He'll never be a king, but Prince Constantine Alexios of Greece and
Denmark is still plenty dashing. From his ties to big-name royals to potential
careers to the big bucks he stands to inherit, here's what you need to know.
Prince Constantine Alexios is the oldest son of Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown
Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece. He's their second-oldest child, but his oldest sibling,
Olympia, is a daughter, so he would be his father's heir according to law.
It's a moot point, though, because the monarchy no longer exists. It was officially
abolished in 1974, meaning that Constantine Alexios will never be king. Technically,
he's not even really a royal. The Greek Reporter shared the angry reactions after the BBC referred
to his father as "His Royal Highness" in September 2022. One irate person tweeted,
"The Greek Constitution prohibits all kind of nobility titles."
Newsweek notes that former royals who use their
titles aren't technically in the wrong, though, writing,
"A general rule of etiquette is to refer to a royal by their titles,
even if they have been deposed."
Constantine Alexios is, however, officially a royal in Denmark. His grandmother,
Queen Anne-Marie, is a Danish princess by birth. According to the Greek Reporter,
male-line descendants of King Christian IX of Denmark hold the title of prince.
He's not in line for that throne, either, though. His grandmother gave up her place
in the line of succession upon her marriage into the Greek royal family.
It's a Greek naming tradition to name the eldest boy after his paternal grandfather
and Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantel followed it. Prince Constantine
Alexios is named after his father's father, Constantine II, the last king of Greece.
Constantine II has lived quite a life. Salon Privé Magazine notes that the royal was also
an Olympian, winning a gold medal in sailing. He ascended to the throne when he was just 23
and married Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark just a few months later. He has survived
being deposed and exiled from his country, but remains beloved by many in Greece.
"At some point, I think that I'll write about it,
and people will understand what it's all about and why it happened."
Prince Constantine Alexios was born in the United States, but didn't grow up there. As
his mother explained to Paper magazine, her husband's work is in New York, but
"He wanted his children educated in Europe."
The family moved to London for a time, but moved back to New York after their oldest child,
Olympia, enrolled at New York University. While in the U.K.,
Constantine Alexios attended Wellington College, a secondary school whose alumni include author
George Orwell and actor Christopher Lee. He graduated in 2017. He then attended Georgetown
University, his father's alma mater, in Washington, D.C., graduating in May 2022.
While being born in the United States means that Prince Constantine Alexios was a U.S. citizen
at birth, it is unclear if he currently holds American citizenship. It's possible that he holds
dual citizenship — in the U.S. as well as in one of the other countries his family has called home.
The royal families of Europe are pretty connected. As noted by Town & Country, this
is all thanks to Queen Victoria, who is known as "the grandmother of Europe." The British monarch
had nine children and 42 grandchildren, and her descendents include the monarchs of Norway, Spain,
Sweden, Denmark, and, of course, the United Kingdom. Other descendants include deposed
royals of countries that abolished monarchies, including Russia, Germany, Romania, and Greece.
Prince Constantine Alexios is descended from Queen Victoria through his dad,
who can claim descent from the royal on both his mother's and his father's side,
because his parents are distant cousins. It's a complicated family tree, to say the least,
and it makes Prince Constantine Alexios related to some of the world's most beloved royals, including
Prince Harry, Prince William, and the late Queen Elizabeth II. Royal Central Co. notes he's even
in line for the British throne, though he's somewhere around 380th in the line of succession.
Prince Constantine Alexios has a special relationship with Prince William,
who happens to be his godfather in addition to being a distant cousin. Prince William was 16
years old when he attended Prince Constantine Alexios' christening,
showing up to the event in a sling thanks to a rugby injury.
The Irish Times reports that Prince Constantine Alexios' family lands in Greece were seized in
1967, when the military took over the country. But a 2002 court ruling awarded the family 12
million euros in compensation for those seized lands. According to Celebrity Net
Worth, Princess Marie-Chantal has a fortune of her own worth $2 billion,
while Market Realist estimates Crown Prince Pavlos to be worth around $4 million.
"So much money!"
Hello! magazine reports that the family owns at least five homes across the globe,
with residences in the U.S. and U.K., and a vacation home in the Bahamas.
So it's clear that Prince Constantine Alexios will inherit quite a bit of money one day,
even splitting it among his siblings. No wonder
Elle Australia considers him one of the world's most eligible princes.
