Princess Irene of Greece (1942-2026)

Very sad royal news today, including for me personally. The first royal I ever had the honour to meet, HRH Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark (1942-2026), has died in Madrid at the age of 83. I am deeply saddened to learn of this loss.

HM Queen Sofía of Spain, 87, is now the only surviving child of King Paul and Queen Frederica of Greece.

Meeting and performing (Debussy Sonata with pianist Emile Naoumoff) for Princess Irene at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music on 13 May 1999 (two days after her 57th birthday) remains one of the highlights of my career. I had always hoped I might see HRH again one day, but it was not to be. I was so thrilled when she happily signed my copy of her mother Queen Frederica's (1917-1981) autobiography.

Born in Cape Town, South Africa (where the Greek Royal Family were for a time in exile during World War II) on 11 May 1942, with Premier Jan Smuts (1870-1950) as her godfather, Princess Irene after the war grew up in Greece during the reigns of her uncle George II (1890-1947), her father Paul I (1901-1964), and her brother Constantine II (1940-2023). A talented pianist, she studied with Gina Bachauer (1913-1976) and Nadia Boulanger (1887-1979), which is how she knew Emile who as a child prodigy was the legendary French pedagogue's last and youngest student. She once joined Bachauer (who knew that the novelty of a princess performing with her would gain the event much needed attention) in performing with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, then in financial difficulties which that concert helped alleviate. The Princess never married. It was known that her condition had been deteriorating for some time.

May she rest in peace.

RIP Constantine II, King of the Hellenes (1940-2023)

Yesterday came the news from Greece every royalist had been dreading. Eternal memory to Constantine II (1940-2023), King of the Hellenes (1964-73). Had he not been deposed, he could have reigned nearly 59 years. Exiled for 46 years (1967-2013), at least he got to spend his last decade in his beloved Greece. 

Prompt and thorough coverage as always at The European Royal History Journal. The entire royalist community joins in sorrow with the Greek and extended European Royal Families (especially those of Spain, Denmark, and Britain) in mourning King Constantine. More today: Constantine and Anne-Marie of Greece: A Love Story for the Ages.

Crown Prince Pavlos, born on 20 May 1967 in Athens a month after the colonels' coup that would later first exile and then depose his father, has succeeded his father King Constantine II as Head of the Royal House of Greece and, for monarchists, de jure King Pavlos (Paul) II of the Hellenes. [During the time of the Monarchy (1863-1973), when discussed in English Greek royal names were usually translated into their English equivalents, but the younger generations of Greek royals today generally prefer to use the Greek forms.] The King is dead; Long live the King!

Weirdly, King Constantine II (d. 10 Jan 2023) died the day before the centennial of the death of his grandfather King Constantine I (d. 11 Jan 2023).

Here are the Telegraph and Times obituaries. The King is often blamed for the political instability that began in 1965, leading to the coup of 1967 that he tried and failed to reverse, but let's not forget that his position that the Prime Minister should not be able to make himself also the Minister of Defense in order to head an investigation into his own son was in itself entirely correct.

Shame on the miserable gang of soulless traitors calling themselves the Greek "Government" for denying King Constantine a state funeral. The King was the internationally recognized Greek head of state for nine years, served in the Greek armed forces, and won an Olympic gold medal for Greece. He was as Greek as anyone has ever been. These scummy politicians were not worthy to tie his shoelaces. I curse and condemn the Greek Republic and pray for its destruction. I reiterate my formal repudiation of any interpretation of Christianity that concedes the application of Romans 13 to republics that have displaced monarchies, and urge the denunciation of this pointless cruelty from every Orthodox Christian pulpit in the world.

From George II to Paul I, 1947

While this is unlikely to draw as much attention even for monarchists as the centennial of the death of the last Emperor of Austria, today is also the 75th anniversary of the death of King George II of Greece (1890-1947) and (since he was childless and divorced) the accession of his younger brother King Paul I (1901-1964). King George had had a turbulent reign (1922-24 & 1935-47), exiled first by the First Republic and then again by World War II. ("In my profession one must keep one's suitcase packed," he joked.) Reports of his death at 56 were initially thought by some to be a morbid April Fools' joke, but no, just like a very different sovereign of a very different monarchy 25 years earlier, he really did die on April 1. King Paul turned out to be the only one of the seven modern Greek kings whose reign (1947-64) began with the death of his predecessor and continued without interruption until his own death. Here is my "updated" chart of European monarchies 75 years ago, with George's and Paul's beleaguered nephew King Michael (1921-2017) still hanging on for a few months in Romania as the Iron Curtain was descending. 

