Constantine was born on the afternoon of June 2, 1940, at his parents’ home, Villa Psychiko at Leoforos Diamantidou 14, in Psychiko, an Athens suburb. He was George II’s nephew, as well as the second child and only legitimate son of the king’s childless younger brother and heir presumptive, Crown Prince Paul.
Princess Frederica of Hanover, his mother, was the only child of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick, and Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia.
The Greek royal family eagerly anticipated the birth of a male heir to the throne, which was commemorated by a 101-gun salute from Mount Lycabettus in Athens. Being the first son, he was called after his paternal grandpa, Constantine I, in accordance with Greek naming customs. The Hellenic Armed Forces served as his godparent at his baptism in Athens.
Princess Sofia, Prince Constantine’s elder sister, was born in 1938 and would later become Queen of Spain as the wife of the now-retired Juan Carlos I of Spain. Princess Irene, born in 1942, was the family’s youngest member.
Constantine was born at the start of World War II. He was only a few months old when Fascist Italy invaded Greece from Albania on October 28, 1940, launching the Greco-Italian War. The Greek Army was able to temporarily halt the invasion and drive the Italians back into Albania.
However, the Greek victories compelled Nazi Germany to intervene. Despite British aid in the form of an expeditionary corps, the Germans invaded Greece and Yugoslavia on April 6, 1941, and overran both countries within a month.
Is King Constantine II related to Queen Elizabeth?
Unfortunately, there is no information about how king Constantine II is related to Queen Elizabeth.
