Prince Nikolaos of Greece and family friend Chrysí Vardinogianni are engaged, according to local media – less than a year after his shock split from his wife of 14 years Princess Tatiana.
The royal, whose father was Constantine II of Greece – the last king of Greece after it abolished its monarchy in 1973 and Prince William’s godfather, is ‘planning to tie the knot in a very private ceremony’, reported Hello! Greece.
Prince Nikolaos, 55, and Chrysí, daughter of ship owner Giorgos Vardinogiannis and Agapi Politi, have reportedly attended several family events together – including a memorial for the late King Constantine and Princess Theodora and Matthew Kumar’s wedding.
However, they weren’t pictured together at Prince Nikolaos’ sister’s nuptials – instead preferring to keep a low profile, revealed the publication.
Chrysí, who has reportedly long been a close friend of the Greek royal family, split from her husband Konstantinos Markoulakis, a director, in December 2023.
Meanwhile, last April, Prince Nikolaos announced his separation from Princess Tatiana, who later shared how she had had a ‘difficult year’, months after announcing her split and later learning that her stepbrother had gone missing.
Nikolaos – once dubbed the ‘Playboy Prince’ after partying with the likes of Elle Macpherson and Jemima Khan, according to Tatler – will only be inviting close friends and family to his big day, the local publication claimed. However, it’s unclear if a date has been set for the reported nuptials.
MailOnline has contacted the Greek Royal Family for comment.
Prince Nikolaos of Greece and family friend Chrysí Vardinogianni are engaged, according to local media – less than a year after his shock split from his wife of 14 years Princess Tatiana (pictured together in 2015)
In October, Tatiana, 44, told Greek publication BHMagazino that she had endured a ‘difficult year’ following the split from her husband, which was made worse by the terrifying disappearance of her stepbrother Attilio Brillembourg, 53.
The royal – a publicist and event planner – said that 2024 has been: ‘A really difficult year for me, one of transition, full of moments of uncertainty and pain.’
After almost 14 years of marriage, Princess Tatiana and Prince Nikolaos shocked royal fans when they suddenly announced their separation on April 19.
Less than a month later, the princess was hit with more terrifying news after it was revealed that her stepbrother, Attilio Brillembourg III, had vanished in the middle of the night in Malibu.
Attilio is the son of Princess Tatiana’s former stepfather, Attilio Brillembourg, who was previously married to her mother and accompanied her at her 2010 wedding to Prince Nikolaos of Greece.
The younger Attilio, a financier who lived in New York and is rumoured to have dated Charlie Chaplin’s granddaughter Kiera Chaplin, is thought to still be missing after he vanished in May.
At the time his missing persons report was filled, the sheriff’s department said there was ‘concern’ for Attilio’s ‘wellbeing’.
Tatiana reflected on the difficult year behind her. She said: ‘Life’s challenges remind me how important it is to persevere, to have hope and faith in the power of the human spirit.’
Prince Nikolaos (pictured in 2016), 55, and Chrysí, daughter of ship owner Giorgos Vardinogiannis and Agapi Politi, have reportedly attended several family events together
Princess Tatiana (left) said spoken out for the first time following her divorce from Prince Nikolaos, (right) revealing she has had a ‘difficult year’. Pictured at their wedding in 2010
Prince Nikolaos and Princess Tatiana were pictured together in February 2024 for the late King of Greece’s Thanksgiving service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle
Despite the tumultuous year, the former Greek royal highlighted the support she had received from family, from whom she said she had drawn ‘immense strength’.
She said she had learned the importance of allowing herself to feel her own emotions and having compassion for herself.
Prince Nikolaos married Venezuelan-born Princess Tatiana in August 2010. All appeared to be well between the couple with the two continuing to attend events together up until February 2024.
The couple were pictured together in February – just two months before announcing their split – at a thanksgiving service for Nikolaos’ father in Windsor in February.
Prince Nikolaos’ father, Constantine II of Greece, died in Athens in 2023 of a stroke at the age of 82.
In a statement put out on the Greek royal family’s website, it stated: ;After fourteen years of marriage, [Tatiana and Nikolaos] have chosen to amicably dissolve their union.
‘This decision was reached with great care and mutual respect, reflecting the depth of their appreciation for one another and the moments they have shared.
‘Their future interactions will continue to be guided by these same principles of respect and understanding, as they transition into a relationship rooted in a strong friendship.
Prince Nikolaos and Princess Tatiana pictured in 2010, before their marriage, attending the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Daniel Westling
Less than a month later, the princess was hit with more terrifying news after it was revealed that her stepbrother, Attilio Brillembourg III, had vanished in the middle of the night in Malibu (pictured with his rumoured girlfriend, Kiera Chaplin, granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin)
‘They will continue to live and build their lives in Greece, a place they both call home. The Family will always support them.’
According to HELLO! Greece, Venezuela-born Tatiana will keep her Princess title after the divorce, although given the Greek monarchy has been defunct since 1967, it carries social prestige rather than any constitutional meaning.
Down-to-earth Tatiana already seemed at odds with the extravagance of Greek royal life, asking the nobles and princes present to trade their formal wear for kaftans and sandals.
Shortly after her wedding, she admitted: ‘I do not feel like a princess. I do not feel that I married a prince, with a title. Well actually, yes, he is my prince, but nothing more.’
Tatiana was born in Venezuelan capital Caracas and went to boarding school in Switzerland before studying sociology at Georgetown.
The couple met during a ski holiday in Switzerland in 2003 and announced their engagement six years later – with the wedding one of the high society events of the year.
The wedding – which was described as ‘Mamma Mia, but with aristocrats’ – was attended by royalty from around the world, including monarchies from the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Spain. The couple do not share any children together.
Shortly after their wedding, Princess Tatiana left her job as an events’ organiser for designer Diana Von Furstenberg, MailOnline previously reported.
Pictured (L-R) Marie-Blanche Brillembourg, Prince Nikolaos, Tatiana Blatnik, and Atilio Brillembourg in August 2010
After almost 14 years of marriage, Princess Tatiana and Prince Nikolaos shocked royal fans as they unexpectedly announced their separation on April 19. Above: The pair pictured in 2011
Tatiana Blatnik and her stepfather Atilio Brillembourg are seen at her 2010 wedding in Spetses, Greece
She lived in Chelsea in London and visited Greece with Nikalaos for the first time in 2004, before moving there permanently in 2013.
Nikalaos, who was raised in Britain, had always dreamed of living in Greece, but his wife didn’t feel the same way.
The aristocrat didn’t speak any Greek, and told Vogue about her feelings on arriving into the country – which already hinted at how uncomfortable she was.
She told the fashion magazine: ‘I remember when we drove in, it felt like everyone was travelling in the opposite direction.’
In the same interview, she revealed that her new royal life was rather different to how you might expect.
She continued: ‘I live a very simple life here. I work, I go to the supermarket, I cook, I walk my dog, and the Greek people have welcomed me like they would anyone else.’
Greek media had reported murmurs of estrangement in recent months – with the appearance at the Windsor memorial service in February the last time they were seen together in public.