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King Constantine played a key role in Greek history during the First World War, strongly supporting his country’s neutrality until his removal in 1917. A man of strong personality, Constantine opposed the purposes and plans of Prime Minister Venizelos to bring Greece on to the side of the Entente. Very soon the tension between the two men over this issue became untenable, thus creating the basis for the so-called National Schism, one of the most traumatic milestones in modern Greek history. The article examines in depth the factors that influenced Constantine’s personality and decision-making during the First World War. The justification (and sometimes glorification) of Constantine’s stance during the Great War became a firm reference point for all pro-royalists in the decades that followed his death. However, in historical perspective, the 1914-1917 period can be considered a turning point in the history of the Greek monarchy that led to a progressive decline in the allure of the monarchy, which nevertheless managed to survive many decades of turbulence before its definitive abolition in the referendum of 1974.