Queen Anne-Marie of Greece
Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, RE (Greek: Άννα-Μαρία pronounced [ana marˈia], Danish: [æːnɑ mæːʁiːɑ], born Anne-Marie Dagmar Ingrid on 30 August 1946) is the wife of King Constantine II, who reigned from 1964 until 1973.
Anne-Marie was born a princess of Denmark and is the youngest daughter of King Frederick IX of Denmark and his wife Ingrid of Sweden. She is the youngest sister of the reigning Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and cousin of the reigning King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.
Biography
Birth and family
Princess Anne-Marie was born on 30 August 1946 at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen as the third child of the Crown Prince of Denmark and the Crown Princess, Princess Ingrid of Sweden. Her father was the eldest son of the King and the Queen, Duchess Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and her mother was the only daughter of the Crown Prince of Sweden and his British-born wife, daughter of the Duke of Connaught, Princess Margaret of Connaught.
The princess was baptised on 9 October 1946 in the Church of Holmen in Copenhagen. Her godparents are the King of Denmark and Queen of Denmark (paternal grandparents); Crown Prince of Sweden (maternal grandfather, Prince Bertil of Sweden (maternal uncle), the King of Norway (paternal great-uncle), Prince George of Greece and Denmark (maternal uncle), the Crown Princess of Norway (father's first cousin), Queen Mary of the United Kingdom, Princess Dagmar of Denmark (paternal great-aunt) and the Crown Princess of the Netherlands.[1]
Early life
On 20 April 1947, King Christian X died and Anne-Marie's father ascended the throne as King Frederik IX.
Anne-Marie was educated at Zahle's School in Denmark from 1952 to 1961. In 1961 she attended the Chatelard School for Girls, an English boarding school outside Montreux in Switzerland. In 1963 and 1964 she attended the Institut Le Mesnil, a Swiss finishing school also in Montreux.
Marriage and children
In 1959, at the age of thirteen, Anne-Marie first met her future husband, her triple third cousin Constantine, Crown Prince of Greece, who accompanied his parents, King Paul and Queen Frederica, on a state visit to Denmark. They met a second time in Denmark in 1961, when Constantine declared to his parents his intention to marry Anne-Marie. They met again in Athens in May 1962 at the marriage of Constantine's sister Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark to Prince Juan Carlos of Spain at which Anne-Marie was a bridesmaid: and again in 1963 at the centenary celebrations of the Greek monarchy.
On 6 March 1964, King Paul died, and Constantine succeeded him as King of the Hellenes. In July 1964, the announcement of the engagement of Constantine and Anne-Marie raised the polite protests of the Left in Denmark.[2] Anne-Marie and Constantine were married on 18 September 1964 (two weeks after Anne-Marie's 18th birthday) in the Metropolis, the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Athens. The bride wore a Jørgen Bender design.[3] The couple has five children.
- Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark (born 10 July 1965 at Mon Repos, Corfu, Greece). She was married on 9 July 1999 in London to Carlos Morales Quintana. The couple has four children.
- Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece, Prince of Denmark (born 20 May 1967 at Tatoi Palace). He was married on 1 July 1995 in London to Marie-Chantal Miller, who has been styled thereafter as The Crown Princess Pavlos of Greece, Princess of Denmark. The couple has five children.
- Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark (born 1 October 1969 in Rome). He married Tatiana Blatnik on 25 August 2010 on the Greek island of Spetses who has been styled thereafter as Princess Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark.
- Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark (born 9 June 1983 in London).
- Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark (born 26 April 1986 in London).
Anne-Marie and her husband Constantine are third cousins: they share King Christian IX of Denmark as patrilineal great-great-grandfather. They also share Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland as a great-great-grandmother.
As Queen of Greece, Anne-Marie spent much of her time working for a charitable foundation known as "Her Majesty's Fund" which provided assistance to people in rural areas of Greece.
Exile
In December 1967 Anne-Marie’s husband King Constantine attempted a counter-coup against the military junta which had been sworn in by himself after a successful coup during the previous April. The counter-coup failed and Anne-Marie and her family had to flee to Italy. During the aftermath, Anne-Marie miscarried a child.[4] The family lived for two months in the Greek embassy and then for the next five years in a house in a suburb of Rome.
