Some time ago, the eldest son of former King Constantine, Pavlos, decided to act on his father’s wish for his family to regain Greek citizenship, which they had lost under the infamous Venizelos Law of 1994. This is something not many people remember: for some 20 years since the 1974 referendum, nationality had not been taken away from members of the former royal family, after the open conflict over property, the then PASOK government decided to legislate on the matter.

The death of the former King was, admittedly, a catalyst, with some speculating that Paul wants to have an “open window” of permanent residence in Greece in the near future. With this in mind, behind-the-scenes contacts with government officials have begun and the pending request by Pavlos, Nicholas, and the other members of the former royal family to regain Greek citizenship is expected to be filed today or tomorrow.

A first point of contact has reportedly been State Minister Makis Voridis. Voridis has long-standing personal and social ties with the family and was present at the former king’s funeral in January 2023 at the Metropolis. Appointments were also reportedly made with the Minister of Interior, Theodoros Livanios, who is also the one who will be asked to put the final signature in order to publish the decision to recover citizenship in a gazette.

According to protothema.gr, two surnames were on the table for the family from the start, according to protothema.gr. The first one, which is considered to have significant chances due to “precedent”, is “De Gres“, chosen by the former king’s uncle Michel in 2004. The other surname on the table is “De Grecia“, as dark room wrote.

It’s the same last name in a different linguistic rendering, with the slight difference that one has already been registered to a family member in Greece. “De Grecia” appears on the Danish passport held by the family, due to Anna Maria’s ancestry.

Without a change in the law

A critical factor, according to government officials, is considered to be the fact that the former King’s family ultimately complied with the existing Venizelos law. It will, in effect, recognize the Constitution, the Constitution, and the result of the 1974 referendum, and will also renounce all titles of nobility. This, according to the same information, was not a given at the beginning of the debate, as legislative intervention was requested on behalf of the family to amend procedural details as to the filing of the petition, not the substance of the law. However, it was explained on the part of the government that no modification can be made and the family has made its decisions, so the application will be duly filed at the Athens Registry Office either in person by Paul or by the family’s attorney. “The acceptance of the law is a great victory for the Republic,” a government official responsible for the case stresses to protothema.gr.

“There are certainly some special conditions here, but it is not that another law will be created or the existing law will be amended for this particular case and this is what the government will do – as I have read somewhere – to make a right turn. There will be no such thing, the existing law will be applied anyway,” the government spokesman, Pavlos Marinakis, stressed yesterday (Parapolitika 90.1), responding to some comments fired at the government from the left.