The Greek government 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, which is scheduled for December 2026 following extensive restoration work.
According to the Spanish publication Vanitatis, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis personally extended the invitation to King Felipe during a visit to the Zarzuela Palace in January.
The reopening is expected to take place in the final weeks of the year, although an exact date has not been announced. Spain’s royal household has not formally confirmed whether either member of the royal family will attend.
King Felipe’s participation is considered unlikely because of Spain’s revised electoral calendar, while Queen Sofia’s attendance remains uncertain.
Possible Return to Her Childhood Home
Queen Sofia, who was born in Greece and spent part of her childhood at Tatoi, has maintained close ties with her native country despite living in Spain for more than six decades.
If she accepts the invitation, it could mark her first visit inside the former royal residence in approximately 60 years.
The former queen has visited the estate on several occasions for family burials, most recently in January 2026, when her sister, Princess Irene, was laid to rest at the royal cemetery.
Tatoi was also the burial place of her father, King Paul, and her brother, former King Constantine II.
The Greek royal family left the country in December 1967 following the military coup earlier that year. The monarchy was formally abolished in 1974, and the estate eventually passed into state ownership after prolonged legal disputes.
Restoration and Public Reopening
The Greek government has undertaken a major restoration project at Tatoi, covering the former royal palace, surrounding gardens, auxiliary buildings and historical collections.
The estate suffered decades of deterioration, as well as damage during the 2021 wildfires.
Restoration work has uncovered hundreds of objects belonging to members of the former royal family, including clothing, furniture, historic vehicles and personal belongings.
Among the recovered items are Queen Sofia’s wedding shoes, dresses associated with her engagement and wedding celebrations, and garments belonging to former Queen Anne-Marie, including her wedding dress.
Other discoveries include children’s clothing and personal items left behind when the royal family departed Greece in 1967.
According to Vanitatis, some of these objects are expected to be displayed as part of the estate’s transformation into a public historical and cultural site.
Greek journalist Andreas Megos, cited in the report, raised questions about whether certain personal belongings would ever be returned to members of the former royal family.
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