The Greek royal family put on a somber display as they attended a memorial service in Athens to commemorate one year since the death of King Constantine II

Greece’s royal family put on a somber display on Wednesday as they attended a memorial service to mark one year since the death of King Constantine II.

High-profile royals including Constantine’s son Crown Prince Pavlos and Dowager Queen Anne Marie attended a private ceremony at the former summer palace of Tatoi, just outside Athens.

Greece’s last king died on January 10 last year at the age of 82 after months of illness during which he made several hospital visits.

The only son of King Paul and Queen Frederica, the royal was cousin to the late Duke of Edinburgh and godfather to Prince William.

He became king of Greece in 1964, but was ousted from the throne when the monarchy was abolished in 1973.

He was buried in Tatoi, where his immediate family gathered to remember him a year later.

Prince Pavlos, 56, dressed in black, led the way as they gathered in unity.

He was a guiding presence during the difficult time, holding the hand of his mother, Queen Anne Marie, aged 77, Constantine’s widow.

Also in attendance was Constantijn and Anne Marie’s youngest son, Prince Philippos, 37, who was accompanied by his wife, businesswoman and heiress Nina Flohr, 36.

Nina broke with tradition by donning a bright blue blazer and matching dress, but made sure she looked respectful with a matching black scarf and boots.

Meanwhile, Constantine’s sisters, Princess Irene and Queen Sofia of Spain, put on a solemn display as they attended the service, with the family placing traditional laurel wreaths on Constantine’s grave.

Crown Princess Marie-Chantal was unable to join her husband Crown Prince Pavlos, but attended a special service in New York in memory of the late monarch.

The children’s clothing designer and mother of five paid tribute to him on Instagram.

She wrote in her caption, “At the Archdiocese of New York and thinking of my dear father-in-law and grandfather to my children.

‘Already 1 year and so missed.’

The Greek royal family lives mainly in New York, but divides their time between the Big Apple, London and Greece.

After Constantine’s death last year, members of the public queued all night to see him lie in state.

His funeral was attended by Princess Anne, the late monarch’s great-nephew, and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.

They then also attended the private funeral ceremony in Tatoi, where she offered her condolences to Constantine’s sons, Pavlos and Nikolaos.

Queen Letizia of Spain, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium were also present at the funeral service at the Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral.

Constantine’s widow, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, paid a moving tribute at the funeral.

She had tears in her eyes as she wore the same cross pendant she had worn at her 1964 wedding.

The public funeral was followed by a 18-mile procession to the Tatoi Palace.

King Constantine lived much of his life in exile in London after a military coup in 1973.

However, he returned to Athens in 2013 and remained there until his death, which followed a stroke at the private Hygeia Hospital in Athens.

His son Crown Prince Pavlos and his wife Marie Chantal share five children: Princess Maria-Olympia, Prince Constantijn-Alexios, Prince Achileas-Andreas, Prince Odysseus-Kimon and Prince Aristidis Stavros.

Constantine, an Olympic gold medalist in sailing, was 27 years old and had been king for three years in 1967 when he was forced into exile with his wife Princess Anne-Marie, the youngest daughter of King Frederick IX of Denmark and his family .

He would not return to Greece for decades, where he was deeply unpopular due to his decision to swear in the colonels who seized power in April 1967. He worked with them briefly before staging a failed counter-coup, which led to his exile. .

The military junta abolished the monarchy in 1973. In a referendum after the fall of the junta in 1974, Greece rejected the monarchy again.

For many years he had a palatial home in Hampstead Garden Suburb, north London.

After the referendum, his relationship with Greece was problematic. In 1981, he was allowed to return for only a few hours to bury his mother, Queen Frederika, at the family estate in Tatoi, about 20 kilometers north of Athens.

In the 1990s, Constantine was stripped of his Greek citizenship and the state seized Tatoi and a palace on the island of Corfu, where Britain’s Prince Philip was born.