Infanta Elena, Duchess of Lugo (Elena María Isabel Dominica de Silos de Borbón y de Grecia; born 20 December 1963), is the first child and eldest daughter of

King Juan Carlos I Juan Carlos I (; Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 November 1975 until his abdication on 19 June 2014. In Sp ...

and

Queen Sofía Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

. As the eldest sister of King Felipe VI, Elena is the third in the

line of succession to the Spanish throne Succession to the Spanish throne follows male-preference cognatic primogeniture. A dynast who marries against the express prohibition of the monarch and the Cortes Generales, the legislative chamber of Spain, is excluded from the succession. Up ...

. She has a younger sister,

Infanta Cristina Infanta Cristina (Cristina Federica Victoria Antonia de la Santísima Trinidad de Borbón y de Grecia, born 13 June 1965) is the younger daughter of King Juan Carlos I and his wife, Queen Sofía. She is sixth in the line of succession to the S ...

. On 3 March 1995, on the occasion of her marriage to Jaime de Marichalar y Sáenz de Tejada, Lord of Tejada, she was created

Duchess of Lugo Duchess of Lugo is a substantive title in the Spanish nobility, Peerage of Spain. The title is considered a ''Título de la Casa Real'' (), a type of title that is not hereditary and is granted for life to a member of the Spanish royal family, Roy ...

by her father, King Juan Carlos. The title, as part of the titles belonging to the Spanish crown, was granted to her for life and her descendants will not be able to inherit it. Since the ascension of her younger brother to the Spanish throne, Elena is not part of the

royal family A royal family is the immediate family of monarchs and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term papal family describes the family of a pope, while th ...

. However, just as she did during her father's reign, she currently represents the Crown when required by the monarch. She has also represented her family abroad on several occasions, having travelled to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, and the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

Early life and family

Infanta Elena was born on 20 December 1963 at Our Lady of Loreto Hospital, now known as ORPEA Madrid Loreto, in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

. She is the first member to be born in hospital from King Juan Carlos I's family and the eldest child of

Juan Carlos I Juan Carlos I (; Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 November 1975 until Abdication of Juan Carlos I, his abdic ...

, the former Spanish monarch, and

(born Princess of Greece and Denmark). She has one sister and one brother. Elena studied at Santa María del Camino School in Madrid and got a diploma as teacher of secondary school in 1986, with a specialty in

English studies English studies (or simply, English) is an academic discipline taught in primary, secondary, and post-secondary education in English-speaking countries. This is not to be confused with English taught as a foreign language, which is a dis ...

. She later moved to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in order to study

French literature French literature () generally speaking, is literature written in the French language, particularly by French people, French citizens; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of Franc ...

; it was during this time that she met her future husband. After working as an English teacher at her childhood school, she graduated in Education Sciences by the

Comillas Pontifical University Comillas Pontifical University () is a private Catholic Church, Catholic university run by the Spanish Province of the Society of Jesus in Madrid, Madrid, Spain. The university is involved in a number of academic exchange programmes, work practi ...

in 1993.

Equestrianism

Since she was a child, Elena showed a special preference for horse riding, a passion that she inherited from her grandmother, Princess María de las Mercedes, Countess of Barcelona. It was during her adolescence that she began to make a name for herself in the world of

show jumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ar ...

. She debuted in an official competition in 1982 at the ''

Club de Campo Villa de Madrid Club de Campo Villa de Madrid is a country club, country and sports club located in Madrid, Spain. The club was formed in 1929, and is one of the most known in the city. It has a wide array of sports facilities including two championship 18-hole g ...

