The story of King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain has grabbed much media attention recently. The couple are in the UK for the Queen's state funeral.
Queen Letizia is not from an aristocratic background. She came from a middle-class family and worked as a journalist before marrying Felipe.
King Felipe VI is the son of former King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía. He ascended the throne on June 19, 2014 upon the abdication of his father.
Read more: What is the flag on top of the Queen’s coffin?
Who is King Felipe VI?
Born on January 30, 1968, in Madrid, Spain, Felipe is also known as Felipe de Borbon y Grecia as well as the Prince of Asturias. After his schooling, he joined the forces.
When the future King graduated as a pilot he had his head shaved in the shape of a T, as all Spanish Air Force cadets do. Aside from serving in all three branches of the armed forces, the 6ft 4in royal has studied abroad – in the US and Canada – and has both a masters degree in international relations and a law degree.
According to Hello magazine, he speaks French and fluent English, and loves astronomy, skiiing and sailing. In 2002, he gained an estate of his own, the 11-bedroom, nine-bathroom New Pavilion of the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid.
As heir to the throne, Felipe's love life was the focus of much media speculation, and he enjoyed a high-profile five-year courtship with Norwegian model Eva Sannum. Other girlfriends included Giselle Howard, German royal Carolina de Waldburg, and aristocrat Isabel Sartorius.
He married Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano in the summer of 2004 in Madrid's Almudena Cathedral. Their first child, daugther Leonor, was born on October 31, 2005, and the couple welcomed their second daughter, Sofia, on April 29, 2007.
Who is Queen Letizia?
Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano is known as the ‘commoner Queen’. Letizia came from a middle-class background and worked as a journalist before marrying Felipe.
Grazia reports that, much like the early days of Kate Middleton’s romance with Prince William, tabloid media have jumped on the fact that – despite being middle-class – she doesn’t come from a long-line of heirs or aristocrats. In fact, her father was a fellow journalist, and her mother a registered nurse and hospital union representative.
Letizia has a journalism degree and masters in audio-visual journalism. She got a job at Bloomberg, later moving to CNN+ and then news channel 24 Horas.
She was an anchor on Telediario 2 – the most viewed newscast in Spain – reporting on the 2000 US presidential elections and on the ground in New York during the 9/11 attacks. In 2003, she reported on the Iraq war on the ground too.
That all ended when she married Felipe though, announced in late 2003 to the surprise of many. She had previously been married to a literature teacher.
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