Queen Letizia of Spain

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Ortiz and the second or maternal family name is Rocasolano.
Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano
Queen Letizia - 2019 (cropped).jpg
Queen Letizia in 2019
Queen consort of Spain
Tenure19 June 2014 – present
Born (1972-09-15) 15 September 1972 (age 48)
Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1998; div. 1999)​

Felipe VI of Spain
​
​
(m. 2004)​
Issue
HouseBourbon (by marriage)
FatherJesús José Ortiz Álvarez
MotherMaría de la Paloma Rocasolano Rodríguez
SignatureLetizia Ortiz Rocasolano's signature

Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano (Spanish pronunciation: [leˈtiθja oɾˈtiθ]; born 15 September 1972) is Queen of Spain as the wife of King Felipe VI. She came from a middle-class family and worked as a journalist for ABC and EFE before becoming a news anchor at CNN+ and Televisión Española. In 2004, she married Felipe, then Prince of Asturias and heir apparent to the Spanish throne. Their daughters, Leonor and Sofía, were born in 2005 and 2007 respectively. As Princess of Asturias, Letizia represented her father-in-law, King Juan Carlos, in Spain and abroad. On her father-in-law's abdication in June 2014, Felipe and Letizia became king and queen.

Family[]

Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano was born on 15 September 1972 at Miñor Sanatorium in Oviedo, Asturias,[1] the eldest daughter of Jesús José Ortiz Álvarez, a journalist, and his first wife, María de la Paloma Rocasolano Rodríguez, a registered nurse and hospital union representative.[2] She has two younger sisters, Telma (b. 1973) and Érika (1975–2007), whose death was widely reported by press as due to an intentional prescription drug overdose.[3]

Letizia was baptised in the Catholic Church on 29 September 1972, in Oviedo.[4]

Letizia’s parents divorced in 1999 and her father remarried in Madrid on 18 March 2004 to fellow journalist Ana Togores.[5][6]

Letizia's paternal grandparents were José Luis Ortiz Velasco (ca. 1923–2005), a commercial employee at Olivetti;[7] and María del Carmen "Menchu" Álvarez del Valle (1928-2021), a radio broadcaster in Asturias for over 40 years. Her maternal grandfather was Francisco Julio Rocasolano Camacho (1918–2015), a mechanic and cab driver in Madrid for over 20 years who was of French and Occitan origin.[8][9][10] Letizia's maternal grandmother, Enriqueta Rodriguez Figueredo (1919–2008) was born in the Philippines to Filipino and Spanish parents.[11][12][13]

British genealogists have provided evidence that through her mother's Rocasolano lineage, Letizia descends from Astorg Roquesoulane (died c.1564), and her coat of arms incorporates the arms of the Rocasolano family.[13][14][15] Reports have suggested – and remain unproven – that on her paternal grandfather's side, Letizia is a descendant of an untitled family descended from medieval nobility who served as constables of Castile.[16]

Education and career[]

Letizia attended La Gesta School in Oviedo, before her family moved to Rivas-Vaciamadrid[17] near Madrid, where she attended the Ramiro de Maeztu High School.[18] She completed a bachelor's degree in journalism, at the Complutense University of Madrid, as well as a master's degree in audiovisual journalism at the Institute for Studies in Audiovisual Journalism.[19]

During her studies, Letizia worked for the Asturian daily newspaper La Nueva España and later for the newspaper ABC and the news agency EFE.[18][19] After completing her master's degree, she travelled to Guadalajara, Mexico, where she worked at the newspaper Siglo 21 and began work toward a PhD. She did not, however, complete her doctoral thesis because she returned to Spain.[20] After returning to Spain, she worked for the Spanish version of the economic channel Bloomberg before moving to the news network CNN+.[19]

In 2000, she moved to TVE, where she started working for the news channel 24 Horas. In 2002, she anchored the weekly news report programme Informe Semanal and later the daily morning news programme Telediario Matinal on TVE 1.[18][19] In August 2003, a few months before her engagement to Felipe, Letizia was promoted to anchor of the TVE daily evening news programme Telediario 2, the most viewed newscast in Spain.[21] In 2000, Letizia reported from Washington, D.C., on the presidential elections. In September 2001, she broadcast live from Ground Zero following the 9/11 attacks in New York and in 2003, she filed reports from Iraq following the war.[22] In 2002 she sent several reports from Galicia in northern Spain following the ecological disaster when the oil tanker Prestige sank.[23]

First marriage[]

