Anne-Marie (born Princess Anne-Marie Dagmar Ingrid of Denmark on 30 August 1946) is a Danish princess. She became the Queen of Greece when she married King Constantine II on 18 September 1964. She was queen until the Greek monarchy was ended on 1 June 1973.

Anne-Marie is the youngest daughter of Frederik IX of Denmark and Ingrid of Sweden. After marrying Constantine, she became the queen consort of Greece. They had five children: Princess Alexia, Crown Prince Pavlos, Prince Nikolaos, Princess Theodora, and Prince Philippos. As queen, Anne-Marie spent a lot of time helping with a charity called "Her Majesty's Fund." This fund was started by her mother-in-law, Queen Frederica of Greece.

In 1967, Anne-Marie and her family had to leave Greece because a military government took over. They first went to Rome, Italy, and later moved to London, England. The Greek monarchy was officially ended while they were in exile. Anne-Marie and her family lost their Greek citizenship and their property. They took their case to the European Court of Human Rights. With the money she received from this case, Anne-Marie started the "Anne-Marie Foundation." This foundation helps people in rural areas of Greece. In 2013, she and Constantine moved back to Greece. They lived in Athens from 2022, where Constantine passed away in January 2023.

Early Life and Family
- Growing Up in Denmark
Marriage to King Constantine II
Queen of the Hellenes
Life in Exile
Loss of the Throne
Return to Greece
Later Life and Return to Greece
Issue
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Family

Frederik VIII's Palace at Amalienborg, Princess Anne-Marie's birthplace

Princess Anne-Marie was born on 30 August 1946. Her birthplace was Frederik VIII's Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark. This palace is part of the Amalienborg Palace complex. She was the third and youngest daughter of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Ingrid of Denmark. Her father later became King Frederik IX.

Anne-Marie has two older sisters: Princess Margrethe (who later became queen of Denmark) and Princess Benedikte. She was baptised on 9 October 1946 in the Holmen Church in Copenhagen. Many important royal family members were her godparents.

Anne-Marie is related to many European royal families. For example, she is a great-great-granddaughter of both Queen Victoria and Christian IX of Denmark. This means she is related to her future husband, Constantine II. She is also the aunt of Felipe VI of Spain and a first cousin of Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.

Growing Up in Denmark

Princess Anne-Marie with the royal family on the balcony of Amalienborg Palace on her father's 55th birthday in 1954

Princess Anne-Marie and her sisters grew up in palaces in Copenhagen and North Zealand. They spent summer holidays at Gråsten Palace in Southern Jutland. In 1947, her grandfather, Christian X, died. Her father then became King Frederik IX.

At that time, only males could become the ruler of Denmark. Since Anne-Marie's parents had no sons, her uncle, Prince Knud, was expected to become king. However, King Frederik IX and his daughters were very popular. Also, women were taking on more important roles in Danish life. This led to a new law in 1953. This law allowed females to inherit the throne if they had no brothers. So, her oldest sister, Margrethe, became the next in line to the throne. Princess Benedikte and Princess Anne-Marie became second and third in line.

Anne-Marie went to N. Zahle's School in Copenhagen from 1952 to 1961. She then attended boarding schools in Switzerland. After finishing school, Anne-Marie worked with childcare for a few years. Her mother wanted her to learn how to be a good homemaker for her future husband.

Marriage to King Constantine II

Constantine and Anne-Marie at their pre-wedding gala at the Royal Palace

Anne-Marie first met her future husband, Constantine, when she was 13 years old in 1959. He was the Crown Prince of Greece. They met again in Denmark in 1961, and Constantine told his parents he wanted to marry Anne-Marie. They secretly got engaged because Anne-Marie was still young.

They met again in Athens in May 1962 at the wedding of Constantine's older sister, Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark. Anne-Marie was a bridesmaid, and Constantine was a groomsman. After this, they told their families about their engagement. Their engagement was announced to the public in 1963. Anne-Marie then began studying history of Greece and learning Modern Greek.

