| Princess Irene | |
|---|---|
 Irene in 2008 | |
| Born | (1942-05-11)11 May 1942 Cape Town, Cape Province, South Africa |
| Died | 15 January 2026(2026-01-15) (aged 83) Palace of Zarzuela, Madrid, Spain |
| Burial | 19 January 2026 Royal Cemetery,Tatoi Palace, Greece |
| House | Glücksburg |
| Father | Paul of Greece |
| Mother | Frederica of Hanover |
| Signature |  |
Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark (Greek:Ειρήνη,romanized:Iríni; 11 May 1942 – 15 January 2026) was the youngest child and second daughter of KingPaul of Greece and his wife,Queen Frederica. She was the younger sister ofQueen Sofía of Spain and KingConstantine II of Greece. In the 1960s, she briefly had a career as a professional pianist. From 1981 until her death, Irene lived permanently in Spain, becoming a part of the wider Spanish royal family as Queen Sofía's sister, to whose family she remained very close. In 2018, she renounced her Greek citizenship and obtained Spanish nationality.
Irene was born on 11 May 1942 inCape Town,Union of South Africa, where her parents were living in exile because of theGerman invasion of Greece during theSecond World War.[1][2][3] She was the younger daughter of Paul, Crown Prince of Greece (laterKing Paul), and his wifeFrederica of Hanover.[3][1] She was christened three weeks after her birth at her parents'Claremont rented home by theMetropolitan of the Holy Archdiocese of Johannesburg and Pretoria and was named after her paternal auntPrincess Irene, Duchess of Aosta.[2][4] She had ten godparents, including GeneralJan Smuts,Lady Katherine Brandram (her paternal aunt), KingGeorge II of Greece (her paternal uncle),Queen Mary of the United Kingdom, and theDuchess of Kent (her paternal first cousin once removed).[4][2]
In 1944 the family moved toEgypt and returned to Greece in 1946 after the approval of the continuity of the Greek monarchyin the referendum with her uncleGeorge II.[3][5] In 1947 her father became King of the Hellenes after the death of his brother.[5][2] Irene was educated at Arsakion school at Psykhikó Palace in Greece and atSchule Schloss Salem inBaden-Württemberg, Germany.[6][7][5] Irene took up the piano in 1962. She was a pupil of concert pianistGina Bachauer and became a professional concert pianist herself. With Bachauer, she undertook a tour of the United States in 1967 and performed at theRoyal Festival Hall in London with theCincinnati Symphony Orchestra in June 1969.[7]
As a young woman, Irene was courted by Prince Michel, Count of Évreux, younger son of theOrléanist pretenderHenri, Count of Paris, until he met and later married a French noblewoman without his father's consent in 1967.[8][9] She was also rumoured to be a potential bride of Crown Prince Harald of Norway (later KingHarald V) who later marriedSonja Haraldsen in 1968.[7] Irene was one of the bridesmaids at the wedding of SpanishPrince Juan Carlos and Princess Sofía in 1962.[5] Her brother Constantine became King in 1964 after the death of their father.[5]
Between her father's death and the birth of her niecePrincess Alexia, Irene washeiress presumptive to the Greek throne.[5]
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After her brother was dethroned in theColonels' coup of 21 April 1967, Irene and the Royal Family moved toItaly after Constantine's unsuccessful countercoup against the junta.[5] With her mother Irene resided inRome.[5] They later moved to India with her mother where the two pursued their interest in Hindu philosophy.[6] She studied philosophy at theUniversity of Madras underT. M. P. Mahadevan.[5][6] As Mahadevan grew frailer, he dictated his memoirs to Irene.[7]
After her mother's death in 1981, she lived inSpain in an apartment at thePalace of Zarzuela inMadrid, the residence of her sister and brother-in-law, Queen Sofía and KingJuan Carlos.[5][10][2]
In the 1980s, during theBSE outbreak, Irene arranged for thousands of surplus cows from Europe and the United States to be shipped to India where they evaded slaughter.[7][6] She was the founder and president of the organisationWorld in Harmony (Mundo en Armonía) from 1986 to 2023.[11] During the1981 Spanish coup attempt, Irene was at the Palace of Zarzuela with King Juan Carlos and her sister Queen Sofia; years later, she recounted the fear they both experienced when remembering the coup in Greece years earlier.[5] Irene accompanied Sofia in her official duties albeit discreetly.[12]
In 2002, theEuropean Court of Human Rights awarded her £500,000 to compensate for the loss of her family's Greek property, and she donated the entire sum to charity.[7] In 2007, her biographyIrene of Greece, the Rebel Princess was published.[12] On 16 March 2018, Irene obtained Spanish nationality and renounced her Greek nationality.[13][14]
On 23 April 2008 she became the godmother of Simeon-Hassan of Bulgaria. The godfather is KingMohammed VI of Morocco and the ceremony took place at Saint John of Rila Church atTsarska Bistritsa.[15]
Irene never married and had a passion for piano and archaeology.[3] She was also interested inparanormal phenomena,occultism,parapsychology andextraterrestrial life.[6] She was known for being eccentric and having a good sense of fashion, but she detested jewellery.[6] With Sofía, they excavated the sites of the ancient village ofDecelea and both, together with archaeologist Theophanó A. Arvanitopoulou, wrote two essays.[6][2] In 2000, Irene donated a selection of rare books and archaeological artefacts from the family collection to theBenaki Museum.[12]
She translated English philosophical texts into Greek and Spanish, and also collaborated informally in the revision of works related toJiddu Krishnamurti.[12]
After the death of her father Paul, Irene became vegetarian.[16]
In 2002 she overcamebreast cancer after chemotherapy treatment.[12] In November 2023 it was made public that Irene was suffering from cognitive impairment.[5] Irene's last public appearance was at the wedding of her nephew and godsonPrince Nikolaos in February 2025 in Athens.[17] In the summer of that year, her illness worsened, so she withdrew from public activities in which she accompanied her sister Queen Sofia, who adapted her schedule to Irene's condition.[17]
On 13 January 2026, theSpanish Royal Household announced her condition had worsened and Queen Sofía cancelled all her public engagements to be at her side.[18] She died at thePalace of Zarzuela in Madrid, Spain, on 15 January, at the age of 83.[19]
After private services at the Palace of Zarzuela, Irene's body—escorted by theRoyal Guard—was laid in repose at theCathedral of St Andrew and St Demetrius in Madrid on 17 January. TheSpanish royal family and representatives of theGreek,Bulgarian andBourbon-Two Sicilies royal houses, among others, attended the requiem. Politicans and relevant personalities close to the royal family also attended. After the private ceremony, the church was open to the public until the afternoon.[20]
The following day, her body was flown toAthens and on 19 January, she lay in repose at theChurch of St Eleutherius before a funeral service took place at theMetropolitan Cathedral of Athens. She was interred alongside her parents and brother at the Royal Burial Ground atTatoi.[21][22]
Kingdom of Greece:
Denmark: Knight of theOrder of the Elephant (RE; 11 September 1964)[26].svg)
House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies: Dame Grand Cross of Justice of theSacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George (1962)[27]
Italy: Grand Cross of theOrder of Merit of the Italian Republic (27 November 1962)[28]
Thailand: Knight Grand Cordon of theOrder of Chula Chom Klao (14 February 1963)[29]| Ancestors of Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark |
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Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark Cadet branch of theHouse of Oldenburg Born: 11 May 1942 Died: 15 January 2026 | ||
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*also a princess of Denmark See alsoHouse of Glücksburg | ||
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