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Infanta Elena, Duchess of Lugo

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Borbón and the second or maternal family name is Grecia.

Infanta Elena, Duchess of Lugo (Elena María Isabel Dominica de Silos de Borbón y de Grecia; born 20 December 1963), is the first child and eldest daughter of King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía. As the eldest sister of King Felipe VI, Elena is the third in the line of succession to the Spanish throne. She has a younger sister, Infanta Cristina.[1]

Infanta Elena
Duchess of Lugo
Elena in 2011
Born (1963-12-20) 20 December 1963 (age 60)
Our Lady of Loreto Hospital, Madrid, Spain
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1995; div. 2010)​
IssueFelipe de Marichalar y Borbón
Victoria de Marichalar y Borbón
Names
Elena María Isabel Dominica de Silos de Borbón y de Grecia
HouseBourbon-Anjou
FatherJuan Carlos I of Spain
MotherSophia of Greece and Denmark
SignatureInfanta Elena's signature

On 3 March 1995, on the occasion of her marriage to Jaime de Marichalar y Sáenz de Tejada, Lord of Tejada, she was created Duchess of Lugo by her father, King Juan Carlos. The title, as part of the titles belonging to the Spanish crown, was granted to her for life and her descendants will not be able to inherit it.

Since the ascension of her younger brother to the Spanish throne, Elena is not part of the royal family. However, just as she did during her father's reign, she currently represents the Crown when required by the monarch. She has also represented her family abroad on several occasions, having travelled to Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Argentina, Japan, Peru, and the Philippines.

Early life and family

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Elena as a child in 1975

Infanta Elena was born on 20 December 1963 at Our Lady of Loreto Hospital, now known as ORPEA Madrid Loreto, in Madrid. She is the first member to be born in hospital from King Juan Carlos I's family and she is eldest child of King Juan Carlos I, the former Spanish monarch, and his wife, Queen Sofía (born Princess of Greece and Denmark). She has one sister and one brother.[2]

Elena studied at Santa María del Camino School in Madrid[3] and got a diploma as teacher of secondary school in 1986, with a specialty in English studies.[4] She later moved to Paris in order to study French literature; it was during this time that she met her future husband.[5] After working as an English teacher at her childhood school, she graduated in Education Sciences by the Comillas Pontifical University in 1993.[4]

Equestrianism

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Since she was a child, Elena showed a special preference for horse riding, a passion that she inherited from her grandmother, Princess María de las Mercedes, Countess of Barcelona.[6] It was during her adolescence that she began to make a name for herself in the world of show jumping.[7] She debuted in an official competition in 1982 at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid.[8] After this, in the late 1980s King Juan Carlos ordered the construction of stables and a riding arena at the Royal Palace of Zarzuela so that his daughter could practice her hobby in the palace.[8] As of 2023, although she no longer resides in Zarzuela nor is she part of the royal family, she continues to use these facilities that she upholds financially.[7][9]

Elena was described by fellow equestrian Luis Jaime Carvajal y Salas, 5th Duke of Aveyro, as a "very good [rider]" but he pointed that her problem was that horse riding "requires time and she doesn't have it" as a member of the royal family.[6]

Among the most notable horses of the Infanta are Qant (her favorite horse since 2011)[8] and Jordano EB (Qant successor), a chestnut-bred horse that she bred herself.[7] As of 2016, Elena owned, at least, eight different horses.[8]

Elena has had several equestrian teachers; since she left the royal family, she has not had an official one. The most relevant are Felipe de Zuleta y Alejandro from 2006 to 2015,[10] an official of the Royal Guard and brother of the Duke of Abrantes, private secretary of Queen Letizia from 2014 to 2024,[11] and Luis Astolfi Pérez de Guzmán, a former boyfriend and currently a close friend to the infanta. Luis and Elena relinked their friendship in 2013 after many years without contact.[12]

She shares this hobby with her daughter, Victoria, Grandee of Spain,[8] as well as watching bullfighting.[13]

Marriage and children

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Main article: Wedding of Infanta Elena and Jaime de Marichalar

Elena met Jaime de Marichalar y Sáenz de Tejada, Lord of Tejada, son of the Amalio de Marichalar y Bruguera, 8th Count of Ripalda, for the first time in 1987 in Paris.[14] Elena was studying French literature at the French capital while Jaime was working for the Swiss bank Credit Suisse.[14] Soon after that meeting, they started a relationship but it was not until 1993 that the press got the first photographs of the couple and during 1994, the wedding rumors increased. On 23 November 1994, the Royal Household made official their engagement.[15]

