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90-539: The decision to construct the building which currently is used as the Presidential Mansion was made in 1868. That year, King George I 's son, Constantine , the heir to the throne , was born and the Greek state decided to present him with a private dwelling, when he came of age. Twenty-one years later when Constantine married princess Sophia of Prussia , the state assigned the planning of "The Crown Prince 's Palace", as

180-807: A Shabbat service at the Beth Yaacov synagogue in Madrid in June 1976, marking the first time in modern Spanish history that a member of the Spanish royal family had visited a Jewish house of worship. She is executive president of the Queen Sofía Foundation, which in 1993, sent funds for relief in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is honorary president of the Royal Board on Education and Care of Handicapped Persons of Spain, as well as

270-576: A Greek specialist, since most of the trees are native to Greece. From the very beginning the garden was divided into two large sections because of the slope of the land. The building is situated in the upper section. The design of the garden in front of the building was similar to that of other neo-classical structures of the period (the Academy, the University and the National Library). The garden follows

360-517: A bucolic reminder of his homeland. Queen Olga was far less careful in hiding her nostalgia for her native Russia, often visiting Russian ships at Piraeus two or three times before they weighed anchor. When alone with his wife, George usually conversed in German. Their children were taught English by their nannies, and when talking with his children he therefore spoke mainly English except to his son Andrew who refused to speak anything but Greek. The King

450-710: A delegation of Greeks led by First Admiral and Prime Minister Konstantinos Kanaris . At the ceremony, it was announced that the British government would cede the Ionian Islands to Greece in honor of the new monarch. The new 17-year-old king toured Saint Petersburg, London and Paris before departing for Greece from the French port of Toulon on 22 October aboard the Greek flagship Hellas . He arrived in Athens on 30 October [ O.S. 18 October] 1863, after docking at Piraeus

540-419: A relatively rigid geometric plan of the French type, with symmetrical plots of grass and seasonal flowering plants. The formalism of the composition approaching Herod Atticus Road is alleviated by the perennial plane trees, lindens, palms and cypress trees. The palace has served as the offices and main residence of the crown princely couple, royal family and president of the republic, respectively. Since 1913, it

630-582: A resolution in favor of union despite both the reservations of the Athens government under Georgios Theotokis and the objections of the Great Powers. The muted reaction of the Athens Government to the news from Crete led to an unsettled state of affairs on the mainland. In August 1909, a group of army officers that had formed a military league, Stratiotikos Syndesmos , demanded, among other things, that

720-522: A total area of about 27,000 square metres (about 7 acres). The official entrance to the mansion is on Herodou Attikou Street . The design of the palace was entrusted to architect Ernst Ziller . He became the Official Court Architect of King George I and designed an estimated 700 buildings all over Greece for both official and private use. It is said the King George I ordered Ziller not to make

810-516: Is a member of the Spanish royal family who was Queen of Spain from 1975 to 2014 as the wife of King Juan Carlos I until his abdication . She is the eldest child of King Paul of Greece and his wife, Queen Frederica . Sofía married then Infante Juan Carlos of Spain in 1962 and became queen of Spain upon her husband's accession in 1975. On 19 June 2014, Juan Carlos abdicated in favour of their son Felipe VI . Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark

900-406: Is also where all official functions are held in Athens. Since the mid-1970s, the president holds a reception on 24 July every year to commemorate the restoration of democracy in 1974. The reception is attended by the political, military, and academic leadership of the country, and of all sectors of the economy and various organizations, along with news reporters. 1868 : Upon the birth of the heir,

990-671: The 1960 Summer Olympics . Sofía met her paternal third cousin, the then Infante Juan Carlos of Spain on a cruise in the Greek Islands in 1954; they met again at the wedding of the Duke of Kent , her paternal second cousin, at York Minster in June 1961. Sofía and Juan Carlos married on 14 May 1962, at the Catholic Cathedral of Saint Dionysius in Athens. Sofía converted from Greek Orthodoxy to Catholicism to become more palatable to Catholic Spain, and thus relinquished her rights to

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1080-655: The Amalienborg Palace complex in Copenhagen . He was the second son and third child of Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel . He was baptised with the names Christian William Ferdinand Adolph George , and until his accession in Greece, he was known as Prince William, the namesake of both his grandfathers, William, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg , and Prince William of Hesse-Kassel . Although William

