Greece's last King Constantine II has died aged 82, AP reported. Constantine died after treatment in an intensive care unit in a private hospital in Greece. He ascended the throne in 1964. This was a turbulent period in Greek history, which culminated in a military coup three years later.
When he acceded to the throne as Constantine II at the age of 23 in 1964, the youthful monarch, who had already achieved glory as an Olympic gold medalist in sailing, was hugely popular. By the following year, he had squandered much of that support with his active involvement in the machinations that brought down the popularly elected Center Union government of prime minister George Papandreou.
He was being treated at the Hygeia Hospital in Athens. Constantine was born in August Constantine was born on June 2, 1940, in Athens, to Prince Paul and princess Federica of Hanover. Prince Paul is the younger brother of King George II. His older sister Sophia is the wife of former King Juan Carlos I of Spain. The Greek-born Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh was an uncle.
A cousin of King Charles III, he was admitted to the hospital last week with breathing problems. Dictatorship bought down the monarchy in 1973. After democracy was restored a year later, nearly 70 per cent of Greeks voted for the abolition of the monarchy in a referendum.