Princess Irene of Greece has been laid to rest in the royal
cemetery at Tatoi following a moving funeral ceremony in
Athens.
Princess Irene, who died last week at the age of 83, was buried
with her sister and closest friend and confidante, Queen Sofia of
Spain, leading mourners.
Queen Sofia was surrounded by royalty on this difficult day. Her
three children – King Felipe VI of Spain, Infanta Elena and Infanta
Cristina – were at her side throughout the funeral and burial.
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The funeral took place on a cold, grey day in Athens with
mourners arriving in the mid morning at the Metropolitan Cathedral
in the city for the ceremony.
Irene was the younger sister of Queen Sofia of Spain and of King
Constantine II of Greece and it was the late king’s sons who
accompanied her coffin into the cathedral.
As the coffin, covered in the Greek royal standard, was carried
towards the church, Crown Prince Pavlos along with his brothers,
Prince Nikolaos and Prince Philippos, followed behind.
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Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece, who is also now known as Pavlos
De Grece and is titular head of the Greek royal family, then
emerged on to the steps of the cathedral to greet guests as they
arrived.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia were driven to the cathedral with
their two daughters, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia, after a
busy morning which had seen the monarch keep in close contact with
Spain after a devastating train crash in Andalucia left 39 people
dead. It’s understood he will be missing some of the reception
after Irene’s funeral to return home to Madrid and prepare for a
visit to the site of the accident at Adamuz.
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There were cheers for Queen Sofia as she arrived at the
cathedral with her two daughters, Infanta Elena and Infanta
Cristina. Crown Prince Pavlos bowed to his aunt as she arrived
before greeting his cousins, too.
The coffin of Princess Irene had arrived earlier, draped in a
Greek royal standard. The three sons Once it had been borne into
the cathedral, a private funeral service took place.
The steps of the cathedral had been adored with wreaths of white
flowers, several of them from royalty including the King and Queen
of the Netherlands. The floral tributes were later loaded into the
hearse which took Irene’s coffin away to Tatoi.
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Queen Sofia stood with her sister-in-law, Queen Anne-Marie of
Greece, as the preparations for Irene’s final journey were made.
Several of the honours that had been around Princess Irene’s coffin
were held by her great niece, Victoria de Marichalar, the daughter
of Infanta Elena. Another great niece, Irene Urdangarin, who was
named in her honour, also took a role in the ceremony.
The Spanish and Greek royal family then made their way to the
cemetery at Tatoi where Irene was buried. They followed the rocky
path to a small chapel in biting winds for a final ceremony before
Queen Sofia, holding the arm of Queen Anne-Marie, led mourners to
the grave.
Irene of Greece and Denmark died on January 15 2026 at the age
of 83 in Madrid. She had been the youngest of the three children of
King Paul and Queen Frederica of Greece and was briefly heir to the
throne when her brother first ascended as King Constantine II. She
never married and dedicated much of her life to humanitarian work.
She was also a noted pianist and was at her sister’s side through
much of the last forty years.