![\"Queen](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ef518b6c6b0c-madrid-spain-queen-sofia-during-the-prayer-and-homage-to-the-virgin-of-the-almud.jpg\")
\u00a9 Europa Press NewsQueen Sofia during the prayer and homage to the Virgin of the Almudena, in the Cathedral of Santa Maria de la Almudena, on 8 June 2026, in Madrid, Spain
\nA bracelet with special meaning<\/p>\n
Queen Sof\u00eda paid tribute to her sister in a subtle yet deeply personal way, wearing a bracelet engraved with Irene\u2019s name in Greek capital letters (EIPHNH). Like Queen Sof\u00eda, Princess Irene was a deeply spiritual woman and likely would have cherished the opportunity to meet Pope Leo XIV.<\/p>\n
The queen also wore several other bracelets and rings, many of which likely held personal significance of their own.<\/p>\n
![\"Pope](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/d8ee9fcf79f5-madrid-spain-pope-leo-xiv-meets-with-queen-sofia-of-spain-at-the-apostolic-nunci.jpg\")
\u00a9 Vatican PoolPope Leo XIV meets with Queen Sofia of Spain at the Apostolic Nunciature on June 08, 2026 in Madrid, Spain
\nQueen Sof\u00eda makes history<\/p>\n
Queen Sof\u00eda, who met Pope Leo XIV on Monday, was impeccably dressed in a white suit by Spanish designer\u00a0Alejandro de Miguel. In doing so, she made history as the first Catholic queen to exercise the privil\u00e8ge du blanc while wearing trousers.<\/p>\n
The visit included two engagements: a private family meeting followed by a public appearance. Born Greek Orthodox, Queen Sof\u00eda converted to Catholicism before marrying King Juan Carlos.<\/p>\n
Earlier in the day, she attended a brief audience with Pope Leo XIV at the Apostolic Nunciature, where the pontiff is staying during his visit to the Spanish capital. She was accompanied by her daughters, Infantas Elena and Cristina, as well as three of her grandchildren: Victoria Federica, Pablo Urdangarin, and Miguel Urdangarin.<\/p>\n
The five family members, along with their partners, had also attended the large outdoor Mass celebrated by the pope Sunday in Madrid\u2019s Plaza de Cibeles.<\/p>\n
![\"Queen](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/46df9587cbc9-madrid-spain-queen-sofia-during-the-prayer-and-homage-to-the-virgin-of-the-almud.jpg\")
\u00a9 Europa Press NewsQueen Sofia during the prayer and homage to the Virgin of the Almudena, in the Cathedral of Santa Maria de la Almudena, on 8 June 2026, in Madrid
\nA symbolic ceremony\u00a0<\/p>\n
After leaving the Apostolic Nunciature, Queen Sof\u00eda headed to Almudena Cathedral. Upon Pope Leo XIV\u2019s arrival, she greeted him with a curtsy before accompanying him inside for a prayer service and tribute to Madrid\u2019s patron saint, the Virgin of Almudena.<\/p>\n
Rich in symbolism and reflection, the ceremony drew approximately 2,000 attendees.<\/p>\n
Jewelry with a message<\/p>\n
Queen Sof\u00eda is known for wearing multiple necklaces and chokers, many of which carry personal meaning. She frequently appears in public wearing jewelry featuring the Turkish evil eye, a symbol closely associated with both Greece and Turkey.<\/p>\n
Among her most treasured pieces is a pendant honoring her three children and eight grandchildren, engraved with all of their initials. She is also often seen wearing a representation of the Cristo Mutilado (“Mutilated Christ”), a figure depicted missing one leg that symbolizes the devastating impact of landmines.<\/p>\n
The queen has long been devoted to this image, which also serves as the emblem of the humanitarian organization Sauce and its charitable work.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Queen Sof\u00eda\u00a0continues to keep the memory of her beloved sister, Princess Irene of Greece, close to her heart.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":495323,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[93,61,60,123905,4827,175615],"class_list":["post-495322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-queen-sofia","tag-royals","tag-spanish-royals"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=495322"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495322\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/495323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=495322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=495322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=495322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}