In 1973 Anne-Marie moved with her family to England. They lived first in Chobham in Surrey. Later they moved to the London suburb of Hampstead where they continue to live. The Greek government seized their former private home of Tatoi. It was only after a successful appeal to the European Court of Human Rights that the Greek government were forced to pay compensation for the property. King Constantine has used the money obtained to set up the Anne-Marie Foundation.
Current activities
In 1980 Anne-Marie and Constantine founded Hellenic College of London, a bilingual school where her own children were educated. She is currently honorary chairman of the school.
The government of Greece did not permit Anne-Marie to return to Greece until 1981 when she was allowed to enter Greek territory for several hours to attend the funeral of her mother-in-law, Queen Frederika. She and her family paid a private visit to Greece in 1993. Since 2003 – when the property dispute between her husband Constantine and the government of Greece concluded – Anne-Marie has visited Greece numerous times.
In 2003 Anne-Marie and her husband established the Anna-Maria Foundation with the money reimbursed to them by the government of Greece for the appropriation of their private property. The foundation provides aid to victims of natural disasters, including earthquakes and floods, in Greece. Anne-Marie serves as president of the foundation.
On 21 May 2004 Anne-Marie was peripherally involved in a dispute in Madrid between former Crown Prince Vittorio Emanuele of Italy and his cousin and dynastic rival Prince Amedeo of Savoy-Aosta. At a soirée held at the Zarzuela Palace during the wedding celebrations of Felipe, Prince of Asturias, Amedeo approached Vittorio who reportedly punched him twice in the face, causing him to stumble backward down the steps.[5] The quick intervention of Anne-Marie, who propped him up, prevented Amedeo from falling to the ground. She discreetly assisted him indoors while stanching his bleeding facial wounds until first aid was administered.[5] Upon learning of the incident Spain's King Juan Carlos, a cousin of both men, reportedly declared that "never again" would an opportunity to abuse his hospitality be afforded the competing pretenders.[5] Anne-Marie's quick action avoided what might have been more serious injury to Amedeo.
On 14 August 2004 Anne-Marie and her husband Constantine visited their former home in Athens, the former Royal Palace now the Presidential Palace, for the first time since 1967. They were received by then President of Greece Costis Stephanopoulos along with other members of the International Olympic Committee (of which Constantine is an honorary member). In December 2004 Constantine, Anne-Marie and their children were again invited to pay a personal private visit by President Stephanopoulos.
Titles, styles and honours
| Styles of Queen Anne-Marie of Greece as consort | |
|---|---|
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| Reference style | Her Majesty |
| Spoken style | Your Majesty |
| Alternative style | Ma'am |
She is titular Queen of Greece (Queen of the Hellenes) since 1974. This title is not recognized under the terms of the republican Constitution of Greece.[6]
- Titles
- 30 August 1946 – 18 September 1964: Her Royal Highness Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark.
- 18 September 1964 – 8 December 1974: Her Majesty The Queen of the Hellenes, Princess of Denmark
- 8 December 1974 – Present: Her Majesty Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes, Princess of Denmark
- Honours
- National honours
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Denmark: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Elephant (R.E.)[7][8][9] - Denmark: Dame of the Royal Family Order of King Frederik IX[10]
- Denmark: Dame of the Royal Family Order of Queen Margrethe II[11]
- Denmark: Recipient of the 75th Birthday Medal of Queen Margrethe II[12]
- Denmark: Recipient of the Official Ruby Jubilee Medal of Queen Margrethe II[13]
- Denmark: Recipient of the Ruby Jubilee Medal of Queen Margrethe II[14]
- Denmark: Recipient of the 70th Birthday Medal of Queen Margrethe II
- Denmark: Recipient of the Silver Jubilee Medal of Queen Margrethe II[15]
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Greek Royal Family: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer[16][17] - Greek Royal Family: Grand Mistress Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Olga and Sophia[18][19]
- Greek Royal Family: Recipient of the Commemorative Badge of the Centenary of the Kingdom of Greece[20]
- Foreign honours
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Empire of Iran: Recipient of the Commemorative Medal of the 2,500 year celebration of the Persian Empire[21] -
Sweden: Recipient of the Commemorative Badge of the 50th Birthday Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf[22]
Ancestors
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Citations
- ↑ Prinsesse Anne-Maries fødsel og dåb – Website of the Danish National Archives.