1170-521: The Byzantine Museum ) and the Petraki Monastery , both built in country areas far from the centre of town. The limited significance of the area at the time may be revealed by the fact that a girl's orphanage (which no longer exists) was built there in 1854. Furthermore, the land along Kifissias Avenue (now named Vasilissis Sofias Avenue ) also remained unbuilt and was reserved by the state for

1260-565: The Congress of Berlin convened in 1878 to determine peace terms for the Russo-Turkish War, Greece staked a claim to Crete, Epirus and Thessaly. The borders were still not finalized in June 1880 when a proposal very favorable to Greece that included Mount Olympus and Ioannina was offered by the British and French. When the Ottoman Turks strenuously objected, Prime Minister Trikoupis made

1350-567: The First Lord of the Admiralty at the time was Lord Ripon , whose brother-in-law had been murdered in Greece 16 years before. This was not the last time that King George discovered that his family ties were not always to his advantage. Deligiannis was forced to demobilize and Trikoupis regained the premiership. Between 1882 and 1897, Trikoupis and Deligiannis alternated the premiership as their fortunes rose and fell. George's silver jubilee in 1888

1440-772: The National Library , National Museum and the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines , which had the oldest extant university charter in Asia and housed the world's largest collection of suyat scripts. She also met with Spanish nationals residing in the Philippines, and attended a reception at the Spanish Embassy. She also attended a state dinner in her honour at Malacañan Palace hosted by President Benigno Aquino III , and thanked

1530-710: The Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) . Greece was not always successful in its territorial ambitions; it was defeated in the Greco-Turkish War (1897) . During the First Balkan War , after Greek troops had captured much of Greek Macedonia , George was assassinated in Thessaloniki . George was born on 24 December 1845 at his parents' residence the Yellow Palace , an 18th-century town house at 18 Amaliegade , next to

1620-743: The San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts and of the Spanish Royal Academy of History . She has received honorary doctorates from the Universities of Rosario ( Bogotá ), Valladolid , Cambridge , Oxford , Georgetown , Evora , St. Mary's University ( Texas ), and New York . Sofía has been honorary president of the Spanish Unicef Committee since 1971. She has been working closely with Dr. Muhammad Yunus on his Grameen Bank , which offers microcredits to women across

1710-663: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , the Second French Empire and the Russian Empire . He married Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna of Russia in 1867, and became the first monarch of a new Greek dynasty . Two of his sisters, Alexandra and Dagmar , married into the British and Russian royal families. Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Alexander III of Russia were his brothers-in-law, and George V of

1800-504: The White Tower on 18 March 1913, he was shot at close range in the back by Alexandros Schinas , who was "said to belong to a Socialist organization" and "declared when arrested that he had killed the King because he refused to give him money". George died instantly, the bullet having penetrated his heart. The Greek government denied any political motive for the assassination, saying that Schinas

1890-482: The 1870s, Greece kept pressure on the Ottoman Empire, seeking territorial expansion into Epirus and Thessaly . The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 provided the first potential alliance for the Greek kingdom. George's sister Dagmar was the daughter-in-law of Alexander II of Russia , and she sought to have Greece join the war. The French and British refused to countenance such an act, and Greece remained neutral. At

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1980-467: The 240,000 votes. There were 93 votes for a Republic and six for a Greek national to be chosen as king. King Otto received one vote. With Prince Alfred's exclusion, the search began for an alternative candidate. The French favored Henri d'Orléans, duc d'Aumale , while the British proposed Queen Victoria's brother-in-law Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , her nephew Prince Leiningen , and Archduke Maximilian of Austria , among others. Eventually,

2070-613: The Christian countries of the Balkans in opposition to the ailing Ottoman Empire. When the Kingdom of Montenegro declared war on Turkey on 8 October 1912, it was joined quickly by Serbia , Bulgaria , and Greece in what is known as the First Balkan War . George was on vacation in Denmark, so he immediately returned to Greece via Vienna, arriving in Athens to be met by a large and enthusiastic crowd on

