Queen Letizia and King Felipe mourn death of family member

Members of the Spanish royal family gathered over the weekend to pay their respects to Fernando Gómez-Acebo.  King Felipe  and  Queen Letizia  attended a mass in honor of His Majesty’s first cousin on Saturday evening in Madrid.

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 Vanitatis  reported that Felipe drove himself and Letizia, who was dressed in black trousers, a matching turtleneck and coat, to the funeral home. His Majesty’s mother Queen Sofia was also in attendance, accompanied by her sister Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark. Felipe’s sister Infanta Elena was also pictured at the funeral home on March 2.

Fernando was the youngest of former King Juan Carlos I’s sister Infanta Pilar’s children. According to  Vanitatis , King Felipe’s cousin, who had been “suffering from health problems for some time,” died on Friday, March 1, at the age of 49.

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The Spanish King said goodbye to his late relative on Sunday. Felipe stepped out sans his wife for Fernando’s funeral at the Sacramental Cemetery of San Isidro, per  HOLA! Spain.

The funeral came less than a week after members of the Spanish royal family traveled to the UK for the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Felipe’s late maternal uncle King Constantine II. Letizia, Felipe, Infanta Elena, Infanta Cristina, Queen Sofia and Juan Carlos I joined British royals and Greek royals last Tuesday at the memorial service, which was held at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor.

Constantine II, who was Queen Sofia and Princess Irene’s brother, died in January of 2023 in Athens. At his funeral last year, the late Greek royal’s eldest son Crown Prince Pavlos said, “By the grace of God, you drew your last breath in our country, which you always loved, above all else, throughout your life.”