Senior members of the British Royal Family did not appear to attend the funeral of Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark in Athens on Monday, despite Greek media reports suggesting there would be representation from the British monarchy.
Princess Irene, the younger sister of Queen Sofía of Spain and the late King Constantine II of Greece, died on January 15 at the age of 83.
Her funeral service took place at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens on Monday, with her body later interred at the royal burial ground at Tatoi Palace alongside her parents and her brother, King Constantine.
Greek newspaper Proto Thema had reported in the run-up to the funeral that the British Royal Family would be represented by Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, husband of The Princess Royal, and Lady Gabriella Kingston.
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Both figures had previously attended the funeral of King Constantine in 2023 on behalf of the British royals.
Those reports raised expectations that at least a senior British representative might travel to Athens for the funeral of Princess Irene, given the close familial ties between the Greek, Spanish and British Royal Families.
However, there is no sign that Sir Tim Laurence or Lady Gabriella were present at Monday’s funeral.
In addition, no senior British royal — including King Charles III, Prince William or Princess Anne — was photographed or confirmed to have attended the service in Athens.
British Royal Family attendance at Princess Irene funeral remains unclear
|GETTY
GB News has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.
Coverage of the funeral in Greek and Spanish media instead showed members of the Greek and Spanish Royal Families paying their respects.
Spanish King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, accompanied by their daughters Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía, were present, and Queen Sofía, the sister of Princess Irene, was among those mourning her loss.
Members of the extended Greek Royal Family attended the funeral, and the service reflected the longstanding ties between Greece’s former monarchy and other European royal houses.
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Princess Leonor, Princess Sofia, King Felipe, Sofia of Spain and Anne-Marie of Greece leave the funeral service of Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark
|REUTERS
Princess Irene was known for her quiet life, her close relationship with Queen Sofía and her cultural and humanitarian interests.
She spent her later years in Spain and was remembered at both a memorial service in Madrid on January 17 and her funeral in Athens on January 19.
Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark never married and had no children, but remained a constant presence alongside her sister Queen Sofía for decades, living at the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid from 1981.
Born in Cape Town in 1942 while the Greek Royal Family was in exile during World War Two, she later returned to Greece with her family after the war.
Queen Sofia, Queen Letizia and King Felipe VI of Spain attend the funeral service of Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark
|REUTERS
She trained as a pianist and performed publicly in the 1960s, before her interests expanded into philosophy and comparative religion, including periods spent studying Hindu thought in India.
In 1986, she founded the humanitarian organisation World in Harmony, which became central to her charitable work across later life.
After the European Court of Human Rights awarded compensation connected to the Greek Royal Family’s property dispute, she donated the full sum to charity.
In 2018, she became a Spanish citizen, formally renouncing her Greek nationality after spending much of her adult life in Spain.