Greek Royals

[Mouse]

guinastasia said:

Well, George I wasn't so bad. Also, he married a Russian grand duchess AND was the brother of the popular Princess of Wales.

It's a shame thought that the Greeks couldn't have chosen a monarch from their own people, as the Serbians did.

Agreed. George and his wife seem like decent people.

[Auroranorth]

mouse said:

It sounds like these Greek kings were hopelessly inept and/or poorly trained in statecraft. Ideally, their role should've been akin to that of Queen Victoria, but they never had a Prince Albert as a role model. They got bad advice and didn't have the brains or savvy to get a good grip on their job. Especially not Constantine II, who clearly did a lot of damage.

*Leaps off topic* Victoria also had great prime ministers- Melbourne, Peel, Gladstone and Disraeli.

[Mouse]

Though she hated Gladstone with a passion. Gladstone was a liberal, of course.

Similarly, Constantine didn't like Greece's moderate PM.

There's a pattern here...

[nuharoo]

It sounds like these Greek kings were hopelessly inept and/or poorly trained in statecraft.

Not to mention an incredibly arrogant attitude toward the native Greeks. Ignoring them in favor of foreign brides, interfering in the politics without actually thinking things through, etc.

[Deleted]

And the one who DID marry a Greek bride had to do so in a morganatic marriage-of course, the joke's on them-the offspring of that marriage went on to become Queen of Yugoslavia* and her son today is the Crown Prince of Serbia (and the pretender thought to have the best chance at regaining his family's throne).



*Of course poor Alexandra didn't have it so easy-several suicide attempts, a cheating, irresponsible husband, her father died before she was born in a freak accident: bitten by a monkey in the royal menagerie, got an infection and died while his wife was still pregnant.


My favorite story about Queen Olga-she was only sixteen when she and her husband met and fell in love, and among her baggage brought with her to Greece was a trunk full of her favorite dolls. At one reception she became so overcome she disappeared and was found crying into the fur of her stuffed bear. But she quickly became a very beloved and successful queen.

[Mouse]

guinastasia said:

And the one who DID marry a Greek bride had to do so in a morganatic marriage-of course, the joke's on them-the offspring of that marriage went on to become Queen of Yugoslavia* and her son today is the Crown Prince of Serbia (and the pretender thought to have the best chance at regaining his family's throne).

Why was it a morganatic marriage? I understand that the king's cousin, Prince Michael, also married an ethnic Greek woman and lost his place in the succession. True?

My favorite story about Queen Olga-she was only sixteen when she and her husband met and fell in love, and among her baggage brought with her to Greece was a trunk full of her favorite dolls. At one reception she became so overcome she disappeared and was found crying into the fur of her stuffed bear. But she quickly became a very beloved and successful queen.

Awwwwww...that's a sweet story! Really, she sounds like one of those royal folks you wish you could've met.

[nuharoo]

Why was it a morganatic marriage? I understand that the king's cousin, Prince Michael, also married an ethnic Greek woman and lost his place in the succession.

That is such a snobbish and elitist attitude to take toward the people that you rule/reign over. Really, Prince Michael does the great thing by showing his love of Greece by marrying a Greek girl and that is somehow a bad thing?

[Deleted]

At the time, I believe, the Greek royal family were forbidden from marrying "commoners". Consider also that this was back prior to the second World War-that attitude was very common then. In some countries a member of royalty could marry nobility (one of Queen Victoria's daughters married the future Duke of Argyll and in Russia, a niece of Nicholas II married Prince Felix Yussopov, for example), but Aspasia Manos was not of suitable rank.

Yes, it's snobbish and elitist, but that was how things were back then.

[Mouse]

Prince Michael and his wife married in the mid-1960s, when it was more acceptable to marry commoners. And he still lost his place in the succession.

[nuharoo]

Yes, it's snobbish and elitist, but that was how things were back then.

Oh I understand that. What I meant was that it is so silly now that supposedly COnstantine didn't want Nikolaos to marry a Greek girl because she had no money. Pity for them they didn't snag Athina Roussell Onassis. Greek and rich, it would have been quite the coup for them.

CHeck this out.

Apparantly the Greek Royals are selling the family silver and other posessions to raise cash. I wonder how the royals feel about this.