The Spanish Royal House has just announced the death of Irene of Greece at the age of 83. She passed away this morning at the Zarzuela Palace after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease, which had recently robbed her of her memory to the point where she could not recognize her loved ones.
Queen Sofia, her older sister, canceled all her commitments this week to be with her until the end. King Felipe and Queen Letizia received the news while attending to their official duties.
In the coming days, the coffin will be transported to Greece for burial at the Tatoi Cemetery.
The curious thing about Irene is that, despite holding the title of princess, she never wanted to live as one. While Sofia became Queen Consort of Spain, Irene spent six years in India with her mother, became acquainted with the Gandhi family, and toured the world as a concert pianist.
She founded an NGO called ‘World in Harmony,’ studied archaeology, philosophy, and history, and rejected any form of ostentation. She never married.
But her most important role was as Queen Sofia’s confidant. When Juan Carlos’s scandal erupted and Sofia considered separating, it was Irene who stopped her with a brutal phrase.
“Do you want to be like me, a queen without a kingdom, an outcast living on charity?” revealed her biographer, Eva Celada.
Since 1981, following her mother’s death, Irene has lived at the Zarzuela Palace, providing constant support to her sister. She was practically a second mother to Sofia’s children.
They called her “Aunt Pecu” because she described herself as “the eccentric of the family, the peculiar one.” She cared for Elena, Cristina, and Felipe when the queen was away, and that bond lasted until the end.
Born in South Africa during the Second World War exile, Irene was the younger sister who always chose a different path. A polyglot, intellectual, and lover of Eastern spirituality, she also had a personal aversion to hairdressers (yes, that detail is also true). She built a life outside of protocol while still being present for her family when they needed her.
“I owe my successes to my family, but my mistakes are mine alone,” she once said. And now she leaves a huge void in the lives of those who knew her.