United Kingdom: Prince William has said that he will not attend a memorial service at Windsor Castle for one of his godfathers due to a personal matter.
The Duke of Cambridge was scheduled to read at the service in St. George’s Chapel for King Constantine II of Greece, who passed away in January of last year.
The Prince of Wales contacted the family of the former Greek King, who was attending the service, to inform them that he would not be able to attend. As a result of ongoing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer, King Charles will not be able to attend the service. Princess Catherine underwent surgery in January and is taking a break from official royal duties until after Easter.
It is expected that the King will leave Windsor Castle at some point. Dozens of foreign royals travelled to Windsor for the service, but the King was not expected to have a private meeting with them. Prince William will be replaced by Constantine’s eldest son, Pavlos.
The Duke of York arrived at the chapel with family members, including his former wife Sarah, the Duchess of York, Princess Beatrice, the Princess Royal, and Zara and Mike Tindall. They were driven to the castle quadrangle by a coach.
The Queen was the last member of the British royal family to arrive at the 15th-century chapel, after being driven down from the castle. Upon her arrival, she was greeted by the Right Rev Christopher Cocksworth, the dean of Windsor, at the Galilee Porch.
The King was reportedly close to Constantine, his second cousin and first cousin once removed. Constantine was also the sailing partner of the late Duke of Edinburgh. However, Constantine was dethroned in a military coup decades ago and died in January last year aged 82.
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