Princess Irene of Greece Laid to Rest at Tatoi

The news in Greek

1. κηδεία  (f.)
   τελετή για να αποχαιρετήσουμε κάποιον που πέθανε πριν από την ταφή του ↩︎
2. μητροπολιτικός
   που ανήκει ή σχετίζεται με τον μητροπολίτη ή τη μεγάλη κεντρική εκκλησία μιας πόλης ↩︎
3. ναός  (m.)
   κτίριο αφιερωμένο στη λατρεία του Θεού ή θεών ↩︎
4. αποχαιρετώ
   λέω «αντίο» σε κάποιον που φεύγει ή πεθαίνει ↩︎
5. γαλαζοαίματος
   που ανήκει σε βασιλική ή πολύ ευγενική οικογένεια ↩︎
6. ταφή  (f.)
   η πράξη να βάζουμε το σώμα κάποιου που πέθανε στη γη ή σε τάφο ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: Where did many people go to say goodbye to Princess Irene during the funeral?

Question 2: What did the family ask people to give instead of wreaths?

Vocabulary

Greek	English
κηδεία  (f.)	funeral
μητροπολιτικός	metropolitan (relating to a metropolitan church)
ναός  (m.)	temple / church
αποχαιρετώ	to say goodbye / to bid farewell
γαλαζοαίματος	of royal blood / aristocratic
ταφή  (f.)	burial

Read the full story

The funeral of Princess Irene of Greece, younger sister of the former King Constantine II of Greece and of Queen Sofía of Spain, was held in Athens on Monday, 19 January 2026, in an atmosphere described by Greek media as deeply emotional.

From the early morning, a large number of citizens visited the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens, where Princess Irene’s body had been placed for public viewing. This allowed members of the public, not only relatives and officials, to pay their last respects before the formal religious service.

The funeral service was attended by close family members, representatives of several European royal families, friends of the princess, and figures from the Greek business and political world. Her coffin was surrounded by her nephews Pavlos, Nikolaos and Philippos, often referred to in Greek media as “de Grecia” (De Grece), who are prominent members of the former Greek royal family.

After the service in central Athens, the coffin was transported to the former royal estate at Tatoi, north of the capital. There, a more private ceremony took place for the burial in the Royal Cemetery of Tatoi, attended mainly by close relatives. In accordance with her last wish, Princess Irene was buried next to her brother, the former King Constantine II, and their parents, King Paul and Queen Frederica of Greece.

The Spanish royal family played a visible role in the farewell. Queen Sofía travelled to Athens together with King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, and their two daughters. According to Spanish newspaper reports cited in Greek media, this was the first visit to Greece by the Spanish princesses, which gave the event additional public interest outside Greece.

Members of the former Greek royal family also attended. Present were the former Queen Anne‑Marie; Pavlos with several of his children (including Constantine Alexios and Achileas Andreas); Nikolaos with his wife Chryssi Vardinogianni; Philippos with his wife Nina Flohr; and Alexia with her husband Carlos Morales Quintana and their children. Some family members, such as Marie‑Chantal and certain grandchildren, were noted as absent by Greek outlets, which listed the names of those who did and did not attend, reflecting public curiosity about the extended royal network.

In line with a common practice for prominent funerals in Greece, the family requested that donations be made instead of funeral wreaths. Specifically, they suggested contributions to the cultural association “Friends of Music” or to any charity chosen by the donors. Greek reports underlined this detail as part of Princess Irene’s long-standing interest in cultural and philanthropic activities.

Following the burial at Tatoi, relatives and close friends gathered for a private memorial meal at the historic Hotel Grande Bretagne in central Athens. Guests including Queen Sofía, Anne‑Marie, Pavlos, Nikolaos, Philippos and Alexia were seen arriving in the late afternoon. According to local media, the meal featured traditional Greek dishes such as salads, spanakopita (spinach pie), melitzanosalata (aubergine dip), taramas (fish roe spread), fish soup and grilled fish with vegetables. This detail was highlighted to show the combination of formal royal protocol with typical Greek culinary traditions.

Greek news coverage focused mainly on three aspects: the public participation at the cathedral, the family character of the burial at Tatoi, and the presence of foreign royals, especially from Spain. For many readers, Princess Irene’s funeral also served as a reminder of the complex history of the former Greek monarchy and its continuing cultural and family ties with other European royal houses, even though Greece has been a republic for decades.

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