Early Life
Constantine was born at Psychiko, a suburb in northern Athens, the nephew of King George II and the second child and only son of the king's brother and heir-presumptive, Crown Prince Paul. His mother was Crown Princess Frederika, the former Princess Frederika of Hanover. Constantine's older sister Sofia is the current queen consort of Spain, while his younger sister, Princess Irene, has not married.
He was one year old when Nazi Germany invaded Greece, and he spent the next four years in exile in Egypt and Cape Town in South Africa, (where his sister Irene was born), with his family. He returned to Greece with his family in 1946. King George died in 1947, and his brother became King Paul, making Constantine crown prince. He was educated at a preparatory school and later a boarding school where he was an above average student academically. A fellow student recalled him as, "a good chap, a young man with all the right instincts. He was at his best on the playing fields."
Constantine served in all the three armed services, attending the requisite military academies. He also attended the NATO Air Force Special Weapons School in Germany, as well as the Athens University where he undertook courses at the law school.
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's Sailing | ||
| Gold | 1960 Rome | Dragon class |
As a young man, Crown Prince Constantine was a keen sportsman. In 1960, at the age of 20, he competed in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, winning a gold medal in sailing (Dragon Class) – the first Greek gold medal since the Stockholm 1912 Summer Olympics. He was also a strong swimmer and has a black belt in karate, with interests in squash, track events and riding.
Read more about this topic: Constantine II Of Greece
Famous quotes containing the words early and/or life:
“Betwixt the black fronts long-withdrawn
A light-blue lane of early dawn,”
—Alfred Tennyson (1809–1892)
“If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.”
—Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961)