Athens – The wedding of the son of the last Greek King Constantine, Nicholas Glucksburg, to his fiancee Tatiana, may not be a strictly “royal” affair. But its guest list certainly is.

Set against the backdrop of the tiny island of Spetses’ deep blue waters, located three hours from the Greek capital Athens, Wednesday’s nuptials will be attended by royals from all over Europe, including Spain, Denmark and Sweden.

The monarchy was abolished in Greece in 1974, and while most of its descendents now live abroad, they remains one of the most connected royal families in Europe.

Prince Nicholas, 40, is the second son of former King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie. Tatiana is an events planner for fashion designer Diane Von Furstenburg in London.

Born in Venezuela and educated in Switzerland and the United States, the 29-year-old blonde has some royal blood since she is the granddaughter of Ellinka Countess von Einsiedel.

Seen as a regular amongst the international jet-set, Nicholas was once reported to have been favoured as a royal consort for one of the Scandinavian princesses. But his reputation as a roaming playboy shot down any possibilities of a likely match.

Nicolas and Tatiana met in 2003 during a ski vacation in the Swiss resort of Gstaad through mutual friends and were engaged last year.

The bride’s engagement ring is a sapphire stone, which was given to Nicholas by his mother Anne-Marie, who in turn received it from her parents – the late King Frederick IX and Queen Ingrid of Denmark.

The couple will tie the knot at sunset in the whitewashed 19th-century monastery of Aghios Nikolaos, following the bride’s arrival in a horse-drawn carriage to the chapel which carries the same name as her future husband.

The groom will arrive by boat from the nearby mainland resort town of Porto Heli under guard of hundreds of heavily armed police and coast guard officials.

Among the 350 guests of honour are newlyweds Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and husband Prince Daniel, who tied the knot in a lavish wedding earlier this summer. Also attending are her siblings, Carl Philip and Madeleine.

The royal family of Spain will be present as King Constantine is the younger brother of Queen Sofia of Spain. Queen Margrethe of Denmark and her younger son Prince Joachim will also be in attendance, along with his wife Princess Marie. The groom’s mother, Anne Marie, is the younger sister of Denmark’s Queen.

Many of the guests, which are rumoured to also include Prince Charles and his sons William and Henry, pop icon Elton John and the Sheikh of Dubai, will stay in the 19th-century Poseidon Hotel in the island’s town center, which will host a party the night before the wedding.

Guests will then be invited to toast their happiness during a reception overlooking the island’s ancient harbour.

Despite all the pomp and circumstance, the wedding has failed to gain the enthusiasm and interest of ordinary Greeks.

Constantine fled Greece is 1967, shortly after the military junta took over and was deposed in a 1974 referendum after democracy returned.

He remains largely unpopular because of his decision to swear in the military colonels and briefly cooperated with them before staging a failed counter coup.

Author: Christine Pirovolakis
Resource EarthTimes

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