The procedures for granting Greek citizenship and designating an official surname are expected to begin in the coming days for former King Constantine’s children, Nikolaos and Paul.

As revealedthe dark room of protothema.gr in its Tuesday column, the members of the former royal family will most likely visit the Athens registry office next Friday in order to declare their respect for the Constitution and the constitution of Greece and then register with the civil registry.

The procedure to be followed is provided for in the institutional framework of the Venizelos law of 1994 (2215/1994), the legislation that stripped Greek citizenship from all members of the former royal family and set a number of conditions for its recovery.

According to the law still in force: “Greek citizenship to Constantine Glyxburg and members of his family, after the expiry of the special legal status which governed their citizenship before the change in the form of the constitution, shall be recognized and proved only if the following conditions are cumulatively met:

a) If an express and unconditional declaration of respect for the Constitution, acceptance and recognition of the constitution of the Presidential Parliamentary Republic and of the result of the referendum of 8 December 1974, which determined the form of the constitution in an unalterable manner, is made before the Athens registrar.

(b) If a waiver of all claims of any kind in connection with the past exercise of a political office or the holding of any title is expressly and unconditionally declared before the same registrar.

(c) If an entry has been made in the registers of men or in the municipal or communal public registers of the State with the name, surname, and other legally required identification data. A decision of the Minister of the Interior establishes that the above conditions have been met. Passports, travel,l and other relevant documents issued to such persons shall be automatically cancelled if the above conditions are not met.”

Which surname will they choose?

It should be noted that the process of granting Greek citizenship also requires members of the former royal family to declare the surname they will use, with estimates suggesting that an attempt will be made to choose a name with strong symbolism. However, Paul in a recent television interview had said in this regard, “I have a surname. Greece. Why should I change it?”.

Asked about the issue, State Minister Makis Voridis noted that “they have the ability to choose, by law the surname is an element of personality. The only issue with this particular family is that two ‘royal’ families do not have a surname, the others do. E.g. in England, the royal family has a surname. This one doesn’t. Therefore, since we are talking about naturalization there is an issue of identification. Paul of Constantine and Anne-Marie I imagine there is another one. In other Constitutions titles of nobility are recognized. Here by the Constitution, we have a prohibition of titles of nobility. So the reception of the surname is an element of one’s identity.”