Who would be the King of Greece today?

Greece became a republic several decades ago, but had the country chosen to retain its monarchy, who would be the King of Greece today?

The answer is simple: Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece, Prince of Denmark.

Crown Prince Pavlos was born on 20 May 1967 in Tatoi Palace as the second child of King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie. His father had been on the Greek throne since 1964, so Pavlos held the title of heir to the throne from birth.

The first few years of his life were turbulent, as a military junta had taken over Greece in 1967. The King attempted to take the country back from the junta via a countercoup, but it was unsuccessful. By December 1967, the Royal Family fled to Rome before moving to Copenhagen with their maternal family, the Danish Royal Family (his mother was born as Princess Anne-Marie, the youngest daughter of King Frederik and Queen Ingrid of Denmark).

Pavlos with his father, King Constantine; his uncle, King Juan Carlos of Spain; and his cousin, Prince Felipe (who later became King Felipe of Spain). By Anefo – http://proxy.handle.net/10648/ab599e22-d0b4-102d-bcf8-003048976d84, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

For the next six years, Greece retained their monarchy with a regent while King Constantine remained in exile. However, by July 1973, a referendum was held and the King was deposed. In December 1974, a Greek plebiscite was held that confirmed the deposition of the monarchy the previous year.

Pavlos grew up primarily in London but was educated for a time in the United States. He also trained at Sandhurst and served in the British Army. Pavlos worked in finance for many years and founded Ortelius Advisors.

In 1994, he and the rest of the Greek Royal Family lost their Greek citizenship via a law from the Greek government.

Crown Prince Pavlos married Marie-Chantal Miller in London in 1995. Together, they have five children: Princess Maria-Olympia and Princes Constantine-Alexios, Achileas-Andreas, Odysseas-Kimon, and Aristidis-Stavros.

Crown Prince Pavlos and Marie-Chantal, Crown Princess of Greece, with King Carl Gustaf of Sweden and King Charles Photo: Ian Jones – Buckingham Palace reception, CC BY 2.0

Due to his close family relations, Crown Prince Pavlos and his family have been present and active in royal events. Pavlos is the first cousin of both King Felipe of Spain and King Frederik X of Denmark. He became the head of the Greek Royal Family upon the death of his father in 2023.

In December 2024, Crown Prince Pavlos, his children and his four siblings applied for Greek citizenship. They chose the surname of De Grèce, and their citizenship was restored. Following this decision, Pavlos has gone by the name Pavlos de Grece for events.