Infanta Margarita of Spain, Duchess of Soria, 2nd Duchess of Hernani, Grandee of Spain (Margarita María de la Victoria Esperanza Jacoba Felicidad Perpetua de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Borbón; born 6 March 1939), is the younger sister of

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 ...

and aunt of the reigning

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 ...

of Spain.

Early life

Infanta Margarita was born at Hotel NH Firenze Anglo American in

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as the younger daughter of Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona, and Princess Mercedes of the Two Sicilies. Margarita has been blind since birth.

Marriage

She married the physician Carlos Zurita y Delgado on 12 October 1972 in

Estoril Estoril () is a town in the Municipality of Cascais, Portugal, on the Portuguese Riviera. It is a tourist destination, with luxury hotels, beaches, and the Casino Estoril. It has been home to numerous royal families and celebrities, and has h ...

at St. Anthony's Church. They have two children: *''Don'' Alfonso Juan Carlos Zurita y de Borbón, Grandee of Spain, born on 9 August 1973 at Virgen de La Palomain Hospital in Madrid. *María Sofía Emilia Carmen Zurita y de Borbón, Grandee of Spain, born on 16 September 1975 in Madrid. Queen Sofia of Spain was her godmother. Maria Sofia has a son: **''Don'' Carlos Alfonso Juan Zurita y de Borbón, born on 28 April 2018 in Madrid.

Activities

In 1989, alongside her husband, they created the Fundación Cultural Duques de Soria (The Duke and Duchess of Soria Cultural Foundation). She's also Honorary President of Madrid's delegation of

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to c ...

and of the Spanish Heart Foundation.

Succession and Grandeeship

Infanta Margarita renounced her right of succession to the

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upon marriage. On 6 January 1979, the Infanta's cousin Manfredo de Borbón, 1st Duke of Hernani, died and willed his ducal title to be inherited by Margarita. The King granted this request, and on 27 May 1981, she became 2nd Duchess of Hernani with accompanying dignity

Grandee of Spain Grandee (; es, Grande de España, ) is an official aristocratic title conferred on some Spanish nobility. Holders of this dignity enjoyed similar privileges to those of the peerage of France during the , though in neither country did they ...

. The peerage title refers to the town Hernani, Spain. The month after, on 23 June 1981, she was granted a higher dukedom for life by the king and also became Duchess of Soria (referring to the city

Soria Soria () is a municipality and a Spanish city, located on the Douro river in the east of the autonomous community of Castile and León and capital of the province of Soria. Its population is 38,881 ( INE, 2017), 43.7% of the provincial populati ...

in Spain).

Honours

National

* : Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Charles III The Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III, originally Royal and Much Distinguished Order of Charles III ( es, Real y Distinguida Orden Española de Carlos III, originally es, Real y Muy Distinguida Orden de Carlos III) was establ ...

* : 1,192nd Dame Grand Cross of the

Order of Queen Maria Luisa The Royal Order of Noble Ladies of Queen Maria Luisa is an Order created by King Charles IV of Spain by royal decree on April 21, 1792, at the request of his wife, Queen Maria Luisa, to reward noble women who distinguished themselves for their s ...

* : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Alfonso X

Foreign

* Greek Royal Family: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Olga and Sophia * ** Two Sicilian Royal Family: Knight Grand Cross of Justice of the Two Sicilian Royal Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George * : Grand Cross of the Order of Infante HenryPortugal State visit to Spain
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Ancestors

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Margarita of Spain, Infanta 1939 births Living people House of Bourbon (Spain) Spanish infantas Blind royalty and nobility Blind people from Spain Nobility from Rome

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101 Grand Crosses of the Order of Prince Henry Recipients of the Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise