Pavlos, the Crown Prince of Greece, has suggested that Charles III would want the Elgin Marbles to be returned to Greece.
The marbles, also known as the Parthenon Marbles, are on display at the British Museum.
They are original parts of the Parthenon and other sacred structures built on the Acropolis of Athens, leading to calls for them to be repatriated to Greece.
“I think that is a subject that a lot of the people in the country can talk about. If the people feel that the Elgin Marbles can come back to where they came from in Greece, then we will be very blessed that that will happen,” the Crown Prince told Channel 4 News.
“I do think that His Majesty will keep quiet because it is not for him to make these decisions. However, I do know that being a person that likes culture and architecture and so forth, I’m sure he will feel that these could be in their rightful place.”
He added that he would be open to a “very nice conversation” with Liz Truss on the topic.
About half the surviving sculptures of the Parthenon were exported to Britain by sea between 1801 to 1812 by agents of Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin.
Elgin argued as his authority for this that he had obtained an official decree from the Sublime Porte, the central government of the Ottoman Empire which, as ruler of Greece, was at that time the legal owner of the sculptures.
Elgin sold the marbles to the British Government in 1816, since when they have been in the possession of the British Museum and are now on display in the purpose-built Duveen Gallery.
Greece has been arguing for the marbles, and other sculptures and art they say was looted, since its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1832.
In 2021, Unesco called for the United Kingdom to return the marbles to Greece.
The late Duke of Edinburgh was among the extended family of the Crown Prince, as Prince Philip was Pavlos’ father King Constantine II’s first cousin-once-removed. Greece has not had a monarchy since 1973, when they deposed of their last king, the father of Pavlos; however he still goes by the title.
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