Hello! Interview (Mar.9,1996)

CROWN PRINCE PAVLOS OF GREECE AND HIS WIFE MARIE-CHANTAL WHO IS EXPECTING A BABY IN JULY

IN GSTAAD WITH THE GREEK ROYAL FAMILY

Last July, theirs was the society wedding of the year, bringing together the largest gathering of crowned heads and their families in nearly 50 years. And this July, they're going to be celebrating again-with the birth of their first child. Prince Pavlos, 28-year-old son of ex-King Constantine of Greece, and his American-born wife Marie-Chantal, are thrilled at the prospect of first-time parenthood.

Although they've both travelled extensively, they both come from united families, and so starting their own is something they're particularly looking forward to. Their happiness is reflected in these pictures, taken at the lovely chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland, owned by Marie-Chantal's family. Her father is Robert Miller, head of a multi-billion-dollar empire of duty-free shops in Asia and the Pacific. For Robert Miller and his wife, also named Marie-Chantal, this will be their second-grandchild; their eldest daughter Pia is married to Christopher Getty, grandson of oil billionaire John Paul Getty, and the couple have a daughter. For King Constantine and his wife Queen Anne-Marie, however, the birth of their son's child means first-time grandparenthood. In this exclusive interview, given at the Gstaad chalet, Prince Pavlos and his wife chatted about their current lifestyle and their plans for the future now that their family is expanding.

Q: "Your Highness, you were born in Greece on May 20, 1967, but you've lived abroad since December 13 of that same year. Are you inured to exile by now?"

Pavlos: "It's true that I've practically always lived abroad, but I was raised as a Greek by my parents. Wherever I'm living, my culture, my mentality, and my soul are still Greek."

Q: "You're the first member of your dynasty-since your great-great-grandfather was crowned King of Greece in 1863- to marry an American. Do you two have different approaches to essential issues?

P: "Marie-Chantal and I have the same ideas and values. We've both travelled alot and we've got the same friends. Most of them are of Greek origin. I think Marie-Chantal is totally used to the Greek temperament."

Marie-Chantal: "I don't think of myself as a classic American. I spent my childhood in Asia, and then I went to school in Europe. Paul and I had the same kind of education and we both belong to large, close families."

Q: "What's your reaction to the rumors of your separation that have appeared in the Greek papers?"

P: "We haven't reacted because there was no reason to do so. The best answer to that kind of thing is the baby we're looking forward to so much."

Q: "What's your day-to-day life like?"

Pavlos: "For several weeks now we've been settled in Greenwich, a small town in Connecticut, close to my office. I'm a broker for the American shipping company Charles R. Weber. We charter tankers to oil companies. I go to the office at about 7:30 am and usually finish at around six in the evening. I say usually because there are no fixed hours in this business. Marie-Chantal's busy decorating our new home."

M-C: "We've bought a 1930s, New England-style house. My mother's lent me some furniture and I've added a few of my own things. We've decorated the walls with portraits of the Greek royal family which friends were so kind to give us as wedding presents from their own collection."

Q: "Are you planning to stay in Connecticut for a long time?"

P: "A year of two."

Q: "Would you like to go to Europe then or would you settle in Greece if the conditions allowed?"

P: "It's our dream to live in Greece."

M-C: "I'll go to wherever my husband's happy."

Q: "Pavlos, you last visited Greece during the summer of 1993. That was an eventful trip because your family's yacht was monitored by the Greek forces..."

P: "We've come to an agreement to spend a fortnight's holiday in Greece. We got a warm, enthusiastic welcome from the Greek people. Unfortunately, there was a slightly exaggerated reaction from the authorities. As my father said, I don't see what danger can be posed by the private visit of a seven-member family."

Q: "Does approaching fatherhood make you feel younger or more mature?"

P: "You have to be mature already to have a baby. As for feeling younger, I'll wait till I'm 60 for that?"

Q: "What are your hobbies?"

P: "At weekends we like to go cycling or rollerblading in Central Park in New York. We go to the cinema a lot, too. We've just seen two excellent Italian films, Il Postino and Mediterraneo. The main character in Mediterraneo is Greek! We also like riding and playing tennis, when the weather permits."

Q: "Do you often see your relations from other European royal families?"

P: "Right now, we're a long way away from them, but last summer we went to see my family in Denmark and then we spent a few days on Majorca with the King and Queen of Spain. In November we went to the wedding of my Danish cousin, Prince Joachim. I'm afraid we'll be staying put this summer because the baby's due in July. Isn't it a coincidence? He'll be born during the Atlanta Olympic Games-that must mean he's going to be an Olympic gold medal-winner, like my father!"

Q: "What do you miss most about your country, Pavlos?"

P: "Greece herself. Her beautiful, varied scenery, her scents and perfumes, the wonderful cuisine which you can't really find elsewhere. The spirituality of Mount Athos; Nymphaeon, a little village in northern Greece; Thessaloniki; Monemvasia; all the place I visited on my one and only trip round Greece."

Q: "Did you cry when you went to your country?"

P: "I am Greek, I had a Greek education, and I have Greece inside me. I didn't cry when I arrived, I cried when I left."