London: Britain’s Prince William on Tuesday pulled out of attending the memorial service in honour of his late godfather, Constantine – the former King of Greece, due to a “personal matter”.
The 41-year-old Prince of Wales’ Kensington Palace office said that the royal had called the Greek royal family, which is attending the memorial service at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, to let them know he was unable to attend the service.
The palace did not give any further details but in an update on the health of William's wife, Kate Middleton, it said the Princess of Wales “continues to be doing well” after an abdominal surgery earlier.
William was scheduled to attend the service for the late Greek King, who died in January last year. King Charles III, who is undergoing cancer treatment, is also not attending, leaving his wife Queen Camilla as the senior-most representative for the British royal family at the ceremony.
King Constantine’s eldest son, Crown Prince Pavlos, is to step in to give the reading in place of Prince William.
King Charles is believed to have been close to King Constantine, who was his second cousin and related on his father Prince Philip's side of the family. Constantine, the last King of Greece who reigned from 1964 to 1973 until a military coup, died at the age of 82 in January 2023.
Queen Camilla is to host a private reception for guests at the memorial service, including Queen Anne-Marie, former Queen of the Hellenes, as well as other members of the Greek royal family at Windsor Castle.
(Published 27 February 2024, 13:12 IST)
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