ROYALS across Europe – and the world – have been paying homage to the late Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, following his passing just two months before his 100th birthday; but in the case of Spain's 'Queen Mother', it was not just a mark of respect.
HRH Sofía de Borbón y Grecia – who retains the title of 'Queen' even though her son is now on the throne following his father, Juan Carlos I's abdication in 2014 – is Prince Philip's second cousin.
With Queen Sofía being a Spanish Royal and the Duke of Edinburgh being British, it is often forgotten that they are both, in fact, Greek.
Prince Philip is the son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, whose father was King George I (King Georgios I) of Greece, mother was Olga Constantinovna of Russia, and grandfather was King Christian IX of Denmark.
Queen Sofía is from Psykhikó, in the suburbs of Athens, the daughter of Paul I (Pavlos I) of Greece and the Hanover-born Queen Federica.
King George II of Greece was Sofía's uncle, King Pavlos' brother, and their father was King Constantine I (Konstantinos I) and grandfather was King George I.
So the Duke of Edinburgh, and Queen Sofía's dad, are cousins – and Prince Philip was born in Mon Repos on the Greek island of Corfu.
But the late Consort and lifelong companion to Queen Elizabeth II lived in the UK from a very young age.
And Queen Sofía's silent homage to her father's cousin was very much in line with a long-running British tradition – she wore a paper poppy in her lapel.
The poppy, part of the Royal British Legion's emblem and a symbol used to commemorate those who lost their lives in combat during World War I, is worn in the UK and by Brits abroad on November 11 – Armistice Day in France, and a public holiday, and called Remembrance Day in Britain, although it is a normal working day.
Small paper poppies with a plastic stalk designed to be worn as a buttonhole are typically sold for a nominal price in the run-up to November 11 each year, with funds going to charities supporting injured service personnel and the families of those who do not survive.
Outside the UK, the tradition is not followed, and people from Spain would not necessarily know what it meant.
The Royal family and the forces take part in a Remembrance Day parade every year, where members of the public can join in, wearing their own medals or uniforms if they are, or have been, service personnel, or wearing those of their deceased relatives.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com