Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark, the cherished aunt of Spain’s King Felipe, has passed away at the age of 83. Her departure marks the end of an era for the royal family, as she was deeply loved and respected by her relatives and peers alike.

Throughout her life, Princess Irene remained unmarried and did not have children, yet she was profoundly connected to her family. Her close relationship with her siblings was well-documented, particularly with her sister Sofía, the former Queen of Spain, and her brother, the late Constantine II, who holds the distinction of being Greece’s last reigning monarch.

Princess Irene’s lineage also connects her to the British royal family. She was the great-granddaughter of German Emperor Wilhelm II, who was a grandson of the renowned Queen Victoria, thus intertwining her with a significant part of European royal history.

It is reported that in her final moments, Princess Irene was accompanied by her sister, Queen Sofía, who had cleared her schedule this week, presumably to be by her side. The princess’s health had been reportedly declining over recent years.

The Spanish royal household announced her passing in an official statement on Thursday, stating: “Their Majesties the King and Queen and Her Majesty Queen Sofía 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.”

Born on May 11, 1942, in Cape Town, South Africa, Princess Irene was the daughter of King Paul and Queen Frederica of the Hellenes. Her birth took place during a tumultuous period when her family was living in exile after Greece succumbed to the Axis Powers during World War II.

A talented pianist, she was trained to play from a young age by renowned musician Gina Bachauer. Irene herself was a professional concert pianist for some time in the 70s, earning a three-minute ovation after performing at the Royal Festival Hall in 1969.

She was known fondly by her nieces and nephews as ‘Aunt Pecu’ – short for ‘peculiar’, due to her ‘eccentric’ nature.

Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark – the aunt of King Felipe of Spain- has passed away today aged 83. Pictured in 1963

Irene, the daughter of of King Paul and Queen Frederica of the Hellenes, was born on May 11, 1942, in Cape Town, South Africa – where her parents had been living in exile, after Greece fell to the Axis Powers during World War II. Pictured in February last year

The beloved royal had never married or had children but was known for her bond with her siblings: Sofía, 87, the former Queen of Spain, and the late Constantine II, known as the last King of Greece. Pictured from left to right in 1947, Sofia, Constantine and Irene

A talented pianist, she was trained to play from a young age by renowned musician Gina Bachauer. Irene herself was a professional concert pianist for some time in the 70s, earning a three-minute ovation after performing at the Royal Festival Hall in 1969

‘They tease me quite a bit,’ she quipped in an interview with Hello!. ‘I’m the eccentric one in the family and they laugh a lot. When they play pranks on me, my sister doesn’t defend me, she doesn’t say anything, she agrees with them.’

While Irene shied away from the spotlight, and was known for a myriad of interests, from music to philosophy – she dealt with a turbulent upbringing, moving back and forth from Greece due to political unrest.

Her family were able to return to Greece by 1947, where her father King Paul’s reign began.

He passed away 17 years later, following a battle with stomach cancer – placing her brother Constantine in power, aged just 23.

However, public support for him waned and civil unrest followed. A military coup in 1967 saw him deposed and eventually fleeing to Italy. Just a few years later, the Greek monarchy was abolished in 1973.

Princess Irene and her mother moved to India in wake of the chaos, during the 1970s. Irene pictured with her mother in 1964

Sofia (right) pictured with Irene during the opening ceremony of the 2004 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Athens

After her mother passed away in 1981, Irene, then 39, joined her sister – who had by that point married King Juan Carlos – in Spain. Irene pictured in green, during a family holiday with Queen Letizia of Spain, Princess Sofia, Crown Princess Leonor of Spain, Queen Sofia and King Felipe VI, in 2024

Princess Irene and her mother moved to India in wake of the chaos.

There, she became fascinated with Hinduism, and according to Tatler, even converted to the faith, becoming ‘an ‘ardent devotee of the scholar Shankaracharya’.

‘The Vedas and Indian philosophy alone could show a path of peace to the world,’ she is reported to have said, as per the outlet.

‘The Vedic life was above caste, region, religion and country. World peace can be achieved by following Vedic life.’

After her mother passed away in 1981, Irene, then 39, joined her sister – who had by that point married King Juan Carlos – in Spain.

‘I came to Madrid for five days and stayed for five years,’ she told Hello!. ‘And as time went on, I understood that my place was beside Sofia.’

She had honoured the sentiment for the rest of her life, often appearing alongside her family at public engagements but never taking to the spotlight.

Despite this, she had been an ardent philanthropist, and donated her inheritance to an NGO she founded in 1986.

‘I have no status; I am the Queen’s sister, nothing more, and I am not an official,’ she  said. ‘They are the official ones.’ 

In 2018, she had became a Spanish national. Princess Irene had suffered from cancer in 2002, and has in recent years been pictured attending events in a wheelchair. 

Just last year, she had been spotted at her brother Prince Nikolaos’s wedding, as he tied the knot with Chrysí Vardinogianni.