King Charles: the story behind the Greek tie

From his official coronation photo shoot to his much-talked-about meeting with Rishi Sunak, the British King has been opting for ties with Greek symbols.

We don’t know if King Charles III really wanted to use his tie to send a message that his institutional role prevents him from doing, but a few hours ago he chose an accessory that had the smell of Greecein every sense of the word.

The reason, of course, is the tie with flying Greek flags that the British king chose for his meeting at COP28, the 28th UN climate change conference, with English Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The one-on-one meeting between the king and Britain’s prime minister came after the cancellation of a meeting between Sunak and his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis, which caused a mini-diplomatic row and reopened debate over the return of the marble sculptures.

Charles III, however, makes no secret of his love for Greece; his father, Prince Philip, was born in that country and then exiled with his family when the current king of Britain was still an infant.

King Charles III sported a tie emblazoned with the Greek flag while meeting UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Dubai — just days after the PM found himself embroiled in a diplomatic spat with the country https://t.co/5Xjt29ESjD

— Bloomberg Green (@climate) December 1, 2023

King Charles III wore a tie emblazoned with the Greek flag during a meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Dubai – just days after the prime minister became embroiled in a diplomatic dispute with the country.

As Marianne Pagoni, head of the Pagoni company explains, the tie with the Greek flags was given to Charles some time ago. The tie was designed by M. Pagoni herself back in 2003, in preparation for the Olympic Games, and is one of the designs of her founded house. Apparently Charles quickly came to appreciate it, as a few days before COP28 he wore it again: this time in Buckingham to greet South Korean President Yeon Suk-yeol.

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Another gift seems to have made Charles fall in love with another Greek brand for his ties – Thalassa Collection, which he has also revered for many years, ever since he was a prince. At many formal occasions, Charles chose ties from this collection, which showcase the Greek character through various symbols such as kings, the Cretan axe, owls and Byzantine mosaics done in shades of blue.

“A few years ago, one of our clients, who knew the then Prince Charles, bought a tie for him, gave it to him, and since then he has been wearing our ties very often.” – says Marios Kritikos, who, together with Summer Sinno, is the mastermind of the brand.

Since then, Charles has expanded his collection, as evidenced by an order placed through the brand’s online store by Buckingham Palace. The house itself, to thank him for his preference, gave Charles a tie in March last year, and he, in turn, sent a response letter of thanks by royal mail.

In a letter of thanks to Mario Kritikos and Summer Sinno for the tie they gave to King Charles, we read, among other things: “His Majesty was especially touched by your kind words and response to his love for Greece.”

There are many official occasions when Charles chose to wear such a tie, most noticeably during the official photograph upon his accession to the throne, as well as during subsequent celebrations of his enthronement. On the contrary, at the celebration of Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee, Charles again chose a tie with a coat of arms.

During his visit to France with President Emmanuel Macron some time ago, the king wore a tie with a Cretan axe, and for a meeting with Kyriakos Mitsotakis he chose a tie with the Greek coat of arms (among many other appearances with these ties).

He even wore the tie during a photo shoot with Joe Biden when he visited Windsor Castle last July. The US President, in turn, wore the same tie he wore during the “controversial” meeting between Charles and Sunak when he welcomed Kyriakos Mitsotakis to the White House in 2022. This is how these paradoxical encounters with “made in Greece” ties took place.

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