A farewell ceremony for Princess Irene will take place in Athens on Monday (January 19)sister last king of Greece Constantinewhich died at the age of 83 years.
The funeral will take place in the capital of Greece, and burial will take place in Tatoinext to his brother Constantine and his parents – King Paul and Queen Frederica, the Spanish publication reports Hola.
Recently, Princess Irina has been experiencing serious health problems and has been close to her family, in particular under the care of her sister, the Queen and Queen Mother of Spain Sofia.
On Friday (January 16) in the chapel of the Zarzuela Palace near Madrid there will be closed ceremony for family members. On Saturday, the body will be laid on display at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saints Andrew and Demetrius in Madrid.
The funeral service is expected to take place in Athens, presumably at the Metropolitan Cathedral, after which the funeral procession will head to Tatoi for burial in the family tombs.
Princess Irene was born on May 11, 1942 in Cape Town, South Africa. Her godfather was General Jan Smuts, President of the Union of South Africa. She was the second daughter and third child of King Paul and Queen Frederica. Her brother was King Constantine II of Greece, and her sister was Queen Sophia of Spain.
She graduated from the Salem School in Germany and then studied piano with world-renowned pianist Gina Bachauer. Later she studied archeology under the guidance of Theofano Arvanitopoulou. In 1960, together with Sofia and Arvanitopoulou, she published the work “Archaeological Studies”.
From March 6, 1964 to July 10, 1965, before the birth of her niece Alexia, Irina was formally heir to the Greek throne. She also headed the Greek Girl Scout Union.
On December 13, 1967, Irina followed her brother into exile after a failed counter-coup attempt against the military dictatorship. After the final abolition of the monarchy in 1973, she and her mother settled in India, where she became interested in Indian philosophy and the Vedic way of life. There are speculations about her conversion to Hinduism, but there has been no official confirmation of this.
After the death of her mother in 1981, Irina moved to Spain to live with her sister Sofia. Until 2018, she spent a significant part of the year in Greece, but then received Spanish citizenship, abandoning Greek, and finally settled in Spain.
The connection with sister Sophia remained extremely close. Irina’s niece, Infanta Cristina, gave her name to her daughter, Irena. Although the princess rarely appeared in public, she attended key family events, including her brother’s funeral and younger royal weddings.
One of the most difficult periods in her life was 2002, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Irina underwent six courses of chemotherapy, undergoing treatment with her usual restraint and dignity. She made a full recovery, thanks in large part to the constant support of her sister Sophia.
At the funeral of the former King Constantine
Princess Irina died three years after the death of her brother. In recent days, her condition has worsened, and Queen Sofia canceled all obligations in order to be with her until the end.
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