The Spanish royal family consists 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 ...

, Queen Letizia, their children (

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 ...

and

Infanta Sofía of Spain Infanta Sofía of Spain (Sofía de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Ortiz; born 29 April 2007) is the younger daughter of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. She has an older sister, Leonor, whom she follows in the line of succession to the Sp ...

), and Felipe's parents,

King Juan Carlos I Juan Carlos I (;, * ca, Joan Carles I, * gl, Xoán 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 Novem ...

and

Queen Sofía Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

. The royal family lives at Zarzuela Palace in Madrid, although their official residence is the

Royal Palace of Madrid The Royal Palace of Madrid ( es, Palacio Real de Madrid) is the official residence of the Spanish royal family at the city of Madrid, although now used only for state ceremonies. The palace has of floor space and contains 3,418 rooms. It is the ...

. The membership of the royal family is defined by royal decree and consists of: the King of Spain, the monarch's spouse, the monarch's parents, and the heir to the Spanish throne.

Titles and styles

The titles and styles of the Royal Family are as follows: * The occupant of the throne is the King ( es, el Rey) or the Queen (Spanish: ''la Reina''), together with other titles pertaining to the Crown or belonging to members of the royal family. They are styled '' His or Her Majesty''. * The King's wife bears the title of Queen (consort) with the style ''Her Majesty''. * The husband of the

Queen regnant A queen regnant (plural: queens regnant) is a female monarch, equivalent in rank and title to a king, who reigns ''suo jure'' (in her own right) over a realm known as a "kingdom"; as opposed to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reignin ...

, known as "Consort to the Queen of Spain", bears the title of Prince and is styled ''

His Royal Highness Royal Highness is a style used to address or refer to some members of royal families, usually princes or princesses. Monarchs and their consorts are usually styled ''Majesty''. When used as a direct form of address, spoken or written, it takes ...

''. * The King's

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 ...

heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir apparent or a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question. ...

bears the title of Prince or Princess of Asturias with the style ''Royal Highness''. * A monarch's children besides the Prince or Princess of Asturias, as well as the children of the Prince or Princess, bear the title of

Infante ''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 t ...

or Infanta and use the style ''Royal Highness''. The children of an Infante or Infanta have the rank (but not the title) of

Grandee Grandee (; es, Grande de España, ) is an official royal and noble ranks, 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 neith ...

s and the style of ''

Excellency Excellency is an honorific style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder usually retains the right ...

''. * Spouses and widows/widowers of the monarch's sons and daughters, other than those of the Prince or Princess of Asturias, are entitled to the form of address and honours the monarch may grant them. * The sovereign may also grant the dignity of Infante or Infanta with the style of ''Highness''.

Members of the royal family

Los reyes de España en la XV Cumbre Iberoamericana

* The King was born on 30 January 1968. He is the third child and only son of

and

. He became

when his father became king in 1975, and was named

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 monarchy of Spain, throne of Spain. According to the Sp ...

in 1977. He married

Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano (; born 15 September 1972) is the 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 E ...

on 22 May 2004. He became king on 19 June 2014 upon his father's abdication. *

The Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

was born on 15 September 1972, the eldest daughter of Jesús José Ortiz Álvarez and María de la Paloma Rocasolano Rodríguez. The King and Queen have two daughters. * The Princess of Asturias is the elder daughter of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, and the

to the Spanish throne since her father's accession in 2014. She was born on 31 October 2005. *

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 ...

is the younger daughter of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. She was born on 29 April 2007. *

is the former

king 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 ...

, reigning from 1975 to 2014. He was born on 5 January 1938 as the eldest son and second child of

Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona (Juan Carlos Teresa Silverio Alfonso de Borbón y Battenberg; 20 June 1913 – 1 April 1993), also known as Don Juan, was a claimant to the Spanish throne as Juan III. He was the third son and designated heir o ...

, and Princess María de las Mercedes, Countess of Barcelona. Through his father, he is a grandson of

King Alfonso XIII Alfonso XIII (17 May 1886 – 28 February 1941), also known as El Africano or the African, was King of Spain from 17 May 1886 to 14 April 1931, when the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed. He was a monarch from birth as his father, Alf ...

. On 14 May 1962, Juan Carlos married

Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark 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 ...