2160-520: The Greek gold medalist, while the King stood and applauded. The popular desire to unite all Greeks within a single territory ( Megali Idea ) was never far below the surface and another revolt against Turkish rule erupted in Crete. In February 1897, King George sent his son, Prince George , to take possession of the island. The Greeks refused an Ottoman offer of an autonomous administration, and Deligiannis mobilized for war. The Great Powers refused to allow

2250-559: The Greek throne and his arrival in Athens. They met for a second time in April 1867, when George went to the Russian Empire to visit his sister Dagmar, who had married the Tsar's heir, Tsarevich Alexander . While George was privately a Lutheran , the Romanovs were Orthodox Christians like the majority of Greeks, and George thought a marriage with a Russian grand duchess would re-assure his subjects on

2340-402: The Greek throne. Sofía was in Greece on a private visit to her brother, King Constantine II , when the 1967 Greek military coup took place. Except for a brief stay for the funeral of her mother in 1981, Queen Sofía would not visit Greece until 1998. In 1969, Spanish dictator Francisco Franco named Juan Carlos his successor under the official title "Prince of Spain". Juan Carlos acceded to

2430-565: The Greeks and Great Powers winnowed their choice to Prince William of Denmark, who had received six votes in the plebiscite. Aged only 17, he was elected King of the Hellenes on 30 March [ O.S. 18 March] 1863 by the Greek National Assembly under the regnal name of George I. Paradoxically, he ascended a royal throne before his father, who became King of Denmark on 15 November

2520-524: The Greeks were "panting for increase in territory", hoping for a gift of the Ionian Islands , which were then a British protectorate . The London Conference of 1832 , however, prohibited any of the Great Powers ' ruling families from accepting the crown. Queen Victoria herself was adamantly opposed to the idea. The Greeks nevertheless insisted on holding a plebiscite in which Alfred received over 95% of

2610-477: The King commissioned architect Alexander Baltatzis to design an addition which became the largest room in the palace and is now named the Reception Hall. The garden of the Presidential Mansion occupies an area of about 25,000 square metres (just more than 6 acres) and constitutes a green haven in the centre of Athens. During the middle of the nineteenth century, this area, because of its especially fertile soil,

2700-449: The King insisted, he argued, that only a politician commanding a majority in the Vouli could be appointed prime minister, then politicians would be forced to work together more harmoniously to construct a coalition government. Such a plan, he wrote, would end the political instability and reduce the large number of smaller parties. Trikoupis admitted to writing the article after a man supposed by

2790-564: The King were united in their belief that the nation required a strong army to repair the damage of the humiliating defeat of 1897 . Crown Prince Constantine was reinstated as Inspector-General of the Army, and later Commander-in-Chief. Under his and Venizelos's close supervision the military was retrained and equipped with French and British help, and new ships were ordered for the Hellenic Navy . Meanwhile, through diplomatic means, Venizelos had united

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2880-575: The Prince of Wales unsuccessfully sought the support of the British Foreign Secretary, Lord Derby , to intervene in Crete on behalf of Greece. Ultimately, the Great Powers did not intervene, and the Ottomans put down the rebellion. George first met Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna of Russia in 1863, when she was 12 years old, on a visit to the court of Tsar Alexander II between his election to

2970-806: The Queen's presence. As Queen, Sofía never publicly commented on political issues. However, in October 2008, Pilar Urbano 's book La Reina muy de cerca ("The Queen up close") sparked strong controversy as it contained alleged statements by the Queen on issues debated in Spanish society. She criticized the military intervention in Afghanistan, where Spanish troops were taking part at the time, defended religious education in schools, and expressed her conviction that gender violence publicity would encourage new cases to occur. She also rejected abortion and euthanasia as well as same-sex marriage . The Royal Household commented that

3060-614: The Redeemer , Greece's premier decoration of honor. Queen Sof%C3%ADa of Spain King Juan Carlos I Queen Sofía Children of the late Duchess of Badajoz : The Duchess of Soria and Hernani The Duke of Soria and Hernani The Dowager Duchess of Calabria Queen Anne-Marie Marina, consort of Prince Michael Doña Sofía (Sophia Margaret Victoria Frederica of Greece and Denmark, in Greek : Σοφία ; 2 November 1938)

