Editing Paul of Greece (section)

===Restoration of the monarchy===
The Second Hellenic Republic had tired most Greeks out, with, in only eleven years, 23 governments, 13 coup d'états and one dictatorship. Each government lasted on average six months, while a coup was either attempted or organized every 42 weeks. The majority of Greeks were now opposed to the republic, and many called for the return of the monarchy. However, monarchists were divided over who should take up the Greek throne. Most supported George's restoration, however, there were large minorities that wished for the king to be a different person, such as [[Prince George, Duke of Kent]].{{sfn|Vickers|2000|p=263}}{{sfn|Van der Kiste|1994|pp=152–153}}{{sfn|Palmer|Greece|1990|p=71}} The Greek army finally deposed Prime Minister [[Panagis Tsaldaris]] and President [[Alexandros Zaimis]] on 10 October 1935, and replaced them with the Minister of War, [[Georgios Kondylis]], who had been a supporter of Venizelos during the National Schism.{{sfn|Vacalopoulos|1975|p=256}} Despite this, Kondylis disapproved of the republic and publicly claimed while in office that it had brought anarchy to the country. Kondylis' government proclaimed that the Kingdom of Greece had been restored, and he became the regent of Greece while George travelled from England to take back the crown. Before doing so, George, supported by Paul and other members of the family, ordered that a referendum be hosted to confirm his return.{{sfn|Van der Kiste|1994|p=153}}

The [[1935 Greek monarchy referendum]] was held, which affirmed that 97.87% of Greeks were in support of the return of the king. Foreign observers at the time claimed that the vote was rigged and noted concerns that voters who were opposed to the monarchy would face beatings.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,755330,00.html|title=GREECE: By the Grace of God|magazine=Time|date=18 November 1935|access-date=2 January 2024}}</ref>{{sfn|Van der Kiste|1994|p=153}}{{sfn|Vacalopoulos|1975|p=256}}{{sfn|Vickers|2000|pp=264–265}}{{sfn|Palmer|Greece|1990|pp=71–73}} Once the figure of the supposed overwhelming support for the monarchy was announced, a Greek ambassador met with George and Paul at the Greek embassy in London and officially requested that they return to Tatoi.{{sfn|Van der Kiste|1994|p=153}} On 5 November 1935, they accepted and began their journeys back to Greece on 14 November.{{sfn|Vickers|2000|p=265}} Before returning to Greece, they stopped in Paris and met President [[Albert Lebrun]] and their uncle, [[Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark|Prince Andrew]]. Paul and George then stopped in Italy to collect their sisters, who had been living in the Villa Sparta, and other members of the Greek royal family, such as [[Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark|Prince Christopher]]. Paul and his family briefly went to [[Florence]] to pay homage to their parents, who had been buried temporarily beside the [[Church of the Nativity of Christ and St. Nicholas (Florence)|Church of the Nativity of Christ and St. Nicholas]], a [[Russian Orthodox]] Church. In Rome, [[Victor Emmanuel III]] gifted the Greek royals the [[Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation]]. The ''Elli'' took the family from [[Brindisi]] back to Athens, where they arrived on 25 November and were welcomed by a large applauding crowd.{{sfn|Vickers|2000|p=265}}{{sfn|Van der Kiste|1994|p=154}}{{sfn|Palmer|Greece|1990|p=73}}

Paul became overwhelmed with his royal duties upon George's almost immediate neglect of his role within Greece. Historian [[John Van der Kiste]] describes George as having become a "suspicious and taciturn man" who had little interest in showing affinity and becoming close with his younger brother, Paul. Both living at Tatoi, their interactions became awkward and their relationship distanced, while both had little affection for one another.{{sfn|Van der Kiste|1994|pp=156–157}}{{sfn|Mateos Sáinz de Medrano|2004|pp=104–105}} Paul frequently acted as the unofficial regent for Greece and often represented George at events, such as at the repatriation of their parents' bodies to the Tatoi burial grounds and at Venizelos' funeral in 1936. Additionally, Paul resumed his duties within the navy, further overworking him. His royal duties restricted him from working out at sea, however, he worked to develop and modernise the [[Scouts of Greece]], which he became the president of during the 1920s.{{sfn|Hourmouzios|1972|p=81}}{{sfn|Van der Kiste|1994|p=157}}

