Felipe VI and Doña Letizia arrive at Constantino’s obsequies: how to avoid the photo with Don Juan Carlos

At the doors of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens, the synchrony of Felipe VIdoña Joy, the Kings emeritus and the infantas. They have not matched, there is no photo. The Kings of Spain have arrived at the funeral mass of Constantine of Greece at 11:07 (local time), when the bells of the seo had just rung. The rest of the royal family was already occupying their pews, arranged to the right of the altar.. Doña Letizia has climbed the stairs holding the left arm of her husband.

The queen, who has worn the Pilgrim II pearl on her lapel, has chosen a black coat dress fitted at the waist. The monarch, wearing a black tie as a sign of mourning, has worn the Golden Fleece, the highest decoration.

Pablo, son of Constantino, has received Don Felipe with a big hug, warm and condolences. Pablo and Felipe, cousins ​​and close friends since their youth, are very fond of each other. (They were classmates at Georgetown University, in Washington, in 1995.)

The Kings of Spain have entered the cathedral with their arms crossed behind their backs. Due to their status as head of state, they have occupied the banks of the left.

Funeral mass neither State nor official

Reduced format, private and unofficial. This has been the tribute, discreet and measured, that Constantine of Greece has received. No undertakers or large tributes. The burning chapel with its mortal remains has been open to the public since early Monday the 16th in the small Church of Saint Eleutherius (Agios Eleftherios), which is located right next to the Cathedral of the Annunciation of Saint Mary, also called Metropolitan from Athens. There, in the seo, the funeral mass has taken place, offered by the metropolitan archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church, Jerónimo de Teba y Livadia.

After the mass, the former monarch will be buried in what was the royal estate of Tatoi, on the outskirts of Athens, where his parents, Pablo and Federica of Greece, lie. It is the former summer residence of the Hellenic monarchy. A private burial is planned in the cemetery of this palace, which was nationalized after the Colonels’ Coup in 1967. The then monarch and his wife went into exile. The house where he grew up doña sofia and his brothers was the subject of a long dispute between the Greek government and Constantine, which was finally resolved with financial compensation for the former royal family. For the burial of Constantine, some cleaning tasks of the cemetery have been carried out.