Editing Alexander of Greece (section)

===World War I===
[[File:Constantineiofgreece.jpg|thumb|left|Alexander's father, [[Constantine I of Greece|Constantine I]], in the uniform of a German field marshal, {{circa|1913}}]]
During World War I, Constantine I followed a formal policy of neutrality, yet he was openly benevolent towards [[German Empire|Germany]], which was fighting alongside [[Austria-Hungary]], [[Kingdom of Bulgaria|Bulgaria]] and the [[Ottoman Empire]] against the [[Triple Entente]] of [[Russian Empire|Russia]], [[French Third Republic|France]] and [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Britain]]. Constantine was the brother-in-law of Kaiser Wilhelm II, and had also become something of a [[Germanophile]] following his military training in [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]]. His pro-German attitude provoked a split between the monarch and the prime minister, [[Eleftherios Venizelos]], who wanted to support the Entente in the hope of expanding Greek territory to incorporate the Greek minorities in the Ottoman Empire and the [[Balkans]]. Protected by the countries of the Entente, particularly France, in 1916 Venizelos formed a [[Movement of National Defence|parallel government to that of the king]].<ref>Van der Kiste, pp. 89–101.</ref>

Parts of Greece were occupied by the Allied Entente forces, but Constantine I refused to modify his policy and faced increasingly open opposition from the Entente and the [[Venizelism|Venizelists]]. In July 1916, an arson attack ravaged Tatoi Palace and the royal family barely escaped the flames; Alexander was not injured but his mother narrowly saved [[Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark|Princess Katherine]] by carrying her through the woods for more than {{convert|2|km|abbr=on}}. Among the palace personnel and firefighters who arrived to deal with the blaze, sixteen people were killed.<ref>Van der Kiste, pp. 96–98.</ref>

Finally on 10 June 1917, [[Charles Jonnart]], the Entente's High Commissioner in Greece, ordered King Constantine to give up his power.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 106.</ref> On the threat of Entente forces landing in [[Piraeus]], the king conceded and agreed to go into self-exile, though without officially abdicating his crown. The Allies, while determined to be rid of Constantine, did not wish to create a Greek republic, and sought to replace the king with another member of the royal family. Crown Prince George, who was the natural heir, was ruled out by the Allies because they thought him too pro-German, like his father.<ref name="vdk107">Van der Kiste, p. 107.</ref> Instead, they considered installing Constantine's brother (and Alexander's uncle), [[Prince George of Greece and Denmark|Prince George]],<ref>Bertin, pp. 215, 220.</ref> but he had tired of public life during his difficult tenure as [[High Commissioner]] of [[Crete]] between 1901 and 1905; above all, he sought to remain loyal to his brother, and categorically refused to take the throne.<ref>Bertin, p. 220.</ref> As a result, Constantine's second son, Prince Alexander, was chosen to become the new monarch.<ref name="vdk107"/>