Accession of King Paul of Greece, 1947

King Paul of Greece (wearing the Order of the Redeemer and the Order of Saints George and Constantine) was joined by Queen Frederica (in the Order of the Redeemer), as he made his first speech in front of the Greek Parliament at the Old Royal Palace in Athens on this day in 1947, the day after the death of his brother, King George II, and his accession to the Throne. The Prime Minister announced:

With deepest sorrow I announce to us the sudden death of King George II. King Paul I ascends the throne. King Paul, who wants to take the oath before you according to articles 43 and 49 of the current Constitution.”

King Paul took the oath of office, after which the Speaker of Parliament exclaimed “Long live the King”. Queen Frederick’s described the previous day in her auto-biography:

When a king dies, his successor has no right to sit and meditate fatally on the loss. My husband had to give, without delay, his oath to abide by the Constitution. The Prime Minister arrived, with some ministers and MPs he had managed to warn. Then the archbishop came and took the oath. I had no role in the ceremony and was sitting upstairs, on a small balcony, looking behind a curtain. After the swearing in there is the habit of exclaiming: ″ Long live the King ″. This shout resonated in my hearing almost inhumanely, at the moment when my brother-in-law was lying dead inside the palace, whom I continued to consider a king … “

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