Letizia married Alonso Guerrero Pérez (born in 1962), a writer and a high school literature teacher, on 7 August 1998, in a simple civil ceremony at Almendralejo, in Badajoz, after a 10-year courtship.[24] The marriage was dissolved by divorce in 1999.[22]

Second marriage and children[]

Main article: Wedding of Prince Felipe and Letizia Ortiz
The Prince and Princess of Asturias at the wedding of the Crown Princess of Sweden in 2010

On 1 November 2003, to the surprise of many, the Royal Household announced Letizia's engagement to Felipe, then Prince of Asturias.[19] Afterwards, she moved to live in a wing of the Zarzuela Palace until the day of her wedding.[25] The Prince of Asturias had proposed to her with a 16-baguette diamond engagement ring with a white gold trim. She marked the occasion by giving him white gold and sapphire cufflinks and a classic book.[26]

The wedding took place on 22 May 2004 in the Cathedral Santa María la Real de la Almudena in Madrid.[27] It was the first royal wedding in this cathedral. It had been nearly a century since the capital celebrated a royal wedding, as the prince's parents married in Athens, and his sisters, Infanta Elena and Infanta Cristina, married in Seville and Barcelona respectively. Letizia's bridal gown was designed by Spanish fashion designer Manuel Pertegaz, her bridal shoes by Pura López; and the veil, a gift from Felipe to his bride, was made of off-white silk tulle and hand-embroidered with detailing.[28] As Letizia's previous marriage involved only a civil ceremony, the Catholic Church does not consider it canonically valid and therefore did not require an annulment to proceed with a Catholic marriage to the Prince of Asturias.[29]

Letizia and Felipe have two daughters: Leonor, Princess of Asturias, born on 31 October 2005;[30] and Infanta Sofía, born on 29 April 2007. They were born at Ruber International Hospital in Madrid.[31]

Princess of Asturias[]

The Prince and Princess of Asturias visit the Paranal Observatory

Princess Letizia immediately joined in the duties of her husband and traveled extensively through Spain representing her father-in-law. They also represented Spain in other countries: she has traveled along with her husband to Jordan, Mexico, Peru, Hungary, the Dominican Republic, Panama, the United States, Serbia, Brazil, Uruguay, Sweden, Denmark, Japan, China, and Portugal. She also greeted international dignitaries, along with other members of the royal family, and attended gatherings of foreign royalty in Luxembourg, for the silver wedding anniversary of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, and in the Netherlands for the 40th birthday of the Prince of Orange.[32]

Her solo agenda was announced in 2006, shortly after the announcement of her second pregnancy. Letizia has performed a couple of audiences and her work focuses on social issues such as children rights, culture, and education. In late 2007, her solo agenda started to grow in the quantity of events she performed by herself and Felipe's and Letizia's agendas became more distinct and separate.[33] Letizia supported Spanish designers, from couturiers such as Felipe Varela and Lorenzo Caprile to Zara and Mango,[34] and continues to as queen consort.

Queen of Spain[]

Queen Letizia alongside Juliana Awada, First Lady of Argentina, in 2017

On 19 June 2014, Letizia became Queen of Spain; as such, she holds the style of Majesty.[35] She is the first Spanish-born queen consort since Mercedes of Orléans, the first wife of Alfonso XII, in 1878.[36] She is also the first Spanish queen to have been born as a commoner.[22] Queen Letizia undertook her first solo engagement as queen on 23 June 2014 at the inauguration of the El Greco and modern painting exhibition at the National Prado museum in Madrid.[37]

In their first overseas trip as king and queen, Felipe VI and Letizia met Pope Francis on 30 June 2014, in the Apostolic Palace. They later met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Mgsr. Antoine Camilleri, under-secretary for Relations with States. The visit followed one by King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia on 28 April.[38] In 2015, Letizia was named Special Ambassador for Nutrition for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.[39]

Letizia and Felipe and the princesses still reside at the same residence where they have lived since 2004. It is stated that the Palace of Zarzuela is a working place only for Felipe.[40]

In March 2016, leaked text messages between Letizia and businessman Javier Lopez Madrid created a controversy. Together with other executives and board members of the Caja Madrid and Bankia financial group, Madrid had been accused of corruption. In October 2014 Letizia pledged her support for him, texting "We know who you are and you know who we are. We know each other, like each other, respect each other. To hell with the rest. Kisses yoga mate (miss you!!!)". Felipe also joined in, texting "We do indeed!" The newspaper El Diario later published these texts. A palace official subsequently stated that the King and Queen were no longer friends with Madrid due to his legal issues.[41][42]

For the 2020 Rey Jaime I Awards in Valencia, Queen Letizia presented the award-winners with their gold medals and gave a short speech praising the "talent, effort and generosity" (el talento, el esfuerzo y la generosidad) of prize-winners.[43][44][45]

Titles and honours[]

Main article: List of titles and honours of Queen Letizia of Spain

At the time of her marriage to Prince Felipe, Letizia was appointed to the Grand Cross of the Royal and Distinguished Order of Charles III as dame on 21 May 2004.[46] Since then, Letizia has received different appointments and decorations by foreign states and other Spanish honours.