3150-590: The Spanish Foundation for Aid for Drug Addicts. Additionally, she has served as the patroness of the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute since 2003. Sofía takes special interest in programs against drug addiction, travelling to conferences in both Spain and abroad. The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía is named after her, as is Reina Sofía Airport in Tenerife . Sofía is an Honorary Member of

3240-518: The United Kingdom), Dagmar (who married Alexander III of Russia ), Thyra (who married Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover ) and Valdemar . William's mother tongue was Danish, with English as a second language. He was also taught French and German. He embarked on a career in the Royal Danish Navy , and enrolled as a naval cadet along with his elder brother Frederick. While Frederick

3330-465: The United Kingdom, Christian X of Denmark , Haakon VII of Norway , and Nicholas II of Russia were his nephews. George's reign of almost 50 years (the longest in modern Greek history ) was characterized by territorial gains as Greece established its place in pre– World War I Europe. Britain ceded the Ionian Islands peacefully in 1864, while Thessaly was annexed from the Ottoman Empire after

3420-461: The authorities to be the author was arrested, whereupon he was taken into custody himself. After a public outcry, he was released and subsequently acquitted of the charge of "undermining the constitutional order". The following year, the King asked Trikoupis to form a government (without a majority) and then read a speech from the throne declaring that in future the leader of the majority party in parliament would be appointed prime minister. Throughout

3510-442: The beginning of the war was reversed in defeat. For a time, he considered abdication. It was not until the King faced down an assassination attempt on 27 February 1898 with great bravery that his subjects again held their monarch in high esteem. Returning from a trip to the beach at Phaleron in an open carriage, George and his daughter Maria were shot at by two riflemen. The King tried to shield his daughter; both were unhurt though

3600-454: The book "puts in Her Majesty's mouth alleged claims that [...] do not correspond exactly to the opinions expressed by Her Majesty". While the two major parties - Socialists and People's Party - refused to comment, her opinions were subjected to heavy criticism by Republican parties like IU and ERC and LGBT activists. In May 2012, Sofía was reportedly refused permission to attend

3690-514: The building became known, to Ernst Ziller . Building began in 1891 and was completed six years later in 1897. On Christmas Eve , 1909, a fire destroyed a large part of the Royal Palace (now used by Parliament ), with the result that the Crown Prince's Palace was used temporarily as the residence of the royal family. After the assassination of George I in 1913 and the accession of Constantine to

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3780-564: The building has been used as the Presidential Mansion and the residence of the president. The land on which the Presidential Mansion was built was, until the final decades of the nineteenth century, outside city limits. The eastern limit of the town was the Royal Palace. Beyond that, there were fields and small farms. The only buildings appearing on the maps of the period were the manor of the Duchess of Plaisance (known as "Ilissia" and today housing

3870-508: The building too pretentious, so it would blend with the other mansions on the street, and not to model it after any other palaces in Europe. Following these guidelines, Ziller designed a three-story, symmetrical, neoclassical mansion. Construction of the palace took six years. Since this was to be the Crown Prince's Palace, no large ballrooms were included in the design since it was believed that most large scale, official entertaining would occur in

3960-530: The celebrations for the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II by the Spanish government, citing tensions over fishing rights at Gibraltar . In July 2012, Sofía visited the Philippines for a fourth time. She inspected several development projects around the former Spanish colony that her country's government is funding via the Agencia Española de Cooperacion Internacional para el Desarollo (AECID). She visited

4050-615: The city of Athens extending over many square miles, the Presidential Mansion is located near the centre of the capital next to the National Garden and Parliament. Herodou Attikou Street , where the mansion is located, is not only one of the most beautiful roads in the city but is also bound to the political and social life of Greece, as also situated there is the Maximos Mansion where the prime minister of Greece has his official office. The Presidential Mansion with its garden occupies

4140-573: The coachman and a horse were wounded. The gunmen (an Athens clerk called Karditzis and his assistant) fled into the Hymettus hills but they were spotted and arrested. Both were beheaded at Nauplia . Later that year, after continued unrest in Crete, which included the murder of the British vice-consul, Prince George of Greece was made the Governor-General of Crete under the suzerainty of the Sultan, after

