King Constantine II was the last monarch of Greece before the abolition of the monarchy in 1973. He reigned during a turbulent period in Greece's history that saw military coups and political instability. Constantine's reign provoked controversy and he remains a polarizing figure to this day.
The young king ascended the throne in 1964 at the age of 23 after the death of his father, King Paul. He inherited a kingdom already in crisis. <b>Greece was politically divided between right-wing royalists and left-wing republicans</b>. Constantine initially enjoyed popularity and public support. However, his clashes with the elected government led to a constitutional crisis.
In 1967, Constantine unsuccessfully attempted to counter a military coup that established a brutal dictatorship known as the Regime of the Colonels. After years in exile, democracy was restored in 1974. But the monarchy had been irreparably damaged. A referendum voted to abolish the monarchy and Constantine went into permanent exile. To royalists he remains a symbol of duty, while republicans view him as a failed autocrat.
