Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark Has Died
- - Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark Has Died
Rachel KingJanuary 15, 2026 at 8:18 AM
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Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark, younger sister of Queen Sofia of Spain and the late former King Constantine of Greece, has died at age 83.
“Their Majesties the King and Queen and Her Majesty Queen Sofia regret to announce the passing of Her Royal Highness Princess Irene of Greece at 11:40 a.m. today at the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid,” the Spanish royal household said in a statement on Thursday.
Queen Frederika of Greece with then-Crown Prince Constantine, then-Princess Sofia, and Princess Irene in 1950. Keystone - Getty Images
Born on May 11, 1942, in Cape Town, South Africa, while her family was living in exile during World War II, Princess Irene was the youngest child of then-Crown Prince Paul of Greece and Princess Frederica. They had left Greece after the Italian invasion and subsequent Nazi occupation.
The family returned to Greece in 1946, when Irene was four. A year later, her father ascended the throne as King Paul, and her brother became crown prince at age six.
Princess Irene dancing with her brother, Crown Prince Constantine, in Athens in 1963. Keystone - Getty Images
Princess Irene in the south of France in 1963. REPORTERS ASSOCIES - Getty Images
Irene was educated in Germany at Salem School and pursued advanced musical training as a pianist. She later studied archaeology and co-published Archaeological Digest in 1960 with her sister Sofia and Greek scholar Theophano Arvanitopoulou.
King Paul died in 1964 after an illness, and Constantine succeeded him as King Constantine II at 23. (Irene briefly became Crown Princess and heir presumptive until the birth of her niece, Princess Alexia, on July 10, 1965.)
Political instability followed Constantine II’s ascension, and after a military coup in 1967 and a failed counter-coup, the King was deposed and went into exile. The Greek monarchy was formally abolished in 1973.
Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, King Constantine, Princess Irene, Princess Sofia, and then-Prince Juan Carlos in 1968. Gianni Ferrari - Getty Images
Irene moved to India with her mother, where per Tatler, they became interested in Hindu philosophy. Following Queen Frederica’s death in 1981, Irene relocated to Madrid to live with her sister, Queen Sofia, at the Zarzuela Palace, the royal residence of the King and Queen of Spain, where she lived for the rest of her life. Princess Irene never married and devoted much of her life to intellectual and cultural pursuits.
Queen Margrethe of Denmark, Queen Sofia, and Princess Irene at the wedding of Tatiana Blatnik with Prince Nikolaos of Greece in 2025. Europa Press Entertainment - Getty Images
Princess Irene received several honors over the years, including Denmark’s Order of the Elephant in 1964, the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George from the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies in 1962, Italy’s Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 1962, and Thailand’s Order of Chula Chom Klao. She was also Head of the Corps of Greek Girl Scouts. In 2018, she obtained Spanish citizenship and renounced her Greek nationality.
Queen Sofia, Princess Irene, and Infanta Cristina at the Copa Del Rey Sailing Cup in 2025. Carlos Alvarez - Getty Images
Princess Irene, Queen Sofia, then-Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia at the London Olympics in 2012. Prince Albert of Monaco and then-Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark are sitting behind them. Pascal Le Segretain - Getty Images
Princess Irene is survived by her sister, Queen Sofia, and the children and grandchildren of her siblings, including King Felipe of Spain and Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece. Infanta Cristina of Spain, the younger daughter of Queen Sofia and King Juan Carlos, named her daughter Irene, born in 2005, after her aunt.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
