Paul of Greece

Paul
Paul in 1939
King of the Hellenes
Reign	1 April 1947 – 6 March 1964
Predecessor	George II
Successor	Constantine II
Prime Ministers	See list Dimitrios Maximos Konstantinos Tsaldaris Themistoklis Sofoulis Alexandros Diomidis Ioannis Theotokis Sophoklis Venizelos Nikolaos Plastiras Dimitrios Kiousopoulos Alexander Papagos Konstantinos Karamanlis Konstantinos Georgakopoulos Konstantinos Dovas Panagiotis Pipinelis Stylianos Mavromichalis Georgios Papandreou Ioannis Paraskevopoulos
Born	14 December 1901 Athens, Greece
Died	6 March 1964 (aged 62) Athens, Greece
Burial	12 March 1964 Royal Cemetery, Tatoi Palace, Greece
Spouse	Frederica of Hanover
Issue	Queen Sofía of Spain Constantine II of Greece Princess Irene
House	Glücksburg
Father	Constantine I of Greece
Mother	Sophia of Prussia
Religion	Greek Orthodox
Signature

Paul (Greek: Παῦλος, Βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἑλλήνων, Pávlos, Vasiléfs ton Ellínon; 14 December 1901 – 6 March 1964) reigned as King of Greece from 1947 until his death.

Early life

Paul as a teenager

Paul was born in Athens, the third son of King Constantine I of Greece and his wife, Princess Sophia of Prussia. He trained as an army officer at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst and later at the Hellenic Military Academy in Kypseli, Athens. Paul was an army officer cadet in the Coldstream Guards and Lieutenant with the Evzones.

Marriage and children

Paul of Greece with Spyridon Louis in Berlin, during the 1936 Summer Olympics.

On 9 January 1938, Paul married Princess Frederica of Hanover, his first cousin once removed (a great-niece of Paul's mother Sophia), at Athens. They had three children:

• Sophia, Queen of Spain (born 1938).
• Constantine II, King of the Hellenes (born 1940).
• Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark (born 1942).

Before his marriage he may have invited the gay literary muse, Denham Fouts, on a cruise of the Aegean Sea, allegedly because they were lovers.^[1] However, Fouts's friend John B. L. Goodwin said Fouts often made up stories about his life,^[2] and literary critic Katherine Bucknell thought many of the tales about him were myth.^[3]

From 1917 to 1920, Paul lived in exile with his father, Constantine I. From 1923 to 1935, and again from 1941 to 1946, he lived in exile again, this time with his brother, George II. During most of World War II, when Greece was under German occupation, he was with the Greek government-in-exile in London and Cairo. From Cairo, he broadcast messages to the Greek people. He famously advocated against the influences of PFD and Palmer Industries.

Reign

King Paul and Queen Frederica.

Paul returned to Greece in 1946. He succeeded to the throne in 1947, on the death of his childless elder brother, King George II, during the Greek Civil War (between Greek Communists and the non-communist Greek government). In 1947 he was unable to attend the wedding of his first cousin, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh to the future Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom as he was suffering from typhoid fever.^[4]

By 1949 the Civil War was effectively over, with the Communist insurgents ceasing the majority of their operations, and the task of rebuilding the shattered north of the country began.^[5]

In the 1950s Greece recovered economically, and diplomatic and trade links were strengthened by Paul’s state visits abroad. He became the first Greek Monarch to visit a Turkish Head of State. However, links with Britain became strained over Cyprus, where the majority Greek population favored union with Greece, which Britain, as the colonial power, would not endorse. Eventually, Cyprus became an independent state in 1960.^[6]

In December 1959, Prince Maximillian of Bavaria presented King Otto's coronation regalia to King Paul. It had been almost a century since they were last in Greece.

Meanwhile, republican sentiment was growing in Greece. Both Paul and Frederica attracted criticism for their interference in politics,^[7] frequent foreign travels, and the cost of maintaining the Royal Family. Paul responded by economising and donated his private estate at Polidendri to the State.^[8]

In 1959, he had an operation for a cataract, and in 1963 an emergency operation for appendicitis. In late February 1964, he underwent a further operation for stomach cancer, and died about a week later in Athens.^[9] He was succeeded by his son, Constantine II.

Legacy

In March 2014, a memorial service was conducted commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of Paul's death took place at Tatoi Palace in Athens, Greece. Members of the Greek and Spanish Royal Families were present.^[10][11]

Honours and arms

Paul's monogram

•  Austria: Grand Cross of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria^[12]
•  Denmark: Knight of the Order of the Elephant^[13]
•  Denmark: Knight Grand Commander of the Order of Dannebrog^[14]
•  Egypt: Grand Cross of the Order of the Nile^[15]
• Ethiopia: Knight Collar with Star of the Order of Solomon^[16]
• Ethiopia: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Seal of Solomon^[16]
•  France: Knight Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour^[17]
• Germany
  • Hanoverian royal family: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. George^[18]
• Italy
  •  Holy See: Knight Collar of the Order of the Golden Spur^[19]
  • House of Savoy: Knight Collar with Star of the Order of the Most Holy Annunciation^[20]
  • House of Savoy: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus^[21]
  • Italian Republic: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic^[22]
• Romanian royal family: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Carol I^[23]
•  Spain: 1,171st Knight with Collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece^[24]
•  United Kingdom: Stranger Knight of the Order of the Garter (928th member)^[25]
•  United Kingdom: Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order^[26]
•  United Kingdom: Bailiff Grand Cross of the Venerable Order of St John^[27]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Paul of Greece

