Ten members of Greece’s former royal family submitted their application for Greek citizenship on Thursday Dec. 19. The applications pertain to the five children of the late former King Constantine and his five grandchildren—three children of his son Pavlos and two children of his daughter Alexia.
According to the process following the submission of a citizenship application on the part of a royal family member, follows a declaration recognizing the political system, a statement affirming no claims based on the previous state of governance, and, most importantly, the selection of a surname and provision of the necessary details for their registration in the municipal records.
Subsequently, once the required declarations are submitted, they are forwarded to the Minister of the Interior, who verifies compliance with the relative law, and the registrations are finalized.
Once registration is completed in the municipal records, the former royal family member like all Greek citizens can issue their official documents—identity cards, passports, etc.—and all rights and obligations applicable to Greek citizens are activated.
It should be noted that some of the applicants who manage to acquire Greek citizenship and are found to be of conscription age, according to the Military Service Department, they will be required to serve in the Armed Forces and complete military duty like all Greek citizens.
According to sources, the members of the former royal family have settled on the surname of ‘De Grece’ after having considered many options. They selected ‘De Grece,’ as it is the surname written on their Danish diplomatic passports, which they already possess. Thus, ‘De Grece’ will appear on their identity cards and passports, with the Greek version being ‘Ντε Γκρες’.
As reported, the widow of the deceased former King Constantine, Anna-Maria, however, refused to submit a request for Greek citizenship, claiming that she was not interested.
