Producer

Leopold Hoesch

Direction

Julia Melchior

Producer

n/a

Genre

Dynasties

Transmitter

ZDF

Length

1 x 30'

Editor

Year

2016

King without a crown

Constantine of Greece

Today, no statue, no street and no stone remind us of the time when Greece was still a kingdom.
But when the royal relatives at the courts of Europe are invited to a major royal event and the Greek royal family walks down the red carpet, Mr. Glücksburg, as the Greeks call their ex-king, is surrounded by the aura of the monarch of old.

When King Constantine II of Greece walked the Danish Princess Anne-Marie down the aisle on September 18, 1964, the whole of Athens was on its feet.
A great moment for the monarchy, it seems.
The young king, Olympic sailing champion, is the darling of the Greek people.
His very young bride is the most beautiful princess Europe has to offer at the time.
Just a few months earlier, at the age of 23, Constantine had succeeded his father, who had died young.
"I want to be the king of all Greeks, regardless of their political shades. My power is the love of the people," he said when he took office.
However, Constantine was only able to remain at the helm of Greece for three years.
He quickly became embroiled in disputes with the political leadership.
His lack of experience proved fatal and plunged the nation into a constitutional crisis.
After a military coup in 1967, the royal family left the country and the monarchy was abolished.

Constantine and his family lived in exile in England for over forty years.
They recently returned to Greece.
Constantine has no ambitions for the throne or politics.
He wants to spend the rest of his life in his homeland.
But he is still worried about the future of Greece.

"KING WITHOUT A CROWN" tells the story of the Greek royal family.
In interviews with former King Constantine, his family and historians, significant events of the 20th century and their consequences for the country and the family are examined.
The film depicts the life of a king without a crown and his family with opulent footage from the past and present.

First broadcast: Sunday, January 31, 2016, 11:30 p.m. on ZDF

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