Princess Irene of Greece, daughter of King Paul of Greece and sister of Queen Sofía of Spain, passed away on January 15, 2026, at the age of 83, at the Palace of La Zarzuela in Madrid. Princess Irene of Greece's funeral service took place on January 19, 2026, at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens in Athens, Greece. The burial was held privately at the Royal Cemetery of Tatoi, the burial ground of the former Greek royal family.
The funeral service was attended by members of Princess Irene’s family as well as representatives of several royal families, including Queen Sofía, King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, Princess Leonor, Infanta Sofía, Infanta Elena, Infanta Cristina, former Queen Anne-Marie of Greece (née Princess of Denmark), Princess Alexia, Princess Nina, Prince Pavlos, Prince Nikolaos, and Prince Philippos.
I am surprised to see the entire Spanish royal family at a private funeral in Greece while Spain was hit by a horrendous train accident this morning with many many casualties.
ردحذفThey were in Greece since Yesterday. Spain has a President of the Government and Ministers Who lead the Country.
حذفThey were already there as they arrived yesterday. And then it is close Family
حذفKing Felipe talked to the press this morning. They were already in Athens when the train accident took place. After the funeral they will return straight back home. It is not their fault that a train accident happended when they were at the funeral of their family member.
حذفIt's their family so you shouldn't be surprised at all. I'm sure the King and Queen are well aware and will do what they need to do. Family first.
حذفKing Felipe and Queen Letitia will no doubt visit the place of the train disaster, they know the work of firemen and ambulance- workers etc comes first.
حذفI would believe that King Felipe and family were already in Greece yesterday--well before the tragic events of the train crash this morning. I feel sure he and Queen Letizia flew home as soon as possible after the funeral. Janet
حذفI am sure they will be back in a few hours. The royals never go to accident sites and get in the way of those that need to be there. They go afterwards when appropriate. They can send their condolences from anywhere in the world. Royals are people who have family too, whether they die in an accident or of sickness.
حذفI read that the king left the reception early to return to Madrid.
حذفThey were already in Athens before the accident, they left after the burial, skipped the reception
حذفThe train accident occurred in the evening of 18th January.
حذفThe Spanish Royal Family most likely had already flown to Greece yesterday morning, hours before the horrible tragedy.
These royals cannot be ubiquitous.
I think they will do their best to flew back to Spain ASAP.
The accident happened late last evening, they will be back this evening. I do not think that anyone will take the time to grief as a family and then with the country.
حذفFirst of all, they were already in Greece when the accident occurred and returning a couple of hours earlier would not change anything, they are not first responders. Secondly, it is not just any funeral, but the funeral of the sister/ aunt who lived with them at Zarzuela Palace for 40 years and went on holidays to Mallorca with them each summer, so it was a very close relationship.
حذفDon't worry! The Spanish Royal family is certainely aware of that terrible train accident - and you can be assured that they will respnd adequately. But they also have the right to attend Princess irene's funeral -out of respect for the king's mother and the loss of her sister.
حذفpeople like you will always find something wrong without showing much empathy for the grief of other, especially royal people.
1. When the terrible train accident happened in Spain, the Spanish royal family was already on their way to Athens. They couldn't have predicted it, they're not fortune tellers!
حذف2. Why would they cancel their trip? - they were going to the funeral of their closest relative - Queen Sofia's sister, King Felipe's aunt. They weren't going to a party!
3. Today they would only be hindering the security and rescue teams at the scene of the accident. They will be back in Spain tomorrow, there will be enough time to express their condolences to the families of the dead and injured.
Stephanie
* on the evening of...
حذفA sad event especially for Queen Sofia, who lost her sister. RIP.
ردحذفPS: Although Princess Irene had the title "Princess of Greece and Denmark" - in fact, all members of her family are of German origin, specifically the Glucksburg family on her father's side and the Hanoverian family on her mother's side. They do not have a drop of Greek blood. Therefore, it is no wonder that the Greeks preferred the republican system. They do not consider them quite their own. According to my Greek friends, they have a marginal position in nowadays Greece.
Well, isnot that so for most European monarchies?
حذفMost have German origins, except Sweden, and nearly all are related
This political comment seems in poor taste - this is a post about the funeral of a family’s beloved relative. There are many, many sites where people can comment about politics to their hearts’ content. I suggest in future you find one of them.
حذفAnd, in case you think the opinion you posted was some great revelation, think again. Many of the regular readers of sites like this one are extremely knowledgeable about the histories of royal families, past and extant. We do not need anyone to “educate” us.
