Amparo Illana (1934–2001) was a Spanish noble woman who was the wife of

Adolfo Suárez Adolfo Suárez González, 1st Duke of Suárez (; 25 September 1932 – 23 March 2014) was a Spanish lawyer and politician. Suárez was Spain's first democratically elected prime minister since the Second Spanish Republic and a key figure in th ...

, prime minister of Spain between 1976 and 1981.

Biography

Illana was born in Madrid on 25 May 1934 into a family of

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

origin. Her father was a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

at the army. She studied English in Ireland and French at a boarding school in France. She met Adolfo Suárez in

Ávila Ávila (, , ) is a city of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Ávila. It lies on the right bank of the Adaja river. Located more than 1,130 m abov ...

during a summer vacation. Suárez was a native of the town. They married there on 15 July 1961. Her family contributed to the political career of Suárez. Illana was close to the Opus Dei, a Catholic group, and her husband was also a member of the group. She involved in philanthropic activities with a special focus on the

Gitanos The Romani in Spain, generally known by the exonym () or the endonym ''Calé'', belong to the Iberian Cale Romani subgroup, with smaller populations in Portugal (known as ) and in Southern France. Their sense of identity and cohesion stems f ...

or Romani people in Spain. She organized a meeting about their problems in Madrid in 1978 in collaboration with the Opus Dei. Illana had five children with Suárez: María Amparo, Adolfo, Laura, Sonsoles and Javier. Illana was diagnosed with

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a r ...

in 1994 and died in Madrid on 17 May 2001. She was buried in

Ávila Cathedral The Cathedral of the Saviour ( es, Catedral de Cristo Salvador) is a Catholic church in Ávila in the south of Old Castile, Spain. It was built in the late Romanesque and Gothic architectural traditions. It was planned as a cathedral-fortress ...

, Ávila, on 18 May. Her husband would also be buried there next to her in March 2014.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Illana, Amparo 20th-century Spanish women 1934 births 2001 deaths People from Madrid Spouses of prime ministers of Spain Spanish people of Basque descent Deaths from breast cancer Deaths from cancer in Spain Spanish Roman Catholics Spanish philanthropists