2025 has been a difficult year for Queen Sofía. Last weekend, she was forced to say goodbye to Tatiana Radziwill, her second cousin and one of her closest friends. Radziwill has been with Queen Sofia at every stage in her life: from childhood, when they played with dolls together, through Sofia’s wedding to King Juan Carlos, to the present day. The cousins were always there for one another, until the very end.
As ¡HOLA! has learned, the Queen did not leave Radziwill’s side in her final moments and was able to say goodbye to her in private.
Tatiana Radziwill is the daughter of Princess Eugénie of Greece and Prince Dominico Radziwill, and lived in Paris with her husband, the cardiologist and aristocrat Jean Henri Fruchaud. According to sources close to the Greek Royal Family, when the Queen learned that the Princess’s condition was delicate, she secretly traveled to Paris to accompany her cousin in complete privacy.
The Queen spent Radziwill’s final hours with her, staying by her bedside and confirming through her actions that she considered her another sister.
Doña Sofía has devoted her life to the Crown, but also to her family. It’s been a tough couple of weeks for her, knowing that she lost a friend and family member with whom she shares so many memories, from her exile in South Africa to the happy summers in Mallorca, where the two were often seen enjoying themselves around the island.
© Getty ImagesRadziwill and Queen Sofia’s friendship survived decades
Although Radziwill maintained a discreet profile, some of her shared experiences with Queen Sofía were shared in her conversations with the author Carmen Enríquez, who published them in her book, “Tras los pasos del rey.”
“I shared her life in South Africa when we were babies and, according to what our nannies told us, I used to bite her. But later we learned not to fight and truly enjoyed each other’s company and games. A few years later, I was fortunate to share family life with her in Greece during holidays throughout my youth, which was an unforgettable source of happiness for me,” read the recollections.
© Getty ImagesFor Doña Sofía, the loss arrives at a complicated moment in her life, marked by the deterioration of her sister. Irene of Greece has long suffered from a cognitive illness that has led her to withdraw from public life. Her last public appearance took place on February 7, 2025, in Athens, during the wedding of her nephew, Prince Nikolaos of Greece, to Chrysi Vardinogiannis.
At this point in her life, the Queen has faced many adversities, surviving her brother Constantine and having to care for her younger sister, all while being the eldest of the three.
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