Royals Gather for Princess Irene of Greece's Funeral

Royals from around the world gathered to pay their respects at the funeral of Princess Irene of Greece, who died on 15 January at the age of 83. It was a sombre day at the Metropolitan Cathedral, where Princess Irene’s body will lie until her burial in the cemetery of Tatoi, alongside her late parents, King Paul and Queen Frederica of Greece, and her late brother, King Constantine of Greece. The Princess’s sister, Queen Sofia of Spain, was emotional as she arrived at the funeral, where she was supported by the Spanish royal family, including her daughters, Infanta Elena and Infanta Cristina. Queen Sofia’s son, King Felipe, cut a solemn figure at the Cathedral alongside his wife, Queen Letizia, and their two children, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia. Princess Irene, who never married and had no children, was especially close with the Spanish royal family, and she spent the last years of her life living in Zarazuela Palace, where she was considered a ‘second mother’ to her nieces and nephews, who knew her as ‘Aunt Pecu’. The Spanish royals were welcomed to the service by Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece, Princess Irene’s nephew, who stood side-by-side with his brothers, Prince Nikolaos and Prince Philippos (who attended with his wife, Princess Nina of Greece, a close friend of Princess Beatrice), and his mother, Queen Anne-Marie, Irene’s sister-in-law. The Queen was joined by her daughters, Princess Alexia and Princess Theodora of Greece, as well as their spouses and children. The Crown Prince had explained before the funeral that his wife, Princess Marie-Chantal, would be unable to attend due to her mother’s recent surgery in New York, and that his children, Princess Olympia and Prince Odysseas, would also be absent, due to work engagements and studies, respectively. He was, however, joined by his sons, Prince Constantine Alexios, Prince Achilleas-Andreas, and Prince Aristidis-Stavros of Greece ‘The family shares in mourning and honours the memory of Princess Irene,’ he added. 1 / 15 Prince Pavlos also explained that his aunt lived ‘longer than we expected’ when considering her ill health. The royal had been suffering with ‘cognitive impairment’ for three years and had been described by Hola! as ‘gradually fading away’ over the past week, when Queen Sofia cancelled her engagements to be by her sister’s side. ‘It was something we had been waiting for a long time for my aunt Irene. She was sick, had a strong heart and lived longer than we expected,’ the Prince said. ‘I must say that we were glad to see her a few months ago, when we had travelled for [Sofia's] birthday.’ Read More Meet Edward Bluemel: the star of Agatha Christie's Seven Dials and the most charming man on television, probably From the comfort of his bed, the star of The Seven Dials Mystery and My Lady Jane talks Shakespeare, snogs, and skin-tight suits Crown Prince Pavlos was also on hand to welcome Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia, greeting the pair with a warm embrace. The royal couple are connected to the Greek royal family through Alexander’s mother, Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark, and issued a statement of remembrance for the Princess, who they described as ‘our dear friend and cousin’ after her death. ‘We shared many beautiful moments together with the late Princess, so as a mark of memory, I share this photo where the three of us are with HRH Queen Sofia of Spain and HRH Queen Margarita of Bulgaria.’ Queen Sofia’s goddaughter, Princess Sophie of Romania, was also in attendance, representing Magareta, Custodian of the Romanian Crown, joining Princess Sophie-Alexandra of Bavaria, Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria and Prince Christian of Hannover. Marina Keller, Princess Michael of Greece, also made her way to Athens for the solemn day, where Crown Prince Pavlos summed up the family's feelings towards the late Princess during a moving speech: 'A woman of quiet strength, deep faith and steadfast devotion to family, her presence was at once gentle and unyielding and her values were not spoken, but lived—expressed in every act of devotion and care for those around her. Irene was a wellspring of wisdom, loyalty and love, a steady anchor for our family across time. Her loss leaves a silence that cannot be filled, but her memory will remain forever in our hearts.'