The formal marriage proposal was made on 26 November 1994 at the Royal Palace of Zarzuela.[16] The engagement ring was a diamond ring part of a tiara belonging to the groom's mother, María de la Concepción Sáenz de Tejada y Fernández de Bobadilla, Lady of Tejada.[16] In addition to the immediate royal family, Princess María de las Mercedes, Countess of Barcelona (the bride's grandmother), Infanta Pilar, Duchess of Badajoz (the bride's aunt) and the Duchess and Duke of Soria (the bride's aunt and uncle) were also present.[16]

 
Elena and her father, King Juan Carlos, the day of the wedding.

Their wedding took place on 18 March 1995, in the Seville Cathedral. This was the first royal wedding in Spain since the wedding of King Alfonso XIII and Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg in 1906.[17] Around 1,500 guests, including representatives of 39 royal houses, attended the event.[18] 150,000 citizens filled the streets around the Cathedral.[19] Also, to celebrate the occasion, King Juan Carlos created Infanta Elena as Duchess of Lugo.[20]

The couple has two children: Felipe de Marichalar y Borbón (born 17 July 1998)[21] and Victoria de Marichalar y Borbón (born 9 September 2000) were born at Ruber International Hospital in Madrid.[22] On 26 June 2003, a few days after the king announced the third pregnancy of his daughter, Elena suffered a miscarriage.[23] As children of an Infanta of Spain, Elena's children are Grandees of Spain.

On 13 November 2007, it was announced that Elena had separated from her husband.[24] In November 2009, the Spanish media reported that she and her husband would divorce, although a rumour to that effect had been circulating for a year before the announcement was made.[25][26] Their divorce papers were signed on 25 November 2009.[27] The Duchess and Duke consort of Lugo were divorced in December 2009.[28] On 21 January 2010, the divorce was registered at the Civil Registry of the Spanish Royal Family and it was officially announced on 9 February 2010; Jaime de Marichalar was no longer permitted to use the ducal title and he was no longer considered to be an official member of the Spanish Royal Family.[29]

Activities and personal work

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Elena started to attend official events at a very young age. One of the first official events she attended was the proclamation of his father in November 1975.[30] Since finishing her most basic education in 1983, Elena, along with her sister Cristina, supported their parents representing the Crown at official events such as the National Day, the wedding of Princess Astrid of Belgium,[31] the re-burial of Queen Victoria Eugenia at El Escorial,[32] the state visit of Mexican president Miguel de la Madrid to Spain,[31] and the 1984 Prince of Asturias Awards ceremony,[33] among others.

Since the ascension of her brother in June 2014 and the consequent departure from the royal family, Elena has reduced her public appearances. Exceptionally, that year she represented the Crown in some events, such as the funeral of Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of Alba in November 2014[34] and the delivery of the National Sports Awards in December 2014.[35] Since then, Elena has limited her institutional activity to annually presiding over the awards ceremony for the Patrimonio Nacional's Children's and Youth Painting Contest.[36][37][38][39]

In addition to her obligations as an infanta, Elena has a personal job that allows her to compensate for the lack of public salary by not being a member of the royal family. Elena has worked at the Mapfre Foundation since 2008 and currently serves as director of social and cultural projects.[40] From this position, Infanta Elena has helped the foundation to promote projects and give visibility to various cooperation programs in Latin America through several international tours.[41] Most of the public appearances of the infanta are related to the social activities of this foundation.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

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Her coat of arms since her divorce.

Titles and styles

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  • 20 December 1963  – 3 March 1995: Her Royal Highness Infanta Doña Elena[42]
  • 3 March 1995 – present: Her Royal Highness Infanta Doña Elena, Duchess of Lugo

Honours

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See also: List of honours of the Spanish Royal Family by country

