Prince William Pulls Out of Memorial Service for Godfather Due to Personal Reasons, Palace Says
Prince William regretfully missed the ceremony honoring his godfather, King Constantine of Greece, due to a personal matter, Kensington Palace confirmed. The Prince of Wales, 41, withdrew from the Thanksgiving service at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle on Tuesday. This personal matter is unrelated to the health of his father, King Charles, who is currently undergoing cancer treatment.
William, who was scheduled to deliver a reading during the service, was expected to attend solo, as his wife Kate Middleton, 42, continues her recovery from recent abdominal surgery at Adelaide Cottage on the Windsor estate. While the palace did not specify if William's absence was connected to Kate's recuperation, a palace source informed PEOPLE that she is "continues to be doing well."
King Constantine, the former King of Greece, passed away in January 2023 at the age of 82. Among those present at the service were King Constantine's widow, Queen Anne-Marie, and their son Crown Prince Pavlos with his wife, Crown Princess Marie-Chantal. William conveyed his inability to attend to the late King's family ahead of the event.
Queen Camilla represented the British royal family formally in place of her husband, King Charles, who is currently undergoing treatment. She was accompanied by family members and friends, as well as royals from various countries, at the service.
The ceremony at St. George's Chapel also saw the attendance of Prince Andrew and his former wife Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, who reside together at Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate. Among the gathering were also Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, as well as Princess Anne with her daughter Zara Tindall and son-in-law, former rugby player Mike.
The ties between the British and Greek royal families run deep, with King Constantine being a close friend of both King Charles and the late Queen Elizabeth. Prince William himself is a godfather to one of Prince Pavlos' children.
King Constantine ascended to the throne at the age of 23 in 1964 and was already an Olympic gold medalist in sailing. The Greek monarchy was abolished in 1973, leading the last King to live in exile in Britain. He was only able to return to Greece permanently in 2013.
Following his death on January 10, 2023, Prince William was unable to attend King Constantine's funeral, instead asking Lady Gabriella Windsor, a relative, to represent him. Lady Gabriella is the daughter of Prince Michael of Kent, who was a first cousin to Queen Elizabeth and a close friend of King Constantine. At the funeral, Princess Anne stood in for her brother King Charles.
It is customary for senior royals in Britain to send representatives to funerals on their behalf. Other royals from around the world who attended the funeral included Prince Albert of Monaco, King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain, Queen Margrethe of Denmark, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, and Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway.
Comments