The ten members of the family of former king Constantine constitutionally and lawfully received the surname De Grèce (of Greece) and Greek citizenship, the Council of State ruled, in a closed-door deliberation, while also rejecting the annulment application filed by EKPA Law School professor Panagiotis Lazaratos.

Automatically, following the publication of the decision of the seven-member chamber of the Council of State, expected in the coming period, all privileges provided by the Hellenic Republic and the Constitution are granted to the members of the former royal family, including the right to vote and to be elected. This is because the hurdle of unconstitutionality and illegality regarding the naming and citizenship of the De Grèce family, which had been raised before the Council of State, has now been overcome and belongs to the past.

More specifically, in mid-2024, Interior Minister Thodoris Livanios signed the declaratory act confirming that the conditions are met for the restoration of Greek citizenship to the former royal family, in accordance with Article 6 of Law 2215/1994 on the “regulation of matters concerning the expropriated property of the deposed royal family of Greece.”

With the same decision, an order was given for the registration of the ten members of the former royal family in the municipal registry of the Municipality of Athens. With publication in the Government Gazette, they were given the ability to register in the Citizens’ Registry, which allowed them to obtain Greek identity cards and Greek passports, as until then they held Danish ones.

At the same time, the ten members of the former royal family submitted an application to be granted Greek citizenship at the Athens Registry Office. Earlier, in 2024, fifty years after the 1974 referendum that abolished the monarchy, the children of Constantine Glücksburg and Anne-Marie formally accepted the Constitution and the country’s system of government, declaring that they have no claims against the Greek state. These are the five children of former king Constantine, as well as the five children of his eldest son, Pavlos.

Historic ruling: “De Grèce” officially approved by the Council of State for Pavlos and 9 other members of the former royal family
Pavlos and Marie-Chantal pose in a festive mood with their five children

The recognition of the surname De Grèce and the granting of Greek citizenship specifically concern the children of former king Constantine (Pavlos, Nikolaos, Philippos, Theodora and Alexia), as well as the children of Pavlos and Marie-Chantal, namely: 1) Achileas-Andreas De Grèce, son of Pavlos and Marie-Chantal, 2) Alexia De Grèce, daughter of Constantine and Anne-Marie, 3) Pavlos De Grèce, son of Constantine and Anne-Marie, 4) Nikolaos De Grèce, son of Constantine and Anne-Marie, 5) Odysseas-Kimon De Grèce, son of Pavlos and Marie-Chantal, 6) Konstantinos-Alexios De Grèce, son of Pavlos and Marie-Chantal, 7) Aristidis-Stavros De Grèce, son of Pavlos and Marie-Chantal, 8) Theodora De Grèce, daughter of Constantine and Anne-Marie, 9) Philippos De Grèce, son of Constantine and Anne-Marie, and 10) Maria-Olympia De Grèce, daughter of Pavlos and Marie-Chantal.

Historic ruling: “De Grèce” officially approved by the Council of State for Pavlos and 9 other members of the former royal family
The Government Gazette granting Greek citizenship and the surname they chose to members of the former royal family

Strong democracy

As government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis had stated two years ago, this concerns Law 2215/1994, which sets specific conditions for settling the pending issue regarding the civil status of former king Constantine II and his family members.

“There is no ‘special treatment’,” Marinakis clarified at the time, adding that “we have a strong Democracy, a fortified system of government, and our Democracy and our system can protect themselves.”

The conditions set by the law for the former royal family are:

A/ Their explicit declaration that they recognize the constitutional order established after the 1974 referendum that ended the monarchy in Greece. That is, they declare respect for the Constitution and Parliamentary Democracy.

B/ Their renunciation of any claims or demands linked to the previous political system and the capacities they held within it, meaning they relinquish titles of nobility.

C/ Their registration in the Citizens’ Registry, as provided by law for all citizens, namely the selection of a surname and other details necessary for municipal registration.

Prince Michael

It is recalled that about two decades earlier, in 2004, Michael De Grèce, Prince Michael of Greece, a relative of the former royal family of Glücksburg (a cousin of the former king), had renounced titles, privileges, etc., declared loyalty to the democratic system, and thus obtained Greek citizenship and a Greek passport.

Michel de Grèce, as he was known abroad, was the only member of the former royal family who remained in Greece, where he lived until his death, following the failed counter-coup of 13 December 1967, when Constantine unsuccessfully attempted to overthrow the junta regime.

