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This was published 5 years ago

Why this prince is living in exile and will never rule the nation he was born to lead

Maddison Skipper
Maddison Skipper

Just over 50 years ago, a prince was born in Europe who was set to one day rule an entire nation; instead, he has spent most of his life in exile.

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Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece and Denmark was born on 20 May, 1967, to King Constantine II of Greece and Anne-Marie of Denmark in a time of massive upheaval in Greece.

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The exiled King of Greece Constantine II, right, arrives with his son the Crown Prince Pavlos at parliament in Copenhagen Thursday May 13, 2004.  AP/AAP

Constantine II, who ruled from 1964 until 1973, already had a child. Princess Alexia was the firstborn daughter of the Greek royal family, but the line of succession favoured male heirs, and when Pavlos was born he displaced his elder sister.

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From the moment he was born, Pavlos was supposed to be a king. But he would never wear the crown.

The same year he was born, there was a military coup in Greece and the royal family was overthrown, forcing them out of the country after a failed counter-coup from King Constantine II.

They fled to Rome before retreating to Copenhagen, where they lived for a time with Queen Anne-Marie's mother, Queen Ingrid.

In the years that followed, Pavlos went on to study around the world, attending schools and universities in London and the USA.

Crown Prince Pavlos, right, and Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece arrive at dinner in the Opera Housein Oslo, Wednesday, May 10, 2017.  AP/AAP

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It was during a stint in New York that he met 90s 'It girl' Marie-Chantal Miller on a blind date and fell quickly in love.

"We clicked right away. It was love at first sight. I knew that he was the person I would marry," she told Vanity Fair.

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Pavlos proposed to Marie-Chantal on a ski lift in Gstaad, Switzerland in 1994, and they tied the knot in London six months later.

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Marie-Chantal's wedding dress was designed by Valentino at a cost of US$250,000. The royal nuptials were televised live in Greece and included 2,000 guests, including Queen Elizabeth.

Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie Chantel of Greece with their children in 2010. PA/AAP

Now Pavlos and Marie-Chantal have five children, all royals in their own right; Princess Maria-Olympia, Prince Constantine-Alexios, Prince Achileas-Andreas, Prince Odysseas-Kimon, and Prince Aristidis-Stavros.

But neither Pavlos, nor any of his children, will ever wear the Greek crown.

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The Greek royal family was officially deposed in the 1970s, and though they still bear their royal titles and stylings, Pavlos will never be King of Greece.

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