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The Spanish royal family, similar to theDanish royal family, has an illustrious history with lineage dating back to the 15th centuryIsCentury when Isabel of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon married and formed a unified Spanish kingdom. Most people are more familiar with the history of the Spanish monarchy and less familiar with the current members of the Spanish royal family. Check out the top 10 facts about the current Spanish royal family below.
#10: King Felipe is the Olympic champion in sailing at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics
Like many other royals around the world, King Philip is a former Olympian. While Felipe was crown prince, he competed in Barcelona in 1992Olympic gamesas part of the Spanish sailing team.[1]CBS News - Prince Felipe of Spain Deporte: 1992 SailingIn fact, he followed many other people in the Spanish royal family and their Olympic sailing heritage.
For example, Queen Sofía, wife of King Juan Carlos I, was a member of the Greek sailing team at the 1960 Olympics. In addition, her father, King Juan Carlos, had been part of the Spanish sailing team in the 1960s.70 Eventually, the sister also took part of King Felipe, Infanta Cristina, Duchess of Palma de Mallorca, participated with the Spanish sailing team at the 1988 Olympic GamesSeoul, South Korea. At the Olympic Games in Barcelona he finished sixth in the Soling sailing class. He was also the Spanish flag bearer at the Olympic opening ceremonies.
#9: King Philip is the youngest monarch in Europe
King Felipe of Spain is 50 years old, making him the youngest monarch in Europe.[2]EFE - Felipe VI. of Spain, the youngest monarch in Europe, turns 50The only other monarch of a similar age is King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, who is also 50 but was born a little earlier. Below are some of the other monarchs of Europe for comparison.
- King Felipe of Belgium – 57 years.
- Queen Margrethe II of Denmark– 77 years.
- Reigning Prince Hans-Adam II of the Principality of Liechtenstein – 73 years old.
- Grand Duke Henri of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg – aged 62.
- The Sovereign Prince Albert II of the Principality of Monaco – 59 years old.
- King Harald V of the Kingdom of Norway – 80 years.
- King Carl XVI Gustaf of the Kingdom of Sweden - 71 years old.
- Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland – aged 81.
In fact, King Philip is still one of the youngest monarchs in the world compared to monarchs around the world. The only ones younger than him are Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar at 37, and Sultan Muhammad V, the ruler of Malaysia, at 48.
#8: King Felipe of Spain is quite intelligent and academically successful himself
King Felipe of Spain is more than just the figurehead of the Spanish royal family. In fact, it has been very successful. In addition to a law degree from the Autonomous University of Madrid, he also holds a Master of Science in Foreign Service from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington D.C.[3]Royalty - Biography of His Majesty the KingKing Felipe is also fluent in Spanish, French and English.
He also completed various military training courses, including army military training at the Academia General Militar in Zaragoza, naval training at the Escuela Naval Militar in Pontevedra and air force training at the Academia General del Aire in Murica.
#7: Francisco Franco chose King Juan Carlos as his successor
Francisco Franco ruled Spain between 1939 and 1975. Historians have called this period Franco's Spain. As part of a military coup, Franco overthrew the secular socialist republic that had existed since 1931.
Although Franco was a monarchist, he decided to retain all power. Before his death, however, he appointed Juan Carlos as his successor and future King of Spain.[4]The Straits Times - Five unusual facts about Spanish royaltyIt's understandable that the Spaniards didn't particularly like Juan Carlos back then. In fact, he was even pelted with fruit while touring the country after his coronation. However, during his reign Juan Carlos helped transform Spain into the democracy it is today.
#6: King Juan Carlos watched his own brother die
One of the saddest facts about the Spanish royal family is that King Juan Carlos, when he was just 18 years old, saw his own younger brother killed during a visit to Portugal.[5]BBC - Royal debate on the fate of the Russian bearAccording to Juan Carlos, he pointed a gun at his brother and pulled the trigger, not knowing it was loaded. Authorities considered the incident an accident; However, they have never discovered the truth behind the facts.
#5: Former King of Spain Juan Carlos was politically incorrect
When we think of royalty, we usually think of someone extremely correct and refined. However, King Juan Carlos completely breaks with this mold. In 2007, King Juan Carlos clearly demonstrated that political correctness was a priority for him, especially when it was not respected by a foreign dignitary. During the Ibero-American Summit, King Juan Carlos asked Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, "Why don't you shut up?" He said this because Chávez had called former Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar a fascist. Hugo Chávez demanded an apology, but King Juan Carlos refused to give it to him.
#4: The current Queen of Spain, Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano, is not of royal blood
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, wife of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge is not the only person who comes from a middle-class family and marries into royalty. In fact, Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano came from a normal, middle-class Spanish family. In addition, before her marriage to King Felipe, she held a journalist position for CNN in Spain.[6]Royalty - Main Milestones of His Royal Highness the Prince of Asturias
#3: King Felipe is the first "constitutional" king of Spain
King Felipe is the first "constitutional" king of Spain.[7]BBC – Referendum in Catalonia: Independence of the region “within a few days”Traditionally, monarchies are hereditary. However, in the Spanish Constitution, the Spanish people delegate power to King Felipe. However, this was not always the case. The Spanish monarchy used to be hereditary. However, there had been no hereditary succession since the 1870s, with the last undisputed royal succession dating back over 200 years. In addition, Francisco Franco, the country's former dictator, had named King Felipe's father, King Juan Carlos.
#2: Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano is the first divorced Spanish queen
One of the most interesting facts about the Spanish royal family is that Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano is the first divorced woman from the Spanish royal family.[8]Reuters - Former journalist Letizia Ortiz becomes Spain's first common queenHowever, his previous marriage was only a civil one and not a religious one. Therefore loudCatholic Church, could annul your marriage. Therefore, there were no problems with her marriage to King Philip (a Catholic monarch). Historically, this point is very importantSpanish and European History. In fact, countries fought many wars over this idea, such as when Henry V of England founded the Church of England.
#1: The current Queen of Spain gave up her career to become Queen
One of the most interesting facts about the Spanish royal family is whenLetizia Ortiz RocasolanoShe took over the full-time mantle as Queen of Spain and gave up her news career.
Previously, Rocasolano was on his way to a very promising and successful career in the news. He previously worked for the major Spanish news channel 24 Horas. There she was a presenter for the weekly news program Informe Semanal and the morning news program Telediario Matinal. In addition, shortly before her engagement, she had promoted the nightly news program Telediario 2 (the most popular nightly news program in Spain) to presenter.[9]ecoteuve – Letizia, a queen who created the news program and taught how to use the euroHowever, due to her future duties as Queen of Spain, she voluntarily gave up her journalistic career.
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