Marie-Chantal of Greece has a tradition of turning family milestones into love letters; her latest may be the most personal yet. To mark the 22nd birthday of her fourth child, Prince Odysseas, the Crown Princess opened her private photo album and shared a tribute on Instagram that leans on one very special detail: she and her son share a birthday.
© @mariechantal22"Happy September 17 birthday to my Virgo twin!" wrote Marie-Chantal. She complimented the post with a series of family snapshots, sharing just how closely their stories line up.
"Born on my same birthday and in London like me!" she wrote. "You at 1 p.m. and me at 1 a.m. I'm a Monkey and so are you. And a Wood Monkey, at that!," she added, in reference to the Chinese Zodiac. "You're the cutest, most relaxed, sweetest, coolest and kindest person I know. We adore you, Ody!"
The photos trace Odysseas's childhood in smiles and family moments, a rare window into the life of a royal who has mostly stayed out of view. That discretion sets him apart from a couple of his siblings.
His older sister, Princess Olympia, keeps making bigger moves in the fashion world, while his brother Prince Achileas-Andreas has built an acting career that brushes up against Hollywood.
© @mariechantal22Odysseas' life in New York
Odysseas, who turned 22 on September 17th, is the fourth of Crown Prince Pavlos and Marie-Chantal's five kids. He was born in London in 2004, and grew up between there and New York. He's still in school, enrolling in New York University in the fall of 2023, in the footsteps of his brother Achileas-Andreas.
He balances his Manhattan classes with a fashion side project, running the streetwear brand Gallows Humour, which he launched when he was a teen.
This year's birthday also lands at a remarkable moment for Norway's royal family, with Odysseas having a personal stake in it. His godmother, Mette-Marit, became Queen of Norway when her husband, Haakon, acceded to the throne as King Haakon VIII after the death of King Harald V. Odysseas is now the godson of a European queen.
© @mariechantal22It's the second piece of good news for the family in the past couple of months. In April, Greece's Council of State rejected a challenge to the citizenship and surname of ten members of the former royal family. The ruling confirmed that Pavlos, his siblings, and his five children, Odysseas included, are Greek citizens who may lawfully use the surname De Grèce.
Once the decision is formally published, they'll hold every right the Hellenic Republic and its constitution provide, including the right to vote and to run for office.
Pavlos and Marie-Chantal have been together for more than three decades, and both are members of the House of Glücksburg, the same dynasty that reigns in Norway. That shared lineage makes this year's birthday letter another entry in a long family story.
© Europa Press via Getty Images
