Former princess Irene of Greece and Denmark, sister of Queen Sofía of Spain and the late Constantine II, has died aged 83, according to an announcement by the former Greek royal family.
She passed away on Thursday at Madrid’s Palace of Zarzuela. As her health declined in recent days, Queen Sofía, 87, withdrew from all public duties to remain at her sister’s side.
A daughter of former King Paul and Queen Frederika, Irene had long retreated from public life. Her final appearance was at the wedding of Nicolas De Grès, Constantine’s third child, in February. Unmarried and without children, she devoted her life to spirituality, philosophy and humanitarian causes.
Born in Cape Town in 1942, Irene was heir to the Greek throne between 1964 and 1965. She left Greece in 1967 alongside her brother following the political crisis surrounding the monarchy, later settling permanently in Spain near Queen Sofía.
She will be buried at Tatoi Cemetery, within the former royal estate north of Athens, alongside her parents and brother.
The Greek monarchy was abolished in 1974, and in recent years members of the former royal family have used the surname De Grès for civil purposes, holding no constitutional or political role in Greece.
Source: Ekathimerini