''. After this, in the late 1980s King Juan Carlos ordered the construction of stables and a riding arena at the Royal Palace of Zarzuela so that his daughter could practice her hobby in the palace. As of 2023, although she no longer resides in Zarzuela nor is she part of the royal family, she continues to use these facilities that she upholds financially. Elena was described by fellow equestrian Luis Jaime Carvajal y Salas, 5th Duke of Aveyro, as a "very good ider but he pointed that her problem was that horse riding "requires time and she doesn't have it" as a member of the royal family. Among the most notable horses of the Infanta are Qant (her favorite horse since 2011) and Jordano EB (Qant's successor), a chestnut-bred horse that she bred herself. As of 2016, Elena owned, at least, eight horses. Elena has had several equestrian teachers; since she left the royal family, she has not had an official one. The most relevant are Felipe de Zuleta y Alejandro from 2006 to 2015, an official of the Royal Guard and brother of the Duke of Abrantes, private secretary of Queen Letizia from 2014 to 2024, and Luis Astolfi Pérez de Guzmán, a former boyfriend and currently a close friend to the infanta. Luis and Elena relinked their friendship in 2013 after many years without contact. She shares this hobby with her daughter, Victoria, Grandee of Spain, as well as watching

bullfighting Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations. There are several variations, including some forms wh ...

Marriage and children

Elena met Jaime de Marichalar y Sáenz de Tejada, Lord of Tejada, son of the Amalio de Marichalar y Bruguera, 8th Count of Ripalda, for the first time in 1987 in

. Elena was studying French literature at the French capital while Jaime was working for the Swiss bank

Credit Suisse Credit Suisse Group AG (, ) was a global Investment banking, investment bank and financial services firm founded and based in Switzerland. According to UBS, eventually Credit Suisse was to be fully integrated into UBS. While the integration ...

. Soon after that meeting, they started a relationship but it was not until 1993 that the press got the first photographs of the couple and during 1994, the wedding rumors increased. On 23 November 1994, the Royal Household made official their engagement. The formal marriage proposal was made on 26 November 1994 at the Royal Palace of Zarzuela. The engagement ring was a diamond ring part of a tiara belonging to the groom's mother, María de la Concepción Sáenz de Tejada y Fernández de Bobadilla, Lady of Tejada. In addition to the immediate royal family, Princess María de las Mercedes, Countess of Barcelona (the bride's grandmother),

Infanta Pilar, Duchess of Badajoz Infanta Pilar of Spain, Duchess of Badajoz and Viscountess of La Torre (Spanish language, Spanish: ''María del Pilar Alfonsa Juana Victoria Luisa Ignacia y Todos los Santos de Borbón y Borbón''; 30 July 1936 – 8 January 2020), sometimes kn ...

(the bride's aunt) and the

Duchess Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they a ...

and Duke of Soria (the bride's aunt and uncle) were also present. Boda real Infanta Elena

Their wedding took place on 18 March 1995, in the

Seville Cathedral The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See (), better known as Seville Cathedral (), is a Catholic cathedral and former mosque in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. It was registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, along with the adjoining Alc� ...

. This was the first royal wedding in Spain since the wedding of King

Alfonso XIII Alfonso XIII (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Alfonso León Fernando María Jaime Isidro Pascual Antonio de Borbón y Habsburgo-Lorena''; French language, French: ''Alphonse Léon Ferdinand Marie Jacques Isidore Pascal Antoine de Bourbon''; 17 May ...

and Princess

Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg Victoria Eugenie Julia Ena of Battenberg (24 October 1887 – 15 April 1969) was List of Spanish royal consorts, Queen of Spain as the wife of King Alfonso XIII from their marriage on 31 May 1906 until 14 April 1931, when the Spanish Second Re ...

in 1906. Around 1,500 guests, including representatives of 39 royal houses, attended the event. 150,000 citizens filled the streets around the Cathedral. Also, to celebrate the occasion, King Juan Carlos created Infanta Elena as

. The couple has two children:

Felipe de Marichalar y Borbón Felipe Juan Froilán de Todos los Santos de Marichalar y Borbón, Lord of Tejada (born 17 July 1998), widely known as Froilán, is the elder child and only son of Infanta Elena, Duchess of Lugo, and Jaime de Marichalar. He is the maternal-line ...

