SPAIN has one of the oldest monarchies in Europe but the family has undergone some major changes under the rule of its latest king.
Since taking to the throne, the Spanish head of state, King Felipe VI, who has family ties to the British royals, has attempted to gain the trust of his citizens by being more open with the public.
Who is in the Spanish royal family?
King Felipe VI
King Felipe VI has been the king of Spain since 2014, following his father's abdication.
Born on January 30, 1968, he is the third child and only son of King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía.
Felipe became heir apparent when his father was crowned king in 1975, and was named Prince of Asturias in 1977.
In May 2004 he married Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano, and the couple have two daughters.
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The king has made several overhauls to the monarchy in an attempt to modernise the Spanish royal family in the wake of his father's numerous scandals.
In April 2022 a decree was passed that means the accounts of the royal family will be scrutinised by Spain's national Court of Auditors.
It also requires members of the royal household to declare any gifts they receive.
Queen Letizia
Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano became the queen consort of Spain when her husband ascended the throne in 2014.
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Before becoming a royal, Queen Letizia worked as a journalist and was a news anchor for channels CNN+ and Televisión Española.
She was born on September 15, 1972.
Leonor, Princess of Asturias
Leonor, Princess of Asturias is the eldest daughter of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia.
The royal, who was born on October 31, 2005, has been heir presumptive to the Spanish throne since her father became king in 2014.
An heir presumptive is one whose legal right to inherit the throne may be defeated.
In Leonor's case, she is only the presumptive heir because Spain still gives sons preference over daughters.
So, if her parents were to have a son, her younger brother would become the heir apparent to the throne.
The princess studies at UWC Atlantic, in Wales, and will graduate in the summer of 2023, after which she will begin three years of military training.
Leonor will become supreme commander of Spain's armed forces once she is crowned queen.
Infanta Sofía of Spain
Infanta Sofía of Spain is the youngest of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia's two daughters.
She was born on April 29, 2007.
King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía
King Felipe's parents, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía, are also, of course, both part of the royal family.
Juan Carlos I reigned as King from 1975 until his abdication in June 2014.
Due to allegations of corruption, the king has lived in exile in a luxury hotel in the United Arab Emirates since 2020, with financial investigations still underway.
What is the Spanish royal family's net worth?
The Spanish royal family is thought to have a net worth of €18.2million, around £15.3m.
The king himself is worth €2.6m, around £2.2m, according to data published by the royal family in 2022.
The net worth was released in an unprecedented move from the king, who has stated he wants to be more transparent about his finances and "gain the respect and trust from citizens."
Are the Spanish and British royal families related?
Spain and the UK’s royal families are related by blood.
Both the mother and father of Spain’s King Felipe VI are great-great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria, just as Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, were.
King Felipe’s mother, Sofía, boasts an additional connection to Prince Philip as she is the daughter of King Paul of Greece, who was a first cousin of the Duke of Edinburgh.
After the death of Prince Philip in April 2021, the Spanish head of state’s close connection with the British royal family was made apparent when he wrote a note to the Queen.
In the letter, which was addressed to "dear Aunt Lilibet," he expressed condolences over the death of his "Uncle Philip."
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Who will be the next queen of Spain?
Princess Leonor, the eldest daughter of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, is next in line to the Spanish throne and will become queen upon her father’s death or abdication.
If she does take over as expected, Princess Leonor will be Spain's first queen regnant, a queen who reigns by right of birth, since Queen Isabella II, who reigned from 1833 to 1868.
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