Prince Felipe of Spain. Former lovers of the King of Spain, Felipe. He is so correct that he is even a little boring.
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By the time Felipe was born, his parents already had two daughters: Infanta Elena (b. December 20, 1963) and Infanta Cristina (b. June 13, 1965).
At birth, Felipe received the title of Infante.
He was baptized at the Zarzuela Palace near Madrid. The infant's godparents were his grandfather Juan de Bourbon, Count of Barcelona, and his great-grandmother, Queen Victoria Eugenia.
From the day his father was proclaimed king (November 22, 1975), Infante Felipe became heir to the throne, and on November 1, 1975 he received the titles of Prince of Asturias, Prince of Girona and Prince of Viana.
Heralder, GNU 1.2On January 30, 1986, when he turned 18, Felipe took the oath of allegiance to the Constitution and the king in the Spanish Parliament, fully assuming the role of heir to the Spanish crown.
Education
Infante Felipe finished high school Santa Maria de los Rosales in Madrid in 1984
He then spent a year in Canada at Lakefield College School.
From September 1985 to July 1988 he studied at the Military Academy in Zaragoza, at the Navy School in Marina and at the Air Force Academy in San Javier.
From October 1988 to June 1993 he studied law and economics at the Autonomous University of Madrid.
Senat RP/Polish Senate, CC BY-SA 3.0 In May 1995 he received a master's degree in international relations from Georgetown University (USA).
Participation in the Olympic Games
He was a member of the Spanish Olympic sailing team at the summer Olympic Games 1992 in Barcelona.
He took part in the opening ceremony as a flag bearer for the Olympic team. In the competition of three-seater boats, he took sixth place and was awarded an Olympic diploma.
Interestingly, his father, mother, and younger sister, Infanta Cristina, also participated in the Olympic Games in sailing, but at the same time, Felipe achieved the highest success in the family - Juan Carlos took 15th place in 1972 in Munich, and Infanta Cristina was 20th in 1988 in Seoul.
In 1960, Sophia took part in the Olympic Games as an additional member of the Greek sailing team.
State and public activities
As an official representative of Spain, he visited many countries of the world, specializing in relations with the Middle East, North Africa, Latin America, economic and social development, cultural issues.
From 5 to 9 February 2002, at the invitation of the Prime Minister Russian Federation M. M. Kasyanov, made an official visit to the Russian Federation. During the visit, he met with President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation M.M. Kasyanov, Chairman of the Federation Council S.M. Mironov, Chairman of the State Duma G.N. Seleznev and Mayor of Moscow Yu.M. Luzhkov. As part of the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic relations between Russia and Spain, he opened a Spanish cultural center - the Moscow branch of the Cervantes Institute, and together with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia I. S. Ivanov opened an exhibition in the Russian State Library.
Presidential Press and Information Office, CC BY-SA 3.0 From June 23 to June 27, 2003, at the invitation of the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin, he again visited Russia. In the program of a 4-day visit, he visited Moscow and St. Petersburg. In Moscow, June 23, 2003, met with the President of Russia. In St. Petersburg he visited the State Hermitage Museum, one of the warships of the Baltic Fleet. He visited the center of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia in Noginsk, Star City, opened a fair dedicated to the economic opportunities of Spain.
visited divisions Armed Forces Spain in Bosnia and Herzegovina (2002), Afghanistan (2008) and other countries.
Military service
It has military ranks: lieutenant colonel of the army and aviation,
fleet frigate captain.
He has the qualifications of a helicopter pilot of the army, aviation and navy. It is in the 402 squadron of the Spanish Air Force.
Family
Prince Felipe is married. Wife - Her Royal Highness Princess Letizia of Spain, Princess of Asturias, nee Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano.
On November 1, 2003, absolutely unexpectedly for everyone, the royal palace announced the upcoming engagement of Prince Felipe of Asturias and journalist Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano.
On November 6, at 12:30 p.m., a solemn engagement took place. Felipe gave the bride a white gold engagement ring, and Letizia gave Felipe white gold cufflinks with sapphires and a book by the classic of Spanish literature, Mariano José de Larra, The Page of King Enrique the Weak. Then Felipe and Letizia took part in a press conference for 250 journalists from over 10 countries.
After the engagement, Letizia moved to the Zarzuela Palace.
The wedding took place on May 22, 2004 at the Cathedral of Santa Maria la Real de la Almudena in Madrid. It was the first royal wedding in this cathedral. The wedding was broadcast on television channels in many countries, and about 1.5 billion people around the world watched it in this way.