In most of the European countries with a monarchy there is a mixture of nationalities. King Philippe is the first king of the Belgians who married a Belgian countess. All the other kings before him married French, Austrian, German, Swedish, Spanish and Italian princesses. If that should be the reason to prefer a republic Belgium would be a republic since ages. When the habitants of a country vote for a republic I think there are more reasons than the fact that their king/queen are born in another country. Why they cannot come together to a funeral of a family member who was raised in Greece and who kept the Greek-Orthodox religion. Maybe it was her last will to be buried in Greece.
حذفBen detto.
حذفTra l’altro Paolo “principe ereditario”, con tutta la sua famiglia, vive tra Stati Uniti e Gran Bretagna… così mi sembra di ricordare.
If "blood", whatever that means, is what matters, your greek friends shouldn't expect to be given citizenship if they migrate to France, Great Britain, Germany or another country, because they don't have a drop of french, british or german blood running through their veins. It seems like some people are going back to the old and lethal "pure blood" prínciple.
حذفI agree with every word you said,
حذف@ Anonymous 16:19.
Thanks 14:50. I enjoyed learning that from you and can well appreciate the Greek population’s attitude to having a Germanic royal family.
حذفOkay, but Princess Irene did not try to play any sort of official role in Greece after the Royal Family was deposed. She lived in Spain for 44 years and ultimately became a Spanish citizen.
حذفTo Sakurahime - reaction:
حذفYour reaction to my statement is absolutely inappropriate and attributes to me opinions that I do not have. I simply wanted to say that majority of Greeks do not consider them to be representatives of their nation or its cultural heritage. It is a fact. At the same time, I think they are certainly nice, likeable people and I am sorry for their loss.
Stephanie
@ Stephanie
حذفI do not think Sakurahime's comment was an answer to yours, but to anonymous 14:50
Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark is the best dressed. I prefer her classic 2 pieces suit of a skirt and a jacket and the transparent black stockings. The young lady with the wine red cushion in her hands is also dressed in very beautiful black clothes. I prefer the transparent black stockings instead of thick black panty hose. The sisters of King Felipe are also well dressed.
ردحذفLa bella signorina con il cuscino rosso è Irene, la figlia dell’infanta Cristina.
حذفTutti ben vestiti, adeguati.
I am sure they will be grateful to you for your flattering comments.
حذف@Anon 17 59, why the snarky comment? It’s a fashion blog and Anon 15 03 is commenting, perfectly respectfully on their outfits
حذفAnon 15.03 I agree re: Yes beautifully dressed. Her two piece suit is definitely classic. The single strand pearl earrings and gorgeous pearl earrings look so elegant. I too love the transparent stockings, less heavy as you described.
حذفVery well said, Anonymous 21:48
حذفThe heartbreaking sadness of Queen Sofía is heartrending. I am so glad her daughters and her son were al able to be with her. You can see that Princess Irene was much loved by her family from the expressions of all family members. In terms of fashion, everyone was beautifully attired for this somber occasion.
ردحذفJanet
Everyone is well dressed. I do like the way Anne Marie styles her hair. Nice to see all the nieces and nephews together to honour their aunt. Sad for the former Queen to loose her friend and sister in such a short amount of time.
ردحذفNoone from Denmark or Noway? Strange
ردحذفExcuse me,@ 18:06,
حذفdo you really want all royals to be in attendance in the same place, at the same time, but you also want the Spanish royals to be seen both in Greece and Spain on the same day and at the same hour?
By the way, before becoming Queen of Greece, Anne- Marie was a Danish- born Princess, so Denmark is represented, too.
Each royal family has stuffed schedules to fulfil planned in advance and
it is not always easy to make last minute adjustments.
Did you expect also a British delegation and another one from Germany, maybe?
Please, be realistic!!
Queen Anne Marie was there, the others are not close relatives. These are the children and grandchildren of King Constantine and Queen Sofia, Irene’s brother and sister. No one else is expected to go.
حذفThey are not related and may also not have been friends. Normal. Funerals are particular things and we cannot - certainly from way outside their lives!) - judge others for their choices to attend or not.
حذفNor, as far as I know, Sweden, Netherlands or UK. Why single out those two countries?
حذفIt was, after ir first off all, a family matter... Were the late king's children presente? Couldn't quite ser them on the photos...
ردحذفOf course they were, if you take the time to read about the event the men walked in the procession.
حذفQueen Sofia looked so sad, its heartbreaking, Her family by the look of it, provided much needed comfort. Lovely to see the extended family showing their respect.
ردحذفSincere condolences to the lives lost in the terrible train accident. The victims put, wishing them a good recovery. x
Saying Farwell for the last time. May Pss Irene of Greece RIP. The pain of losing a loved one stays with one forever, it will be a bit easier over time. Nice to see so many family members there.
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