Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark undertakes 10-day mission with Axion Hellas

23 Apr, 2019 by Helena-Reet Ennet

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NordenBladet – Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark has undertaken a 10-day mission with Axion Hellas, the royal revealed on his Instagram account on Easter. The trip took place the week ahead of Easter Sunday.

This was the Prince’s eight mission to date and one of the “most successful yet,” according to his Instagram post. They travelled to the islands of Astypalaia, Halki (also called Chalki), Kastellorizo, and Tilos, – all of which are in the Aegean Sea.

The mission, which was made challenging by weather conditions and logistics, consisted of 150 volunteers who His Royal Highness called “dedicated” and “selfless.” The programme consisted of health, culture, and educational elements which included the Prince cleaning beaches alongside children.

Prince Nikolaos described the trip’s focus on health, “The local communities were offered free preliminary medical examinations by 50 doctors with 23 different specialities, including 10 nurses and 3 dentists. 2,500 examinations were carried out on 665 individuals.”

Adults and approximately 300 children were helped with these exams.

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Last week we returned from a 10 day mission with Axion Hellas (our 7th to date). While the weather conditions and logistics were very challenging, it was one of, if not the most successful mission yet! This mission consisted of more than 150 selfless and dedicated volunteers. We visited the islands of #astypalaia #tilos #chalki and #kastellorizo The local communities were offered free preliminary medical examinations by 50 doctors with 23 different specialties, including 10 nurses and 3 dentists. 2,500 examinations were carried out on 665 individuals. The educational and cultural program secured the participation of various foundations and organisations, including: – Marianna V Vardinoyannis Foundation – Robert F Kennedy Human Rights – Helmepa – WWF Greece – Prolepsis – Mazi gia to paidi (Together for Children) – Spiti tou Mana – Cyber crime unit of the Hellenic Police Force – Deloitte – IST College – Orama Elpida – Olympic Truce – MOPTIL – Association of Hellenic Frogmen – Gastronomy and Healthy Nutrition by chef Giannis Apostolakis These programs were offered to both adults and approximately 300 children. There were 2 theatre groups included in the mission: – Topi, for young children – Playback Nuevo, for older children and adults. On the island of Kastellorizo the world renowned singer Alkistis Protopsalti performed for the locals a live concert free of charge, made possible by private sponsorship. In addition, the infrastructure team of Axion Hellas facilitated the construction of 10 projects on all the islands by securing generous private donations. These include: – One 5 aside football pitch – Two multi-purpose sports grounds – 3 new playgrounds – 1 school refurbishment – 2 military barracks refurbished – 1 open air fitness facility for the military Before leaving the islands we donated to the schools various gifts, including: – books – technology equipment – art equipment – toys – geographical maps – parade flags – cleaning equipment Every child also received a multipurpose insulated bottle, to reduce the burden of plastic on the planet. @axionhellas #axionhellas #wesupportsociety #reasonsilovegreece #thisisthegreecethatilove

A post shared by Prince Nikolaos (@skylightchaser) on Apr 21, 2019 at 2:11am PDT

Regarding the cultural and educational programmes, various organisations lent their support including Marianna V Vardinoyannis Foundation, Robert F Kennedy Human Rights, Helmepa, WWF Greece, Prolepsis, and Mazi gia to paidi (Together for Children), among others.

Two theatre groups also joined the trip. He explained, “On the island of Kastellorizo the world-renowned singer Alkistis Protopsalti performed for the locals a live concert free of charge, made possible by private sponsorship.”

Moreover, the infrastructure team of Axion Hellas built ten projects on these islands through private donations.

The group also donated books, technology equipment, art equipment, toys, geographical maps, parade flags, and cleaning equipment before their departure.

The Prince added, “Every child also received a multipurpose insulated bottle, to reduce the burden of plastic on the planet.”

Prince Nikolaos, 49, is the third child of the deposed King Constantine II and Queen Anne Marie of Greece. His maternal aunt is Queen Margrethe of Denmark, and his paternal aunt is Queen Sofía of Spain.

Nikolaos has been married to Princess Tatiana since 2010.
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HRH Prince Nikolaos was born on 1 October 1969, in Rome, Italy. His parents, TM King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie, had moved there in 1967. In 1975 the family settled in London, where Prince Nikolaos was home-educated for six years. He then attended the Hellenic College of London.

In 1988 he began his studies in International Relations at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, focusing on Diplomacy and National Security. During his sophomore year, he took a sabbatical to join the British Army on a Short Service Limited Commission, serving as 2nd Lieutenant with the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.

Upon his college graduation (1993), Prince Nikolaos moved into TV production for Fox News in New York. He returned to London in 1995 to work in the foreign exchange options department of NatWest Markets. From 1997 to 2003 he worked in King Constantine’s Family Office. Since then he has been active in business consulting.

An avid photographer for all his life, Prince Nikolaos has passionately dedicated himself to photography since 2013. He prints his works on a number of materials, including Giclee Fine Art Paper; Fine Art Sublimation print on HD aluminium panel; and has pioneered a technique of printing on marble.

In November 2015 he exhibited his work for the first time at Christie’s in London, UK. In March 2016 his photography was featured at The New York Times “Art for Tomorrow” Conference in Doha, Qatar. A selection of his photographs were also featured in the book “A Taste of Greece”, published by teNeues. In June 2018, Prince Nikolaos had his first solo museum exhibition at the Hellenic Museum in Melbourne. Prince Nikolaos was recently selected, according to the recommendations of Philippe Starck Studio, along with 6 other photographers, to exhibit their photographs in Spain, at La Almazara.

Prince Nikolaos sits on the Board of Knightsbridge Schools International, established in 2008 to develop and operate a network of international schools around the world. He is a special advisor to the board and an active volunteer of Axion Hellas, a Greek non-profit organization supporting local communities on remote islands. Prince Nikolaos and his wife Princess Tatiana (née Tatiana Blatnik) married in 2010. Three years later, they moved to Athens, Greece, where they currently reside.

Featured image: Prince Nikolaos (Instagram/@skylightchaser)