4230-433: The constitution. King George gave way, and new elections to the revising assembly were held in August 1910. After some political maneuvering, Venizelos became prime minister of a minority government. Just a month later, Venizelos called new elections for 11 December [ O.S. 28 November] 1910, at which he won an overwhelming majority after most of the opposition parties declined to take part. Venizelos and

4320-442: The construction of ministry buildings. In early 1870 the state allowed the sale of land to private individuals which resulted in the construction of mansions to house the wealthy families of Athens . About 1890, the architect Ernst Ziller was entrusted with the construction of the Crown Prince's Palace. This palace later became the residence of the royal family and is used now as the Presidential Mansion. During modern times, with

4410-409: The evening of 9 October. The results of this campaign differed radically from the Greek experience at the hands of the Turks in 1897. The well-trained Greek forces, 200,000 strong, won victory after victory. On 9 November 1912, Greek forces commanded by Crown Prince Constantine rode into Thessaloniki , just a few hours ahead of a Bulgarian division. Three days later King George rode in triumph through

4500-473: The expansion of Greece, and on 25 February 1897 announced that Crete would be under an autonomous administration and ordered the Greek and Ottoman Turk militias to withdraw. The Turks agreed, but Prime Minister Deligiannis refused and dispatched 1400 troops to Crete under the command of Colonel Timoleon Vassos . While the Great Powers announced a blockade, Greek troops crossed the Macedonian border and Abdul Hamid II declared war . The announcement that Greece

4590-399: The horse head of Lauenburg , the two red bars of the House of Oldenburg and the cross of Delmenhorst . The supporters on either side both depicting Heracles are quite similar to the two wild men from the Danish royal arms. Beneath the shield is the motto in Greek, Ἰσχύς μου ἡ αγάπη τοῦ λαοῦ ("The people's love is my strength"). Beneath the motto dangles the Grand Cross of the Order of

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4680-412: The longest of which lasted a year and a half. In July 1874, Charilaos Trikoupis , a member of the Greek Parliament, wrote an anonymous article in the newspaper Kairoi blaming King George and his advisors for the continuing political crisis caused by the lack of stable governments. In the article, he accused the King of acting like an absolute monarch by imposing minority governments on the people. If

4770-429: The mistake of threatening a mobilization of the Hellenic Army . A coincident change of government in France, the resignation of Charles de Freycinet and his replacement with Jules Ferry , led to disputes among the Great Powers and, despite British support for a more pro-Greek settlement, the Turks subsequently granted Greece all of Thessaly but only the part of Epirus around Arta . When the government of Trikoupis fell,

4860-520: The much larger Old Royal Palace. The palace's main reception room was the large salon on the second floor. However, when the palace became the main royal residence, a large ballroom became needed. So, in 1909, Ziller was again commissioned to design an extension which was used as a ballroom and is now named the Credentials Lounge. Another extension was needed when Princess Sophia of Greece (now queen of Spain, and daughter of King Paul and Queen Frederica ) became engaged to Juan Carlos I of Spain . In 1962,

4950-435: The new king took steps to conclude the protracted constitutional deliberations of the Assembly. On 19 October 1864, he sent the Assembly a demand, countersigned by Konstantinos Kanaris , explaining that he had accepted the crown on the understanding that a new constitution would be finalized, and that if it was not he would feel himself at "perfect liberty to adopt such measures as the disappointment of my hopes may suggest". It

5040-527: The new prime minister, Alexandros Koumoundouros , reluctantly accepted the new boundaries. While Trikoupis followed a policy of retrenchment within the established borders of the Greek state, having learned a valuable lesson about the vicissitudes of the Great Powers, his main opponents, the Nationalist Party led by Theodoros Deligiannis , sought to inflame the anti-Turkish feelings of the Greeks at every opportunity. The next opportunity arose in 1885 when Bulgarians rose in revolt in Eastern Rumelia and united

5130-475: The others were murdered: British diplomat E. H. C. Herbert (the first cousin of Lord Carnarvon ), Frederick Vyner (the brother-in-law of Lord Ripon , Lord President of the Council ), Italian diplomat Count Boyl di Putifigari, and Mr. Lloyd (an engineer). George's relationships with other ruling houses assisted him and his small country but also often put them at the center of national political struggles in Europe. From 1864 to 1874, Greece had 21 governments,

