The (87 years old) has postponed the two events she had planned for this week in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria due to the worsening health of her sister, the princess. This is a very hard blow for the mother, who on December 19 also lost , whose funeral in Paris she attended last weekend along with King Felipe and the Infantas Elena and Cristina, as well as some members of the Greek Royal Family such as Queen Ana María, and Prince Paul of Greece.
The queen emeritus planned to travel next Wednesday, January 14, to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to receive the Gorilla Award 2024, awarded by the Loro Parque Foundation in recognition of her commitment to the conservation of biodiversity. The next day, Thursday the 15th, the queen was going to be invested by the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (just as it was in ) in a ceremony that was going to be held in the university auditorium. However, a worsening of her younger sister’s health has made her decide to postpone these events for dates yet to be determined, since she does not want to be separated from her, according to sources from the Royal Family.
Just like this morning, Doña Sofía has decided to postpone her schedule so as not to have to leave the La Zarzuela palace and not be separated from her sister at any time. “Princess Irene’s decline is day by day and her life is fading away,” the publication claims.
Irene of Greece, 83 years old and youngest daughter of the Hellenic kings Paul and Frederick of Greece, resides in Madrid with her sister. He has health problems that have recently prevented him from attending the charity events he usually attends. The last public appearance of the princess, who has been suffering from a cognitive illness for some time, took place on , to whom she is godmother. The princess came in a wheelchair and both her sister and her niece, Infanta Cristina, were very protective of her, as usual.
Only three years younger than the queen emeritus, Princess Irene never married or had children. She had several suitors, such as her cousin Maurice of Hesse and Prince Michael of Orleans, but she decided to “marry” her sister. “My place was next to Sofía,” he once admitted to the journalist. In 1984 he settled permanently in Spain. Since then she has lived in the La Zarzuela palace and acts as her sister’s lady-in-waiting and advisor. Always a few steps behind the King’s mother, she has become his “shadow,” and those who know her say that she is very comfortable in that role.