King George II (1890-1947)

King Paul I (1901-1964)

RIP Prince Philip (1921-2021)

I was deeply saddened this morning to wake up to the news of the death of HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1921-2021). A full and long life, but I had really wanted him to make 100 in June. I greatly admired his outspoken wit and dedication to countless causes and duties. He will be widely missed. Prayers for the Royal Family especially HM The Queen who has lost her incomparable source of strength and support of 73 years.

Here are links to obituaries from the Telegraph, the Times, the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times.

As the last person who had been born into a foreign royal family to marry into the British Royal Family, the former Prince Philip of Greece was in many ways modern Britain's last living link with the world of Victorian and Edwardian continental European royalty, including vanished monarchies such as those of Germany, Greece, and Russia. Guests at his parents' wedding in Darmstadt in 1903 included Tsar Nicholas II (Princess Alice's uncle by marriage and Prince Andrew's first cousin), who, evading his security detail to push through the crowd, threw a full bag of rice and a satin slipper at the newlywed bride, who promptly threw them right back at him, reducing the Tsar of All the Russias to helpless laughter in the middle of the street.

Many years later, as a maternal grandnephew of Empress Alexandra, Prince Philip donated blood to aid with identification of the Romanov remains. Once when asked if he would like to visit the Soviet Union (which he eventually did), he replied, "the bastards murdered half my family."

Princess Anne and Prince Edward shared memories of their late father and reflected on his legacy. May he rest in peace.

Facebook censorship

This morning on Facebook I was suspended (no posting, commenting, or Liking/Reacting) for 24 hours simply for commenting on this photo of Prince Constantine in a Greek Royal Family group, "Greeks are idiots for rejecting their Royal Family. I don't understand it." Honestly, compared to everything that gets said on Facebook, including by me, I think that's pretty mild. I suppose I might have been OK if I'd said, more precisely, "those Greeks who reject their Royal Family are idiots." Still, this seems pretty heavy-handed to me. Be careful out there!

[Sunday update: on a lighter note, here are Princes Constantine and Achileas on guitar and drums.]

Anniversaries 2017

This year features many major round-numbered anniversaries, most of them bad. Going backwards, we have the 50th of the colonels' coup in Greece and King Constantine's subsequent unsuccessful counter-coup which led to his exile and the eventual fall of the monarchy, obviously the 100th of the Russian Revolution (both of them), and the 150th of the regicide of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico. For my Roman Catholic friends, the 100th of Fatima can be celebrated but the 300th of the founding of the Grand Lodge of London and the 500th of Luther's revolt (about which I'm ambivalent myself) will be more sinister occasions.

On the bright side, we can celebrate the 150th anniversaries of Canadian confederation and of the Austro-Hungarian compromise that created the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as well as the anniversaries of the births of two of my favourite royal women in European history, Queen Frederica of Greece (1917-1981) and Empress Maria Theresa (1717-1780). This summer will also see the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of the House of Windsor (formerly known as Saxe-Coburg & Gotha) in the United Kingdom.

Gone but not forgotten

This must be the saddest British Pathé newsreel ever. And they don't even include Albania, Serbia/Montenegro/Yugoslavia, or Bulgaria, not to mention all the regional German ones. (France, of course, the only major European monarchy of which no film footage exists, had fallen long before the 20th century.) Excellent old footage though, with more recent captions reflecting the perspective of no earlier than the 1970s. (At least one error in the narration: in the beginning of the Russian portion, it is the Tsar's mother, not his wife, on his arm in the procession; Russian protocol gave the Dowager Empress precedence. At the end of the segment, it is indeed Empress Alexandra who walks with her husband.) Beyond Europe, the second half of the 20th century would prove as disastrous for monarchy in Asia and Africa as the first half was for monarchy in Europe.

New Statesman on defunct monarchies

Endorsement definitely not implied. An irritatingly snarky, irreverent article (not surprising from this source, which can't even spell "Prince Philip" correctly) that I nevertheless can't ignore. These claimants and many more are exactly what the world needs. It's not pleasant to be continually reminded of how much contempt fashionable opinion has for my most deeply felt beliefs. If I occasionally raise eyebrows by straying into other issues, it's partly because I can't stand it that these days monarchism is more likely to be ridiculed than denounced.