References[]

  1. ^ Álvarez, Leticia (19 June 2014). "Letizia Ortiz, Reina de España". El Comercio (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Paloma Rocasolano, enlace sindical" (in Spanish). ES: Diario de Navarra. Archived from the original on 16 February 2007.
  3. ^ "Una muerte por ingestión de pastillas". El País (in Spanish) (impresa ed.). ES. 9 February 2007.
  4. ^ "Netty Royal". www.nettyroyal.nl. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  5. ^ "Jesús Ortiz, el discreto consuegro del Rey" (in Spanish). ES: Diario de Navarra. Archived from the original on 22 May 2007.
  6. ^ "Princess Letizia, Spain". womenfitness.net. Retrieved 23 February 2015. Her parents divorced in 1999 and her father remarried ... in Madrid on 18 March 2004 to fellow journalist Ana Togores N, born ca. 1955.
  7. ^ "Jesús Ortiz: 'Como abuelo me siento emocionado'". El Periódico (in Spanish). Aragón, ES. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012.
  8. ^ "Birth date of her maternal grandfather". El Mundo (in Spanish). ES.
  9. ^ "Muere el abuelo materno de la Reina Letizia". ABC (in Spanish). ES.
  10. ^ "Princess Letizia of Spain". by Womenfitness.net 1999-2016. All rights reserved. Retrieved 27 February 2016. Her maternal grandparents are Francisco Julio Rocasolano Camacho (Madrid, 21 July 1918 –), a mechanic and a cab driver in Madrid for over 20 years, and half-Filipino wife (m. 1950) Enriqueta Rodríguez Figueredo (Oviedo, 2 March 1919 – Madrid, 22 June 2008); by her maternal grandfather she (Letizia) is of French and Occitan origin.
  11. ^ "A Filipino in the palace?". manilastandardtoday.com. Retrieved 27 February 2016. Through her maternal grandmother, Enriqueta Rodriguez Figueredo, is half Filipino. Letizia's Filipino connection is merely geographical. To understand this, we must remember that during colonial times, there was a caste system. Native Filipinos (those of pure Austronesian ancestry) were called indio. The label "Filipino" was reserved for the insulares, or people of pure Spanish descent born in the Philippines....By her maternal grandfather, Francisco Julio Rocasolano Camacho, she is of French and Occitan origin
  12. ^ "Birth date of her maternal grandmother". El Mundo (in Spanish). ES. 2008.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b "Ancestry of Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano". Wargs.
  14. ^ (in Spanish) Armas de Doña Letizia, Revista Internacional de Protocolo, ISSN 1135-9692, Number 33, 2004, pp. 64–65
  15. ^ (in Spanish)Label's position correction by RIAG, Registro Internacional de Armas Gentilicias Archived 7 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine. (Retrieved 17 June 2009)
  16. ^ Kenny, Mary. "How the younger breed of Royals is moving centre stage". Belfasttelegraph. Belfast Telegraph 9 August 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2016. ... on her paternal grandfather's side she is a descendant of an untitled family descended from mediaeval nobility who served as Constables of Castile...
  17. ^ Cuartas, Javier (2 November 2003). "La vida desconocida de una cara muy popular". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b c – El traslado de su familia a Madrid marcó la dirección de su vida[dead link]
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e The Royal Household of His Majesty the King – Her Royal Highness the Princess of Asturias Archived 8 July 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ "Letizia y México: otra historia de amor" (in Spanish). BBC. 12 May 2004. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  21. ^ "Letizia, una reina que presentó el Telediario y enseñó a utilizar el Euro Leer más: Letizia, una reina que presentó el Telediario y enseñó a utilizar el Euro". Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  22. ^ Jump up to: a b c Castillo, Raquel (19 June 2014). "Former journalist Letizia Ortiz becomes Spain's first commoner queen". Reuters. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  23. ^ DeClerq, Katherine (10 June 2014). "Meet Letizia Ortiz: Spain's new 'middle-class Queen'". CTVNews.ca. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  24. ^ "Prefiere los pantalones a la falda". Diario de Navarra. Archived from the original on 14 October 2014.
  25. ^ "Boda Real – Palacio de la Zarzuela". El Mundo.
  26. ^ "Crown jewels: The fabulous rings which sealed the love of Europe's royal couples". HELLO! magazine. UK.
