by Christos Zabounis
The idea was American. The flag, however, was Greek. Amid the hectic preparations for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece – or ‘de Grèce’, as the French would say – designed a children’s clothing collection featuring white knitted sweaters adorned with the Greek flag: nine blue and white stripes and a cross in the upper left corner. In early 2002, she approached us with the idea of offering these sweaters through *Life & Style* magazine in support of a charitable cause. She was photographed in New York alongside her husband, Crown Prince Pavlos, and their three children at the time – Maria-Olympia, Constantine-Alexios, and Achileas-Andreas – all wearing the sweaters. The editorial appeared in our May issue, and demand for the now-iconic knitwear proved remarkably high. Although production delays meant deliveries arrived gradually, customers eventually received their much-coveted fashion pieces. The substantial amount raised, as Pavlos later informed us, was to be donated to the “Mitera Foundation”. “Mitera Infant Care Centre”, as it is formally known, was founded in 1953 by his grandmother, Queen Frederica, with the primary aim of providing shelter and care for children who, for various reasons – most often because they had been orphaned – had no home. Around the same time, the institution also launched a pioneering foster care and adoption programme. Following the restoration of democracy in Greece in 1974, the foundation was incorporated into the wider public sector, having previously operated under the Queen’s Welfare Fund. When the princely couple visited the centre in Liosia to present the donation, they were welcomed by Maro Kontou. Elegant, poised and radiating the same refined grace that had made her such a beloved presence on the silver screen, she greeted us with impeccable warmth and courtesy. Having been unable to have children herself due to health complications – as she would later reveal in a television interview – Kontou chose instead to devote herself to helping children in need, accepting the position of President of the foundation. In lieu of flowers at her funeral, her final wish was for donations to be made to “Mitera”. May her memory be eternal.
