Need a primer on the Spanish royal family? Their rich history could (and has) filled several books: The House of Bourbon (or Borbón) has been on and off the European country’s throne since the 1700s. Although the 20th century saw some turmoil for the Bourbons—they were forced into exile in the 1930s as Spain descended into a brutal civil war—the family once again returned to Zarzuela Palace after the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975. The new Borbón king, Juan Carlos I, helped the country transition into a stable democracy where the monarch serves as head of state—and nearly 50 years later, the Spanish monarchy is still going strong.
Below, a run-through of the Spanish royal family’s key players.
King Felipe VI is the current king and head of state of Spain. The third child and only son of the aforementioned Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía of Spain, he ascended the Spanish throne in 2014 after Juan Carlos abdicated.
For many decades before his coronation, the Spanish public knew him as the Prince of Asturias. An accomplished sailor—he was even part of the Spanish national team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics—the Prince also spent years training in the Spanish Navy and Air Force.
In 2003, he announced his engagement to television presenter Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano. They wed in May 2004 at the Almudena Cathedral in Madrid.
Throughout his reign, Felipe has embraced a more progressive monarchy: for example, he and Letizia were the first Spanish monarchs to receive LGBTQ groups at the palace. In response to controversy over royal finances, he also made his information about his personal assets available to the public.
The wife of King Felipe VI and current queen of Spain. Before joining the royal family, she was an anchor of Teledario 2, the most-watched news program in Spain. She was also briefly married to a high school English teacher from 1998 to 1999.
In 2003, the Royal Palace of Spain announced Felipe had proposed to Letizia with a 16-diamond baguette stone engagement ring. It came as a surprise to the Spanish public, who didn’t know the heir to the throne was in a serious relationship. Two years later, they gave birth to their first daughter Leonor. Their second daughter, Sofia, was born in 2007.
The eldest child of Felipe and Letizia and heir-apparent to the Spanish throne. On October 31, 2003—her 18th birthday—the Crown Princess took a public oath to her country. She promised, “to faithfully carry out my duties, to keep and uphold the constitution and the laws, and respect the rights of citizens and the autonomous communities and loyalty to the king.”
Currently, she is enrolled in Spain’s General Military Academy of Zaragoza. Cameras extensively covered the first day of her three-year military training, with many praising her mature decision to actively prepare for becoming Spain’s head of state. It’s said that after the military academy, she will go on to study law.)
According to the website El Español, King Felipe’s eldest daughter—and the heir apparent to the Spanish throne—is the most popular member of the royal family (even more so than her father).
Infanta Sofía is the title given to the daughter of the ruling monarch who is not the heir, similar to how “Princess Royal” is used in the United Kingdom. Currently, the 17-year-old is studying at the international baccalaureate school UWC Atlantic in Wales, England. She is expected to enroll in university next fall.
The father of King Felipe and the “king emeritus” of Spain. Born in 1938—while his family was in exile in Italy due to the Spanish Civil War—he was gradually brought back into the Spanish government by dictator Francisco Franco: In 1969, Franco presented a law to parliament that would name Juan Carlos as the future king of Spain. Upon Franco’s death in 1975, Juan Carlos officially ascended to the throne and helped Spain transition into a democracy.
He remained popular for much of his reign; however, throughout the 2010s, he did face several scandals. In 2013, he came under fire for an elephant hunting trip in Botswana as well as an embezzlement case involving his daughter Cristina. Combined with health issues, he decided to abdicate in favor of his son in 2014. Five years later, he faced accusations of tax fraud.
The wife of Juan Carlos. Born into the Greek royal family, she spent much of her life in exile after the German invasion of Greece during World War II. While sailing the Greek Islands in 1954, she met her third cousin Juan Carlos of Spain. Eight years later, they wed in Athens. They have three children: Princess Elena, Princess Cristina, and King Felipe VI.
The 85-year-old queen mother still occasionally appears alongside her son at official royal events.
