Queen Sofia May Return to Tatoi for the First Time in 60 Years
Greece has invited Spain's King Felipe VI and his mother, Queen Sofia, to attend the reopening of the former royal estate at Tatoi, north of Athens, scheduled for December 2026 after years of restoration work. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis personally extended the invitation to King Felipe during a visit to Spain's Zarzuela Palace in January, according to the Spanish publication Vanitatis.
Neither member of the Spanish royal family has confirmed attendance. Felipe's participation is considered unlikely due to Spain's revised electoral calendar, and Sofia's response remains uncertain.
Workers uncovered hundreds of personal objects the family left behind in 1967, including Queen Sofia's wedding shoes, engagement and wedding dresses, and children's clothing.
The invitation carries significant personal weight for Queen Sofia, who was born in Greece and spent part of her childhood at Tatoi. If she accepts, it would mark her first time inside the former royal residence in roughly 60 years. She has visited the estate on previous occasions, most recently in January 2026 for the burial of her sister, Princess Irene, but those visits were confined to the royal cemetery.
Tatoi is also where her father, King Paul, and her brother, former King Constantine II, are buried. The Greek royal family left the country in December 1967 following a military coup, and the monarchy was formally abolished in 1974. The estate passed into state ownership after years of legal disputes and then sat largely abandoned for decades, suffering further damage during the 2021 wildfires.
The restoration project covers the former royal palace, surrounding gardens, auxiliary buildings, and historical collections. Workers uncovered hundreds of personal objects the family left behind in 1967, including Queen Sofia's wedding shoes, engagement and wedding dresses, former Queen Anne-Marie's wedding dress, and children's clothing. Some of these items are expected to go on display as Tatoi transitions into a public historical and cultural site. Greek journalist Andreas Megos has raised questions about whether any of these belongings will ever be returned to the former royal family.
No exact reopening date has been announced.