Constantine's mother, Frederica, wanted a grand wedding. The Danish and Greek royal families agreed to spend a lot of money on the wedding. In March 1964, King Paul died, and Constantine became King of the Hellenes. Despite this, Frederica wanted the wedding to happen on its original date.

Anne-Marie and Constantine were married on 18 September 1964. This was just two weeks after Anne-Marie's 18th birthday. The wedding took place in the Metropolis, the Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Athens. Anne-Marie changed her religion from Lutheranism to the Greek Orthodox Church in April 1965. She received special permission to do this.

Because she was marrying a foreign ruler, Anne-Marie had to give up her rights to the Danish throne for herself and her children.

Queen of the Hellenes

Anne-Marie with her firstborn child, Princess Alexia, in 1965

As Queen of Greece, Anne-Marie's main job was to have children who would continue the royal family. She spent a lot of her time working for a charity called "Her Majesty's Fund." This fund later became the "Anne-Marie Foundation." It helped people in rural areas of Greece. Anne-Marie also worked closely with the Red Cross and other charities.

On 10 July 1965, Queen Anne-Marie gave birth to her first child, Princess Alexia. Alexia was next in line to the throne until her younger brother, Crown Prince Pavlos, was born on 20 May 1967. This was because Greece's rules meant a son would inherit the throne before a daughter.

At this time, Greece was having political problems. There were disagreements between King Constantine and the Prime Minister. In April 1967, a group of Greek soldiers took over the government. This started a military dictatorship in Greece. The royal family was not aware of this plan. To avoid conflict, Constantine and Anne-Marie agreed to accept the dictatorship, even though they did not want to. Many people then thought the royal family supported the coup.

The next month, Anne-Marie gave birth to her son, Pavlos. He immediately became the Crown Prince. At his baptism, Anne-Marie and Constantine chose Frederica as his godmother. They also chose the Hellenic Army as a godfather figure. Many people saw this as the royal family accepting the military government. Because of the coup, relations between Greece and Denmark became difficult. No Danish royal family members were allowed to attend Pavlos's baptism. Anne-Marie and Constantine were also not invited to her sister Margrethe's wedding in June 1967. This made relations even worse for a while.

Life in Exile

Anne-Marie and Constantine attending a horse show in Rome during their exile in Italy

In December 1967, Constantine tried to overthrow the military government. However, his plan failed. The military government then strongly advised Anne-Marie and Constantine to leave Greece. This meant they were forced into exile. Anne-Marie and Constantine fled to Italy and stayed at the Greek Embassy in Rome. They were still officially the monarchs of Greece, but they had no real power.

After two months, they moved to a villa in Rome. Anne-Marie and Constantine rented a large villa there for five years. In early 1968, Anne-Marie had a miscarriage. She became pregnant again the next year and gave birth to Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark. Anne-Marie and Constantine started a small school in their villa. This was to make sure their children learned about Greek culture.

Even though they were living in exile, Anne-Marie and Constantine were still considered the monarchs of Greece. The military government paid them monthly. They were also allowed to represent Greece at international royal events. For example, they attended the 21st birthday of Charles, Prince of Wales, in 1969. One of the last events they attended as monarchs was the funeral of Frederik IX, Anne-Marie's father. She was very sad about his death.

Loss of the Throne

Portrait by Allan Warren, 1987

The military government in Greece began to distance itself from the monarchy. In 1972, the king's face was removed from coins and replaced with a phoenix, a symbol of the Greek military. There was growing opposition to the military government. This led to the monarchy being abolished in 1973. Anne-Marie and Constantine were officially dethroned by a public vote on 29 July 1974.

The royal family no longer received monthly payments from the government. This forced them to leave their home in Rome. Anne-Marie's sister, Margrethe II, agreed to let them stay at Amalienborg for a year. Anne-Marie then moved with her family to England. They lived in Chobham and later in Hampstead, London.

