Royal Profile: Queen Letizia of Spain

Queen Letizia of Spain was born Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano on 15 September 1972 as the eldest daughter of Don Jesús Ortiz Álvarez and Dona Paloma Rocasolano Rodriguez {Source}. She is {Source}. The current Spanish consort has two sisters{Source}:

1. Telma Ortiz Rocasolano (1973)
2. Érika Ortiz Rocasolano (1975-2007, suicide)
1. Antonio Vigo (div)
1. Carla Vigo Rocasolano (2000)

She began his studies in Oviedo, in the public school La Gesta and later at the Institute Alfonso II{Source}. At age 14, she moved with her parents and sisters to Madrid, where she completed her school at Instituto Ramiro de Maeztu{Source}. She received a degree in Information Sciences, Journalism industry, Complutense University of Madrid{Source}. She holds a Master of Audiovisual Journalism from the Institute of Journalism Media Studies{Source}. During her studies, Letizia worked for the Asturian daily newspaper, La Nueva España and later for the newspaper ABC and the news agency EFE{Source}. She was awarded the Larra Prize by the Madrid Press Association to the year's most outstanding journalist under 30{Source}.

She got engaged to Alonso Guerro Pérez after a 10-year courtship, they were civilly married in 1999, and divorced in 2000 {Source}. Her engagement to HRH The Prince of Asturias was announced on November 1, 2003{Source}. The religious ceremony was held on May 22, 2004 at the Cathedral of Santa Maria la Real de la Almudena in Madrid{Source}. It was the first royal wedding in this cathedral, which was consecrated by Pope John Paul II in 1993{Source}. She donned the same diamond and platinum tiara that Queen Sofia wore at her wedding to King Juan Carlos{Source}. After the wedding, she moved with her new husband to his residence, a 3,150 square metres (33,900 sq ft) palace built within the Zarzuela Palace grounds{Source}. With the King of Spain, she has two daughters{Source}:

• Leonor, The Princess of Austrias (2005)
• The Infanta Sofia of Spain (2007)

Her primary duties are to raise her daughters and support the institutional work of the King Felipe VI. Therefore, she personally cares for her daughters' wellbeings and balances her duties as a mother and her work alongside King Felipe at certain official events. Since 2007 she has her own agenda, which takes place in the framework of the official activities of the Royal Household of His Majesty The King. Her main areas of work are children and youth, and, most especially, areas related to their education and health. The world of disability is another of the Queen's interests. Throughout these years, she has provided institutional support for different groups within Spanish society, ranging from visually impaired people to those affected by hearing impairments or by autism spectrum disorders, to name only a few. In September 2010, the Princess assumed the Honorary Presidency of the Spanish Association Against Cancer and of its Scientific Foundation. She has maintained contact with the military by attending Armed Forces Day, presenting Combat Flags to certain Units, and presiding over a Flag Oath ceremony of the Royal Guard. The Spanish Queen supports Spanish designers, from couturiers such as Felipe Varela and Lorenzo Caprile to Zara and Mango. In 2006, Letizia received some unfortunate attention over a 'wardrobe malfunction' (a gust of wind blew her skirt up while greeting a crowd atop the Juan Luis Galiardo Theater). Her interests include: the cinema, the theatre, literature and sports such as ski, sailing (since her wedding to the Prince) and hunting.
She hold honors from Spain, Argentina, Chile, France, Hungary, Latvia, Lebanon, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Portugal and Romania. Other Honors she holds are:
Favorite Daughter of Oviedo (Hija Predilecta de Oviedo, 2007)
Adoptive Daughter of Ribadesella (Hija Adoptiva de Ribadesella, 2004)
'Lazo de Dama' of the Royal Masterhood of Cavalry of Seville, 2008

Together, they also represented Spain in other countries: Queen Letizia has traveled along with the King Felipe to Jordan, Mexico, Hungary, the Dominican Republic, Panama, the United States of America, Serbia, Brazil, Uruguay, Sweden, Denmark, Japan, China and Portugal. She also greeted, along with other members of the royal family, international dignitaries. Such as when the Pope visited Spain for World Youth Day 2011


She shares a birthday with Prince Harry of Wales. She shares a birthday with Prince Daniel of Sweden. Her astrological sign is Virgo. She speaks Spanish. When she began dating the future King of Spain, she started learning English.