Children
On October 31, 2005, at the Ruber Clinic in Madrid, the Princess and Prince of Asturias had a daughter, Her Royal Highness Infanta Leonor. Leonor's christening took place on January 14, 2006. Godparents were King Juan Carlos of Spain and Queen Sofia of Spain.
On September 25, 2006, the Spanish Royal Palace announced that the Prince and Princess of Asturias were expecting another child in 2007. Their second daughter, Infanta Sofia, was born on April 29, 2007. The christening of Infanta Sophia took place on July 15, 2007.
Photo gallery
Spanish King Juan Carlos. This means that very soon the throne of the country will take new ruler, and he will be the heir - Prince Felipe. Since he will rule hand in hand with his beautiful wife, Princess Letizia, we decided to recall the history of their romantic relationship. Moreover, this is again a story about love, which is able to overcome any circumstances - including class inequality.
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The love story of a prince and a commoner is not new for royal European houses. This is exactly what the union of William and Catherine can be considered, the beautiful Grace Kelly, who married the Prince of Monaco, Rainier, was not an aristocrat either. But unlike Kate Middleton, who had a family business and an impeccable reputation behind her, and Grace Kelly with an Oscar in her pocket, Letizia was a divorced journalist when she met the monarch.
Born September 15, 1972 in the Asturian town of Oviedo, Letizia Ortiz has no noble blood. Her father and grandmother were journalists, and her mother was a nurse. From childhood, they instilled in the girl a love of work. Following in the footsteps of her father and grandmother as a radio announcer, Letizia chose journalism and went to study at the University of Madrid in the art of proper reporting.
Princess Letizia before meeting Felipe Long before meeting her future monarch husband, Letizia managed to be married to another man. This man was Alonso Guerrero Perez, a teacher of literature from the University of Extremadura. For 10 years they were a couple in love, but, having married in 1998, they lived in marriage for only a year - in 1999 their union broke up.
Prince Felipe, born in the family of the Spanish King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, was an ideal candidate for the role of husband and father, which almost the entire beautiful half of the country knew very well, but which did not interest the careerist Letizia at all.
Prince Felipe before meeting Letizia
Queen Sofia, Juan Antonio Samaranch and Prince Felipe
Handsome and athletic, Prince Felipe was a member of the country's national sailing team and even carried the Spanish flag at the opening ceremony of the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. By the age of 34, his parents, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, were tired of looking for potential brides for him. It seems that for the last five years those around Felipe have only been trying to marry him to various European princesses. Particular hope was placed on his potential marriage to the heir to the Swedish throne, Princess Victoria, and they tried to make them intersect more often in life. But young people, feeling sympathy for each other, did not at all intend to implement the plans of their parents.
At the age of 30, Felipe stated seriously:
My wife will be the one whom I love, who is worthy to be the mother of my children and who agrees to share with me all my problems, difficulties and worries. And she doesn't have to be royalty. The prince met the wife of his future children in Galicia, where Letizia was filming a report on a sunken tanker off the coast of Spain. By that time, Letizia Ortiz had managed to build successful career in journalism, working for CNN and Bloomberg TV Spain.
One of the first joint public appearances of Prince Felipe and Letizia
Prince Felipe, who was 34 when he met Letizia, fell in love with her at first sight. It would seem that the heart of any girl should have melted from the courtship of a real prince and the only son of the current king, but Felipe had to use all her charms and ability to convince to lure the rebellious girl on a date. As you know, he offered to meet her four times, but again and again Letizia refused him.
At the same time, in his courtship, the prince was careful not to incur new discontent among his subjects. Still fresh were the memories of the royal house about the reaction of the Spaniards to the news of Felipe's affair with the Norwegian model Eva Sannum. The subjects did not want a girl from the people to become their princess. However, this was only until Letitia appeared in the life of the prince.
The world learned about the relationship between Prince Felipe and the journalist shortly before the announcement of their engagement. It happened on November 6, 2003 in the royal palace of El Pardo. Under the scrutiny of 300 journalists and photographers, the couple spent several hours walking through the palace gardens. They parted their hands only once to show the gifts presented to each other in honor of the engagement. Letizia received from the prince a white gold ring with a scattering of diamonds, and Felipe became the owner of sapphire cufflinks. Then they did not give the exact date of the wedding, but gave a few comments about their relationship.
Felipe noted in her beloved her sharp mind, eloquence and courage, and Letizia called the prince "an exceptional person." At the same time, the couple spoke about their plans to have at least two, but no more than five children, and Letizia described how she would gradually move away from her duties as a TV presenter and journalist and switch to monarchical duties.
Engagement of Prince Felipe and Letizia The wedding ceremony of Felipe and Letizia took place on May 22, 2004. The couple got married in the Madrid Cathedral of Santa Maria la Real de la Almudena.