While most royals are born into a life of responsibility and expectation,
Prince Constantine Alexios and his siblings haven't had to face so much pressure. Since
the Greek monarchy no longer exists, they will never have to represent the crown.
That's opened up a lot of doors for them. While it's unclear what Constantine Alexios
is pursuing as a career, we do know that his family will back his career choices.
In an interview with Paper magazine, his mother, Princess Marie-Chantal,
opened up about what she thinks of her children following their own paths, saying,
"I've always encouraged my kids. They are who they are. You can choose to do whatever you want to
do and you can be whoever you want to be. Choose any profession and I will totally champion you."
The honorary princess does have one stipulation,
though. She said she hopes her kids make "some contribution back to humanity," whatever they
decide to do. She added that she doesn't want Constantine Alexios
to have the pressure of potentially being a king hanging over his head, commenting,
"I think that's not right. I think he needs to figure
it out for himself. I think that's what makes the best individuals."
Prince Constantine Alexios isn't reclusive, exactly, but he is pretty
selective about what he allows the public to know. He doesn't give interviews and,
while he is active on social media and has a robust Instagram fan base with 197,000
followers, he doesn't post much. When he does, he shares more scenic and artsy snaps than selfies.
Constantine Alexios doesn't seem to have any other public social media profiles,
either. This is a bit unusual for a young celebrity, but it shows that he doesn't
seem to be too worried about fame. The few posts he has made over the years, though, have turned
heads. In 2016, the Daily Mail shared some of his now-deleted Instagram snaps and revealed
that trhe then-teenager was receiving marriage proposals from besotted fans on social media.
That kind of attention at such a young age might actually be part of why Prince
Constantine Alexios isn't too forthcoming with details about his personal life,
but it does keep his fans clamoring for more from the handsome prince.
While we don't know a whole lot about Prince Constantine Alexios thanks to his low profile,
we can glimpses of him on his family's social media accounts, which show how close they are.
His dad's Instagram account documents some adorable family bonding moments,
such as pictures of the close-knit clan in Greece, meals enjoyed al fresco,
and holiday gatherings. His mom's Instagram is also filled with family pictures, including a
group shot in front of a gorgeous sunset and birthday greetings to her beloved "Tino."
It's clear that the Greek royal family enjoys spending time together, and it's refreshing to
see. The family's eldest child, Princess Olympia, once spoke to Harper's Bazaar about her bond with
her siblings, and it was apparent that there's a lot of affection between them. She said,
"There was a time when mum said, 'Maybe I'll have a sixth child,' and honestly the
thought of that... I said, 'you're not allowed,' because I just knew it would
be a girl. I love having boys around. I think it makes you a bit tougher, too."
The strong family ties were cultivated by Prince Constantine Alexios' parents, who have always
emphasized spending time together as a family. In a 2020 interview with The New York Times, Princess
Marie-Chantal said their bonding activities include game nights and cooking together.
"My mother, to me, is such a lady. She's always told me how to behave,
and how to act. And now she's actually writing a book on manners."
Prince Constantine Alexios is quite musical. While he doesn't seem to showcase his talents
on his own social media, at least not publicly, others have shared plenty of
videos and images that prove his skill. His father, Crown Prince Pavlos, shared an image
on Instagram of Constantine Alexios playing the guitar in honor of his 20th birthday.
There are also plenty of YouTube videos posted by what look to be fan accounts
that show his diverse musical talents. These videos show him strumming a guitar,
playing the guitar in a jam session, playing the piano by candlelight, rocking out on a drum set,
and accompanying his cousin, Isabel Getty, on the guitar while she sings.
So far, it looks like making music is just a hobby for Prince Constantine Alexios.
But there's evidence that has the talent to pursue a musical career if he chooses to do so.
While it still remains to be seen what career Prince Constantine Alexios will pursue,
he can already add "model" to his resume. According to Hola!,
he once posed for fashion photographer Nikolai von Bismarck for the book "The Dior Sessions."
Prince Constantine Alexios' foray into fashion was for a good cause. The men's fashion book
was created to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust, which, according to its website,
is a U.K. charity dedicated to helping cancer patients between the ages of 13
and 24. In addition to providing them with "specialized nursing care and support to
get them through it," they strive to ensure that "no young person faces cancer alone."
The prince doesn't seem to have done any modeling since the book came out in 2019, but there's
still the possibility that we might see him on the runway one day. His sister, Princess Olympia, has
already made a name for herself as a model, so if he does go that route, he will be in good company.