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Queen consort of the Hellenes
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Queen Anne-Marie of Greece (born Princess Anne-Marie Dagmar Ingrid of Denmark; Template:Lang-el, pronounced [ana marˈia] in Greek, born 30 August 1946) is the wife of former King Constantine II of Greece, who was deposed in referendums in 1973 and in 1974.
Anne-Marie was born a princess of Denmark and is the youngest daughter of King Frederick IX of Denmark and his wife Ingrid of Sweden. She is the youngest sister of the current Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and cousin of the current King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.
Title
Her title "Queen of Greece" (or Queen of the Hellenes) is not recognized under the terms of the republican Constitution of Greece. Nevertheless, the Royal Courts of Denmark, Sweeden, Belgium and Spain still officially recognise and address her as Her Majesty The Queen of the Hellenes.
As the daughter of His Majesty King Frederick IX of Denmark, and as the sister of Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Anne-Marie is also an immediate member of the Danish Royal House and styled as Her Royal Highness Princess Anne-Marie, Princess of Denmark.
Biography
Birth and family
Princess Anne-Marie was born on 30 August 1946 at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen as the third child of Crown Prince Frederick and Crown Princess Ingrid of Denmark. Her father was the eldest son of King Christian X and Queen Alexandrine of Denmark, and her mother was the only daughter of Crown Prince Gustav Adolf and Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden.
The princess was baptised on 9 October 1946 in the Church of Holmen in Copenhagen. Her godparents were her grandfathers King Christian X of Denmark and King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden, Prince Bertil of Sweden, King Haakon VII of Norway, Prince George of Greece, her grandmother Queen Alexandrine of Denmark, Crown Princess Märtha of Norway, Queen Mary of the United Kingdom, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, and Princess Dagmar of Denmark.
Early life
On 20 April 1947, King Christian X died and Anne-Marie's father ascended the throne as King Frederick IX.
Anne-Marie was educated at Zahle's School in Denmark from 1952 to 1961. In 1961 she attended the Chatelard School for Girls, an English boarding school outside Montreux in Switzerland. In 1963 and 1964 she attended the Institut Le Mesnil, a Swiss finishing school also in Montreux.
Engagement and marriage
In 1959, at the age of thirteen, Anne-Marie first met her future husband, her triple third cousin, Crown Prince Constantine of Greece, Prince of Denmark, who accompanied his parents, King Paul of Greece and Queen Frederika, on a state visit to Denmark. They met a second time in Denmark in 1961, when Constantine declared to his parents his intention to marry Anne-Marie. They met again in Athens in May 1962 at the marriage of Constantine's sister Sophia to Prince Juan Carlos of Spain at which Anne-Marie was a bridesmaid: and again in 1963 at the centenary celebrations of the Greek monarchy.
In July 1964, the announcement of their engagement raised the polite protests of the Left in Denmark. Anne-Marie and Constantine were married on 18 September 1964 (two weeks after Anne-Marie's 18th birthday) in the Metropolis, the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Athens. The bride wore a Jorgen Bender design.
As Queen of Greece, Anne-Marie spent much of her time working for a charitable foundation known as "Her Majesty's Fund" which provided assistance to people in rural areas of Greece.
Exile
In December 1967 Anne-Marie’s husband King Constantine attempted a counter-coup against the military junta which had been sworn in by himself after a successful coup during the previous April. The counter-coup failed and Anne-Marie and her family had to flee to Italy. During the aftermath, Anne-Marie miscarried a child. The family lived for two months in the Greek embassy and then for the next five years in a house in a suburb of Rome.
In 1973 Anne-Marie moved with her family to England. They lived first in Chobham in Surrey. Later they moved to the London suburb of Hampstead where they continue to live. The Greek government seized their former private home of Tatoi. It was only after a successful appeal to the European Court of Human Rights that the Greek government were forced to pay compensation for the property. King Constantine has used the monies obtained to set up the Anna-Marie Foundation.
Official status since 1973
In spite of the fact that Constantine and Anne-Marie had gone into exile in 1967, Greece officially remained a monarchy for several years, with Major General Georgios Zoitakis serving as Regent. On 1 June 1973 the self-appointed prime minister, Colonel George Papadopoulos, deposed Constantine as king and declared Greece a republic.
