Editing Paul of Greece (section)

==World War I and aftermath==
{{See also|Greece during World War I|Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922)|National Schism}}
[[File:Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany - 1902.jpg|thumb|180px|right|Paul's father insisted Greece remained neutral in World War I to appease Wilhelm II, Paul's uncle.]]

===National Schism===
Paul's father, Constantine, ascended to the throne upon the assassination of George I in 1913.{{sfn|Van der Kiste|1994|pp=74–75}} Constantine wished to keep Greece neutral during the prelude to World War I, but was in support of the [[Central Powers]], since he was the brother-in-law of the German Kaiser, [[Wilhelm II]]. Venizelos, however, was staunchly in support of joining the [[Allies of World War I|Allies]] due to the [[Ottoman Empire]]'s mistreatment of its Greek population. The disagreement between Constantine and Venizelos quickly resulted in the [[National Schism]], a civil war between the two opposing sides. Per Van der Kiste, possibly due to "being afraid" of Wilhelm II, Constantine continued to refuse to succumb to Venizelos' demands.{{sfn|Van der Kiste|1994|pp=89–101}} Constantine was also pressured to oppose Venizelos by [[Ioannis Metaxas]].{{sfn|Mateos Sáinz de Medrano|2004|p=88}} On 10 June 1917, [[Charles Jonnart]], who acted as the Allies' representative in Greece, ordered Constantine to abdicate.{{sfn|Van der Kiste|1994|p=106}} The Allies threatened to invade Greece from a military landing at [[Piraeus]], so Constantine unofficially abdicated.{{sfn|Van der Kiste|1994|p=107}}{{sfn|Mateos Sáinz de Medrano|2004|p=183}}{{sfn|Vickers|2000|pp=122 and 148}} The Allies did not wish to replace Greece with a republican system, so Venizelos scrambled to find a replacement king. It was finally decided that Paul's older brother, Alexander, though not the eldest son of Constantine, would succeed to the throne, as Constantine's eldest son, [[George II of Greece|George]], was also seen as pro-German.{{sfn|Van der Kiste|1994|p=107}} Following Jonnart's demands for abdication, Paul and his family, except for Alexander, had evacuated Athens.{{sfn|Van der Kiste|1994|pp=110–111}}

===Exile to Switzerland===
Paul and his family briefly travelled to [[Oropos]], before going through Italy to live in Switzerland. They first resided in [[St. Moritz]] and then in [[Zürich]].{{sfn|Bertin|1982|p=218}}{{sfn|Mateos Sáinz de Medrano|2004|p=90}} The rest of the extended Greek royal family joined them when Venizelos announced Greece's entry into World War I. In 1918, Constantine contracted the [[Spanish flu]], causing him to fall severely ill and restricting him from providing for Paul and his other children. The disease almost killed him, however, he managed to recover.{{sfn|Van der Kiste|1994|pp=115–116}} Constantine remained concerned about Paul's lack of education after the Greek government refused his entry into the [[British Royal Navy]]. To Paul's dismay, Constantine accepted the offer made by Wilhelm II for Paul to join the [[Imperial German Navy]]. Paul soon left Switzerland for Germany and became a cadet.{{sfn|Hourmouzios|1972|p=33}}{{sfn|Van der Kiste|1994|p=117}}

Paul continued to join the [[German Imperial Naval Academy]], where his training was supervised by his uncle, [[Prince Henry of Prussia (1862–1929)|Prince Henry of Prussia]].{{sfn|Mateos Sáinz de Medrano|2004|pp=94–95}} However, when the [[German Revolution]] arose, many naval officers and their crews began mutinies, such as the [[Kiel mutiny]], while the [[States of the German Empire|German monarchies]] began being overthrown, forcing Paul to evacuate back to Switzerland. However, before leaving the country, Paul contracted the Spanish flu, delaying his reunion with his family. It took Paul several days to finally travel back to Switzerland.{{sfn|Hourmouzios|1972|pp=33–35}}

After World War I, Greece had made territorial gains in [[Thrace]] and [[Anatolia]] per the [[Treaty of Sèvres]], to the dismay of the Ottomans, causing the [[Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922)|Greco-Turkish War]]. Despite the war's resolution, tension between Constantine and Venizelos still remained high.{{sfn|Driault|Lhéritier|1926|pp=382–384}} Paul's brother, Alexander, died of [[sepsis]] after having been bitten by a monkey, leaving Greece without a monarch and plunging the country into a constitutional crisis.{{sfn|Van der Kiste|1994|p=125}} Venizelos sought to find a replacement successor. The Greek parliament refused to reinstate Constantine, and thus Venizelos, on 29 October 1920, sent a letter to the Greek ambassador to Switzerland at the National Hotel in [[Lucerne]], requesting that he meet with Paul, who he saw as the new potential king.{{sfn|Van der Kiste|1994|pp=125–126}}{{sfn|Hourmouzios|1972|p=42}}

The following day, Paul sent a letter to the ambassador expressing his refusal to disregard the laws of succession to the crown, which is what would occur if Paul were instated as the monarch. Paul wrote that neither his father, Constantine, nor his older brother, George, had ever renounced their rights to the throne and that therefore, his ascension to the throne would be illegitimate.{{sfn|Hourmouzios|1972|pp=42–43}} The Greek throne remained vacant while Greece fought in the Greco-Turkish War, during the [[Turkish War of Independence]]. During the [[1920 Greek legislative election]], fighting broke out between a sector of monarchists, who protested for Constantine's reascension to the throne, and supporters of Venizelos. On 14 November 1920, the monarchists won and it was organised for Constantine to become King of the Hellenes, while Venizelos was replaced with [[Dimitrios Rallis]]. Before Venizelos' exit from office, he requested that Paul's grandmother, [[Olga Constantinovna of Russia]], act as regent before Constantine returned.{{sfn|Van der Kiste|1994|p=126}}

===Return to Greece===
On 19 December 1920, Paul and the other Greek royals returned to Greece.{{sfn|Van der Kiste|1994|pp=128–129}} They were greeted by demonstrations in support of the monarchy. However, Constantine's restoration was criticised by Greece's allies in the concurrent Greco-Turkish war, most of which were also Greece's allies in World War I, to which Constantine refused to join. Constantine was denied additional support from the Allies in the war against Turkey, allowing [[Mustafa Kemal]] to eventually make more territorial gains.{{sfn|Van der Kiste|1994|pp=129–130}} Constantine left Paul and his other children with his wife in 1921 when he travelled to Anatolia to boost the morale of Greek troops. While on the frontlines, Constantine attempted to boost confidence by reminding soldiers of their successes in the Balkan Wars. However, after only a few months, Constantine reunited with his children at Tatoi in September 1921.{{sfn|Van der Kiste|1994|pp=132–135}}

Upon their return to Greece, Paul wished to resume his naval training and joined the [[Hellenic Naval Academy]], taking up residence in the academy's boarding school, located in Piraeus. Paul studied and trained there for two years and was promoted to the rank of [[second lieutenant]] in 1922. Paul served for several months on a Greek cruiser, the [[Greek cruiser Elli (1912)|''Elli'']].{{sfn|Hourmouzios|1972|pp=49–51}} Despite Greece's involvement in the Turkish War of Independence, Paul never fought in a battle but participated in the evacuation of Greek and Armenian refugees from Smyrnan shores following the [[burning of Smyrna]] by Turkish troops. Turkey later defeated Greece and their allies, who had been suffering since the fall of Smyrna in August 1922.{{sfn|Palmer|Greece|1990|p=65}}