5220-410: The president for promoting the Spanish language in the Philippine educational system. Following her husband's abdication as King in 2014, Sofía has focused on her sponsoring activities, spending her time between La Zarzuela and, in the summer months, the Marivent Palace in Palma de Mallorca . She regularly accompanies her son and his family at events. Queen Sophia was awarded the Order of

5310-445: The previous day. He was determined not to make the mistakes of his predecessor, so he quickly learned Greek . The new king was seen frequently and informally in the streets of Athens, where his predecessor had only appeared in pomp. King George found the palace in a state of disarray, after the hasty departure of King Otto, and took to putting it right by mending and updating the 40-year-old building . He also sought to ensure that he

5400-442: The proposal was put forward by the Great Powers. Greece was effectively in day-to-day control of Crete for the first time in modern history. The death of Britain's Queen Victoria on 22 January 1901 left King George as the second-longest-reigning monarch in Europe, behind only Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria . His always cordial relations with his brother-in-law, the new King Edward VII , continued to tie Greece to Britain. This

5490-426: The province with Bulgaria. Deligiannis rode to victory over Trikoupis in elections that year saying that if the Bulgarians could defy the Treaty of Berlin , so should the Greeks. Deligiannis mobilized the Hellenic Army , and the British Royal Navy blockaded Greece. The admiral in charge of the blockade was Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh , who had been the first choice of the Greeks to be their king in 1863, and

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5580-420: The question of his future children's religion. Olga was just 16 years old when she married George at the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg on 27 October 1867. After a honeymoon at Tsarskoye Selo , the couple left Russia for Greece on 9 November. Over the next twenty years, they had eight children: As a marriage gift, the Tsar gave George a group of islands in the Petalioi Gulf , which the family visited on

5670-423: The recurring and contentious issue of Crete , an overwhelmingly Greek island that remained under Ottoman Turk control. Since the reign of Otto, the Greek desire to unite Greek lands in one nation had been a sore spot with Great Britain and France, which had embarrassed Otto by occupying the main Greek port of Piraeus to dissuade Greek irredentism during the Crimean War . During the Cretan Revolt (1866–1869) ,

5760-399: The royal family be stripped of their military commissions. To save the King the embarrassment of removing his sons from their commissions, they resigned them. The military league attempted a coup d'état, and the King insisted on supporting the duly elected Hellenic Parliament in response. Eventually, the military league joined forces with Venizelos in calling for a National Assembly to revise

5850-427: The royal yacht Amphitrite . George later purchased a country estate, Tatoi , north of Athens, and on Corfu he built a summer villa called Mon Repos . George developed Tatoi, building roads and planting grapes for making his own wine, Chateau Décélie. Intent on not letting his subjects know that he missed Denmark, he discreetly maintained a dairy at his palace at Tatoi, which was managed by native Danes and served as

5940-410: The same year. There were two significant differences between George's elevation and that of his predecessor, Otto. First, he was acclaimed unanimously by the Greek Assembly, rather than imposed on the people by foreign powers. Second, he was proclaimed "King of the Hellenes" instead of "King of Greece", which had been Otto's style. George's ceremonial enthronement in Copenhagen on 6 June was attended by

6030-423: The sea journey from the Adriatic Sea to Piraeus by 150 miles (241 km). In 1896, the Olympic Games were revived in Athens, and the Opening Ceremony of the 1896 Summer Olympics was presided over by the King. When Spiridon Louis , a shepherd from just outside Athens, ran into the Panathinaiko Stadium to win the Marathon event, the Crown Prince ran down onto the field to run the last thousand yards beside

6120-762: The state allocates funds to build a palace for the crown prince upon his achieving maturity. 1889 : Crown Prince Constantine engaged to Princess Sophia of Prussia . 1891–1897 : Construction. 1897–1913 : Use as Crown Prince's Palace by Crown Prince Constantine and Crown Princess Sophia. 1913–1924 : Becomes Royal Palace after King George I is assassinated. 1924–1935 : Presidential Palace (monarchy abolished). 1935–1974 : Royal Palace (monarchy restored). 1974–present : Presidential Mansion (monarchy abolished). [REDACTED] Media related to Presidential Mansion, Athens at Wikimedia Commons George I of Greece George I ( Greek : Γεώργιος Α΄, romanized : Geórgios I ; 24 December 1845 – 18 March 1913)

