Greek Royal Family releases statement on reinstatement Greek citizenship

The Private Office of the Greek Royal Family has released a statement from the Greek royals regarding regaining their Greek citizenship.

The children of the late King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie said:

“It is with deep emotion that, after thirty years, we hold the Greek citizenship again. The law of 1994 deprived us of our citizenship, rendering us stateless with all that this entails in terms of individual rights and great emotional distress.

“Our father and our family fully respected the result of the 1974 referendum. However, the provision of the 1994 law on citizenship, a result of the political status at the time, was not befitting of a former head of the Greek state and an institution that served the country faithfully. The passing of our father marked the end of an era.

“Prerequisite for the reinstatement of our nationality was to declare a surname thus, we chose the one chosen by our late uncle, Michel De Gréce, that was the only familiar one to us since our family never bore a surname.

“During the years we were deprived of our citizenship, we were driven by the duty and honour of serving our country with loyalty and devotion from wherever we were, with all our means. The same principles will continue to guide the course of our family.”

Last week, the members of the Greek Royal Family recognised the Greek Republic.

According to the Greek Ministry of Home Affairs, ten members of the family signed a declaration in which they recognised the republic. This includes all five of the former King’s children.