Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano (; born 15 September 1972) is the
Queen of Spain as the wife of
King Felipe VI
Felipe VI (;,
* eu, Felipe VI.a,
* ca, Felip VI,
* gl, Filipe VI, . Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia; born 30 January 1968) is King of Spain. He is the son of former King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía, and h ...
. She came from a middle-class family and worked as a journalist for ''
ABC'' and
EFE before becoming a
news anchor
A news presenter – also known as a newsreader, newscaster (short for "news broadcaster"), anchorman or anchorwoman, news anchor or simply an anchor – is a person who presents news during a news program on TV, radio or the Internet. ...
at
CNN+ and
Televisión Española
Televisión Española (acronym TVE, branded tve, "Spanish Television") is Spain's national state-owned public television broadcaster and the oldest regular television service in the country. It was also the first regular television service in ...
. In 2004, she
married Felipe, then Prince of Asturias and
heir apparent
An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...
to the Spanish throne. Their daughters,
Leonor
Leonor or Léonor is a short form of the given name Eleanor.
People bearing the name include:
* Leonor Beleza (born 1948), Portuguese politician
* Leonor Briones (born 1940), Filipino academic and civil servant
* Leonor de Cisneros (died 1568), ...
and
Sofía, were born in 2005 and 2007 respectively. As Princess of Asturias, Letizia represented her father-in-law,
King Juan Carlos
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the ti ...
, 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
Oviedo (; ast, Uviéu ) is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain and the administrative and commercial centre of the region. It is also the name of the municipality that contains the city. Oviedo is located a ...
,
Asturias
Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous community in northwest Spain.
It is coextensiv ...
, 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. 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.
Letizia's parents divorced in 1999 and her father remarried in
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
on 18 March 2004 to fellow journalist Ana Togores.
Letizia's paternal grandparents were José Luis Ortiz Velasco (ca. 1923–2005), a commercial employee at
Olivetti
Olivetti S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of computers, tablets, smartphones, printers and other such business products as calculators and fax machines. Headquartered in Ivrea, in the Metropolitan City of Turin, the company has been par ...
; 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. Letizia's maternal grandmother, Enriqueta Rodriguez Figueredo (1919–2008) was born in the Philippines to Filipino and Spanish parents.
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
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...
incorporates the arms of the Rocasolano family.
[ ''Armas de Doña Letizia'', Revista Internacional de Protocolo, , Number 33, 2004, pp. 64–65] 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
Constable of Castile ( es, Condestable de Castilla) was a title created by John I, King of Castile in 1382, to substitute the title ''Alférez Mayor del Reino''. The constable was the second person in power in the kingdom, after the King, and hi ...
.
Education and career
Letizia attended La Gesta School in Oviedo, before her family moved to
Rivas-Vaciamadrid
Rivas-Vaciamadrid () is the 15th most populated city in the Community of Madrid, Spain. It belongs to the Madrid metropolitan area and is located just 15 km from central Madrid, to the south-east. In the southern part of the municipality, the ...
near
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
, where she attended the Ramiro de Maeztu High School.
[– El traslado de su familia a Madrid marcó la dirección de su vida](_blank)
/ref> She completed a bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...
in journalism, at the Complutense University of Madrid
The Complutense University of Madrid ( es, Universidad Complutense de Madrid; UCM, links=no, ''Universidad de Madrid'', ''Universidad Central de Madrid''; la, Universitas Complutensis Matritensis, links=no) is a public research university loc ...
, as well as a master's degree in audiovisual journalism at the Institute for Studies in Audiovisual Journalism.[The Royal Household of His Majesty the King – Her Royal Highness the Princess of Asturias](_blank)
During her studies, Letizia worked for the Asturian daily newspaper ''La Nueva España
''La Nueva España'' is a daily newspaper in Spain. Published in Oviedo, it serves Asturias
Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturia ...
'' and later for the newspaper '' ABC'' and the news agency EFE. After completing her master's degree, she travelled to Guadalajara
Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Mexico, while the Guadalaj ...
, 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. After returning to Spain, she worked for the Spanish version of the economic channel Bloomberg Bloomberg may refer to:
People
* Daniel J. Bloomberg (1905–1984), audio engineer
* Georgina Bloomberg (born 1983), professional equestrian
* Michael Bloomberg (born 1942), American businessman and founder of Bloomberg L.P.; politician and m ...
before moving to the news network CNN+.
In 2000, she moved to TVE
TVE may stand for:
Television
* Televisión Española, a Spanish state-owned public-service television broadcaster
** TVE HD, a high-definition channel run by Televisión Española
* Televisão Educativa, a defunct Brazilian TV network
* TV Eduk ...
, where she started working for the news channel 24 Horas. In 2002, she anchored the weekly news report programme ''Informe Semanal
''Informe Semanal'' ( ''Weekly Report'') is a weekly Spanish television news magazine broadcast on La 1 of Televisión Española (TVE). Debuting on 31 March 1973, it is the second longest-running national television program in the history of te ...