The military government in Greece collapsed in 1974. It was hoped that the King and Queen would get their positions back. However, another public vote confirmed that the monarchy would stay abolished. The new Greek government continued to keep Anne-Marie and her family in exile. They were not allowed to enter Greece. They were even denied entry for Frederica's funeral in 1981. The Spanish royal family helped them get permission to return for just one day for the funeral.

In London, Anne-Marie and Constantine started the Hellenic College of London. This school helped their children learn the Greek language and culture. Other royal families, like the Spanish, Danish, British, Swedish, and Norwegian, continued to support them. Anne-Marie and Constantine also received money from the King of Jordan and the Shah of Iran. In June 1983, Anne-Marie gave birth to Princess Theodora. Later, in April 1986, Prince Philippos was born. In 1989, Anne-Marie and Constantine celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in Denmark.

Return to Greece

In 1991, the Greek government allowed Anne-Marie and Constantine to get back over 68 tons of their belongings. These items had been left behind in Tatoi Palace and Mon Repos Palace when they went into exile. Two years later, the couple was allowed to visit Greece privately on their yacht with their children. They agreed to avoid tourist areas. However, when they stopped at a port, they were met by large crowds and the press. People cheered and clapped for them. Because of this, the Greek government sent military ships and an aircraft. This showed that the former royals still had "real influence in Greece." The family was then escorted out of Greek waters by the military.

Anne-Marie in 2018

After their 1993 visit, the Prime Minister confiscated all the royal family's property. This included Tatoi, Mon Repos, and a farm called Psychico. All their belongings that they had not taken in 1991 were also taken. The government also took away their Greek citizenship and passports. They could only get them back if they gave up their royal rights, stopped using "of Greece" in their name, and swore loyalty to the republic. Anne-Marie and Constantine said this was "the greatest insult" for a Greek person.

Anne-Marie and Constantine decided to take the Greek government to court in 1996. They argued that their citizenships and properties were taken unfairly. The highest court in Greece agreed with them. However, another council overturned this decision. So, the family took Greece to the European Court of Human Rights. They sued for a large sum of money. In November 2000, the court ruled in the royal family's favor. The government did not have to return their properties, but they had to pay them money. Anne-Marie and Constantine received €12 million. They did not get their Greek citizenship back. Anne-Marie later asked her sister, Margrethe II, for Danish diplomatic passports for the Greek royal family. Margrethe agreed, and their passports listed them as "HM Queen Anne-Marie" and "HM King Constantine II."

In 2003, Constantine used the money they received to start the Anna-Maria Foundation. This charity helps victims of natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, and bushfires. Since 2019, Anne-Marie has been the president of this foundation.

Later Life and Return to Greece

After these legal issues were resolved, relations between the Greek royal family and the Greek government improved. In 2004, Anne-Marie and her husband Constantine visited their former home in Athens for the first time since 1967. This was the former Royal Palace, now the Presidential Palace. They were welcomed by the President of Greece. In December 2004, the President invited them for another private visit. After the Olympic Games, the government announced that Anne-Marie and Constantine's exile would finally end.

Anne-Marie and Constantine in Stockholm at the wedding of Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, June 2010

In 2013, Anne-Marie and Constantine moved back to Greece to live there permanently. They sold their home in London and announced their return. They bought a villa in Porto Cheli, Peloponnese. They lived there until they moved to Athens in spring 2022. For her 60th birthday, Constantine organized a cruise for Anne-Marie on the ship Aphroessa.

Constantine began to have health problems and needed more care from Anne-Marie. He was hospitalized after getting COVID-19. On 10 January 2023, Anne-Marie became a widow when her husband died from a stroke in Athens. He was 82 years old.

In December 2024, Anne-Marie's children and five of her grandchildren applied for Greek citizenship. They chose the surname "De Grèce" (meaning "of Greece"). Anne-Marie did not apply, as she was reportedly "not interested."