By Nuria Hernández

Copyright vanityfair

The family reunion in the Hellenic capital came about at a charity event in the impressive Odeon of Herodes Atticus, a building for musical performances, erected in 161. It was funded by the Roman consul Herodes Atticus, who had it built in memory of his wife, Appia Annia Regilla, who died a year earlier. It is located next to the Theater of Dionysus, at the western end of the southern slope of the Acropolis of Athens. There, the widow of Constantine of Greece and her two children enjoyed a performance of Athletes of the Gods, which brought together some of the world’s best ballet stars in support and whose proceeds will go to Aurora, an organization that fights hematological diseases. Neither Marie-Chantal Miller, wife of the heir to the Greek throne, nor Chrysi Vardinogianni accompanied their respective husbands.
Elegant and smiling, Paolo of Greece and his brother Nikolaos enjoyed the show with their mother and then posed with other guests, among them Princess AlJoharah Talal AlSaud. The Saudi princess is the granddaughter of King Abdulaziz, the first king of Saudi Arabia. The princess studied architecture and has a postgraduate degree from Harvard University. In addition to appearing on the covers of fashion magazines and being a prominent philanthropist, the princess owns several restaurants, a chain of preschools, and other companies. In November 2022 she was seen alongside Queen Sofia of Spain at the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
The relationship between Queen Sofia and Princess AlJoharah Talal goes back a long way. The father of the Saudi princess, Prince Talal, has a mansion in the Majorcan urbanization of Son Vida and is close friends with Juan Carlos I. Every summer, the Saudi princess typically enjoys time with Sofia and her sister, Irene of Greece, on vacation in Marivent, even posting some photos together to her social media accounts. The princess is married to Sheikh Khalid Al Sudairy, with whom she has two children, Magda and Monsur Khalid.
Nikolaos of Greece and Chrysi Vardinogianni live very discreetly in Athens, and rarely make public appearances. The son of Constantine of Greece is dedicated to the world of photography and last February, shortly after his wedding to the wealthy Greek heiress, he presented some of his photographic work at the Tsoukala Stefanidou Gallery as part of NOMAD 2025 in St. Moritz.
“Through his work, Prince Nikolaos continues to explore the dialogue between nature, abstraction, and perception, inviting viewers into a world where materiality and emotion merge seamlessly,” the gallery said in a release.
The prince has a public profile on Instagram, where he shares photos and messages celebrating important days, like March 25, when Greek Independence Day is celebrated. “Happy Greek Independence Day! On this important day, we honor our national heritage with pride, gratitude and hope for a better future,” he wrote last year in the caption of a video of his country’s flag.
His wife, too, is rarely seen at public events. She made her debut alongside the Greek royal family last April at an event of the Association of Athenians, one of the oldest and most important institutions in Athens, which celebrated the 130th anniversary of its foundation. She toured the Association with her husband, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law Paolo, then enjoyed the presentation of the Association’s Gold Medals to three distinguished personalities of the city by members of the royal family.
Nikolaos of Greece and Chrysi Vardinogianni were married on February 7, 2025 at the Church of St. Nicholas of Rangava, the oldest temple in Athens. Queen Sofia and the Infantas Elena and Cristina attended the family event as a few of the approximately 100 invited friends and family members.
Originally published in Vanity Fair Spain.