(born 17 July 1998) and Victoria de Marichalar y Borbón (born 9 September 2000) were born at Ruber International Hospital in Madrid. On 26 June 2003, a few days after the king announced the third pregnancy of his daughter, Elena suffered a miscarriage. As children of an Infanta of Spain, Elena's children are

Grandees of Spain Grandees of Spain () are the highest-ranking members of the Spanish nobility. They comprise nobles who hold the most important historical landed titles in Spain or its Spanish Empire, former colonies. Many such hereditary titles are held by extend ...

. On 13 November 2007, it was announced that Elena had separated from her husband. In November 2009, the Spanish media reported that she and her husband would divorce, although a rumour to that effect had been circulating for a year before the announcement was made. Their divorce papers were signed on 25 November 2009. The Duchess and Duke consort of Lugo were divorced in December 2009. On 21 January 2010, the divorce was registered at the Civil Registry of the Spanish Royal Family and it was officially announced on 9 February 2010; Jaime de Marichalar was no longer permitted to use the ducal title and he was no longer considered to be an official member of the

Spanish Royal Family The Spanish royal family constitutes the Spanish branch of the House of Bourbon (), also known as the House of Bourbon-Anjou (). The royal family is headed by King Felipe VI and currently consists of the King; Queen Letizia; their children, Leono ...

Activities and personal work

Elena started to attend official events at a very young age. One of the first official events she attended was the proclamation of her father in November 1975. Since finishing her most basic education in 1983, Elena, along with her sister

Cristina Cristina is a female given name, and it is also a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Cristina (daughter of Edward the Exile), 11th-century English princess *Cristina (singer), Cristina Monet-Palaci (1956–2020), American ...

, supported their parents representing the Crown at official events such as the National Day, the wedding of

Princess Astrid of Belgium Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 5 June 1962), is the second child and first daughter of King Albert II and Queen Paola, and the younger sister to the current Belgian monarch, King Philippe. She is married to Pr ...

, the re-burial of Queen Victoria Eugenia at

El Escorial El Escorial, or the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial (), or (), is a historical residence of the king of Spain located in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, up the valley ( road distance) from the town of El Escorial, Madrid, El ...

, the state visit of Mexican president

Miguel de la Madrid Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado (; 12 December 1934 – 1 April 2012) was a Mexican politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) who served as the 59th president of Mexico from 1982 to 1988. Inheriting a severe economic an ...

to Spain, and the 1984

Prince of Asturias Awards The Princess of Asturias Awards (, ), formerly the Prince of Asturias Awards from 1981 to 2014 (), are a series of annual prizes awarded in Spain by the Princess of Asturias Foundation (previously the Prince of Asturias Foundation) to individuals ...

ceremony, among others. Since the ascension of her brother in June 2014 and her consequent departure from the royal family, Elena has reduced her public appearances. Exceptionally, that year she represented the Crown in some events, such as the funeral of

Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of Alba María del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva, 18th Duchess of Alba Grandee, GE (28 March 1926 – 20 November 2014) was one of the most senior aristocrats in Spain, as well as the most titled aristocrat in the world, a record now held ...

in November 2014 and the delivery of the National Sports Awards in December 2014. Since then, Elena has limited her institutional activity to annually presiding over the awards ceremony for the

Patrimonio Nacional Patrimonio Nacional () is a Spanish autonomous agency, under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes, that administers the sites owned by the Spanish State and used by the Monarch and the ...

's Children's and Youth Painting Contest. In addition to her obligations as an infanta, Elena has a personal job that allows her to compensate for the lack of public salary by not being a member of the royal family. Elena has worked at the Mapfre Foundation since 2008 and currently serves as director of social and cultural projects. From this position, Infanta Elena has helped the foundation to promote projects and give visibility to various cooperation programs in

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

through several international tours. Most of the public appearances of the infanta are related to the social activities of this foundation.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

*20 December 1963 3 March 1995: ''Her Royal Highness''

Infanta 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 the ...

