Athens citizens react to death of last Greek king

(11 Jan 2023)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Athens - 11 January 2023
1. Wide of newspapers hanging at kiosk with headlines regarding the death of Greece former king Constantine
2. Close of Constantine on newspaper
3. Wide of man looking at newspapers at kiosk
4. Headline at left reading (Greek) “The king is dead. Long live the king” and at right (Greek) “The prime minister’s office dealings with the Glucksburgs (referring to the former king’s family)
5. Close of photo of the former king with text reading (Greek) “The last king of Greece”
6. Man looking at newspapers
7. SOUNDBITE (Greek) Dafni Georgiopoulou, Athens resident:
“I’m sad and I hope all Greeks will honor him as a part of our history.”
8. Close of Greek flag on parliament building
9. Wide of parliament and Syntagma square
10. Mid of water from fountain with people walking in background
11. SOUNDBITE (Greek) Christos Sypropoulos, Athens resident (Commenting on those who are against giving the former king a state funeral):
“They’re hung up on politics. Those are the ones who are reacting, those who are against the king. That’s what I believe. Others are with him. They’ve managed to divide us. He was a king, he’s gone, and it will finish. It’s a pity.”
12. Various of Greek and Olympic flags seen flying at half-staff at the Panathenaic stadium to commemorate the former king who was an Olympic sailing gold medalist at 1960 Rome Olympics
STORYLINE:
Constantine, the former and last king of Greece, will be buried as a private citizen in Tatoi, the former summer residence of Greece’s royals and where his parents and ancestors are buried, the government said Wednesday.

A controversial figure in Greek history, Constantine died in hospital late Tuesday night at the age of 82.

“I’m sad and I hope all Greeks will honor him as a part of our history”, Athens resident Dafni Georgiopoulou said.

Greece’s monarchy was definitively abolished in a referendum in 1974, and Constantine spent decades in exile before settling in his home country once more in his waning years.

Few people in Greece have any nostalgia for the former royal family, but other European royals, many of whom are related to Constantine, are likely to attend his funeral.

His older sister is Sophia, wife of former King Juan Carlos I of Spain, while the Greek-born Prince Philip, the late husband of Britain's late Queen Elizabeth II, was an uncle. Constantine was one of the godparents of Prince William, the heir to the British throne.

Decisions on his funeral were announced by the office of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who chaired a Wednesday morning ministerial meeting to discuss the details.

The date and location of the funeral service were not immediately determined and will be decided on in collaboration with the former king’s family, the prime minister’s office said.

AP Video shot by Lefteris Pitarakis

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