RIP King Constantine

[Hester]

Or still in shock.

Very good point.

[Renee]

Poor Nikolaos still looks devastated at his father's passing - his sadness breaks my heart 

[getafix]

Thomas Kingston has died, lady Gabriella's husband.

https://www.dailymail.co....ingston-dies-aged-45.html

https://www.independent.c...ichael-kent-b2503456.html

cause of death indetermined at this stage.

how sad. he was so young.

G

[getafix]

theodora is still with her lawyer fiancee, it seems.

G

[Coatdress]

KP has apparently confirmed that William's absence had nothing to do with Thomas's death.

While suicide is a potential cause, I'm not sure if it's entirely appropriate to declared that it is Thomas's cause of death without official confirmation.  "No suspicious circumstances and no other parties involved” simply means that the police are confident that no crime was committed but that does not rule out natural causes or an accident as potential causes, in addition to suicide. 

He was found dead on Sunday night, which makes it surprising that his in laws Prince and princess Michael were in attendance at King Constantine's memorial. Such a tragedy,  whatever the cause.

King Constantine was one of Gabriella's godparents.  Maybe they felt like they should attend, especially since Gabriella couldn't. 

[Zazoo]

Sorry, was there an explanation why we are doing a memorial for a man that had already had his yearly memorial in Greece, why is so public, who funded it and why it’s in CC? Because for me sounds bizarre. And why on earth if it’s in CC Andrew is allowed to roam free?
On the other hand what unfortunate news for Lady Gabriela and his family

[VanillaMoomin]

The official DRF Instagram has photos from the memorial service  https://www.instagram.com...l1/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

[miliosr]

Sorry, was there an explanation why we are doing a memorial for a man that had already had his yearly memorial in Greece, why is so public, who funded it and why it’s in CC? Because for me sounds bizarre. And why on earth if it’s in CC Andrew is allowed to roam free?

As I understand it, Constantine's family wanted to hold a separate event in London because the funeral was held in Athens and there wasn't enough space to accommodate Constantine's many friends and acquaintances from the UK who otherwise would have attended. Charles offered Windsor for the event because it wouldn't cause the kind of disruption that would occur if the event was held at an Orthodox church in central London. Regarding costs, I would imagine either the Greek Royal Family offered to cover any costs or Charles absorbed the costs from his own funds.

As for Andrew, the Windsors would no doubt say he was only there in a private capacity. If William hadn't opted out of the service, I don't think Andrew would have been seated in the front row. Instead, the seating order would have been (r-l): Camilla, William, Anne, Tim, Richard, Birgitte, Marina and Alexandra.

[Countess of Cows]

Suddenly occured to me, isn't it strange no one from Denmark attended?  He was their uncle!  Everyone is twisting off about Wills not attending but it seems rather  odd no Daisy or Fred. Wonder what that is about.

[periwinkle]

This felt in a way like a gift to the Greek royal family from the BRF. They were very close or still are whatever. I remember a picture of the queen leaving Pavlos's house after a party with a stain on her dress and the story of course was the stain but clearly HLM going to a private London home was a rare occurrence. If I'm reading St. George's Chapel correctly they were set up in the front part not all the way back where recent weddings have occurred. It was incongruous a bit for sure to see a formal and official program in honor of a dead and former foreign king which is why it felt like a way for Charles to offer a low key official gathering for a man many seemed to greatly admire at least as a person. I mean John Kerry was in the audience as well as John & Norma Major. I did see a couple of Benedikte's kids and we all know that Daisy's kids are either exiled to the US or on holiday/getting face fillers.

[miliosr]

Suddenly occured to me, isn't it strange no one from Denmark attended?  He was their uncle!  Everyone is twisting off about Wills not attending but it seems rather  odd no Daisy or Fred. Wonder what that is about.

I didn't think it was odd for Margrethe to be absent. I'm not convinced that her health is robust. But it was noticeable that Frederik&Mary and Joachim&Marie weren't there. Just as it was noticeable that Constantine-Alexios wasn't there.