National honours

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Foreign honours

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Ancestry

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "King Felipe of Spain's 21-year-old niece documents her lavish life on social media". HOLA. 28 January 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  2. ^ "ABC (Madrid) - 21/12/1963, p. 65 - ABC.es Hemeroteca". hemeroteca.abc.es. 8 August 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  3. ^ "La Infanta Elena visita el colegio que lleva su nombre". Europa Press. 3 October 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  4. ^ a b Taulés, Silvia (18 June 2020). "Polémica en las redes: no, el contribuyente no paga los bolsos de Victoria Federica". vanitatis.elconfidencial.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Spain's King Juan Carlos' eldest daughter Infanta Elena to divorce". Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  6. ^ a b Barrientos, Paloma (3 May 2023). "La razón que ha dado la infanta Elena para no participar en el concurso hípico Comunidad de Madrid". vanitatis.elconfidencial.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Moro, María Luisa G. (20 December 2022). "La infanta Elena cumple 59 años: la intrahistoria de su faceta como amazona". vanitatis.elconfidencial.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Todo lo que ha aclarado el accidente hípico de la Infanta Elena". ELMUNDO (in Spanish). 3 September 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  9. ^ Moro, María Luisa G. (20 December 2023). "La infanta Elena, una amazona muy querida: hablamos con Luis Astolfi y otros amigos de la hípica". vanitatis.elconfidencial.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  10. ^ Bolonio, Marta (21 May 2015). "Las dos versiones que explicarían la ruptura profesional de doña Elena y Felipe Zuleta". vanitatis.elconfidencial.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  11. ^ Higuera, Raoul (27 June 2014). "José Manuel Zuleta, la nueva mano derecha de la Reina doña Letizia". vanitatis.elconfidencial.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  12. ^ "Luis Astolfi y la infanta Elena: de su secreta historia de amor a su apoyo incondicional después de 30 años y tras las dificultades". Mujer Hoy (in Spanish). 10 July 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  13. ^ Hernández, Carla (11 May 2022). "Victoria Federica y su madre, la infanta Elena: tarde de toros en Las Ventas". vanitatis.elconfidencial.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  14. ^ a b "El economista que entró en Zarzuela | elmundo.es". www.elmundo.es. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  15. ^ Galaz, Mábel (24 November 1994). "La infanta Elena se casa con Jaime de Marichalar". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  16. ^ a b c Galaz, Mábel (27 November 1994). ""Jaime no paró hasta convencerme"". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  17. ^ "Veinte años del 'sí quiero' de la infanta Elena y Jaime de Marichalar". Diario Sur (in European Spanish). 18 March 2015. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  18. ^ "Así fue la boda de la Infanta Elena y Jaime de Marichalar que revolucionó Sevilla: el velo de Sofía, Juan Carlos de padrino y 39 casas reales". Mujer Hoy (in Spanish). 18 March 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  19. ^ Pérez, Patricia Gómez (19 March 1995). "150.000 sevillanos arroparon con sus palmas a los recién casados en su paseo por Sevilla". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  20. ^ Royal Household. "Royal Decree 323/1995, of March 3, which grants, for life, the authorization to use the title of Duchess of Lugo to Her Royal Highness the Infanta Doña Elena" (in Spanish). p. 7477. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  21. ^ "Froilán descoloca a sus propios familiares y amigos con un giro inesperado". 18 July 2018. Archived from the original on 10 December 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  22. ^ "Nace la primera nieta de los Reyes, que se llamará Victoria Federica". El País. 10 September 2000. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  23. ^ "La infanta Elena sufre un aborto". El País (in Spanish). 26 June 2003. ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  24. ^ "Zarzuela anuncia el cese temporal de la convivencia matrimonial de los Duques de Lugo". ABC. 13 November 2007. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  25. ^ "La Infanta Elena y Jaime de Marichalar se divorcian de mutuo acuerdo" [Infanta Elena and Jaime de Marichalar agreed to divorce]. El Mundo. 14 November 2009. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  26. ^ "¿Un divorcio de Estado?". El País. 13 September 2008. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  27. ^ "El Periódico - Actualidad y noticias de última hora". Elperiodico.com. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  28. ^ Villar, Cote. Guardián de acero para el divorcio real. La otra crónica, no. 55 (6 February 2010). El Mundo
