A GRAND palace owned by the late Prince Philip’s family has been left untouched for decades.
But a £12.3million renovation of the home could finally see it restored to its original glory.
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The Tatoi Palace – located on Mount Parnitha, near Athens – was the Greek royal family’s home before the abolition of monarchy in 1973.
King George I bought the 10,000-acre estate with private funds from Denmark in 1872 for his family to enjoy in the summertime.
Surrounded by woods, rivers, and wildlife, the staggering complex is made up of personnel quarters, stables, beehives, and farms, as well as the main palace building.
It is also the final resting place of Philip’s father and King Charles’s grandfather, Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark.
Philip was born in Greece before his family was exiled when he was 18-months-old.
The Greek royals found the home to be more private than the official royal palace – now the presidential palace – and eventually used it as their permanent residence.
When they were forced to flee the country during a period of fierce political turmoil, the palace was handed over to the state – still full of their belongings.
It has remained frozen in time ever since.
But a meeting between King Charles, Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his wife Mareva Grabowski-Mitsotakis last year appeared to mark the start of a new chapter.
Charles visited the Palace as part of the 200th anniversary of the Greek War of Independence.
A £12.3million investment will reportedly see the palace revived and transformed into a museum by 2025, as part of a joint venture between Britain and Greece.
King Charles’ Prince’s Foundation is said to be providing advice to the Greek government on restoring the complex.
Works are set to include converting King George I’s stables into a museum and renovating the gardens, which house several royal tombs.
It comes after a lengthy legal battle over who owned the palace was finally settled in 2002.
The European Court of Human Rights decided the former royal family should receive compensation of €12million, an estimated one per cent of the total value of the estate.
It was paid to them by the state using money from the Greek Natural Disasters Fund, prompting the former royal family to set up a foundation to help people hit by natural disasters in the country.
When the Ministry of Culture explored the site in 2004, they discovered nine cargo containers of treasures that belonged to the exiled royals had been taken.
It set about collecting forgotten items – ranging in worth and significance – from wine bottles and children’s toys to precious antiques and artwork.
By 2012, it had an inventory of more than 17,000 pieces.
The palace today remains a lost beauty.
While the main residence has been secured, other parts have been left completely alone.
Visitors will likely stumble across some mysterious objects left behind and obscured by overgrowth, such as gates that lead to nowhere, crumbling buildings, and rusting vehicles.
And at least 20 royals and five heads of state have been buried on the grounds.
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