Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2011 / ia / Paper 1 / 8B / a / ii / Solution

Write a complex eigenvector as $v=u+iw$, where $u,w\in {\mathbb{R}}^n$. Since $M$ and its eigenvalue $\lambda$ are real,At least one of $u,w$ is nonzero, and it is a real eigenvector for the same eigenvalue. More generally every complex eigenvector is a complex linear combination of real ones: its real and imaginary parts lie in the real eigenspace. Thus each eigenspace has a basis chosen over the reals. The conclusion does not assert that every arbitrary complex eigenvector is itself real.