  27. ^ Wilkinson, Isambard (22 May 2004). "Fiesta spirit returns for royal wedding". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  28. ^ de Luis-Orueta, Fernando (22 May 2004). "Vestido piramidal con bordados de motivos heráldicos". El Pais (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  29. ^ Saunders, Doug (22 May 2004). "Marriage lets Madrid smile again". Saturday's Globe and Mail. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  30. ^ "Spain's future queen gives birth". BBC News. 31 October 2005. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  31. ^ "Spanish crown princess has second daughter". Reuters. 29 April 2007. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  32. ^ "Los Príncipes acuden a la fiesta del 40º cumpleaños de Guillermo de Holanda". El Pais (in Spanish). 2 September 2007. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  33. ^ Maria G. Valdez (2 June 2014). "Who Will Be Next King, Queen of Spain? 19 Things To Know About Prince Felipe, Princess Letizia of Asturias". latintimes. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  34. ^ "Princess Letizia's Wardrobe". Princess Letizias Wardrobe.
  35. ^ "Casa de Su Majestad el Rey de España - Her Majesty the Queen Letizia". Casa de Su Majestad el Rey. Archived from the original on 22 June 2014.
  36. ^ Silva, Daniel (3 June 2014). "The Granddaughter of a Taxi Driver Will Become Spain's Next Queen". businessinsider.com. AFP. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  37. ^ Galaz, Mábel (23 June 2014). "La reina Letizia inicia su nueva agenda con una visita al Prado". El Pais (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  38. ^ "Comunicato della Sala Stampa: Udienza alle Loro Maestà il Re Felipe VI e la Regina Letizia di Spagna, 30.06.2014" (in Italian). Vatican City. 30 June 2014.
  39. ^ "Queen Letizia of Spain, FAO Special Ambassador for Nutrition". nmultimedia.org. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  40. ^ "Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Spain: a closer look at the future king and queen's home". hellomagazine. 10 June 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  41. ^ "Spain's monarchy drawn into banking scandal". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 9 March 2016.
  42. ^ Sykes, Tom (19 March 2016). "Texting Scandal Rocks Spain's King and Queen". Daily Beast.
  43. ^ "Letizia vuelve a ejercer de Reina ante la cuarentena de Felipe VI: presidirá los Premios Rey Jaime I". El Español. 26 November 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2021. La reina Letizia (48 años) presidirá el próximo lunes en Valencia el acto de entrega de los Premios Rey Jaime I 2020 al que iba a acudir con Felipe VI (52), quien se ausentará debido a la cuarentena que mantiene por haber estado en contacto con un positivo por covid-19. (Queen Letizia (48 years old) will preside next Monday in Valencia the ceremony of delivery of the King Jaime I Awards 2020 to which she was going to attend with Felipe VI (52), who will be absent due to the quarantine he maintains for having been in contact with a positive for covid-19.)
  44. ^ "La Reina destaca el "talento y el esfuerzo" de los Premios Rey Jaime I (The Queen highlights the "talent and effort" of the Rey Jaime I Awards)". El Independente. 30 November 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2021. La Reina Letizia ha destacado que el «talento, el esfuerzo y la generosidad» de los galardonados en los Premios Rey Jaime I «suponen una muestra de que somos capaces de proyectar una España moderna, solidaria y fuerte» (Queen Letizia stressed that the "talent, effort and generosity" of the winners of the Rey Jaime I Awards "are a sign that we are capable of projecting a modern, supportive and strong Spain")
  45. ^ "PEPE GOSÁLBEZ (VOX) ATTENDS THE SOLEMN CEREMONY OF DELIVERY OF THE KING JAIME I AWARDS WITH THE PRESENCE OF QUEEN LETIZIA". The Spain Journal. 30 November 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2021. The event was held in the Lonja de Valencia, where they have ...received from the hand of Queen Letizia the medal that accredits them as winners of their respective categories.
  46. ^ BOE Number 124, pp. 19314-19314 (in Spanish) 22 May 2004. (Retrieved 13 September 2015)

External links[]

Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano
Born: 15 September 1972
Spanish royalty
Preceded by
Sophia of Greece and Denmark 		Queen consort of Spain
19 June 2014 – present 		Incumbent
Retrieved from ""