A Rant on Germany and Greece

I am sick and tired of hearing about Germany and Greece and their disgusting republics. Germany has not had a legitimate government since 1918, Greece since 1973 or arguably 1967. A plague on both their houses. Nations that abolish their monarchies are dead to me. Their miserable politicians should be forced to step down and do penance in monasteries or convents for the rest of their worthless lives. Republicanism and Democracy have failed utterly by their own standards. It is long past time for Europeans to repent of the monstrous errors of 1789-94 and 1917-18 and return to the only system that ever worked: the divinely ordained rule by hereditary Christian monarchs from the same families that built European civilization for more than a thousand years before the satanic darkness of modernity descended. Get down on your knees, Germans, and bow to Kaiser Georg Friedrich I and all the regional rulers as well. Get down on your knees, Greeks, and bow to King Constantine II. Nothing else is acceptable. Return to Altar and Throne, or suffer everlasting wrath.

King Paul of the Hellenes (1901-1964)

Today is the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Paul, King of the Hellenes and the accession of his son Constantine II. King Paul was the only modern Greek monarch whose reign began with the natural death of his predecessor and ended with his own natural death. During his reign (1947-64) Greece quickly recovered from the devastating Civil War and enjoyed its most prosperous and stable period in modern times. I had the honour to perform for his younger daughter HRH Princess Irene in 1999; his elder daughter is HM Queen Sofia of Spain. If things had gone differently in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Constantine II would be celebrating his Golden Jubilee this year. RIP King Paul.

Yesterday King Paul's descendants and other European royalty gathered in Athens to mark the anniversary, a highlight of which was a screening of the new documentary about him, No Ordinary King:



When King Paul was dying in March 1964, his wife Queen Frederika (1917-1981) played him a recording of Bach's St Matthew Passion. "This is the greatest music that has ever been written," he said.

Greek Royal Return

After 46 years of exile, King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie have returned to live in Greece. A positive development, to be sure, but if only they were returning to reign as King and Queen once more! One of my monarchist contacts however speculates that while this is unlikely for Constantine himself, perhaps his return could lay the groundwork for a possible return to public life of future generations.

On a side note, it's interesting how leftists who in any other context would claim to be strongly opposed to any sort of racial bigotry never cease to harp on the Danish/German ancestry of the Greek royal family, who have identified with Greece since 1863 (or the German ancestry--now rapidly diminishing with each generation, Prince George being only about 3/16 German--of the British royal family).

Belle Époque Rulers

I've added a new page to my website that collects four assemblies (three posters and one actual photograph) of rulers of the "Belle Époque" (1871-1914), one of my favourite periods in history (in spite of the fact that France was already lost to republicanism), at four different dates: 1896 (below), 1903-05, 1908, and 1910. These are beautiful mementos of what in many ways was a better time, when most of Europe though rapidly modernizing still rightly accepted Monarchy as the norm.

Enemies of Monarchy, Heroes of Modernity

I sometimes find it depressing how in so many countries, even non-Communist ones, men I despise are widely and even officially revered:

United States: Thomas Paine (1737-1809), Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), and other "Founding Fathers"
France: the leaders of the French Revolution in general, though it's interesting that no individual is really singled out
Poland: Tadeusz Kościuszko (1746-1817)
Hungary: Lajos Kossuth (1802-1894)
Mexico: Benito Juarez (1806-1872)
Italy: Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-1882)
Czech Republic (whose very name is offensive): Tomáš Masaryk (1850-1937), Edvard Beneš (1884-1948)
Greece: Eleutherios Venizelos (1864-1936)
Ireland: Eamon de Valera (1882-1975)
Egypt: Gamal Abdel Nasser (1918-1970)

Even in England, Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) still has a much better reputation than he deserves, with that disgusting statue outside Parliament.

That's how it is when one is on what the world considers to be the "wrong side of history"...

Former People

Taki has a great column inspired by the recent 90th birthday celebrations for Prince Nicholas Romanov.  Among his choice observations:

"Caught up in the maelstrom of the revolution that was to prove that when society’s lower elements prevail, the outcome is always a hundred times worse than what it replaced, this [Douglas Smith's Former People] is a chilling tale of looted palaces, desperate flights, cold-blooded murders of innocents (especially women), and marauding peasants and so-called red soldiers butchering the helpless."

"King Constantine’s story is also one of survival and accommodation, of overcoming the psychological wounds inflicted by the loss of his world. I think it was a golden period, and if you don’t agree, all you have to do is look at the brothel that my country has become today. Without a higher authority to keep them honest, the politicians stole the country blind, then stole all the EU money the thieves in Brussels were sending them to prepare the country’s infrastructure as a German outback."

