When King George I’s son, Constantine, the heir to the throne, was born in 1868, the Greek state decided to present him with a private dwelling when he came of age. When Constantine married princess Sophia of Prussia, in 1889, the government agreed to fulfil its promise. The planning of the “Crown Prince’s Palace” was assigned to the famous architect Ernst Ziller. Construction lasted six years (1891-1897) but was marred by significant delays as a result of the 1893 national bankruptcy. The Greek state had assumed the building costs and the curtailing of non-essential spending impeded the completion of the palace.