Before the eyes of 1400 guests, Letizia appeared in a cream dress of an unusual style from Manuel Pertegaz with a bouquet of white lilies in her hands. On the head of her daughter-in-law, Queen Sofia, who personally approved their union, put on her platinum tiara with a scattering of diamonds.
Wedding of Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia
More than one and a half thousand guests gathered in the cathedral. The royals were present different countries: Prince Charles of Wales, Queen Rania, Queen Fabiola of Belgium, Greek royal family - King Constance, Queen Anna Maria and their son, Prince Pavlos, Queen Farah Pahveli of Iran, Princess Madeleine of Sweden and many others.
The couple spent their honeymoon in the port of Aqaba on the Red Sea. This place was chosen for a reason; on May 27, the wedding of members of a friendly family took place there - the Jordanian Prince Hamha and Princess Nur Hamza.
Immediately after the wedding, Letizia was named after the Princess of Asturias. Together with her husband, they moved to a residence near the Zarzuela Palace. Although she had to officially announce her retirement from journalism, she did not intend to become a housewife. Being an active woman who does not like to sit still, Letizia began to accompany her husband on his official outings, began to travel a lot and represent Spain in different countries.
On October 31, 2005, the first daughter of the spouses, Infanta Leonor, was born, and a year and a half later, on April 29, 2007, the second, Infanta Sofia, was born.
Never in my life have I thought about anything other than journalism. But you can not explain the emotions that you experience from motherhood. It needs to be felt.
Letizia said later.
Princess Letizia expecting her first child
Princess Letizia and Prince Felipe with their first child, daughter Leonor
Princess Letizia with newborn Sofia and Prince Felipe with Princess Leonor
Princess Letizia and Prince Felipe with their daughters
The royal family is very popular in Spain. First of all, this is the merit of King Juan Carlos. But the successful union of Prince Felipe with the journalist and beauty Letizia Ortiz made the royal house more interesting for the public.
The family of Letizia and Felipe once again proves that alliances built not on traditions and obligations, but on real feelings, can also exist in a monarchical environment. And the light and love in the eyes of Felipe and Letizia is a perfect confirmation of this.
He was considered the most enviable groom in Europe. Now Felipe has become the new king of Spain - Philip VI. His Royal Highness Don Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Bourbon y Grecia. And also the Prince of Asturias, Girona and Vian, the Duke of Mont Blanc, the Count of Servers, Senor Balaguer - this is now his title.
The resignation of his father, 76-year-old Juan Carlos I, came as a complete surprise to everyone. Rolf Seelmann-Eggebert, an expert on the life of the aristocracy, believes that here important role played the example of Pope Benedict XVI. After all, the popes also remained primates of the Roman Catholic Church until their death, and Benedict abdicated the papal throne. In Spain, on the occasion of the resignation of the king, even a special law had to be passed.
Be that as it may, the change of dynastic generations took place at the right moment. The reputation of the monarchy is somewhat damaged. Now already former king Juan Carlos I drew a lot of criticism when he went to Africa to hunt elephants. This costly fad seemed especially outrageous against the backdrop of a severe economic crisis in Spain. And then there's the case of the financial fraud of the wife of Infanta Christina. "It seems to me that Juan Carlos I abdicated in time - it could not have been worse," testifies Rolf Zelman-Eggebert.
King with a master's degree
King Philip VI is 46 years old - a relatively young age for the throne. But Philip is brilliantly prepared. From the age of 9 - ever since he received the title of Prince of Asturias - his father carefully planned the education and upbringing of his heir.
Philip VI is the first Spanish monarch to graduate from university. He studied law at the University of Madrid and then international relations at Georgetown University in the USA. And since in Spain the king is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Philip managed to serve in the army, in the air force and the navy.
Athlete, intellectual, exemplary family man
The monarch admits that he loves fast car and motorcycle driving, skiing, sailing and dancing. He even competed in the Olympic regatta at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. The almost two-meter giant has retained an enviable physical form to this day. Not only that, "Philip has a great sense of humor, he is not only an athlete, but also very smart," assures the journalist, an expert on the life of the aristocracy Michael Begasse (Michael Begasse).
And also new king- an exemplary family man. His wife, the former host of one of the Spanish television channels Letizia Ortiz, did not belong to the aristocracy. At one time, the wedding caused a lot of criticism. But after the birth of two daughters - Leonora and Sophia - the Spaniards reconciled with the king's wife.