'' and later the daily morning news programme ''Telediario
''Telediario'' (''Tele-journal'') is the flagship television newscast produced by Televisión Española (TVE), the television division of Spanish state-owned public broadcaster Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE). It is the longest running prog ...
Matinal'' on TVE 1. 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.
In 2000, Letizia reported from Washington, D.C., on the presidential elections. In September 2001, she broadcast live from Ground Zero
In relation to nuclear explosions and other large bombs, ground zero (also called surface zero) is the point on the Earth's surface closest to a detonation. In the case of an explosion above the ground, ''ground zero'' is the point on the grou ...
following the 9/11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerci ...
in New York and in 2003, she filed reports from Iraq following the war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
. In 2002 she sent several reports from Galicia
Galicia may refer to:
Geographic regions
* Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain
** Gallaecia, a Roman province
** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia
** The medieval King ...
in northern Spain following the ecological disaster when the oil tanker ''Prestige
Prestige refers to a good reputation or high esteem; in earlier usage, ''prestige'' meant "showiness". (19th c.)
Prestige may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Films
* ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnet ...
'' sank.
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 A civil, or registrar, ceremony is a non-religious legal marriage ceremony performed by a government official or functionary. In the United Kingdom, this person is typically called a registrar. In the United States, civil ceremonies may be performed ...
at Almendralejo
Almendralejo () is a town in the Province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. It is situated 45 km south-east of Badajoz, on the main road and rail route between Mérida and Seville. , it has a population of 33,975. It was the site of a battle ...
, in Badajoz
Badajoz (; formerly written ''Badajos'' in English) is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It is situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana. The populati ...
, after a 10-year courtship. The marriage was dissolved by divorce in 1999.
Second marriage and children
On 1 November 2003, to the surprise of many, the Royal Household announced Letizia's engagement to Felipe, then Prince of Asturias
Prince or Princess of Asturias ( es, link=no, Príncipe/Princesa de Asturias; ast, Príncipe d'Asturies) is the main substantive title used by the heir apparent or heir presumptive to the throne of Spain. According to the Spanish Constitution ...
. Afterwards, she moved to live in a wing of the Zarzuela Palace
The Zarzuela Palace ( es, Palacio de la Zarzuela ) is the residence and working offices of the reigning monarch of Spain ( King Felipe VI), although the official residence of the Spanish royal family is the Royal Palace of Madrid. The Zarzuela Pa ...
until the day of her wedding. The Prince of Asturias had proposed to her with a 16-baguette
A baguette (; ) is a long, thin type of bread of French origin that is commonly made from basic lean dough (the dough, though not the shape, is defined by French law). It is distinguishable by its length and crisp crust.
A baguette has a dia ...
diamond engagement ring with a white gold trim. She marked the occasion by giving him white gold and sapphire
cufflinks and a classic book.
The wedding took place on 22 May 2004 in the Cathedral Santa María la Real de la Almudena in Madrid. 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
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...
, and his sisters, Infanta Elena and Infanta Cristina, married in Seville
Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Penins ...
and Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
respectively.
Letizia's bridal gown was designed by Spanish fashion designer Manuel Pertegaz
Manuel Pertegaz Ibáñez (18 May 1918 - 30 August 2014) known as Manuel Pertegaz or simply as Pertegaz was a Spanish fashion designer. He was so highly regarded that he was asked to succeed Christian Dior in 1957 as head designer at Dior, but ch ...
, 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.
As Letizia's previous marriage involved only a civil ceremony, the Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
does not consider it canonically valid and therefore did not require an annulment
Annulment is a legal procedure within Law, secular and Religious law, religious legal systems for declaring a marriage Void (law), null and void. Unlike divorce, it is usually ex post facto law, retroactive, meaning that an annulled marriage is c ...
to proceed with a Catholic marriage to the Prince of Asturias.
Letizia and Felipe have two daughters: Leonor, Princess of Asturias
(Leonor de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Ortiz; born 31 October 2005) is the heir presumptive to the throne of Spain as the elder daughter of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia.
In addition to the official title of Princess of Asturias, she bears t ...
, born on 31 October 2005; and Infanta Sofía
''Infante'' (, ; f. ''infanta''), also anglicised as Infant or translated as Prince, is the title and rank given in the Iberian kingdoms of Spain (including the predecessor kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Navarre, and León) and Portugal to th ...
, born on 29 April 2007. They were born at Ruber International Hospital in Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
.
Princess of Asturias
Princess
Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince.
Princess as a subst ...
Letizia immediately joined in the duties of her husband and travelled extensively through Spain representing her father-in-law. They also represented Spain in other countries: she has travelled along with her husband to Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
, 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
Grand duke (feminine: grand duchess) is a European hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families. In status, a grand duke traditionally ranks in order of precedence below an emperor, as an approxi ...
and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg
The territory of Luxembourg has been ruled successively by counts, dukes and grand dukes. It was part of the medieval Kingdom of Germany, and later the Holy Roman Empire until it became a sovereign state in 1815.
Counts of Luxembourg
House of A ...
, and in the Netherlands for the 40th birthday of the Prince of Orange
Prince of Orange (or Princess of Orange if the holder is female) is a title originally associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by sovereigns in the Netherlands.
