Princess Irene of Greece, sister of Queen Sofia, dies

Princess Irene of Greece, the younger sister of Queen Sofia, passed away this Thursday in Madrid at the age of 83, as confirmed by royal household sources to the EFE news agency. The princess had been suffering from cognitive decline for some time, and Sofia had been by her side in recent months. With Irene's death, Queen Sofia is left without any siblings, as she also lost Constantine, the last king of Greece until his title was abolished in 1973, in 2023. The two sisters had a very close relationship, and Princess Irene of Greece was a significant presence in the life of the Spanish royal family.

The Spanish royal household confirmed the death of Princess Irene of Greece in a statement signed by King Felipe and Queen Letizia and Queen Sofia. "Their Majesties the King and Queen and Her Majesty Queen Sofia regret to announce the death of Her Royal Highness Princess Irene of Greece at 11:40 a.m. today at the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid," the statement reads. Princess Irene of Greece was born in Cape Town in 1942, during World War II. Her family had moved to South Africa following the Nazi invasion of Greece and did not return to Greece until 1946. Once settled back in Greece, Irene studied piano with Gina Bachauer and became a professional concert pianist. In 1967, she and the rest of the Greek royal family went into exile after the military junta seized power, establishing the Regime of the Colonels (1967-1974). Princess Irene of Greece spent much of her life in India, where she remained until 1981, when her mother, Queen Frederica, died. She then moved to Spain and took up residence at the Zarzuela Palace, where she passed away. She dedicated a large part of her life to social causes and in 1986 created the World in Harmony Foundation, which she chaired until 2023. Irene of Greece never married nor had children because, as she explained on occasion, she felt that her life did not follow that path. Deeply connected to Eastern spirituality, she maintained that if she had had children, she would have dedicated herself entirely to them and would have had to set aside her many spiritual and intellectual interests. On March 16, 2018, she obtained Spanish nationality by naturalization and renounced her Greek citizenship.