Overview
- The Spanish Royal Household said Irene died at 11:40 a.m. on January 15 at the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid, a statement echoed by the Greek royal office.
- After a private laying-in-state at the palace, her remains were received on January 17 at Madrid’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St. Andrew and St. Demetrios.
- King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía attended the Madrid rites, with the sisters marking their first family funeral.
- A service is scheduled in Athens on January 19, followed by burial at the royal cemetery of Tatoi alongside her parents and brother.
- Irene, a longtime companion to Queen Sofía, never married, lived at Zarzuela since 1981, experienced a prolonged health decline with no cause disclosed, and was known for her music and her World in Harmony charity.