In November 1973 Papadopoulos himself was overthrown by Brigadier Dimitrios Ioannides. After the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in August 1974, the military junta collapsed. The new prime minister, Constantine Karamanlis, held a referendum on 8 December 1974 in which 68.8% of those who voted approved the abolition of the Greek monarchy. The former Royal Family and others have questioned the moral legitimacy of the referendum on the grounds that they were not permitted to return to Greece to campaign there.
A new republican Constitution of Greece came into force on 11 June 1975 according to which no titles of distinction are recognized in Greek citizens. Some Greeks are offended by Anne-Marie being referred to as "Anne-Marie of Greece", instead preferring the use of her dynastic name and referring to her as "Anna-Maria Glücksburg", a name she has never used for herself.
Anne-Marie continues to be referred to as "Queen Anne-Marie of Greece" (or of the Hellenes) by most royal courts including those of the United Kingdom, Spain, Luxembourg, and Jordan. She is called "Queen Anne-Marie" (without any territorial designation) by the courts of Denmark and Sweden. She is called "former Queen Anne-Marie of Greece" by the court of the Netherlands.
When she travels internationally Anne-Marie uses a Danish diplomatic passport with the name "Anne-Marie de Grecia" (her first name plus the Spanish form of the words 'of Greece').
Current activities
In 1980 Anne-Marie and Constantine founded Hellenic College of London, a bilingual school where her own children were educated. She is currently honorary chairman of the school.
The government of Greece did not permit Anne-Marie to return to Greece until 1981 when she was allowed to enter Greek territory for several hours to attend the funeral of her mother-in-law, Queen Frederika. She and her family paid a private visit to Greece in 1993. Since 2003 – when the property dispute between her husband Constantine and the government of Greece concluded – Anne-Marie has visited Greece numerous times.
In 2003 Anne-Marie and her husband established the Anna-Maria Foundation with the money reimbursed to them by the government of Greece for the appropriation of their private property. The foundation provides aid to victims of natural disasters, including earthquakes and floods, in Greece. Anne-Marie serves as president of the foundation.
On 21 May 2004 Anne-Marie was peripherally involved in a fight in Madrid between former Crown Prince Vittorio Emanuele of Italy and his cousin and dynastic rival Prince Amedeo of Savoy-Aosta. At a soirée held at the Zarzuela Palace during the wedding celebrations of Felipe, Prince of Asturias, Amedeo approached Vittorio who reportedly punched him twice in the face, causing him to stumble backward down the steps. The quick intervention of Anne-Marie, who propped him up, prevented Amedeo from falling to the ground. She discreetly assisted him indoors while stanching his bleeding facial wounds until first aid was administered. Upon learning of the incident Spain's King Juan Carlos, a cousin of both men, reportedly declared that "never again" would an opportunity to abuse his hospitality be afforded the competing pretenders. Anne-Marie's quick action avoided what might have been more serious injury to Amedeo.
On 14 August 2004 Anne-Marie and her husband Constantine visited their former home in Athens, the former Royal Palace now the Presidential Palace, for the first time since 1967. They were received by then President of Greece Costis Stephanopoulos along with other members of the International Olympic Committee (of which Constantine is an honorary member). In December 2004 Constantine, Anne-Marie and their children were again invited to pay a personal private visit by President Stephanopoulos.
Children and grandchildren
The children and grandchildren of Constantine and Anne-Marie are:
- Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark, born on 10 July 1965 at Mon Repos, Corfu, Greece. She was married on 9 July 1999 in London to Carlos Morales Quintana.
- Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece, Prince of Denmark, born on 20 May 1967 at Tatoi Palace. He was married on 1 July 1995 in London to Marie-Chantal Miller, who has been styled thereafter as The Crown Princess Pavlos of Greece, Princess of Denmark.
- Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark, born on 1 October 1969 in Rome. He married Tatiana Blatnik on 25 August 2010 on the Greek island of Spetses who has been styled thereafter as Princess Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark.
- Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark, born on 9 June 1983 in London
- Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark, born on 26 April 1986 in London
Anne-Marie and her husband Constantine are third cousins: they share King Christian IX of Denmark as a great-great-grandfather in the male line. They also share Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom as a great-great-grandmother.
| Styles of Queen Anne-Marie of The Hellenes as consort | |
|---|---|
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| Reference style | Her Majesty |
| Spoken style | Your Majesty |
| Alternative style | Ma'am |
Titles, styles, honours and arms
Anne-Marie has used the following titles and styles:
Titles and styles
- 1946 - 1964: Her Royal Highness Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark
- 1964 - 1973: Her Majesty The Queen of the Hellenes and Princess of Denmark
- 1973–present: Her Majesty The Queen of the Hellenes (pretended), Princess of Denmark (Since birth)
- Her Majesty Queen Anne-Marie of Greece (used outside of Greece, 1973–present), Princess of Denmark (Since birth)
- Anna-Maria de Grecia (used in Greece, 2003–present)
Honours
See also List of honours of the Greek Royal Family by country
Dynastic Orders of Greece :
- Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer
- Commemorative badge for the centenary of the Royal House of Greece
Foreign honours
Denmark : Knight of the Order of the Elephant
Arms
Mr Bjarne Erbo Grønfeldt, Deputy Private Secretary to HM The Queen of Denmark, confirms that Her Majesty Queen Anne-Marie's coat of arms as a Princess of Denmark consists of a shield of her late father's coat of arms supported by two savages holding clubs, surrounded by the Order of the Elephant, all under a canopy ensigned with a crown of her rank.
Ancestors
Notes
- Not used as a title, rather referred to as such in the Danish passport with which she enters the country.
Citations
- Article 4, Section 7 of the constitution states, "Titles of nobility or distinction are neither conferred upon nor recognized in Greek citizens." See also the full text.
- Prinsesse Anne-Maries fødsel og dåb – Website of the Danish National Archives.
- Situationist International, issue No 9, The Longest Months, August 1964
- Top 10 Best Royal Wedding Dresses: #1. HM Queen Anne-Marie http://orderofsplendor.blogspot.co.uk/2010/06/top-10-best-royal-wedding-dresses-1-hm.html
- CNN.com Transcripts - Larry King Live Interview With King Constantine of Greece
- The actual vote as reported in the New York Times, 9 December 1974, was 2,899,282 votes (68.8%) in favour of establishing a republic, and 1,318,827 votes (31.2%) in favour of re-establishing a monarchy.
- Greek Royal Family Website
- Guests at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
- Guests at the wedding of the Prince and Princess of Asturias
- Guests at the funeral of Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte
- Biography of Queen Anne-Marie. Official website of the Danish monarchy
- Familjeträff på Sofiero slott torsdag den 2 juni 2005 Official website of the Swedish monarchy]
- Guests at the wedding of the Prince of Orange
- ^ McIntosh, David (2005 12). "The Sad Demise of the House of Savoy". European Royal History Journal. 8.6 (XLVIII). Arturo E. Beeche: 3–6.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Mad Hattery, Victoria of Sweden's Wedding, HM Queen Anne-Marie of Greece
External links
| Queen Anne-Marie of Greece House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-GlücksburgCadet branch of the House of OldenburgBorn: 30 August 1946 | ||
| British royalty | ||
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| Preceded byKonstantin Johannsmann | Line of succession to the British Throne | Succeeded byPavlos, Crown Prince of Greece |
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| VacantTitle last held byFrederika of Hanover | Queen consort of the Hellenes 18 September 1964 – 1 June 1973 |
VacantMonarchy abolished |
| Titles in pretence | ||
| Loss of title Republic declared |
— TITULAR — Queen consort of the Hellenes 1 June 1973 – present |
Incumbent Heir: Crown Princess Pavlos |
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| Also princess of Norway Also princess of Greece Also princess of Iceland Not Danish princess by birth, but created princess of Denmark Princesses that lost their title are shown in italics | ||
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| The generations are numbered from the implementation of hereditary monarchy by Frederick III in 1660. | ||
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| 11th generation | Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark^ | |
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| *also a princess of Greece by marriage ^also a Danish princess by birth §title lost due to divorce and subsequent remarriage | ||
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- Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from May 2009
- 1946 births
- People from Copenhagen
- House of Glücksburg (Greece)
- House of Glücksburg (Denmark)
- Greek queens consort
- Queens consort
- Converts to Eastern Orthodoxy from Protestantism
- Danish people of Swedish descent
- Danish princesses
- Greek emigrants to the United Kingdom
- Living people
- Knights of the Elephant
- Grand Crosses of the Order of the Redeemer