Doña The terms Don (in Spanish and Italian), Dom (in Portuguese), and Domn (in Romanian), are honorific prefixes derived from the Latin ''Dominus'', meaning "lord" or "owner". The honorific is commonly used in Spain, Portugal, and Italy, as well ...

Elena *3 March 1995present: ''Her Royal Highness'' Infanta Doña Elena, Duchess of Lugo

Honours

National honours

*: ** Dame 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 (, originally ; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OC3) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bes ...

** Dame Grand Cross of the

Order of Isabella the Catholic The Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OYC) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bestowed by the Kingdom of Spain, alongside the Order of Charles III (established in 1771) and ...

** Dame of the Royal Cavalry Armory of Seville ** Dame of the Royal Cavalry Armory of Zaragoza

Foreign honours

*: Grand Star of the

Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria The Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria () is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria. It is divided into 15 classes and is the highest award in the Austrian national honours system. History The Decoration of Hono ...

*: Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold *: Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...

*: Grand Cross of the Order of Honour *: Grand Cross of the

Order of the Quetzal The Order of the Quetzal () is Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the so ...

*: Grand Cross of the

Order of the Falcon The Order of the Falcon () is the only order of chivalry in Iceland, founded by Christian X of Denmark, King Christian X of Denmark and Iceland on 3 July 1921. The award is awarded for merit for Iceland and humanity and has five degrees. Nowaday ...

*: Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic () is the most senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking honour of the Republi ...

*: Grand Cordon (Paulownia) of the

Order of the Precious Crown The is a Japanese order, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. Since the Order of the Rising Sun at that time was an Order for men, it was established as an Order for women. Originally the order had five classes, but on Apr ...

*: Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Star of Jordan The Order of the Star of Jordan (Wisam al-Kawkab al-Urduni) or The Order of Hussein ibn Ali (Wisam al-Hussein ibn Ali) is an award and order of Jordan and is awarded for military or civil merit. It was founded in honour of his father, by King ...

*: Grand Cross of the

Order of Adolphe of Nassau The Order of Civil and Military Merit of Adolph of Nassau () is an order of merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg for meritorious service to the Grand Duke, the Grand-Ducal House and Luxembourg. It was founded in 1858 as a chivalric order of th ...

*: Member 1st Class of the Order of the Three Divine Powers *: Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau () is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has performed acts of special merits for ...

*: Grand Cross of the

Order of Saint Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

*: Grand Cross of the

Order of the Sun of Peru The Order of the Sun of Peru (Spanish: ''Orden El Sol del Perú''), formerly known as the Order of the Sun, is the highest award bestowed by the nation of Peru to commend notable civil and military merit. The award is the oldest civilian award in ...

*: Grand Cross of the Order of Christ *: Grand Cross of the

Order of Prince Henry The Order of Prince Henry () is a Portuguese order of knighthood created on 2 June 1960, to commemorate the quincentenary of the death of the Portuguese ''infante'' Prince Henry the Navigator, one of the main initiators of the Age of Discovery. M ...

*: Recipient of the 50th Birthday Badge Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf

Ancestry

References

External links

Her Royal Highness the Infanta Elena (official profile)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Elena Of Lugo, Duchess, Infanta 1963 births Living people Spanish infantas Daughters of kings House of Bourbon (Spain) Dukes of Lugo Alumni of the University of Exeter Dames Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Grand Cordons of the Order of the Precious Crown Grand Crosses of the Order of Christ (Portugal) Grand Crosses of the Order of Prince Henry Grand Crosses of the Order of the Quetzal Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau Members of the Order of Tri Shakti Patta, First Class Grand Crosses of the Order of the Sun of Peru Spanish duchesses

Early life and family

Equestrianism

Marriage and children

Activities and personal work

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

Honours

National honours

Foreign honours

Ancestry

See also

References

External links