, with whom he has three children. In 1969, the Spanish dictator General

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...

named Juan Carlos as his successor with the title Prince of Spain. Following General Franco's death, Juan Carlos was proclaimed king on 22 November 1975. On 19 June 2014, he abdicated and his son was enthroned as King Felipe VI. *

is the wife of King Juan Carlos I. She was born on 2 November 1938, and is the eldest child of King Paul and Queen Frederica of Greece. Sofía was the

queen consort of Spain House of Habsburg House of Bourbon House of Bonaparte House of Bourbon (first restoration) House of Savoy House of Bourbon (second and third restoration) See also * List of Spanish monarchs * List of Aragonese consorts * L ...

during her husband's reign.

Members of the King's family

* The Duchess of Lugo, born 20 December 1963, is the eldest child of King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía. She married Jaime de Marichalar y Sáenz de Tejada on 18 March 1995, and they divorced in December 2009. The Duchess has two children with Marichalar: **Don Felipe de Marichalar y Borbón (born 17 July 1998) **Doña Victoria de Marichalar y Borbón (born 9 September 2000) *

Infanta Cristina Infanta Cristina of Spain (Cristina Federica Victoria Antonia de la Santísima Trinidad de Borbón y de Grecia, born 13 June 1965) is the younger daughter of the former King and Queen of Spain Juan Carlos I and Sofía. she is sixth in the li ...

, born 13 June 1965, is the second child and younger daughter of King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía. She married Iñaki Urdangarin Liebaert on 4 October 1997, and they separated in January 2022. Infanta Cristina and Iñaki Urdangarin have four children: **Don Juan Urdangarín y Borbón (born 29 September 1999) **Don Pablo Urdangarín y Borbón (born 6 December 2000) **Don Miguel Urdangarín y Borbón (born 30 April 2002) **Doña Irene Urdangarín y Borbón (born 5 June 2005) *King Felipe's aunt, the late

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

, had five children with her husband Luis Gómez-Acebo y Duque de Estrada, 2nd Viscount of La Torre. The children of the Duchess and the Viscount are: **Doña Simoneta Gómez-Acebo y Borbón (born 31 October 1968) **The Viscount of La Torre (born 6 December 1969) **Don Bruno Gómez-Acebo y Borbón (born 15 June 1971) **Don Luis Gómez-Acebo y Borbón (born 20 May 1973) **Don Fernando Gómez-Acebo y Borbón (born 13 September 1974) * The Duchess of Soria and Hernani is the younger sister of King Juan Carlos and the aunt of King Felipe VI. She was born on 6 March 1939 as the third child and younger daughter of

, and Princess María de las Mercedes, Countess of Barcelona. She married Carlos Zurita y Delgado on 12 October 1972. * The Duke of Soria and Hernani was born on 9 October 1943 as the son of Carlos Zurita y González-Vidalte and María del Carmen Delgado y Fernández de Santaella. The Duchess and Duke of Soria have two children: **Don Alfonso Zurita y Borbón (born 9 August 1973) **Doña María Zurita y Borbón (born 16 September 1975) File:L’infante_Hélène_d’Espagne,_duchesse_de_Lugo_en_2011_(cropped).jpg, The Duchess of Lugo File:(Froilán) Presentación de los carteles de la feria taurina de San Isidro 2 (cropped).jpg, Felipe de Marichalar y Borbón File:Victoria_Federica_de_Marichalar_y_de_Borbón_(cropped-2).png, Victoria de Marichalar y Borbón File:Infanta Cristina, Duchess of Palma de Mallorca.jpg,

File:Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Soria cropped.jpg, The Duchess and

Duke of Soria 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 K ...

House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies

* The Dowager Duchess of Calabria is the widow of

Infante Carlos, Duke of Calabria , image = Infante_Carlos,_Duke_of_Calabria.jpg , caption = Photographed in his studio in a Teba jacket , succession = Head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (disputed) , reign-type = Tenure , reign = 3 February 1964 – 5 October 2015 ...

(16 January 1938 – 5 October 2015), who was the cousin and close friend of

. The Duchess of Calabria was born on 4 December 1938, and she is the daughter of Henri, Count of Paris, and

Princess Isabelle of Orléans-Braganza Princess Isabelle of Orléans-Braganza (Isabelle Marie Amélie Louise Victoire Thérèse Jeanne; 13 August 1911 – 5 July 2003) was a French-Brazilian memoirist and consort of the Orléanist pretender, Henri, Count of Paris. Early life Born ...