Read the whole thing here.

Return of the Kings

I'm back in the United States after a uniquely memorable trip to the United Kingdom (my sixth) during which I enthusiastically celebrated the Queen's Diamond Jubilee with great views of every event, met a number of fellow royalists I had previously known only via the internet, attended a fascinating conference on the history of the monarchy at Kensington Palace, went on a Tudor history tour focusing on Executed Queens (Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, Jane Grey, and Mary Stuart), celebrated the Queen's official birthday (Trooping The Colour), and generally had a wonderful time.  I'm not sure what else to add here to what I posted on June 5, which was undoubtedly the highlight.  Another valuable aspect of this trip was the opportunity to attend a variety of religious services at some of the leading Anglican and Roman Catholic churches of London and Cambridge, all of them integrating beautiful music into the liturgy, my list of which is online here.

Meanwhile, looking beyond Britain, my friend Charles Coulombe offers this excellent article "Return of the Kings" on the future of monarchy in Europe. The success of the Diamond Jubilee, with millions in London and throughout the UK and the world joining in the celebrations, demonstrated that the popularity of the British monarchy is as secure as it has ever been.  Why shouldn't the inhabitants of those currently republican countries which once enjoyed splendid royal traditions of their own  be inspired to restore their monarchies, providing them with opportunities for the incomparable joy and unity this month's glorious events gave to Britain?

 (The four men who should be ruling the Balkans: King Simeon II of Bulgaria, Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia, King Michael of Romania, King Constantine II of Greece)

Politicians spoil Jubilee lunch

Outrageously, advance coverage of what should be a glittering glamorous gathering of royalty at Windsor tomorrow is being dominated by partisan political posturing.  Despite earlier reports that Spain's Queen Sofia would attend Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee luncheon for international crowned heads, the Spanish government abruptly announced that she will not be going after all.  Misleading headlines suggested that this constituted a "snub" by Queen Sofia, but of course as the "Young Fogey" explains the rude decision was made by the Spanish Government, which reportedly "ordered" the Queen not to attend.  Nearly three hundred years after the Treaty of Utrecht, Spain is still perpetually and officially aggrieved by British possession of Gibraltar, whose inhabitants overwhelmingly wish to remain British, though a Spanish friend of mine believes the government's refusal to allow Queen Sofia (who surely would love to go if it were up to her) to travel to England tomorrow has more to do with finances than Gibraltar.  Either way, I am disgusted that mere politicians are able to prevent their Queen (herself a great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria) from attending a totally innocuous international family occasion celebrating the reign of her third cousin.  The Queen should be ordering them around, not the other way around!

As if that weren't bad enough, Queen Sofia's brother King Constantine II of Greece will not be attending either, to avoid offending the Greek government.  (As more than one wag on Facebook has commented, "what Greek government"?)  Unbelievably, Conservative [sic] Party chairman [sic] Baroness [sic] Warsi, trying to deflect criticism of the inclusion of the King of Bahrain, tried to claim that the guest list was the Queen's personal choice, flatly contradicted by reports from courtiers that if it were up to the Queen, of course King Constantine (her husband's first cousin once removed, and her grandson's godfather) would be attending.  I am sick of republican and crypto-republican politicians who think they have the right to boss royalty around and prevent them from attending functions whose sole purpose is to promote international understanding and good will.  I say to hell with the Greek government and to hell with the Spanish government!  Queen Sofia and King Constantine should go anyway, though of course they are far too polite to do so.  But I wish someone would tell these politicians exactly what they can do with their interference.

Constantine II and the Greek Financial Crisis

From an Australian think tank comes this thorough 2011 analysis of the history of the Greek monarchy and its relevance to recent events in both Greece and Australia. Writer Dr David Bennett refutes many of the republican calumnies against the Greek royal family. In particular he exhaustively demonstrates how unfair it is that the dynasty founded by George I has been smeared as tied to foreign interests when in fact they dedicated themselves completely to Greece and its interests, rather more so than many Greek politicians.

Two New Books

Recently I ordered and received two new books, which have little in common other than that they are both about European royalty of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and will enrich any monarchist's library.