However, reasonable questions are raised, according to constitutional scholars and legal experts, by the fact that the ten members of the former royal family requested and obtained Greek citizenship with significant delay, given that only Nikolaos lives permanently in Greece, while Pavlos divides his time between Greece, New York, and London.

The answer to this question, as leaked from the De Grèce side, is that the family seeks to strengthen its ties with Greece, especially given that Nikolaos lives here permanently, while Pavlos has also shown an intention to spend considerable time in Greece.

However, constitutional scholars point out that the De Grèce family now holds Greek passports and, as Greek citizens, enjoys all the privileges provided by the Hellenic Republic and the Constitution, including the right to vote and to stand for election. This development allows them, if they wish—although they have publicly категорically rejected the possibility—to even found a political party.

The rights to vote and to be elected are fundamental political rights enshrined in Article 51 of the Constitution as the supreme expression of the principle of popular sovereignty.

Constitutional scholars also note that the De Grèce family has a personal page on social media (The Greek Royal Family), with 37,100 followers, where public appearances of the family are recorded through a large number of posted photographs.

They further add that Pavlos De Grèce, as he himself stated, attended “for the first time” this year’s March 25 military parade and spoke with conscripts.

The Constitution

The Constitution provides, among other things, for the right to vote and to stand for election, etc.:

■ Article 29, paragraph 1: Greek citizens who have the right to vote may freely establish and participate in political parties, whose organization and activity must serve the free functioning of the democratic system.

■ Article 51, paragraph 3: Members of Parliament are elected by direct, universal and secret ballot by citizens who have the right to vote, as defined by law. The law may restrict the right to vote only in cases of failure to meet the minimum age requirement, legal incapacity, or as a consequence of an irrevocable criminal conviction for certain offenses.

■ Article 55, paragraph 1: In order to be elected a Member of Parliament, one must be a Greek citizen, have the legal capacity to vote, and have reached the age of twenty-five on the day of election.

■ Paragraph 2: A Member of Parliament who loses any of the above qualifications automatically forfeits their office.

The annulment application

Professor Panagiotis Lazaratos of the EKPA Law School had appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court, challenging what he argued were unconstitutional decisions by the Interior Minister recognizing Greek citizenship for members of the former royal family, while also contesting their registration in the municipal registry of the Municipality of Athens.

Mr. Lazaratos argued that “Article 4 paragraph 7 of the Constitution aims to prevent anyone from bearing a name that would confer upon them the prestige and class origin of the past, thereby endangering social equality, social cohesion, and the very existence of the Democratic system.”

The professor further noted that the provision of Article 4 of the Constitution “aims to prevent the perpetuation of a sense of superiority for those holding titles of nobility or distinction, with the prospect of reviving a constitutional issue under favorable political circumstances,” adding that through this constitutional provision “popular sovereignty is established so that neither the deposed king nor his descendants can ever conspire to seize power, thus safeguarding Democracy, the cohesion of the state, and social cohesion, by preventing the deposed, their descendants, and their supporters from reviving the Crowned Republic.”

The court

The annulment application of Mr. Lazaratos was examined by the seven-member panel of the Fourth Section of the Council of State, chaired by Vice President Spyridoula Chrysikopoulou, with rapporteur Assistant Judge Haido Evangelou.

As the applicant professor emphasized during the hearing, the key issue was whether the surname De Grèce, which does not correspond to the usual form of surnames in Greece, could create the impression among citizens that the person bearing it enjoys privileges of origin or social status, something contrary to Article 4 paragraph 7 of the Constitution, which stipulates that “titles of nobility or distinction are neither granted nor recognized for Greek citizens.”

Consequently, according to Mr. Lazaratos, the members of the former royal family, by virtue of their identity, origin, personality, activity, and history, objectively create the impression among Greek citizens that they possess privileges derived from their lineage and social status, in a manner prohibited by Article 4 of the Constitution.

On the other hand, the lawyer (Legal Council of the State) representing the Ministry of the Interior, Vasiliki Papaloi, focused before the Council of State on the argument that Mr. Lazaratos lacked legal standing to file the annulment application. She pointed out that the case therefore amounted to a popular lawsuit.

The seven-member panel of the Fourth Section, in a closed-door deliberation, rejected Mr. Lazaratos’ annulment application, proceeding to examine the substance of the case.

The Council of State judges ruled that the surname De Grèce may be used by members of the former royal family, as it does not conflict with constitutional provisions and legislation, and that the challenged ministerial decision is lawful. Furthermore, it was held that Mr. Lazaratos did have legal standing to appeal to the Council of State against the decisions of the Interior Minister.