. She married the Duke on 11 May 1965. File:Princess Anne, Duchess of Calabria (cropped).jpg, The Dowager Duchess

Royal family tree

;Notes * - Member of the Royal Family (as opposed to the Family of the King, or extended family) ** - Member of the Extended royal family

Public role

Members of the Spanish Royal Family are often asked by

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

charitable The practice of charity is the voluntary giving of help to those in need, as a humanitarian act, unmotivated by self-interest. There are a number of philosophies about charity, often associated with religion. Etymology The word ''charity'' or ...

cultural Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human Society, societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, and habits of the ...

, or religious organizations within and without Spain to become their

patrons Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

, a role the Spanish constitution recognizes and codified in Title II Article 62 (j). It is incumbent for the monarch "to exercise the High Patronage of the Royal Academies". Royal patronage conveys a sense of official credibility as the organization is scrutinized for suitability. A royal presence often greatly raises the profile of the organization and attracts media publicity and public interest that the organization may not have otherwise garnered, aiding in the charitable cause or cultural event. Royalty make use of their considerable

celebrity Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...

to assist the organization to raise funds or to promote government policy. Additionally, members of the royal family may also pursue their own charitable and cultural interests. Queen Sofía devotes much of her time to the Queen Sofia Foundation (''Fundación Reina Sofía''); while

presents the annual

Princess of Asturias Awards The Princess of Asturias Awards ( es, Premios Princesa de Asturias, links=no, ast, Premios Princesa d'Asturies, links=no), formerly the Prince of Asturias Awards from 1981 to 2014 ( es, Premios Príncipe de Asturias, links=no), are a series of a ...

(''Premios Princesa de Asturias''), which aims to promote "scientific, cultural and humanistic values that form part of mankind's universal heritage."Prince of Asturias Foundation
/ref> The Princess of Asturias Foundation (''Fundación Princesa de Asturias'') holds the annual

acknowledging the contributions of individuals, entities, and/or organizations from around the world who make notable achievements in the sciences, humanities, or public affairs. King Felipe VI serves as president of the

Organization of Ibero-American States The Organization of Ibero-American States ( es, Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos, pt, Organização de Estados Iberoamericanos, ca, Organització d'Estats Iberoamericans; abbreviated as OEI), formally the Organization of Ibero-American ...

which hosts the annual

Ibero-American Summit The Ibero-American Summit, formally the Ibero-American Conference of Heads of State and Governments ( es, Cumbres Iberoamericanas de Jefes de Estado y de Gobierno, pt, Cimeiras (or Cúpulas) Ibero-Americanas de Chefes de Estado e de Governo), is ...

, serves as president of the Codespa Foundation, which finances specific economic and social development activities in Latin American and other countries, and serves as president of the Spanish branch of the

Association of European Journalists The Association of European Journalists (founded 1961, San Remo) is an organisation promoting the interests of journalists involved in European affairs. It is an NGO in operational relations with UNESCO and enjoys consultative status in the Counc ...

, which is composed of achieving communications professionals. King Felipe VI also serves as honorary chair of the Ministry of Culture National Awards Ceremonies.

Infanta Elena, Duchess of Lugo 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 Juan Carlos I (King of Spain from 1975 to 2014) and Queen Sofía of Spain, and third ...

, Juan Carlos' elder daughter, is the Director of Cultural and Social Projects of Mapfre Foundation, while

, Juan Carlos' younger daughter, served as the

Goodwill Ambassador Goodwill ambassador is a post-nominal honorific title, a professional occupation and/or authoritative designation that is assigned to a person who advocates for a specific cause or global issue on the basis of their notability such as a public ...

to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

for the 2nd World Assembly on Ageing, and is a member of the Dali Foundation Board of Trustees, president of the

International Foundation for Disabled Sailing The International Association for Disabled Sailing (IFDS) was an affiliate member of the International Sailing Federation and was responsible for coordinating the paralympic sailing competition with the International Paralympic Committee. The organi ...

, and Director of Social Welfare at the La Caixa Foundation in

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 ci ...

where she lives with her family. King Juan Carlos, Queen Sofia, and Infanta Cristina are all members of the

Bilderberg Group The Bilderberg meeting (also known as the Bilderberg Group) is an annual off-the-record conference established in 1954 to foster dialogue between Europe and North America. The group's agenda, originally to prevent another world war, is now defin ...

, an informal

think-tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmental org ...

centered on United States and European relations, and other world issues.

Notes

References

External links

The Royal Household of His Majesty the King
{{European Royal Families Royal Family