Elena of Spain

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Elena of Spain (2011)

Elena Maria Isabel Dominica de Silos de Borbón y Grecia , Infanta of Spain, Duchess of Lugo (born December 20, 1963 in Madrid ), is the eldest daughter of the former King Juan Carlos I of Spain and Sophia of Greece .

Life

Elena of Spain (2008)

childhood and education

Elena has two younger siblings, Infanta Cristina of Spain and King Felipe VI. She was baptized in the Palacio de la Zarzuela . Her godparents were her grandmother, María de las Mercedes de Borbón y Orléans , and Alfonso de Orleans y Borbon.

She received her secondary education at the Santa Maria del Camino School. After graduating from school, she completed an apprenticeship as a primary school teacher with a focus on English at the ESCUNI University , which she graduated in 1986. The following year she worked as an English teacher at the Santa Maria del Camino School .

From 1987 to 1990 she studied sociology and education at the University of Exeter in England. In 1993 she graduated from Comillas University in Madrid with a degree in Education .

Marriage and children

Elena married the Count of Ripalda's son, Jaime de Marichalar y Sáenz de Tejada , on March 18, 1995 in the Cathedral of Seville . On the occasion of the wedding, Juan Carlos awarded her the title of Duchess of Lugo.

The couple has two children:

  • Felipe Juan Froilán de Todos los Santos de Marichalar y de Borbón (born July 17, 1998 in Madrid)
  • Victoria Federica de Todos los Santos de Marichalar y de Borbón (born September 9, 2000 in Madrid).

In 2003 the Infanta had a miscarriage.

Like the entire Spanish royal family, she is excluded from the British succession because she is Catholic.

On November 13, 2007, the separation of the couple was announced in Spanish newspapers. The divorce was announced two years later, on November 14, 2009, and took place on January 21, 2010. According to press reports, the church is also seeking to annul the marriage.

Tasks and interests

The Infanta has been taking on representative tasks as a member of the royal family for decades. So she made many state visits within Europe, but also to Japan , Argentina and the Philippines .

Elena supports a number of projects with a focus on education and culture. She is particularly interested in the Paralympics . Therefore, she was present at the Paralympics in Barcelona , Atlanta and Sydney to support the Spanish participants.

The Infanta likes to ride and ski.

Honors

Web links

Commons : Elena of Spain  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Princess Elena suffers miscarriage ( Memento of 22 May 2008 at the Internet Archive ) message in the show explosive issue of MDR of 26 June 2003, viewed 12. January 2013
  2. ↑ Princess Elena: Divorce from Jaime de Marichalar , Bunte November 14, 2009, viewed January 12, 2012
  3. ↑ Separación de los Duques de Lugo: La Infanta Elena y Jaime de Marichalar se divorcian de acuerdo mutuo , El Mundo of 14 November 2009 (Spanish)
  4. ↑ MDR of November 16, 2009  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.mdr.de  
  5. ↑ List of all decorations awarded by the Federal President for services to the Republic of Austria from 1952 (PDF; 6.9 MB)
predecessor Office successor
Infanta Sofia of Spain Spanish succession to the throne
No. 3 		Felipe de Marichalar
personal data
SURNAME Elena of Spain
ALTERNATIVE NAMES de Borbón y Grecia, Elena María Isabel Dominica de Silos (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Spanish princess; Duchess of Lugo
DATE OF BIRTH December 20, 1963
PLACE OF BIRTH Madrid , Spain