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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

George II accepts Greek throne


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November 10, 1935

George II of the Hellenes has spent the last twelve years in exile, and today, "the eldest son of the unhappy King Constantine of the war" agreed to return to the throne that he had held for only fifteen uneasy months in 1922-23," according to the New York Times.

The invitation to become king again was made by three delegates from Athens. George, who wore "sombre morning dress," listened "with mounting emotion" when he was told that 90 percent of the Greek people "had voted for his return to the throne."

An official who was present for the ceremony said that the King's face "was deathly white and his eyes clouded over with tears as he replied:"
""Gentlemen, it is with the deepest emotion that I receive you -- representatives of the National Assembly, the government, and the armed forces of the country -- bringing to me the joyful message that the unanimous will of the Hellenic people I am invited to assume once more the exercise of my royal duties.

"In obedience to the imperative call of my country, I come home among you. In so far as it concerns me I will in the full consciousness of my obligations loyally carry out my duty in drawing the curtain over the recent past and looking forward only to the future. But through you, I appeal to all conscious of their own responsibilities to extend to me their unqualified support so we have together go forward in cooperation and concord.

"A soldier myself and the son of a soldier, I gladly accept the greetings of the armed forces of the nation as well as the assurance of their devotion to duty as the first auspicious beginning of this support which I particularly ask of all, so that with the help of God, we may see our Greece prosper."
Afterward, King George II, his brother, Crown Prince Paul, his sister, Princess Katherine, and his cousins, Princess Paul of Yugoslavia and Prince Peter, went to the Greek Orthodox church to "give thanks."

In the afternoon, the King went to Buckingham Palace, where he had lunch with King George V and Queen Mary. He expressed his gratitude to the British sovereigns, "who befriended him in his darkest days and are believed to have done more than anyone else to make his restoration possible."

If it had not been for the personal support of King George V, "it would hardly have been possible for this restoration to have been financed by a London banker -- as is commonly believed." The British government also apparently pulled numerous strings "in the Near East" to return George II to the throne.

The close ties between the British and the Greek royal houses will continue and maybe "convenient for Britain someday in the event of naval trouble in the eastern Mediterranean."

George II is said to be "a quiet person who would like nothing more than to be a constitutional monarch like his well-loved namesake in Buckingham Palace." His dream depends solely on whether Greece's turbulent past will pass, and allow the bloodshed and tragedy to end.

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