The titles and styles of the Royal Family are as follows:[2]
The occupant of the throne is the King (Spanish: 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, known as "Consort to the Queen of Spain", bears the title of Prince and is styled His Royal Highness.[a]
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 or Infanta and use the style Royal Highness. The children of an Infante or Infanta have the rank (but not the title) of Grandees and the style of Excellency.
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.
Queen Letizia was born on 15 September 1972,[7] the eldest daughter of Jesús José Ortiz Álvarez and María de la Paloma Rocasolano Rodríguez.[8] The King and Queen have two daughters.[9][10]
Leonor, Princess of Asturias, is the elder daughter of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia,[9] and the heir presumptive to the Spanish throne since her father's accession in 2014.[6] She was born on 31 October 2005.[9]
Infanta Sofía is the younger daughter of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. She was born on 29 April 2007.[10]
Infanta Cristina, 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,[19] and they divorced in December 2023.[20] Infanta Cristina and Iñaki Urdangarin have four children:
Don Juan Urdangarín y Borbón (born 29 September 1999)[21]
Don Pablo Urdangarín y Borbón (born 6 December 2000)[21]
Don Miguel Urdangarín y Borbón (born 30 April 2002)[21]
Doña Irene Urdangarín y Borbón (born 5 June 2005)[21]
King Felipe's aunt, the late Infanta Pilar, Duchess of Badajoz, 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)
Don Juan Gómez-Acebo y Borbón, 3rd 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)
Carlos Zurita, Duke of Soria was born on 9 October 1943[24] as the son of Carlos Zurita y González-Vidalte and María del Carmen Delgado y Fernández de Santaella.[25] 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)
Members of the Spanish Royal Family are often asked by non-profitcharitable, cultural, or religious organizations within and outside Spain to become their patrons, 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".[30] 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 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);[31] while Leonor, Princess of Asturias presents the annual Princess of Asturias Awards (Premios Princesa de Asturias), which aims to promote "scientific, cultural and humanistic values that form part of mankind's universal heritage."[32] The Princess of Asturias Foundation (Fundación Princesa de Asturias) holds the annual Princess of Asturias Awards 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 which hosts the annual Ibero-American Summit, 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, which is composed of achieving communications professionals.[33] King Felipe VI also serves as honorary chair of the Ministry of Culture National Awards Ceremonies.[34]
King Juan Carlos, Queen Sofia, and Infanta Cristina are all members of the Bilderberg Group, an informal think-tank centered on United States and European relations, and other world issues.[37][38][39]
^Bernecker, Walther (January 1998). "Monarchy and Democracy: The Political Role of King Juan Carlos in the Spanish Transición". Journal of Contemporary History. 33 (1): 65–84. doi:10.1177/003200949803300104. S2CID157966975.
^Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser XV. "Spanien". C.A. Starke Verlag, 1997, pp. 20, 100-101. (in German) ISBN978-3-79800-814-4
^Montjouvent, Philippe de. Le Comte de Paris et sa Descendance. Editions du Chaney, 1998, Charenton, pp. 251-261, 264-265, 270-272. (French). ISBN2-913211-00-3.
^de Montjouvent, Philippe (1998). Le Comte de Paris et sa Descendance. Editions du Chaney. ISBN2-913211-00-3.
^Kamm, Henry (13 May 1965). "French Princess Wed To Spaniard". The New York Times. Dreux, France.
^Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser Band XV. "Spanien". C.A. Starke, Limburg an der Lahn, 1997, pp. 103-105. (German). ISBN3-7980-0814-0.
