Head of the Greek royal family
Following the death of his father on 10 January 2023, Pavlos delivered Constantine's eulogy during the funeral ceremony and carried his coffin with his brothers, sons and nephews at the burial. A rumour circulated that Pavlos intended to permanently relocate to Greece, but this was later denied by the spokesperson of the former Greek royal family, Ivi Macris, as "completely false". On 22 January, Pavlos spoke to French magazine Point de Vue regarding his new role. In the interview, Pavlos thanked the public for their respect towards the Greek royal family and said that those who crowded the funeral, whether they were "monarchists or not", "paid tribute to a historical personality, a part of Greek history." When asked about the role he sees himself upholding in Greek society, Pavlos explained that he would "not take on an official role", but will "uphold the family's exemplary." He added that his eldest son Constantine-Alexios would not take on any official role either, but would "follow his grandfather's example and be a good man."
Pavlos issued a statement about the Tempi train collision in February 2023, which caused the death of almost 60 people, styling himself Head of the former Royal House of Greece following Constantine's death. The statement read: "Today all of Greece is mourning. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who lost loved ones to this unimaginable tragedy and with the injured who we sincerely hope to be released from the hospital soon." Pavlos also thanked the rescue and medical teams involved for their "superhuman efforts", before giving his "heartbroken" condolences to the families who lost their children in the accident and asking God to bless them all. Soon after, as Pavlos was leaving Athens that month, it was revealed that he and his family had been searching for a home in Greece, with Pavlos telling journalists that he had not "found a house yet".
In April 2023, Pavlos attended a Greek Orthodox Easter service in the Hamptons, where his sons Constantine-Alexios and Odysseas-Kimon were holding the Epitaphios. Pavlos attended the coronation of Charles III and Camilla in May with his mother and wife.
On 3 July 2023 at 11:45pm, Pavlos and his brother, Nikolaos, appeared in a special edition of 365 Moments, a Greek television series hosted by Sofia Papaioannou. The episode marked the first interview with Pavlos and Nikolaos since their father's death, and it discussed the passing of their father, their stripped Greek citizenship and their surname. Pavlos described his father as "strict but very loving" and said that despite being forced into exile, he still wanted to help his family. Pavlos also announced that he was now living in Greece again, which is what he "always wanted to". He explained that the opportunity to live in Greece occurred as his job allowed for overseas work. When asked whether he accepted the last name "Glücksburg", Pavlos said that he would never see it as his name. He called it, "a family lineage. Denmark's family name is not that. It is one of the castles of the family's origin." He explained that throughout his life, he never introduced himself with a last name, but rather called himself "Pavlos of Greece". Pavlos also added that he was "very interested in [Greek] politics", but would never become involved, has no political association and would always long for his Greek passport to be returned.
Pavlos and Marie-Chantal attended the 2023 British Fashion Awards. There, Pavlos was spotted with a black eye patch covering his left eye. The day prior, Marie-Chantal posted to Instagram a close-up photo of his eye patch, saying, "Hopefully a temporary new look, but he’s kind of cute". Following worry online, Pavlos announced on Instagram that he had undergone a retinal detachment surgery. After thanking people for their support and wishes, Pavlos explained that the surgery was "successful", however he would be unable to travel and therefore have to spend Christmas in London. Between January and February 2024, Pavlos and his family attended three memorial services to mark the one year anniversary of Constantine's death — one in Athens and two in London, including a thanksgiving service. After a memorial service the following day, Pavlos and Nikolaos were interviewed by ANT1 reporter Isaac Karipidis. They both thanked the public for their support. On 28 September 2024, Pavlos served as a groomsman at the wedding of Princess Theodora and Matthew Kumar at the Metropolitan Cathedral.
On 19 December 2024, Pavlos, his five children and his four siblings submitted an application for Greek citizenship, which had been stripped from the family in 1994. Pavlos's mother, Anne-Marie, did not apply, as she was reportedly "not interested". Under law, Pavlos and his family, in order to receive citizenship, must pledge allegiance to the republican constitution and adopt a surname. Ultimately, the surname of "Ντε Γκρες" (transliteration of De Grèce, meaning "of Greece") was chosen. It was reported by the royal family that this surname was chosen as it was the one used by the late Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark, and so was the "only familiar one" to them. The following day, Pavlos's citizenship, alongside that of his children and siblings, was reinstated according to the provisions of the 1994 law by order of the Minister of the Interior, Theodoros Livanios. The reinstatement of their citizenship meant that those eligible must complete mandatory military conscription. Deputy Minister Pavlos Marinakis said to Action 24 that the ex-royal family's "request was made in accordance with the law", while the left-wing SYRIZA party stated "the choice of family name is problematic". The Communist Party of Greece and PASOK also criticized the government's decision. Athens University Constitutional Law Emeritus Professor Nikos Alivizatos also criticized the decision of the Minister of the Interior arguing that it did not fulfill the requirements of the 1994 law, because "Ντε Γκρες" was not a "regular surname", but "a declaration of place of origin" and a title of distinction, such as those used by royalty and aristocrats, something that goes against the Greek Constitution. In February 2025, Athens University Administrative Law Professor Panos Lazaratos lodged an objection against the recognition of the surname filed by the members of the former royal family, arguing that it constitutes a form of indirect discrimination against all other citizens, and that it was unlawful to give them Greek citizenship.