First I'll congratulate my friend Arturo Beéche of Eurohistory.com on his splendid Dear Ellen: Royal Europe Through the Photo Albums of H.I.H. Grand Duchess Helen Vladimirovna of Russia (1882-1957). As the niece of Tsar Alexander III, wife of Prince Nicholas of Greece, and mother-in-law of three princes including Paul of Yugoslavia and George Duke of Kent, the imperious but beloved "Ellen" was closely related to all the Protestant and Orthodox royalty of Europe. With many charming never-before-published photos, and forwards by her two surviving Yugoslavian grandchildren, this tribute opens an enchanting window into the vanished yet relatively recent world of the extended European royal family during perhaps its most tragic and tumultuous period. It is particularly moving to see the light-hearted late-19th-century photos of the then-young royal generation (many of them grandchildren of Denmark's King Christian IX) unwinding merrily in private, blissfully unaware of the upheavals and sorrows that await them in the next century. Anyone who likes to wistfully pour over images of the all-too-brief era when modern photographic technology coexisted with the lingering apparent dominance of Europe by inter-related royal families will want to order Dear Ellen.



A very different approach to the same period, perhaps more enjoyable for children yet also valuable for adults, is undertaken by the comic book Karl I: The Emperor of Peace by Marcel Uderzo and Marc Bourgne. (Yes, the last Emperor of Austria-Hungary now has a comic book!) With beautiful colour illustrations based on real photographs, the graphic novel follows the saintly Karl (1887-1922) from his birth through the terrible years of World War I to his premature death at 34 in exile (recently commemorated here). The slim and inexpensive volume packs in considerable detail and sophisticated treatment of complex historical topics such as the Emperor's unsuccessful but noble attempt to bring the horrible war to an earlier end. Obviously written by and for Catholics, the book (which once I ordered it took only three business days to arrive) is suffused with a strong sense of the importance of Bl Karl and Zita's Roman Catholic faith to their lives. Karl I: The Emperor of Peace would be a great way to introduce children, perhaps especially Catholic children, to the study of the history of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Monarchy in general. I can recommend it highly for monarchists of all ages!

Grand Duchess Helen and Emperor Karl [third cousins once removed via Karl Ludwig of Baden (1755-1801) and Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt (1754-1832)], though of the same generation and class, found themselves on opposite sides of World War I. I do not believe they ever met; there never was all that much affection or interaction between the Romanovs and the Habsburgs, modern Europe's two greatest imperial dynasties (though ironically Dear Ellen reveals that Prince Nicholas's first choice for a bride before he decided to pursue Helen was Karl's cousin Archduchess Elisabeth, granddaughter of Emperor Franz Josef). [However, an interesting subsequent genealogical connection exists: in 1956 Helen's granddaughter Countess Helen of Toerring-Jettenbach (b 1937) married Karl's nephew Archduke Ferdinand of Austria (1918-2004). It was their grandson Prince Alexis of Windisch-Graetz (1991-2010) who has the sad distinction of being the youngest royal death reported by this blog.] Yet in their different ways, and within their different Christian Churches, they were both devoted to their families and met the challenges of the frightening twentieth century with dignity and grace.

Greek Royalty on CNN

King Constantine, Queen Anne-Marie, Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal (whose voice I don't think I'd heard before) discussed the Greek and Danish monarchies with CNN's Max Foster, unsurprisingly full of affectionate well-deserved praise for the Queen's sister Margrethe II and concern for the situation in Greece. Personally I can't help wishing that His Majesty had not explicitly ruled out restoration of the Greek monarchy as "not on my agenda," though it's admittedly difficult to see how it realistically could be at the moment. As a royalist friend pointed out, the King, 71, has had some health problems in recent years and perhaps one day if Greeks get disillusioned with their chaotic republic the Crown Prince will have a chance.

King Paul: The Documentary

Thanks to a Greek-Canadian royalist friend I discovered this trailer for a forthcoming documentary on King Paul of the Hellenes (1901-1964), whose 110th birthday was yesterday and who was the only modern Greek monarch to die of natural causes without ever having been deposed, husband of the fascinating & heroic Queen Frederika (1917-1981) and father of Queen Sofia of Spain, King Constantine II, and Princess Irene (the only royal for whom I have performed). It looks like an unapologetically royalist approach, which is fine with me and probably a much-needed corrective after the way the Greek royal family have been unfairly maligned for decades. The Left could never forgive King Paul and Queen Frederika for defeating the Communists (with US aid) in the 1946-49 civil war. They and their son stood out in playing a more partisan and interventionist political role than was the norm for European royalty in the second half of the twentieth century. I will look forward to seeing what this film has to say.