated on September 22, 1922.

King Constantine I died on January 11, 1923, in Palermo, Italy. He is buried in the mausoleum at the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace.

Sophia of Prussia
Queen of the Hellenes

• Unofficial Royalty: Sophia of Prussia

Princess Sophia was born June 14, 1870, in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany, the daughter of the future Friedrich III, German Emperor and Victoria, Princess Royal, daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. On October 27, 1889, she married the future King Constantine I. The couple had six children.

Queen Sophia died from cancer on January 13, 1932, in Frankfurt, Germany. She is buried in the mausoleum at the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace.

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Children of King Constantine I

Princess Helen of Greece and Denmark, Queen Mother of Romania
(May 2, 1896 – November 28, 1982)
Unofficial Royalty: Helen of Greece and Denmark
Princess Helen was born May 2, 1896, the eldest daughter of King Constantine I and Sophia of Prussia. She married the future King Carol II of Romania on March 10, 1921. The couple had one son and were divorced in 1928.

Queen Mother Helen died on November 28, 1982, in Switzerland. She is buried in the Bois-de-Vaux Cemetery in Lausanne.

Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark, Duchess of Aosta
(February 13, 1904 – April 15, 1974)
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Irene, Duchess of Aosta
Princess Irene was born February 13, 1904, the second daughter of King Constantine I and Sophia of Prussia. On July 1, 1939, she married Prince Aimone of Savoy, Duke of Aosta.

The Duchess of Aosta died on April 15, 1974, in Fiesole, Italy. She is buried with her husband in the Basilica of Superga, Turin, Italy.
Unofficial Royalty: Basilica of Superga

Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark, Lady Brandram
(May 4, 1913 – October 2, 2007)
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark, The Lady Katherine Brandram
Princess Katherine was born May 4, 1913, the youngest child of King Constantine I and Sophia of Prussia. On April 21, 1947, she married Major Richard Brandram. From her marriage, she preferred to be styled as Lady Katherine Brandram.

Lady Katherine died on October 2, 2007, in London. At the time of her death, she was the last surviving great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria. She is buried at the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace.

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King Alexander of the Hellenes
reigned June 11, 1917 – October 25, 1920

• Unofficial Royalty: Alexander of Greece

Alexander was born August 1, 1893, the second son of King Constantine I and Sophia of Prussia. When his father was deposed in 1917, Alexander was made king instead of his elder brother George, the rightful heir. He married, in secret, on November 4, 1919, to Aspasia Manos. This caused quite a scandal and the couple was forced to avoid being seen together publicly. Years later, his marriage was made legitimate and his wife and daughter were created Princesses of Greece.

King Alexander died on October 25, 1920, after developing sepsis from a monkey bite. He is buried in the Mausoleum at the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace with his parents. His wife is buried elsewhere in the cemetery grounds.

Aspasia Manos
Princess of Greece and Denmark

• Unofficial Royalty: Aspasia Manos

Aspasia Manos was born on September 4, 1896, in Athens. She married King Alexander in 1919, causing scandal and uproar over their ‘unequal’ marriage. Aspasia was pregnant with her first child when King Alexander died. She gave birth to their daughter, Alexandra, in March 1921. Several years later, Aspasia’s marriage to King Alexander was recognized by the King, and she and her daughter were made Princesses of Greece and Denmark.

Princess Aspasia died August 7, 1972, in Lido di Venezia, Italy. She was initially buried at the cemetery of San Michele, near Venice, Italy. Later, her remains were reinterred at the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace.

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Daughter of King Alexander

Princess Alexandra, Queen of Yugoslavia
(March 25, 1921 – January 30, 1993)
Unofficial Royalty: Alexandra of Yugoslavia
Alexandra was born March 25, 1921, the daughter of the late King Alexander and Aspasia Manos. Because of her parents’ illegitimate marriage (it was later legitimized), Alexandra was not in the line of succession. On March 20, 1944, she married King Peter II of Yugoslavia. They are the parents of the current Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia.

Queen Alexandra died on January 30, 1993, in England. She was first buried in the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace. In 2013, her remains were returned to Serbia and reinterred in the royal crypt at St. George’s Church, Oplenac, Serbia.

• Unofficial Royalty: St. George’s Church in Oplenac, Serbia

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King George II of the Hellenes
reigned September 27 1922 – March 25 1924 (deposed)
reigned November 3, 1935 – April 1, 1947

• Unofficial Royalty: George II of Greece

George II was born July 20, 1890, the eldest son of King Constantine I and Sophia of Prussia. He married, February 27, 1921, to Elisabeth of Romania. The couple had no children and divorced in 1935. George came to the throne in 1922 on the death of his father. Less than two years later, in March 1924, Greece was declared a Republic and he was deposed. In 1935, he was restored to the throne and reigned until his death.

King George II died on April 1, 1947, and is buried at the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace.

Elisabeth of Romania
Queen of the Hellenes

• Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth of Romania

Elisabeth was born on October 12, 1894, daughter of King Ferdinand of Romania and Princess Marie of Edinburgh. She married the future George II in 1921 and served as Queen Consort during his first reign. The couple divorced in 1935.

The former Queen Elisabeth died November 14, 1956, in Cannes, France. She is buried at the Hedinger Church in Sigmaringen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

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King Paul of the Hellenes
reigned April 1, 1947 – March 6, 1964

• Unofficial Royalty: Paul of Greece

Paul was born December 14, 1901, in Athens, the youngest son of King Constantine I and Sophia of Prussia. On January 9, 1938, he married Princess Frederica of Hanover. They had three children – Constantine II, Sophia (who married King Juan Carlos of Spain), and Irene. Paul came to the throne on April 1, 1947, at the death of his elder brother King George II.

King Paul died on March 6, 1964, in Athens. He is buried in the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace.

Princess Frederica of Hanover, Queen of the Hellenes

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• Unofficial Royalty: Frederica of Hanover

Princess Frederica was born April 18, 1917, daughter of Ernst August III, Duke of Brunswick and Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia. She married the future King Paul in 1938.

Queen Frederica died on February 6, 1981, in Madrid, Spain. She is buried in the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace.

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King Constantine II of the Hellenes
reigned  March 6, 1964 – June 1, 1963 (monarchy abolished)

 

• Unofficial Royalty: King Constantine II of the Hellenes

King Constantine II of Greece was the King of Greece (styled King of the Hellenes) from 1964 until the monarchy was abolished in 1973. He was born on June 2, 1940, at Villa Psychiko, in the suburbs of Athens, Greece. His parents were King Paul of Greece and Princess Frederica of Hanover. In 1964, Constantine married Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark, the youngest daughter of King Frederick IX of Denmark, and the couple had five children. Constantine II, the former King of Greece, died at Hygeia Hospital in Athens, Greece on January 10, 2023, at the age of 82. He is buried in the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace next to his parents.

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