Queen Anne-Marie of Greece - Official Status Since 1973

Official Status Since 1973

In spite of the fact that Constantine and Anne-Marie had gone into exile in 1967, Greece officially remained a monarchy for several years, with Major General Georgios Zoitakis serving as Regent. On 1 June 1973 the self-appointed prime minister, Colonel George Papadopoulos, deposed Constantine as king and declared Greece a republic.

In November 1973 Papadopoulos himself was overthrown by Brigadier Dimitrios Ioannides. After the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in August 1974, the military junta collapsed. The new prime minister, Constantine Karamanlis, held a referendum on 8 December 1974 in which 68.8% of those who voted approved the abolition of the Greek monarchy. The former Royal Family and others have questioned the moral legitimacy of the referendum on the grounds that they were not permitted to return to Greece to campaign there.

A new republican Constitution of Greece came into force on 11 June 1975 according to which no titles of distinction are recognized in Greek citizens. Some Greeks are offended by Anne-Marie being referred to as "Anne-Marie of Greece", instead preferring the use of her dynastic name and referring to her as "Anna-Maria Glücksburg", a name she has never used for herself.

Anne-Marie continues to be referred to as "Queen Anne-Marie of Greece" (or of the Hellenes) by most royal courts including those of the United Kingdom, Spain, Luxembourg, and Jordan. She is called "Queen Anne-Marie" (without any territorial designation) by the courts of Denmark and Sweden. She is called "former Queen Anne-Marie of Greece" by the court of the Netherlands.

When she travels internationally Anne-Marie uses a Danish diplomatic passport with the name "Anne-Marie de Grecia" (her first name plus the Spanish form of the words 'of Greece').