PAVLOS

A high court has ruled that the Pasok government acted "unconstitutionally" in stripping the former Royal family, of its property in Greece.

In 1994, Pasok passed a law depriving the Ex-Royals not only of their property, but of their Greek citizenship.

As the court decision comes, Pavlos, the son of the former King of Greece, says he wants to return to Greece, and live on his family's estate.

Greece's supreme court has ruled that the 1994 Pasok law is unconstitutional, because it is based on a 1973 order by the then-ruling military dictatorship. That order also stripped the former Greek royal family of its property.

The majority opinion of 25 court members says all Junta laws and orders were abolished by the democratic constitution of 1974. The majority also says the Pasok move was unconstitutional because it was not accompanied by a court decision on how much money the former royals should get for their property.

The court minority of 15 says it is right that the former royals' property be abolished, since with the abolition of the throne, there can be no royal property.

The former royals are fighting to retain what they feel is their birthright.

In an interview with the french magazine Paris Match, Pavlos says, "I miss Greece, its nature, the people, the wonderful food". He said "I miss Tatoy and it's smell, it's the only place I went back to."

Tatoy is one of the Royal estates confiscated by the government. The Royal family fled Greece, after a military junta seized power in 1967. After the junta fell in 1974, the Greek people voted overwhelmingly to abolish the monarchy.

Pavlos, the first born son of ex-King Constantine, last visited Greece, with his family, in 1993. It was a highly publicized trip. Several months later the Pasok government passed a law stripping the ex-Royals of their property and their citizenship.

The government may say otherwise but Pavlos says "I'm Greek, I have had a greek education and I had tears in my eyes not when I arrived in Greece, but when I departed".

Pavlos was married last summer to Marie Chantal Miller, in London. Currently living in the States, the couple is expecting their first child this summer.

Ex-King Constantine is fighting the government's 1994 decision in Greek and European courts, calling it unconstitutional. Thursday, Greece's high court ruled in favour of the former royals on the property issue, by a vote of 25 to 15.