6210-564: The streets of Thessaloniki, the second-largest Greek city, accompanied by the Crown Prince and Venizelos. Less than two weeks before the King's death, Greek troops entered the chief Epirus town of Ioannina on 6 March 1913. As he approached the fiftieth anniversary of his accession, the King made plans to abdicate in favor of his son Constantine immediately after the celebration of his golden jubilee in October 1913. Just as he did in Athens, George went about Thessaloniki without any meaningful protection force. While out on an afternoon walk near

6300-444: The throne in 1975, upon the Franco's death. Juan Carlos, after his accession to the Spanish throne, returned with his family to the Zarzuela Palace. The couple has three children: Elena (born 20 December 1963); Cristina (born 13 June 1965); and Felipe (born 30 January 1968). Besides accompanying her husband on official visits and occasions, Sofía also has solo engagements. In her first public appearance as Queen, Sofía attended

6390-421: The throne, the Crown Prince's Palace finally became the main royal residence of the king of the Hellenes . The use of the building as a palace was interrupted in 1924, when the monarchy was ended and a republic was declared. It was then used as the Presidential Mansion until 1935, when the monarchy was restored and the King returned. Since 1974, when democracy was restored after a seven-year military dictatorship,

6480-509: The war was lost. The worst consequences of defeat for the Greeks were mitigated by the intervention of the King's relations in Britain and Russia; nevertheless, the Greeks were forced to give up Crete to international administration, and agree to minor territorial concessions in favor of the Turks and an indemnity of 4 million Turkish pounds. The jubilation with which Greeks had hailed their king at

6570-628: The week of 30 October included balls, galas, parades, a thanksgiving service at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens , and a lunch for 500 invited guests in a blue and white tent on the Acropolis . Greece in the last decades of the 19th century was increasingly prosperous and was developing a sense of its role on the European stage. In 1893, the Corinth Canal was built by a French company cutting

6660-478: The world. Queen Sofía has travelled to Bangladesh , Chile , Colombia , El Salvador and Mexico to support the activities of the organization. Queen Sofía has also been a strong supporter of Somaly Mam 's Agir pour les Femmes en Situation Précaire , an NGO combatting child prostitution and slavery in Cambodia. In 1998, Mam was awarded the prestigious Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation in

6750-472: Was King of Greece from 30 March 1863 until his assassination on 18 March 1913. Originally a Danish prince, George was born in Copenhagen , and seemed destined for a career in the Royal Danish Navy . He was only 17 years old when he was elected king by the Greek National Assembly , which had deposed the unpopular King Otto . His nomination was both suggested and supported by the Great Powers :

6840-531: Was abundantly important in Britain's support of King George's son Prince George as Governor-General of Crete . Nevertheless, Prince George resigned in 1906 after a leader in the Cretan Assembly, Eleftherios Venizelos , campaigned to have him removed. As a response to the Young Turk Revolution of 1908, Venizelos's power base was further strengthened, and on 8 October 1908 the Cretan Assembly passed

6930-622: Was an alcoholic vagrant. Schinas was tortured in prison and fell to his death from a police station window six weeks later. The King's body was taken to Athens on the Amphitrite , escorted by a flotilla of naval vessels. For three days the coffin of the King, draped in the Danish and Greek flags , lay in the Metropolitan Cathedral in Athens before his body was committed to a tomb at his palace in Tatoi . The distinctive Greek flag of blue and white cross

7020-903: Was born on 2 November 1938, at Tatoi Palace in Acharnes , Athens, Greece, the eldest child of King Paul and his wife, Queen Frederica . Sofía is a member of the Greek branch of the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg dynasty. Her brother was the deposed King Constantine II and her sister is Princess Irene . As her family was forced into exile during the Second World War , she spent part of her childhood in Egypt , where she took her early education in El Nasr Girls' College in Alexandria , and South Africa, where her sister Irene

7110-535: Was born. They returned to Greece in 1946. She finished her education at the prestigious Schloss Salem boarding school in Southern Germany, and then studied childcare, music and archeology in Athens . She also studied at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge , a constituent college of the University of Cambridge . She was a reserve member, alongside her brother Constantine, of Greece's gold medal-winning sailing team in