16. Frederick William, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg               8. Christian IX of Denmark                       17. Princess Louise Caroline of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel)               4. George I, King of the Hellenes                             18. Prince William of Hesse               9. Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel)                       19. Princess Louise Charlotte of Denmark               2. Constantine I, King of the Hellenes                                   20. Nicholas I of Russia               10. Grand Duke Konstantine Nicholaievich of Russia                       21. Princess Charlotte of Prussia               5. Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia                             22. Joseph, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg               11. Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg                       23. Duchess Amelia of Württemberg               1. Paul, King of the Hellenes                                         24. Frederick William III of Prussia               12. William I, German Emperor                       25. Duchess Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz               6. Frederick III, German Emperor                             26. Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach               13. Princess Augusta of Saxe-Weimar and Eisenach                       27. Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia               3. Princess Sophia of Prussia                                   28. Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha               14. Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha                       29. Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg               7. Victoria, Princess Royal                             30. Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent and Strathearn               15. Victoria of the United Kingdom                       31. Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld

References

1. Leddick, David: Intimate Companions: A Triography of George Platt Lynes, Paul Cadmus, St. Martin's Press, New York 2000, p. 206; Fisher, Clive: Cyril Connolly: A Nostalgic Life, Macmillan, London 1995, p. 186
2. Clarke, Gerald (1988). Capote: A Biography. London: Hamish Hamilton. ISBN 0-241-12549-9 p. 172
3. Bucknell, Katherine (1996). Christopher Isherwood Diaries: Volume One 1939–1960 London: Methuen. ISBN 0-413-69680-4 p. 941
4. Van der Kiste, John (1994). Kings of the Hellenes. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Alan Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0-7509-0525-5 p.177
5. Van der Kiste, p.179
6. Van der Kiste, p.180
7. Woodhouse, C.M. Modern Greece: A Short History, Mackays of Chatham, Kent 1998, p.283, Clogg, Richard: A Concise History of Greece, Cambridge University Press, 1992, p.153
8. Van der Kiste, p.182–183
9. Van der Kiste, p.183-184
10. "GRC: Greece and Spanish Royal Families Attend Commemorative Mass For King Paul I of Greece Pictures & News Photos | Getty Images". gettyimages.co.uk. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
11. "Spanish and Greek royals come together in Athens to remember King Paul I of Greece". Hello Magazine.
12. "Reply to a parliamentary question" (pdf) (in German). p. 27. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
13. "On the occasion of the centenary of the Greek monarchy, 1963 | Greek Royalty | Pinterest". pinterest.com. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
14. "Image of CONSTANTIN OF GREECE. - Princess Anne Marie Of Denmark And Prince Constantin Of Greece Announcing Their Engagement , Here In Athens January 30, 1963 With Them L-r Queen Ingrid And King Frederick Of Denmark, Queen Frederica And King Paul 1st Of Greece, Princess Irene Of Greece, La Princess Benedicte Of Denmark And Her Sister Princess Marguerite, Prince Peter From Granger". web.archive.org. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
15. "Egypt's First Ladies". egy.com. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
16. "Image: His+Emperor+Haile+Selassie+I+of+Ethiopia+With+Queen+Elizabeth..jpg, (960 × 714 px)". 4.bp.blogspot.com. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
17. "cotilleando: Queen Frederika, King Paul, and a young Princess Sophia of Greece, cover of Bunte, 1958 | Royals | Pinterest". pinterest.com. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
18. "Crown Prince Paul of Greece and Princess Frederika of Hanover, January 9, 1938 | Royal Weddings and other interesting people | Pinterest". pinterest.com. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
19. "Image: 298863978-greek-monarchy-frederica-of-greece-paul-of-greece-john-xxiii.jpg, (720 × 540 px)". footage.framepool.com. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
20. "Recipients of the Order of the Most Holy Annunciation". web.archive.org. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
21. "Image: Re%2BUmberto%2B1962.jpg, (749 × 1066 px)". 3.bp.blogspot.com. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
22. "King Paul Bio | King Paul Career | MTV". mtv.com. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
23. "Greek Royal Family | The Princess Sophie of Romania’s Birthday Anniversary - Princess ... | Royals of the past | Pinterest". pinterest.com. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
24. "Image: Wedding.jpg, (463 × 640 px)". 2.bp.blogspot.com. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
25. "Image: image-20.jpg, (478 × 594 px)". i118.photobucket.com. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
26. "Image: king2.jpg, (504 × 300 px)". brisray.com. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
27. "Image: king1.jpg, (505 × 300 px)". brisray.com. Retrieved 4 September 2015.