- ↑ Situationist International, issue No 9, The Longest Months, August 1964
- ↑ Top 10 Best Royal Wedding Dresses: #1. HM Queen Anne-Marie http://orderofsplendor.blogspot.co.uk/2010/06/top-10-best-royal-wedding-dresses-1-hm.html
- ↑ "CNN.com Transcripts – Larry King Live Interview With King Constantine of Greece". web.archive.org. 2001-02-07. Retrieved 2015-09-04.
- 1 2 3 McIntosh, David (2005 12). "The Sad Demise of the House of Savoy". European Royal History Journal (Arturo E. Beeche) 8.6 (XLVIII): 3–6. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ Article 4, Section 7 of the constitution states, "Titles of nobility or distinction are neither conferred upon nor recognized in Greek citizens." See also the full text.
- ↑ "Queen Anne-Marie and Constantin Photos - Zimbio". m.zimbio.com. Retrieved 2015-09-04.
- ↑ "Image: king-and-queen-of-greece-with-daughter-princess-theodora.jpg, (620 × 467 px)". theroyalpost.files.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2015-09-04.
- ↑ "Prins Joachim og Marie Cavallier vies i Møgeltønder Kirke. Lørdag den... News Photo | Getty Images". gettyimages.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-09-04.
- ↑ "Image: tumblr_lzt2nmq1HX1r18xjc.jpg, (300 × 435 px)". media.tumblr.com. Retrieved 2015-09-04.
- ↑ "Image: annemkonstan445hj.jpg, (445 × 250 px)". billedbladet.dk. Retrieved 2015-09-04.
- ↑ http://www.gettyimages.fr/detail/photo-d'actualité/queen-anne-marie-of-greece-attends-a-gala-dinner-at-photo-dactualité/469848392
- ↑ "Image: 764633.jpg, (377 × 480 px)". pricescope.com. Retrieved 2015-09-04.
- ↑ "Princess-Benedikte-of-Denmark-and-Prince". cache4.asset-cache.net. Retrieved 2015-09-04.
- ↑ "Greek royal jewels". forum.alexanderpalace.org. Retrieved 2015-09-04.
- ↑ "Image: wedding-2010-0619-greece-annemarie.jpg, (405 × 610 px) – STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - JUNE 19: Queen Anne-Marie of Greece attends the Wedding Banquet for Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and her husband prince Daniel at the Royal Palace on June 19, 2010 in Stockholm, Sweden. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)". younghotandroyal.files.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2015-09-04.
- ↑ "Image: tumblr_nipg30pp1m1qzjmo0o1_1280.jpg, (575 × 632 px)". 40.media.tumblr.com. 2015-01-24. Retrieved 2015-09-04.
- ↑ "Image: Αννα Μαρια και Βασιλευς.jpg, (427 × 368 px)". lh4.ggpht.com. Retrieved 2015-09-04.
- ↑ "Image: tumblr_n79jayn4u21s14faro1_400.jpg, (357 × 533 px)". 41.media.tumblr.com. Retrieved 2015-09-04.
- ↑ "Image: tumblr_inline_mff5seKHJ41ryby8q.jpg, (493 × 750 px)". media.tumblr.com. Retrieved 2015-09-04.
- ↑ "Image: guldbryllup_2_aop.jpg". billedbladet.dk. Retrieved 2015-09-04.
- ↑ "Queen Anne Marie Of Greece Attends A Performance Of The Dramatic... News Photo | Getty Images". gettyimages.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-09-04.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Queen Anne-Marie of Greece. |
| Queen Anne-Marie of Greece Born: 30 August 1946 | ||
| Greek royalty | ||
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| Vacant Title last held by Frederika of Hanover |
Queen consort of the Hellenes 18 September 1964 – 1 June 1973 |
Vacant |
| Lines of succession | ||
| Preceded by Konstantin Johannsmann |
Line of succession to the British throne descended from Arthur, son of Victoria |
Succeeded by The Crown Prince of Greece |
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