Christie's Hosts Big Fat Greek Auction

Sale of royal belongings proceeds despite Greek govt' protests

Artifacts that once belonged to the King George I of Greece went on sale as planned today when Christie's put them up for auction in London.

Despite protests from the Greek government, the auction - the first sale of objects belonging to the former royal family since its fall in 1973 - will see more than 850 objects, much of it silverware and works by jeweller Peter Carl Faberge (such as the egg pictured), going under the hammer over a two-day period.

The seller is not being formally identified but is believed to be London-based ex-king Constantine, BBC online reported.

Constantine was Greece's monarch from 1964 until the abolition of the monarchy and is George I's great-grandson.

Greek Culture minister George Voulgarakis has called for the sale to be stopped, saying the items involved were "part of the history of the modern Greek state."

Buyers could face legal action unless the auctioneers showed the works were legally taken out of Greece, Voulgarakis warned.

(Photo by the Associated Press.)