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 a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a constitutional monarch if his power is restrained by f ...

and aunt of the reigning King Felipe VI of Spain.

Early life

Infanta Margarita was born at Hotel Firenze Anglo American in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

as the younger daughter 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), was a claimant to the Spanish throne as Juan III. He was the third son and designated heir of King Alfonso XIII o ...

, and Princess Mercedes of the Two Sicilies. Margarita has been blind since birth.

Marriage

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

Estoril Estoril () is a town in the civil parish of Cascais e Estoril of the Portuguese Municipality of Cascais, on the Portuguese Riviera. It is a popular tourist destination, with hotels, beaches, and the Casino Estoril. It has been home to numero ...

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 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 ...

of Spain was her godmother.

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 the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

and of the Spanish Heart Foundation.

Succession and Grandeeship

Infanta Margarita renounced her right of succession to the Spanish throne upon marriage because it was not a dynastic wedding. 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 (; , ) 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 neither country did they ha ...

. The peerage title refers to the town

Hernani, Spain Hernani is a town and municipality located in the province of Gipuzkoa, Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. The town sits on the left bank of the Urumea river. It is located at a distance of 9.2 km from San Sebastián. The municipality of Her ...

. 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 populatio ...

in Spain).

Honours

National

* : Knight Grand Cross of the Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III * : 1,192nd Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Noble Ladies of Queen Maria Luisa * : Knight Grand Cross of the

Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise The Civil Order of Alfonso X the Wise () is a Spanish civil order established in 1939, recognising activities in the fields of education, science, culture, higher education and research. The order was created on 23 May 1902 by Royal decree as t ...

Foreign

Greek Royal Family The Greek royal family () was the ruling family of the Kingdom of Greece from 1863 to 1924 and again from 1935 to 1973. The Greek royal family is a branch of the Danish royal family, itself a cadet branch of the House of Glücksburg. The famil ...

: 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
/ref>

Ancestors

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Margarita of Spain, Infanta 1939 births Living people House of Bourbon (Spain) Spanish infantas Blind royalty and nobility Spanish blind people Spanish royalty and nobility with disabilities Nobility from Rome 102 101 Grand Crosses of the Order of Prince Henry Recipients of the Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise