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Constantine II ((ギリシア語:Κωνσταντῖνος Βʹ), ''Konstantínos II''; ; born 2 June 1940) is the former King of Greece, reigning from 1964 until the monarchy was abolished in 1973. He is also by birth a Prince of Denmark. He succeeded his father Paul in March 1964, being styled ''His Majesty'' ''Constantine II, King of the Hellenes'' (). Although the accession of the young monarch was initially regarded auspiciously, his reign soon became controversial: Constantine's involvement in the ''Apostasia'' of July 1965 created unrest among sections of the population and aggravated the ongoing political instability that culminated in the Colonels' Coup of 21 April 1967. The coup was successful, leaving Constantine, as head of state, little room to manoeuvre as he had no loyal military forces to rely on. As a result, he reluctantly agreed to inaugurate the putschist government on the condition that it be made up largely of civilian ministers. On 13 December 1967, he was forced to flee the country, following an abortive counter-coup against the junta. He remained the head of state in exile until 1 June 1973, when the junta abolished the monarchy. This abolition was confirmed after the fall of the junta by a plebiscite on 8 December 1974, which established the Third Hellenic Republic. Constantine, who was not allowed to return to Greece to campaign,〔Hope, Kevin. (Referendum plan faces hurdles ). Financial Times 1 November 2011.〕 accepted the results of the plebiscite. ==Early life== Constantine was born at Psychiko, a suburb in northern Athens, the nephew of King George II and the second child and only son of the king's brother and heir-presumptive, Crown Prince Paul. His mother was Crown Princess Frederica, the former Princess Frederica of Hanover.〔Monarchs In Waiting, pp. 39-41〕 Constantine's older sister Sofia is the former queen consort of Spain, while his younger sister, Princess Irene, has not married. He was one year old when Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany invaded Greece, and he spent the next four years in exile in Egypt and Cape Town in South Africa, (where his sister Irene was born), with his family. He returned to Greece with his family in 1946. King George died in 1947, and his brother became King Paul, making Constantine crown prince. He was educated at a preparatory school and later a boarding school where he was an above average student academically.〔 A fellow student recalled him as, "a good chap, a young man with all the right instincts. He was at his best on the playing fields."〔 Constantine served in all three armed services, attending the requisite military academies. He also attended the NATO Air Force Special Weapons School in Germany, as well as the University of Athens, where he took courses at the law school.〔 As a young man, Crown Prince Constantine was a keen sportsman. In 1960, at the age of 20, he competed in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, winning a gold medal in sailing (Dragon Class) – the first Greek gold medal since the Stockholm 1912 Summer Olympics.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Olympic Records World Records )〕 He was also a strong swimmer and has a black belt in karate, with interests in squash, track events and riding.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Constantine II of Greece」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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