The Crown Prince of Greece () is the heir apparent or presumptive to the defunct throne of Greece. Since the abolition of the Greek monarchy by the then-ruling military regime on 1 June 1973, it is merely considered a courtesy title.

Title Neither the constitution of 1844 or 1864, which served as the basis for other fundamental laws of the Kingdom of Greece, recognised titles of nobility. On the contrary, they prohibited even the sovereign from conferring such titles.Greek Constitution of 1844 at Heraldica.org . Retrieved on 1 April 2014.

As a result, the heir apparent was usually referred to simply as "the diadochos" by virtue of his function, rather than as a title. The word diadochos (διάδοχος) simply means "successor, he who collects the estate". This is a deverbal of διαδέχομαι (diadéchomai), "receive by succession",Anatole Bailly, Greek-French Dictionary, Librairie Hachette, 1952, pp. 466–468. and has been used since the Archaic period for heirs-apparent.L.H. Jeffery, Archaic Greece: The City States C. 700-500 B.C., Ernest Benn, 1971. p. 39 The most famous bearers of the title were the Diadochi, the "Successors" of Alexander the Great, who contended with each other for the spoils of his empire.Dictionnaire alphabétique et analogique de la langue française, vol. 2, Le Robert, 1972, p. 208 .

Only one crown prince, the future Constantine I, bore a separate title of nobility, that of duke of Sparta. It was created soon after his birth in 1868. However, that caused a political scandal as many viewed it as a violation of the constitution. In the end, the creation was ultimately ratified by the Greek parliament, while the title's use within Greece continued to be highly restricted.

Succession The London Conference of 1832, established a semi-salic line of succession which would pass the crown to Otto I's descendants, or his younger brothers, should he have no issue. It was also decided that in no case would the crowns of Greece and Bavaria be joined in a personal union.Succession Laws of the Greek Monarchy at Heraldica.org. Retrieved on 1 April 2014.

The continued inability of King Otto and Queen Amalia to have children was a permanent threat to the stability of Otto's throne: the 1844 constitution insisted that Otto's successor had to be Orthodox, but as the king was childless, the only possible heirs were his younger brothers, Luitpold and Adalbert. The staunch Catholicism of the Wittelsbachs complicated matters, as Luitpold refused to convert and Adalbert married Infanta Amalia of Spain. The sons of Adalbert, and especially the eldest, Ludwig Ferdinand, were now considered the most likely candidates, but due to the issue of religion, no definite arrangements were ever made prior to Otto's deposition in 1862.

Since the establishment of the constitution of 1952, the daughters of the sovereign came after their brothers in the order of succession to the throne.

When Constantine II succeeded Paul I in 1964, his sister became heir presumptive according to the 1952 Constitution but that caused a constitutional crisis because his father's cousin Prince Peter who declared himself heir to the throne on the pretext that female dynasts had been unlawfully granted succession rights, but Prince Peter lost his succession rights by marrying Irina Ovtchinnikova in 1939. Also at the time Constantine's older sister Princess Sophia married the future Juan Carlos I in 1962 and cousin Prince Philip married Queen Elizabeth II in 1947 renounced their rights for their descendants.

Personal standard

List of heirs to the Greek throne Monarch Heir Relationship to monarch Became heir; reason Ceased to be heir; reason Next in succession, relation to heir Otto I Luitpold Karl Younger brother 27 May 1832;Formation of Kingdom of Greece 18 March 1844;Non-Orthodox dynasts excluded from succession Adalbert Wilhelm, brotherNone, 1844–1862 None 1862–1863George INone, 1863–1868Son2 August 1868Born18 March 1913 None, 1868–1869 Prince George, 1869–1890, brother Prince George, 1890–1913, son Constantine I Crown Prince George Son 18 March 1913Father became king 11 June 1917Father deposed, younger brother selected as king Prince Alexander, brother Alexander INone, 1917–1920 Constantine I Crown Prince George Son 19 December 1920Father restored as king by referendum 27 September 1922Father abdicated, became king Prince Paul, brother George II Prince Paul Brother 27 September 1922 25 March 1924Monarchy abolished, Prince George, uncle None 1924–1935George IIPrince PaulBrother25 November 1935Monarchy restored by referendum1 April 1947Brother died, became king Prince George, 1935–1940, uncle Prince Constantine, 1940–1947, sonPaul ICrown Prince ConstantineSon1 April 1947Father became king6 March 1964Father died, became king Prince George, 1947–1952, granduncle Princess Sophia, 1952–1962, sister Princess Irene, 1962–1964, sisterPrincess IreneSister6 March 1964Brother became king10 July 1965Daughter born to king None, 1965 Princess Alexia Daughter 10 July 1965Born 20 May 1967Son born to king Princess Irene, auntCrown Prince PaulSon20 May 1967Born1 June 1973Monarchy abolished, confirmed by 1973 and 1974 referendums Princess Alexia, 1967–1969, sister Prince Nikolaos, 1969–1973, brother

In pretense Monarch Heir Relationship to monarch Became heir; reason Ceased to be heir; reason Next in succession, relation to heirCrown Prince PaulSon20 May 1967Birth as first son of a reigning Sovereign10 January 2023Father died, became Head of House Prince Nikolaos, 1973–1996, brother Princess Maria-Olympia, 1996–1998, daughter Prince Constantine-Alexios, 1998–2023, son Paul II Prince Constantine-Alexios Son 10 January 2023Father became Head of House Prince Achileas-Andreas, 2023–today, brother

See also Duke of Sparta

Notes

References

Bibliography