On 4 August 1936, while George continued to neglect his role, General Metaxas overthrew the democratically elected government with a dictatorship.{{sfn|Mateos Sáinz de Medrano|2004|p=109}} Paul distanced himself from both George and Metaxas after the Scouts of Greece was forced to be integrated into the [[National Youth Organisation (Greece)|National Youth Organisation]], a fascist movement supported by Metaxas. Paul received the wrath of Metaxas on multiple occasions when he refused to perform the [[fascist salute]] at official events and ceremonies.{{sfn|Hourmouzios|1972|pp=81–83}}{{sfn|Palmer|Greece|1990|p=74}}

[[File:Paul_and_Frederica_of_Greece.jpg|thumb|right|Paul (''right'') and Frederica (''left'') first met in 1927.]]
Despite his growing distance from his brother, Paul was bearing the responsibility of providing an heir to the Greek throne. Greece followed [[Semi-Salic law]], meaning that if Paul were not to have a child, the throne would pass after him to an uncle, such as [[Prince George of Greece and Denmark|Prince George]], [[Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark|Prince Nicholas]], Prince Andrew or Prince Christopher, however, all of which had accumulated bad reputations in Greece. The next option was for the throne to pass to one of Paul's cousins, such as [[Prince Peter of Greece and Denmark|Prince Peter]] or [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|Prince Philip]], however, both had become unaffiliated from Greece during their exiles and would later renounce their rights to the throne.{{sfn|Van der Kiste|1994|p=158}} Paul attempted to use his interests in tennis and archeology to appeal to younger girls.{{sfn|Mateos Sáinz de Medrano|2004|p=100}}

Earlier in 1927 while visiting his mother in Austria, Paul had met [[Frederica of Hanover]] at the [[Hubertihaus]] estate. Frederica was only ten years old at the time and called Paul, who was sixteen years older, "my uncle", as Paul was a first cousin of Frederica's mother, [[Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia|Princess Victoria Louise]].{{sfn|Mateos Sáinz de Medrano|2004|p=99}} In 1934, Paul and Frederica met again in London at the wedding of [[Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark]] and Prince George, Duke of Kent. The next year, Frederica met Paul in Florence while studying at the American College. Frederica stayed with Paul's sisters during this time. The pair met several times at the Villa Sparta and were said to have fallen in love. Paul's sisters were highly supportive of the relationship and attempted to encourage it, before Paul wrote to Frederica's parents, Victoria Louise and [[Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick]], and asked for their consent to marry her. However, Ernest Augustus declined because of Frederica's young age. Mateos Sáinz de Medrano describes Paul as having been "highly disappointed" at Ernest Augustus' response, but he did not give up on finding a spouse.{{sfn|Mateos Sáinz de Medrano|2004|p=100}} Although it is reported that Paul was looking for a Greek commoner to marry, he searched and found Frederica during his trip to Germany for the [[1936 Berlin Olympic Games]]. He went to the Königinvilla in [[Gmunden]] and asked Frederica's parents again if he could marry her, to which they finally agreed. Paul and Frederica's engagement was soon announced to the public.{{sfn|Mateos Sáinz de Medrano|2004|p=102}}

