PRINCE Charles laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier in Greece in his first trip overseas since Harry and Meghan’s explosive interview with Oprah.
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall attended a memorial ceremony in Syntagma Square in Athens as part of a two-day visit.
The couple joined other dignitaries to observe the Independence Day Military Parade which marks Greece’s uprising against the Ottoman Empire in 1821.
They were met this morning by President Katerina Sakellaropoulou and her partner Pavlos Kotsonis.
The party then went to the Monument of the Unknown Soldier, a memorial dedicated to Greek soldiers killed during war, to take part in the wreath laying.
Fighter jets then flew over Acropolis Hill during the military parade in Athens.
In previous years, thousands of people waving Greek flags have lined the main streets of central Athens to watch the parade, but this year’s ceremony was a more subdued affair due to the Covid pandemic.
Charles and Camilla arrived in Greece on Wednesday afternoon as he paid tribute to the country his dad was born in almost 100 years ago.
The royal couple were guests at an official state dinner last night at the presidential mansion in Athens for the country’s Bicentenary Independence Day celebrations.
The heir to the throne hailed the “strong and vital” ties between the UK and Greece, and gave a nod to the 99-year-old Duke of Edinburgh’s link to the country.
Philip was born a prince of Greece and Denmark, allegedly on the kitchen table of his family home, Mon Repos, on the Greek island of Corfu, in 1921.
Speaking at the dinner, which had 45 guests in total and was hosted by the President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou, Charles said: “My wife and I could not be more delighted to be back in Greece, which has long held the most special place in my heart.
“After all, Greece is the land of my grandfather; and of my father’s birth, nearly one hundred years ago, in the centenary year of Greek Independence.”
He added: “Later, it was in Athens that my dear grandmother, Princess Alice, during the dark years of Nazi occupation, sheltered a Jewish family – an act for which in Israel she is counted as ‘Righteous Among The Nations’.”
The couple’s official two-day visit to Greece, at the request of the British Government following an invitation from Greece’s prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, comes eight days after Philip left hospital following a month-long stay receiving treatment.
The duke, who turns 100 in June, spent 28 nights as an in-patient – his longest ever stay.
He was initially receiving care for an infection then underwent heart surgery for a pre-existing condition.
In his speech, Charles said: “In feeling a profound connection to Greece – her landscapes, her history and her culture – I am hardly alone: there is something of her essence in us all.
“As the wellspring of Western civilisation, Greece’s spirit runs through our societies and our democracies.
“Without her, our laws, our art, our way of life, would never have flourished as they have.”
Charles said that Athens wants to enact his ambitious Terra Carta, or Earth Charter, which has parallels with the Magna Carta.
It aims to encourage the private sector to safeguard the planet by adopting sustainability and to invest 10 billion dollars (£7.3 billion) in “natural capital” by 2022.
And he concluded by saying: “Your Excellency – today, as in 1821, Greece can count on her friends in the United Kingdom.
“The ties between us are strong and vital, and make a profound difference to our shared prosperity and security.
“Just as our histories are closely bound together, so too are our futures.”
Camilla wore a blue silk evening gown by Anna Valentine to the dinner after disembarking the plane wearing a blue and white dress by Fiona Clare topped with an Anna Valentine cape.
Earlier on Wednesday evening, Charles and Camilla were at the official ceremony celebrating the opening of the National Gallery, and were shown around by Mr Mitsotakis and his wife Mareva Grabowski-Mitsotaki.
They viewed the paintings of British artists Thomas Gordon and Frank Abney Hastings.
With hand-shaking still ruled out due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Charles greeted people with a namaste welcome, clasping his hands together and bowing his head.
On Thursday, the couple will attend a wreath laying at the Memorial of the Unknown Soldier and watch the Independence Day Military Parade which marks Greece’s uprising against the Ottoman Empire in 1821.
In previous years, thousands of people waving Greek flags have lined the main streets of central Athens to watch the March 25 parade.
The brief tour will be Charles’ third official visit to Greece following his first in 1998 and a further trip in 2018 with Camilla, her first official visit to the country.
The couple have already travelled overseas during the pandemic, visiting Germany in November for a brief two-day trip to attend commemorations marking the country’s National Day of Mourning.
Both Charles and Camilla received their Coivd jabs on February 10, with Camilla reported to have received it from a royal doctor at her home in Wiltshire.
Charles suffered a mild dose of the virus during the first wave last March and had to isolate at Birkhall, in Scotland.
The couple have previously confirmed they planned to get vaccinated but said they would wait their turn and not expect preferential treatment.
Last July, Charles said he hoped to visit Greece again after the pandemic.
In an opinion piece for Ta Nea, a daily newspaper in the country, he sent his “heartfelt wishes to the people of Greece at this very difficult time”.
He added: “The resilience of Greece and her people has been tested before, and I hope that the country will once again emerge with renewed vigour and optimism.
“When that moment comes and the world has made its way through this challenging time, my wife and I do so hope to visit Greece and to see you all again.
“Until we meet again.”
Under current rules you can only travel internationally (or within the UK) where you first have a legally permitted reason to leave home.
People can only travel abroad for essential reasons including work that cannot be done from home.
All departures to Greece must have a travel declaration form and a negative coronavirus test to enter, as well as a Passenger Locator Form and to return you will also need three Covid tests and quarantine for 10 days.
It comes as vaccinated British holiday makers could be able to jet off to Greece as early as May.
The Greek government has suggested vaccinating airport staff and holiday resort workers in a bid to kick-start their tourism industry – but EU leaders have said it’s too soon.
Greece could find themselves in the EU’s bad books, after the bloc insisted on a united approach to allowing non-essential travel from outside the EU to resume.
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