Members of Greece’s former royal household expressed “deep emotion” Monday at a call to reinstate their Greek citizenship, ending a decades-old dispute with the nation’s authorities.

Greece abolished the monarchy in a 1974 referendum and the previous royal household was stripped of its citizenship 20 years later throughout a dispute over the previous royal property that handed to state management.

In a call printed within the authorities gazette, dated Friday, citizenship was granted to 10 members of the previous royal household. They embody the 5 youngsters of the late King Constantine II and former Queen Anne-Marie in addition to to 5 of their grandchildren.

“It’s with deep emotion that, after 30 years, we maintain the Greek citizenship once more. The legislation of 1994 disadvantaged us of our citizenship, rendering us stateless with all that this entails when it comes to particular person rights and nice emotional misery,” the previous royal household stated in an announcement in Greek and English.

“Our father and our household absolutely revered the results of the 1974 referendum,” the assertion stated. “Nonetheless, the supply of the 1994 legislation on citizenship, a results of the political standing on the time, was not befitting of a former head of the Greek state and an establishment that served the nation faithfully. The passing of our father marked the tip of an period.”

Constantine died final yr at 82 having solely returned to Greece in his 70s. He remained a controversial determine over claims that he didn’t distance himself from heated political rivalries whereas he reigned as king between 1964 and 1973. He was ousted throughout a army dictatorship that collapsed the next yr.

Constantine’s household has shut ties with European royals by means of his marriage to Danish princess Anne-Marie. His sister is Emeritus Queen Sofia of Spain and he was second cousin to Britain’s King Charles III and godfather to Prince William.

Ending the dispute, Constantine’s youngsters agreed final week to undertake a surname — De Grece, from the French for “of Greece” — whereas formally recognizing Greece’s standing as a presidential parliamentary democracy and renouncing any claims to royal authority or titles.

“After 50 years since democracy’s restoration, we’ve got a robust democracy and guarded structure that may defend itself, with legal guidelines that apply with none footnotes or exceptions,” authorities spokesman Pavlos Marinakis stated Friday earlier than the choice was printed.

Constantine’s 5 youngsters are Alexia, 58; Pavlos, 56; Nikolaos, 54; Theodora, 40; and Philippos, 37. Pavlos’ 5 youngsters had been additionally granted citizenship: Maria-Olympia, 27; Constantine-Alexios, 25; Achileas-Andreas, 23; Odysseas-Kimon, 19; and Aristidis-Stavros, 15.

Different royal relations, together with the 78-year-old former Queen Anne-Marie, didn’t apply.