The funeral of the former King Constantine II, the country's last monarch, is taking place in Greece. The private service began at noon and was held in the Athens Cathedral, writes AFP.

 Dozens of European royals and hundreds of Greeks gathered in Athens on Monday for the funeral of Greece's last king, Constantine II, who died last week at the age of 82.

 Royals from Great Britain, Denmark, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway and Spain flew in for the service. The Greek government is represented by Vice President Panagiotis Pikrammenos and Minister of Culture and Sports Lina Mendoni.

 Since dawn on Monday, at least 2,000 people have lined up outside the capital's cathedral in Athens to pay their respects, according to state broadcaster ERT.

 The service, presided over by Archbishop Hieronymus, head of the Orthodox Church of Greece, began after lunch, which was attended by almost 200 people.

 After the service, the cortege was to proceed to the royal estate of Tatoi, where the former King Constantine would be taken to his final residence and buried next to the graves of his ancestors. The motorcade with the coffin will be constantly monitored by motorcyclists and patrolmen, as well as a helicopter, which will transmit images to the operation center of the Greek police.

 After the monarch is buried, the family will prepare a seafood meal for high-ranking guests at the Great Britain Hotel, as is customary in Greece.

 Greece's last king, Constantine, died on January 11 at the age of 82.