[[File:Hitler portrait crop.jpg|thumb|left|180px|At the wedding of Paul and Frederica, who was German, Adolf Hitler planned to include Nazi flags.]]
When Paul returned to Greece, his engagement was met with mixed reception. Many Greeks had turned against the royal family when George consented to the Metaxas dictatorship due to his lack of interest in his role.{{sfn|Mateos Sáinz de Medrano|2004|p=109}} Many citizens were also worried of the cost of the Crown Prince's wedding due to the effects of the [[Great Depression]], and protests against taxpayer money being spent of glamorous royal events were held across the country. Paul lacked a personal residence and therefore relied on public expenditure to fund his wedding.{{sfn|Mateos Sáinz de Medrano|2004|pp=102–103 and 107}} Furthermore, the choice of a German bride concerned many Greeks as they feared that the dynasty would become less Greek, reinforced by the family's Danish and German roots. The public was also scared of the backlash from the former Allies of World War I, especially since Constantine I's marriage to a German princess had caused the National Schism within the country.{{sfn|Mateos Sáinz de Medrano|2004|pp=102–103 and 107}} Metaxas, however, approved of Paul’s marriage to Frederica because he hoped that it would strengthen ties between Greece and the fascist [[Nazi Germany|Nazi regime]] in Germany,{{sfn|Mateos Sáinz de Medrano|2004|p=102, 105 and 109}} led by [[Adolf Hitler]], who wanted to use the marriage to spread influence in Greece. Hitler also planned to include Nazi symbols, flags, and anthems at the couple's 1938 wedding.{{sfn|Mateos Sáinz de Medrano|2004|p=103}} George wished to distance Greece from the dynasty's German origins and was thus opposed to their marriage. Frederica, being Hanoverian, was a close relative of the British family and had to ask permission from [[George VI]] to marry Paul, a Greek Orthodox prince.{{sfn|Mateos Sáinz de Medrano|2004|p=103}}

Frederica had not arrived yet in Greece when the [[Church of Greece]] asked her to adopt a Greek name as there was no Orthodox Saint yet that had ever had her first name. The Church explained that by choosing a Greek name, she would be able to identify with Greece's culture and religion, and would provide her with more popularity. However, Frederica refused this request by the [[Holy Synod]] by claiming that her name was an integral part of her identity. Frederica's insistence continued and the Church was forced to reluctantly abandon their request.{{sfn|Mateos Sáinz de Medrano|2004|p=104}} The Greek public however was arguably more shocked at the fact that [[swastikas]], a symbol used by the [[Nazi Party]], were present at Paul and Frederica's wedding ceremony. To block Nazi flags, Paul and George planned to raise Greek flags and also the former Hanoverian kingdom's flags throughout the streets of Athens. However, the former official regional flags were banned in Germany and thus Frederica opposed this because she was worried about displeasing Hitler, who she feared would threaten her parents, who resided in Germany.{{sfn|Mateos Sáinz de Medrano|2004|p=103}}

In early January 1938, Frederica and her parents arrived in Greece through the country's border with [[Yugoslavia]], where Paul and Metaxas personally greeted them.{{sfn|Mateos Sáinz de Medrano|2004|p=105}} On 9 January 1938, their wedding was conducted alongside multiple balls, banquets, and concerts throughout the country. Many Greek citizens were opposed to the wedding's high costs resulting from the accommodation and transport of high-profile guests and wedding participants, most of whom stayed at the [[Hotel Grande Bretagne]] while waiting for the wedding. At the wedding, there was an overwhelming number of German princes, princesses and representatives, which the Greek public saw as discomforting.{{sfn|Mateos Sáinz de Medrano|2004|pp=106–107}} At the wedding, Paul wore the outfit of an admiral in the Greek navy and his witnesses were his nephew, the [[Michael I of Romania|Crown Prince of Romania]], and his cousin, [[Grand Duke Dimitri Pavlovich of Russia]], along with his three brothers-in-law, the [[Prince Ernest Augustus of Hanover (born 1914)|Hereditary Prince of Brunswick]], [[Prince George William of Hanover|Prince George William]] and Prince Christian Oscar.{{sfn|Mateos Sáinz de Medrano|2004|p=107}}

The Greek government’s wedding present to Paul was the Psychiko Palace, a villa in [[Psychiko]], a district of Athens. The palace was built by a wealthy Greek magnate and was made up of two floors, a small garden, and a balcony that faced the streets. It was redecorated by his sister, Irene, before Paul and Frederica moved in. The government gave Frederica a small farm in [[Polydendri forest]], near the town of [[Larissa]] in [[Thessaly]].{{sfn|Mateos Sáinz de Medrano|2004|p=105}} Frederica soon became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter on 2 November 1938 at Psychiko Palace. Paul and Frederica wish to name their daughter, the future [[Queen Sofía of Spain]], Olga, but Greek naming tradition required them to name the child Sophia after Paul's mother. On 2 June 1940, Frederica gave birth to an heir, the future [[Constantine II of Greece|Constantine II]].{{sfn|Mateos Sáinz de Medrano|2004|pp=110–111}}