Greece's last king Constantine II buried in private funeral

The former king's coffin was draped in a Greek flag

Greece's final king, Constantine II, has been laid to rest in a private funeral after he died at the age of 82.

European royals - including Princess Anne - gathered to pay their respects at the service in Athens on Monday.

Constantine, who reigned from 1964-73, had been suffering with heart and mobility problems before he died.

The Greek government was criticised after it decided not to grant him a state funeral - as the monarchy was abolished in the 1970s.

• Private burial for Greece's last king Constantine

During his eulogy at Athens Metropolitan Cathedral, Constantine's eldest son Pavlos said his father ascended to the throne during a difficult period.

He said: "This is not the end, father. You will live forever in our thoughts and hearts."

Denmark's Queen Margrethe II was among the European royals who attended the service. She is the sister of Constantine's wife, Anne-Marie - whom he had five children with.

Princess Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence were pictured in front of crowds of mourners

Constantine's sister Sophia, who was also in attendance, is the wife of Spain's former King Juan Carlos and mother of Spain's current monarch, King Felipe VI. Felipe attended the funeral together with his wife, Queen Letizia.

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and his wife Queen Silvia were among the mourners too, as well as Prince Albert of Monaco.

The British Crown was represented by Princess Anne. Her brother King Charles III was unable to attend due to diary commitments including meeting the president of Cyprus on Monday.

Constantine was distantly related to the British royal family and was a godfather of the Prince of Wales and Lady Gabriella Windsor, the daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.

The private service was officiated by Archbishop Ieronymos, head of the Orthodox church of Greece.

Constantine's coffin, which was draped with the Greek flag, was taken to Tatoi, the former royal estate north of Athens where he was to be buried.

At least 2,000 mourners queued outside to pay their respects, according to state television ERT.

Several European royals flew to Athens for the service

Some were seen holding flags of the royal era, along with flowers and portraits of the ex-king and his wife.

Constantine had reigned for just three years before an army dictatorship seized control of Greece in 1967.

He tried to organise a military counter-coup but it failed and he fled to Rome with the rest of the royal family, and later to London.

The junta abolished the monarchy in 1973, and Greeks voted not to reinstate the royal family a year later.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced last week that the funeral would be held privately.

He said the decision was made because the former king was the leader of the "Kingdom of Greece, which no longer exists".