7200-626: Was celebrated throughout the Hellenic world, and Athens was decorated with garlands for the anniversary of his accession on 30 October. Visitors included the Crown Prince of Denmark , the Prince and Princess of Wales , the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh , Grand Dukes Sergei and Paul of Russia , and Djevad Pasha from the Ottoman Empire, who presented the King with two Arabian horses as gifts. Jubilee events in

7290-551: Was described as "quiet and extremely well-behaved", William was "lively and full of pranks". Following the expulsion of Otto of Greece in October 1862, the Greek people had rejected Otto 's brother and designated successor Luitpold , although they still favored a monarchy rather than a republic. Many Greeks, seeking closer ties to the pre-eminent world power, the United Kingdom , rallied around Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh , second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert . British prime minister Lord Palmerston believed that

7380-633: Was dispatched back to Denmark. From May 1864, George undertook a tour of the Peloponnese , through Corinth , Argos , Tripolitsa , Sparta , and Kalamata , where he embarked on the frigate Hellas . Proceeding northwards along the coast accompanied by British, French and Russian naval vessels, the Hellas reached Corfu on 6 June, for the ceremonial handover of the Ionian Islands by the British High Commissioner , Sir Henry Storks . Politically,

7470-460: Was finally at war with the Turks was greeted by delirious displays of patriotism and spontaneous parades in honor of the King in Athens. Volunteers by the thousands streamed north to join the forces under the command of Crown Prince Constantine. The war went badly for the ill-prepared Greeks; the only saving grace was the swiftness with which the Hellenic Army was overrun. By the end of April 1897,

7560-549: Was first hoisted during the Greek War of Independence in March 1822. This was later modified so that the shade of blue matched that of the Bavarian coat of arms of the first King of Greece, Otto. The shield is emblazoned with a smaller version of the royal arms of Denmark , including the three lions of the arms of Denmark proper, the two lions of Schleswig , the nettle leaf of Holstein ,

7650-424: Was in fact the vegetable garden of the Royal Palace (now Parliament building). After the construction of the mansion in 1897 and the construction of Herodou Attikou Street, the area which surrounded the Crown Prince's Palace was fashioned into a large ornamental garden. The planning of this appears to have been assigned to Ziller's technical office. The selection of suitable plants, though, must have been entrusted to

7740-404: Was not seen as too influenced by his Danish advisers, ultimately sending his uncle, Prince Julius , back to Denmark with the words, "I will not allow any interference with the conduct of my government". Another adviser, Count Wilhelm Sponneck , became unpopular for advocating a policy of disarmament and tactlessly questioning the descent of modern Greeks from classical antecedents. Like Julius, he

7830-549: Was of royal blood (his mother and father were both great-grandchildren of Frederick V of Denmark and great-great-grandchildren of George II of Great Britain ) his family was relatively obscure and lived a comparatively normal life by royal standards. In 1853, however, his father was designated the heir presumptive to the childless Frederick VII of Denmark , and the family became princes and princesses of Denmark. William's siblings were Frederick (who succeeded their father as King of Denmark), Alexandra (who married Edward VII of

7920-418: Was related by marriage to the British, Russian and Prussian monarchs, maintaining a particularly strong attachment to the Prince and Princess of Wales, who visited Athens in 1869. Their visit occurred despite continued lawlessness which culminated in the kidnap of a party of British and Italian tourists, including Lord and Lady Muncaster . Two female hostages, a child and Lord Muncaster were released, but four of

8010-469: Was set up with George deferring to the legitimate authority of the elected officials, although he was aware of the corruption present in elections and the difficulty of ruling a mostly illiterate population. Between 1864 and 1910, there were 21 general elections and 70 different governments. Internationally, George maintained a strong relationship with his brother-in-law the Prince of Wales, who in 1901 became King Edward VII , and sought his help in defusing

8100-471: Was unclear from the wording whether he meant to return to Denmark or impose a constitution, but as either event was undesirable the Assembly soon came to an agreement. On 28 November 1864, George took the oath to defend the new constitution , which created a unicameral assembly ( Vouli ) with representatives elected by direct, secret, universal male suffrage , a first in modern Europe. A constitutional monarchy

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