  29. ^ "La Infanta Elena ya está divorciada de Marichalar". El Mundo. 10 February 2010. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  30. ^ "Así fue la proclamación de Juan Carlos I". Lecturas (in Spanish). 17 June 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  31. ^ a b "El camino marcado por las infantas Elena y Cristina que podría seguir Sofía tras la marcha de Leonor". Vanity Fair (in European Spanish). 13 February 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  32. ^ Orgambides, Fernando (26 April 1985). "Los restos mortales de la reina Victoria Eugenia, depositados en el monasterio de El Escorial". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  33. ^ Somovilla, Miguel (16 October 1984). "El rey Juan Carlos entregará hoy los premios que llevan el nombre de su hijo". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  34. ^ "Duquesa de Alba: La infanta Elena preside el último adiós a la Duquesa de Alba en representación del Rey". HOLA (in Spanish). 21 November 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  35. ^ "Los Premios Nacionales del Deporte reúnen a casi toda la Familia Real". Diez Minutos (in European Spanish). 4 December 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  36. ^ Aragón, Heraldo de (8 June 2017). "Un dibujo de una niña de Teruel, premiado en el Palacio Real de El Pardo". heraldo.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  37. ^ "La Infanta Elena entrega los premios del XXVII Concurso de Patrimonio Nacional de Pintura Infantil y Juvenil". Europa Press. 18 June 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  38. ^ "La infanta Elena retoma su agenda oficial más sonriente que nunca y con su mejor 'look' del año". El Español (in Spanish). 16 June 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  39. ^ "La infanta Elena retoma su actividad apoyando la pintura para los más jóvenes". Europa Press. 6 June 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  40. ^ Confidencial, El (30 July 2008). "La Infanta Elena se incorporará a Fundación Mapfre a partir del 15 septiembre". elconfidencial.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  41. ^ Villar, Cote (5 March 2021). "El conflicto reputacional de las infantas Elena y Cristina más allá de la Corona". vanitatis.elconfidencial.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  42. ^ Real Decreto 323/1995, de 3 de marzo, por el que se concede, con carácter vitalicio, la facultad de usar el título de Duquesa de Lugo a Su Alteza Real la Infanta Doña Elena (BOE núm. 54 de 4 de marzo 1995)
  43. ^ "La infanta Elena regresa a la ciudad donde se casó junto a su padre, el Rey" [Princess Elena returns to the city where she married with her father, the King] (in Spanish). 23 May 2008. Archived from the original on 30 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  44. ^ "La infanta Elena recibe el Lazo de Dama de la Real Maestranza en Zaragoza" [The Infanta Elena receives the Collar of Lady of the Royal Cavalry of Zaragoza]. El Periódico de Aragón (in Spanish). 9 May 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  45. ^ "Reply to a parliamentary question about the Decoration of Honour" (PDF) (in German). 23 April 2012. p. 1124.
  46. ^ "El Rey recibe al presidente de Austria" [The King receives the President of Austria]. El País (in Spanish). 3 June 1997. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  47. ^ ABC (Madrid) (in Spanish), Hemeroteca, 20 September 1994, p. 23
  48. ^ "Chile y España dejan atrás tensiones" [Chile and Spain leave tensions behind] (in Spanish). BBC Mundo. 4 July 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  49. ^ "Don Juan Carlos recuerda que 'no hay espacio para los terroristas en nuestras sociedades libres'" [Don Juan Carlos reminds us that 'there is no room for terrorists in our free societies']. El Mundo (in Spanish). 26 September 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  50. ^ Úbeda-Portugués, José Escribano (2005). La dimensión europea de la política exterior española hacia América latina: política internacional de los primeros gobiernos socialistas. Editorial Visión Libros. ISBN 9788498212440.
  51. ^ Icelandese Presidency Website[permanent dead link‍], Borbón, Elena de ; prinsessa ; Spánn ; 16 September 1985 ; Stórkross (= Elena of Bourbon, Princess, Spain, 16 September 1985, Grand Cross)
  52. ^ Italian Presidency, ELENA S.A.R. l'Infanta di Spagna – Cavaliere di Gran Croce Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana
  53. ^ ABC (Madrid), Hemeroteca, 8 October 1994, p. 29
  54. ^ ABC (Madrid), Hemeroteca, 9 October 1985, p. 8
  55. ^ ABC (Madrid), ABC Hemeroteca, 25 April 1995, p. 24
  56. ^ "La Familia Real recibe, de gala, al Presidente de Perú en el Palacio Real de Madrid". 6 July 2004. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
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Infanta Elena, Duchess of Lugo
Cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty
Born: 20 December 1963
Lines of succession
Preceded by Line of succession to the Spanish throne
3rd in line 		Succeeded by
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