The title ...
.
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's rights, culture, and education. In late 2007, her solo agenda started to grow in the number of events she performed by herself and Felipe's and Letizia's agendas became more distinct and separate.
Queen of Spain
On 19 June 2014, Letizia became Queen of Spain
, coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg
, coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain
, image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg
, incumbent = Felipe VI
, incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...
; as such, she holds the style of Majesty
Majesty (abbreviated HM for His Majesty or Her Majesty, oral address Your Majesty; from the Latin ''maiestas'', meaning "greatness") is used as a manner of address by many monarchs, usually kings or queens. Where used, the style outranks the st ...
. She is the first Spanish-born queen consort since Mercedes of Orléans, the first wife of Alfonso XII
Alfonso XII (Alfonso Francisco de Asís Fernando Pío Juan María de la Concepción Gregorio Pelayo; 28 November 185725 November 1885), also known as El Pacificador or the Peacemaker, was King of Spain from 29 December 1874 to his death in 188 ...
, in 1878. She is also the first Spanish queen to have been born as a commoner
A commoner, also known as the ''common man'', ''commoners'', the ''common people'' or the ''masses'', was in earlier use an ordinary person in a community or nation who did not have any significant social status, especially a member of neither ...
.
Queen Letizia undertook her first solo engagement as queen on 23 June 2014 at the inauguration of the El Greco
Domḗnikos Theotokópoulos ( el, Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος ; 1 October 1541 7 April 1614), most widely known as El Greco ("The Greek"), was a Greek painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El G ...
and modern painting exhibition at the National Prado museum in Madrid.
In their first overseas trip as king and queen, Felipe VI and Letizia met Pope Francis
Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
on 30 June 2014, in the Apostolic Palace
The Apostolic Palace ( la, Palatium Apostolicum; it, Palazzo Apostolico) is the official residence of the pope, the head of the Catholic Church, located in Vatican City. It is also known as the Papal Palace, the Palace of the Vatican and the V ...
. They later met with Cardinal Secretary of State
The Secretary of State of His Holiness (Latin: Secretarius Status Sanctitatis Suae,
it, Segretario di Stato di Sua Santità), commonly known as the Cardinal Secretary of State, presides over the Holy See's Secretariat of State, which is the ...
Pietro Parolin
Pietro Parolin OMRI (, ; born 17 January 1955) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church. A cardinal since February 2014, he has served as the Vatican's Secretary of State since October 2013 and a member of the Council of Cardinal Advisers sin ...
, 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. In 2015, Letizia was named Special Ambassador for Nutrition for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...
.
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.
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.
Titles and honours
On 21 May 2004, the day before her marriage to Prince Felipe, Letizia was appointed a Dame Grand Cross of the Royal and Distinguished Order of Charles III. Since then, Letizia has received different appointments and decorations by foreign states and other Spanish honours.
Letizia was styled as "Her Royal Highness the Princess of Asturias" from her marriage to her husband's accession in 2014, and as "Her Majesty the Queen" since.
Arms
The coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...
of Queen Letizia was adopted in 2014, based on the design created for her by the Asturian Academy of Heraldry and Genealogy (''Academia Asturiana de Heráldica y Genealogía'') in May 2004 and approved by Vicente de Cadenas y Vicent
Vicente de Cadenas y Vicent (29 April 1915 – 21 December 2005) was a ''Cronista Rey de Armas'' ("Chronicler King of Arms") of the Kingdom of Spain.
Biography
A native of Madrid, Spain, Cadenas was born on 29 April 1915, the son of Francisco d ...
, Cronista Rey de Armas
The Cronista Rey de Armas () in the Kingdoms of Spain was a civil servant who had the authority to grant armorial bearings. Currently this is no more an office in Spain. There is no Chronicler King of Arms in Spain. The office of the King of Arm ...
; this was used by her as Princess of Asturias.[ "Armas de Doña Leticia", ''Revista Internacional de Protocolo'' Number 33 (2004, ), pp. 64-65] The revision of 2014 was confirmed by Don Alfonso Ceballos-Escalera y Gil
Alfonso de Ceballos-Escalera y Gila (born March 4, 1957, in Madrid) is a Spanish aristocrat, who holds the title of Marquess, ''Marqués de la Floresta'' & Viscount of Ayala in the Kingdom of Spain and Duke of Ostuni of the former Kingdom of the Tw ...
, Chronicler of Arms for Castile and León.
The Queen's coat of arms has no governmental status, as in Spain only those of the King and those of the Princess of Asturias are so recognized.
References
External links
Official website of the Spanish Monarchy
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Letizia, Queen consort Of Spain
1972 births
Living people
People from Oviedo
House of Bourbon (Spain)
Spanish monarchy
Spanish royal consorts
Spanish television presenters
Spanish journalists
Spanish women television presenters
Spanish women journalists
Princesses of Asturias
Princesses of Viana
Complutense University of Madrid alumni
Articles containing video clips
Felipe VI of Spain
Princesses by marriage