Spanish royal family
The House of Borbón-Anjou,[1][2][3] or simply House of Borbón (Spanish: Casa de Borbón), is the reigning royal house of the Kingdom of Spain. The current Spanish royal family consists of the present king, King Felipe VI, the queen consort, Queen Letizia, their children Leonor, Princess of Asturias and Infanta Sofía of Spain, and the king's parents, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía. The House of Borbón-Anjou is a branch of the House of Bourbon that descends from Philip V of Spain. The royal family lives at Zarzuela Palace in Madrid, although their official residence is the Royal Palace of Madrid.
Spanish royal family |
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Extended royal family Children of the late Duchess of Badajoz:
The Duchess of Soria and Hernani
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Titles and styles
The titles and styles of the Royal Family are as follows:[4]
- The occupant of the Throne is The King or The Queen, 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. Francisco de Asís de Borbón, husband and consort of Queen Isabella II, was granted the title of King and the style of His Majesty by his wife.
- The King's heir apparent or heir presumptive bears the title of Prince or Princess of Asturias with the style His or Her Royal Highness.
- A King's sons and daughters, not being the Prince or Princess of Asturias, as well as the children of the Prince or Princess, bear the title of Infante or Infanta of Spain, and are styled as His or Her Royal Highness. The children of an Infante or Infanta have the rank (but not the title) of Grandees, and the style of His or Her 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.
- If the heirs of King Juan Carlos I were to be extinguished, the 1978 Constitution reserves the right for the Cortes Generales to designate the successor to the throne as may be suitable for Spain.
Members of the Royal Family
- King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia (the monarch and his wife)
- Leonor, Princess of Asturias (the King's daughter, heir presumptive)
- Infanta Sofía of Spain (the King's daughter)
- King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía (the King's parents)
Members of the King's Family
- Infanta Elena, Duchess of Lugo (the King's sister)
- Don Felipe de Marichalar y Borbón (the King's nephew)
- Doña Victoria de Marichalar y Borbón (the King's niece)
- Infanta Cristina and Don Iñaki Urdangarin (the King's sister and brother-in-law)
- Don Juan Urdangarín y Borbón (the King's nephew)
- Don Pablo Urdangarín y Borbón (the King's nephew)
- Don Miguel Urdangarín y Borbón (the King's nephew)
- Doña Irene Urdangarín y Borbón (the King's niece)
- Children of the late Infanta Pilar, Duchess of Badajoz and Dowager Viscountess of La Torre (the King's late aunt):
- Doña Simoneta Gómez-Acebo y Borbón (the King's cousin)
- The Viscount of La Torre (the King's cousin)
- Don Bruno Gómez-Acebo y Borbón (the King's cousin)
- Don Luis Gómez-Acebo y Borbón (the King's cousin)
- Don Fernando Gómez-Acebo y Borbón (the King's cousin)
- Infanta Margarita, Duchess of Soria and Carlos Zurita, Duke of Soria and Hernani (the King's aunt and uncle)
- Don Alfonso Zurita y Borbón (the King's cousin)
- Doña María Zurita y Borbón (the King's cousin)
House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
- The Dowager Duchess of Calabria (widow of the King's father's second cousin)
Royal family tree
- Notes
* - Member of the Royal Family (as opposed to the Family of the King, or extended family)
** - Member of the Extended royal family
Public role
Members of the Spanish Royal Family are often asked by non-profit charitable, cultural, or religious organizations within and without 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".[5] 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);[6] 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."[7] 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.[8] King Felipe VI also serves as honorary chair of the Ministry of Culture National Awards Ceremonies.[9]
Infanta Elena, Duchess of Lugo, Juan Carlos' elder daughter, is the Director of Cultural and Social Projects of Mapfre Foundation,[10] while Infanta Cristina, Juan Carlos' younger daughter, served as the Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations for the 2nd World Assembly on Ageing, and is a member of the Dali Foundation Board of Trustees, president of the International Foundation for Disabled Sailing, and Director of Social Welfare at the La Caixa Foundation in Barcelona where she lives with her family.[11]
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.[12][13][14]
References
- Feal Vázquez; Javier (2003). "Los símbolos de la Patria" (PDF).
- Fernández-Xesta y Vázquez; Ernesto (2012). "La heráldica familiar". ISSN 1137-1056.
- Campos Pérez; Lara (2009). "Iconografía de la idea de España en los manuales escolares durante la transición a la democracia (1976-1983)". pp. 109–130. ISSN 0214-400X.
- Royal Decree 1368/1987, dated 6 November, regulating titles, forms of address and honours pertaining to the Royal Family and to the Regents Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE)
- 1978 Spanish Constitution. Part II. The Crown
- Queen Sofia Foundation
- Prince of Asturias Foundation
- Codespa Foundation Archived 2009-05-04 at the Wayback Machine
- Delivery of the National Awards of the Ministry of Culture 2008
- Infanta Elena
- Infanta Cristina
- Mark Oliver (4 June 2004). "The Bilderberg group". The Guardian.
- "Bilderberg Meeting of 1997 Assembles". PR Newswire. 13 June 1997. Archived from the original on 30 April 2011.
- "Bilderberg Group Meets In Athens Amid Tight Security". NASDAQ.
External links
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