King Philip VI devotes a lot of time to his family. "There are strict rules here. For example, he refuses any official meetings on weekends. On Saturday and Sunday, he is not the crown prince or king, but just dad," says Michael Begasse. The royal couple is not afraid to communicate with their subjects. And, lo and behold, the paparazzi filmed them even in the supermarket. Or did the court PR managers do their best?
He is so correct that he is even a little boring.
context
It is said that the new Spanish King Philip VI inherited his character from his mother, Queen Sofia. Unlike his father - a lover of a beautiful life and beautiful ladies- Philip is always correct, always extremely disciplined. “I have the impression that, although he has gained experience at court, he is a little embarrassed,” says Rolf Selman-Eggebert. Michael Begasse echoes him: "He is a little colorless, no one will yet undertake to say what role the new king intends to play."
The current Spanish monarch Philip VI was born in a Madrid clinic in January 1968. He spent his childhood with his two older sisters Christina and Elena. The baby was christened in Zarzuela, near the Spanish capital, in the presence of Count Juan of Barcelona and Queen Victoria Eugenie, who became godparents to the Crown Prince.
Studies
After graduating from high school in the capital of Spain in 1984, Felipe moved to Canada, where he became a student at Lakefield College. A year later, he entered the Saragossa Military Academy, where he spent four years. Later, the Crown Prince graduated from the Navy School and the Air Force Academy.
In 1988, the prince entered the Moscow Autonomous University, where he studied economics and law for 6 years.
In 1995, he graduated from Georgetown University in America with a degree in International Relations.
Military career
In 1977, the son of Juan Carlos became Prince of Girona and Asturias. In 1986, an eighteen-year-old youth participated in the swearing-in ceremony, after which he became the official heir to the current monarch, Juan Carlos.
Felipe held the rank of captain II rank of the Spanish Navy and lieutenant colonel of the Air Force and the Army. He was listed in the 402nd squadron of the Air Force, and with the rank of captain general received the Spanish throne.
Ascension to the throne
In 2014, Juan Carlos announced his renunciation of the crown. He declared his son Felipe as his heir, who became the new Spanish king Philip VI. In European countries, there were no monarchs younger than him at that time.
In 2015, the king decided to reduce his salary by a fifth. He explained his act by the economic crisis in the country.
After elections were held in Spain in the same year, representatives of the ruling party should have been involved in the formation of the government, but they did not. For a long time the leaders of the Spanish parties were negotiating. When they reached an impasse, Philip dissolved parliament by his decree and called new elections for 2016. This has not happened in the country since 1975. The Spanish constitution gives the right to dissolve parliament only to the monarch. The current king did so in late spring 2016.
Philip was part of the national team of his country during the 1992 Summer Olympics in the capital of Catalonia. He has been sailing since his youth. In addition, the king became the standard-bearer for his country's team at the opening of the Olympics.
Personal life
The Spanish monarch lives with his wife, Queen Leticia. Their engagement took place in 2003. Philip's wife is a former journalist. They got married the following May in the Spanish capital. The wedding ceremony was broadcast on TV channels around the world. In total, it was watched by one and a half billion viewers.
Philip VI and Queen Letizia In 2005, Letizia gave birth to her husband's daughter Leonor, who was baptized in the presence of the Spanish King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia. In 2007, the wife of Philip VI gave birth to his second daughter, Sophia.
The monarch is fluent in Catalan, French, English and Spanish.
Origin and education
Philip VI (baptized name Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Bourbon y Grecia) was born on January 30, 1968 in Madrid. His father - Juan Carlos - in 1975-2014. king of Spain. Mother - Greek Princess Sofia, Queen of Spain in 1975-2014.
He received his secondary education at the prestigious school of Santa Maria de los Rosales in Madrid. Then he studied at Lakefield College in Toronto (Canada) for a year. In 1985-1988 He studied at the Military Academy in Zaragoza, the Naval Officer School in Marina and the Air Force Academy in San Javier. In 1987, he completed a Marine Corps training course. In July 1989, he received the rank of lieutenant of the ground forces and the Air Force and junior lieutenant of the Navy. By the time of accession to the throne, he held the ranks of lieutenant colonel of the ground forces and the Air Force and captain of the second rank of the Navy. He is qualified as a helicopter pilot.
In 1993 he graduated from the Faculty of Law of the Autonomous University of Madrid, in 1995 he received a master's degree in international relations from the Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington (USA).
Heir
After the proclamation of Juan Carlos I as King of Spain on November 22, 1975, Infante Felipe became heir to the throne. In January 1977 he received the titles of Prince of Asturias, Prince of Girona and Prince of Viana.
On January 30, 1986, on the day of his coming of age, Felipe took an oath of allegiance to the constitution and the king. The titles were added - the Duke of Mont Blanc, the Count of Server, Seigneur Balaguer.