This felt in a way like a gift to the Greek royal family from the BRF. They were very close or still are whatever. I remember a picture of the queen leaving Pavlos's house after a party with a stain on her dress and the story of course was the stain but clearly HLM going to a private London home was a rare occurrence. If I'm reading St. George's Chapel correctly they were set up in the front part not all the way back where recent weddings have occurred. It was incongruous a bit for sure to see a formal and official program in honor of a dead and former foreign king which is why it felt like a way for Charles to offer a low key official gathering for a man many seemed to greatly admire at least as a person. I mean John Kerry was in the audience as well as John & Norma Major. I did see a couple of Benedikte's kids and we all know that Daisy's kids are either exiled to the US or on holiday/getting face fillers.

The service was like an 'in-kind' gift from the British Royal Family to the Greek Royal Family. And by holding it at Windsor, Charles could keep the whole thing 'in bounds' and prevent it from becoming a diplomatic problem or stirring up the not inconsiderable faction that still holds deep resentments against Constantine.

[periwinkle]

This felt in a way like a gift to the Greek royal family from the BRF. They were very close or still are whatever. I remember a picture of the queen leaving Pavlos's house after a party with a stain on her dress and the story of course was the stain but clearly HLM going to a private London home was a rare occurrence. If I'm reading St. George's Chapel correctly they were set up in the front part not all the way back where recent weddings have occurred. It was incongruous a bit for sure to see a formal and official program in honor of a dead and former foreign king which is why it felt like a way for Charles to offer a low key official gathering for a man many seemed to greatly admire at least as a person. I mean John Kerry was in the audience as well as John & Norma Major. I did see a couple of Benedikte's kids and we all know that Daisy's kids are either exiled to the US or on holiday/getting face fillers.

The service was like an 'in-kind' gift from the British Royal Family to the Greek Royal Family. And by holding it at Windsor, Charles could keep the whole thing 'in bounds' and prevent it from becoming a diplomatic problem or stirring up the not inconsiderable faction that still holds deep resentments against Constantine.

I think that is a good way to put it. It was an in-kind gift and show of love and appreciation with the added benefit for allowing some low key political and diplomatic world people the opportunity to show respect without it being a bigger production which would set off alarms. I do not see it as a way for Charles or the UK government to push Pavlos or his family forward as pretenders. I don't see that at all. They are beloved family but no one is going to support them as puppets. Greece is done with their royals and everyone knows it (or should).

[Zazoo]

So if it was a private event, a family one if we say and it’s funded by Charles privately or by the greeks why is on the CC? Like the greeks with the whole posting pictures in their new website etc are promoting as public and being in the CC also contributes to that. But the Danes and other royal missing suggest private, for me is bizarre!
And sorry Andrew there is vomit including

[VanillaMoomin]

So if it was a private event, a family one if we say and it’s funded by Charles privately or by the greeks why is on the CC? Like the greeks with the whole posting pictures in their new website etc are promoting as public and being in the CC also contributes to that. But the Danes and other royal missing suggest private, for me is bizarre!
And sorry Andrew there is vomit including

I agree about Andrew! And I think it was a public event, or as public as these events are, there are so many of them, memorial services x years after someone dies, it just seems to be a thing royals do.

The Danes were there, in the form of Benedikte. Fred couldn’t be there as he had a council of state meeting, which is part of his core duty as King. I suppose they could have sent Christian but he would have had to skip at least one day of high school to be there as it was a Tuesday. Joachim is in the USA, which makes for a long flight, and more importantly both Joachim and Fred went to the funeral and this service was mostly for people who couldn’t/didn’t attend the funeral like Charles and William.

[periwinkle]

I don't think it's a private event except in the sense that no members of the public were invited. There is a realm between private and public that isn't accounted for easily but it would seem an official event (hence CC and high level attendees/security) for the BRF. Andrew is not technically a working royal so for him it was a family event. I know he is no one's favorite but this is that weird zone that royals live in. They are both family and former/current reigning foreign royals. It reminds me of the story of George V asking after his look alike cousin Nikolas when the Bolsheviks took over but no British frigate was sent for the family.