Prince William pulls out last-minute of King Constantine's thanksgiving service due to 'personal matter'
The Prince of Wales is no longer able to attend a thanksgiving service held in honour of his godfather, King Constantine II of Greece, HELLO! understands.
William had been due to give a reading at the memorial which is taking place on Tuesday morning at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. Constantine's eldest son Crown Prince Pavlos will do the honours instead.
It's understood William pulled out last-minute due to a "personal matter" and that he called the family to let them know he was unable to attend. His wife Princess Kate continues to be recovering "well" at home.
Queen Camilla attended on behalf of her husband King Charles, who was a close friend and second cousin of Constantine. The pair got on so well together that Charles, 75, asked Constantine to be one of William's godfathers upon the Prince's birth.
Charles sadly had to miss Tuesday's service due to his ongoing treatment for cancer, and also couldn't make Constantine's funeral in Athens last year due to a prior commitment with the President of the Republic of Cyprus. His sister Princess Anne travelled to Greece in his place.
Other royals who attended the thanksgiving service included Prince Andrew, Sarah Ferguson, Princess Anne, Zara Tindall and Princess Beatrice.
Constantine's widow Queen Anne-Marie, former Queen of the Hellenes, and the couple's eldest son Crown Prince Pavlos, led the Greek royal family in attendance.
Constantine and Anne-Marie's four other children also flocked to Windsor: Princess Alexia, Prince Nikolaos, Princess Theodora, and Prince Philippos.
The service took in the nave of St George's Chapel, led by the Dean of Windsor, The Right Reverend Dr Christopher Cocksworth.
Constantine died at the age of 82 in January 2023. He had been suffering from ill health for a number of years and was treated at the private Hygeia Hospital in Athens.
The funeral took place at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Athens, with a whole host of European royals in attendance, including Constantine's older sister, Queen Sofia of Spain, and Anne-Marie's sister, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.
The guest list was also made up King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, King Felipe, his sister Infanta Cristina, Queen Mathilde and King Phillipe of Belgium, and Queen Silvia and King Carl XVI of Sweden.
LOVE THE ROYALS? JOIN THE CLUB!
If you are reading this, the chances are you are obsessed with all things royalty – which is just as well because so are we! So obsessed, in fact, we’ve launched a club solely dedicated to covering them. So welcome to The HELLO! Royal Club. We would love you to join us there…
What is it?
Interactive community offering behind-the-scenes access, exclusive royal interviews, unmissable royal insights, and an illustrious royal Inner Circle.
Member benefits
Two weekly newsletters, one from Emily Nash
Video posts and audio notes from Emily Nash and the HELLO! Royal team
Access to our royal community and opportunity to interact with club writers and members
Participate in polls, comments and discussion threads
Access to our Ask Me Anything sessions with our journalists
Invitations to in-person and virtual events
A subscription to the digital edition of HELLO! Magazine (Worth £82 annually)*
Future ‘Inner Circle’ benefits
By royal decree
You are royally invited to join The HELLO! Royal Club – and then to go forth and spread the word to your fellow royal fans. See you in the club!