Since 1995, as heir to the throne, he has repeatedly represented Spain at many international events. He visited Russia twice and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin (2002 and 2003).
King
On June 2, 2014, King Juan Carlos I of Spain abdicated the throne (the first time in the history of the country) in favor of Felipe (while he retained the title of king, thus there are formally two kings in the country). This was preceded by scandals that negatively affected the image of the monarchy. One involved Juan Carlos' costly elephant hunt in Botswana at public expense. The second is a high-profile corruption scandal involving the daughter of Juan Carlos I Infanta Cristina and her husband Iñaki Urdangarin. Members of the Spanish royal family first appeared in the dock.
The coronation took place on June 19, 2014. Prince Felipe, who took the name Philip VI, became the 11th king of Spain from the Bourbon dynasty and the youngest monarch in Europe. He was given a red belt - the symbol of the commander-in-chief of the country's armed forces, he received the rank of captain-general of the ground forces, navy and air force. In his inaugural speech, Philip VI said that he would make every effort to become "a symbol of the unity of the nation, the king of all Spaniards, protecting their rights and interests" and expressed his readiness for dialogue and promoting the balance of various branches of power. He also stated that one of his main tasks is to restore the public's confidence in the monarchy (at the time of the abdication of King Juan Carlos I, the popularity of the monarchy was approximately 41%). In one of the first appeals, he condemned corruption, saying that everyone should be equal before the law.
Activity
On June 21, 2014, the king held his first public meeting - with members of various associations in memory of the victims of terrorism, including with the victims and their relatives. In addition, in the first days of the melting, he met with representatives of the LGBT community, which no head of Spain had done before.
In July 2014, Philip VI forbade members of the royal family to accept expensive gifts (cars, jewelry, etc.) and cash, and called for them to refuse air tickets at public expense and preferential loans that banks could provide them. In 2015, he authorized external auditors to audit the accounts of the royal family (the first in 2016). Also in 2015, due to the economic downturn, Philip VI announced a 20% reduction in his annual allowance (to 234 thousand euros before taxes).
In June 2015, Philip VI stripped his sister, Infanta Christina, of the title of Duchess of Palma de Mallorca. This decision was made against the backdrop of a corruption scandal associated with it.
Hearings in this case began on January 11, 2016 June 12, 2018 Supreme Court Spain sentenced the wife of Infanta Cristina Iñaka Urdangarin to five years and ten months in prison. The Infanta herself had previously been found not guilty.
In May 2016, for the first time since the establishment of a parliamentary monarchy in Spain (after the reign of General Franco in 1939-1975; the first free elections were held in 1977), the king signed a decree dissolving parliament and holding new elections (in accordance with article 99 of the constitution ). This was due to the fact that the deputies elected in December 2015 could not reach a consensus on the candidacy of a new prime minister.
During the political crisis caused by the holding of an independence referendum in Catalonia on October 1, 2017, the king made a televised address in which he accused the government of the autonomous region of seeking to "disrupt the unity of Spain" and stated the need to resist attempts to split the country.
By 2017, the level of support for King Philip VI was more than 70%, and for the monarchy - 60.9%.
Awards, language skills, hobbies
Philip VI is a holder of the Grand Cross of the orders "For Military Merit" (1986), "For Naval Merit" (1987), "For Aviation Merit" (1988). In addition, he has the Order of the Golden Fleece (1981-2014 - Chevalier, since 2014 - Sovereign) and many other awards from both Spain and foreign countries. On June 17, 2019, Philip VI was knighted in the Most Noble Order of the Garter by Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain.
Speaks Catalan, French, English and Greek.
From his youth he has been fond of sports - skiing, motocross, sailing. In 1992 he was a member of the Spanish Olympic sailing team at the XXV Summer Olympics. At the opening of the Olympics, he carried the flag of the country, in the soling competition (triple sailing boats), the team took sixth place. Supports the football club "Atletico Madrid" (since 2003 - honorary president of the club).
Family
Since May 22, 2004, he has been married to journalist Leticia Ortiz Rocasolano (b. September 15, 1972). Prior to her marriage, she worked for CNN and Bloomberg TV Spain and was the recipient of the Madrid Press Association's Excellence Award (2000). This marriage was the first in the history of the Spanish monarchy when the wife of the king does not have an aristocratic origin. Despite the fact that Letizia had previously been married, the Catholic Church did not object to remarriage, since she was not married to her first husband.
The couple have two daughters - Infanta Leonor (born October 31, 2005), Princess of Asturias, who has been heir to the throne since June 19, 2014, and Infanta Sophia (born April 29, 2007).
