King Felipe VI of Spain
Felipe VI; Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todes los Santos de Borbon Grecia; (born 30 January 1968) is King of Spain. In accordance with the Spanish Constitution, as monarch, he is head of state and commander-in-chief of the Spanish Armed Forces, holding the military rank of Captain General, and also plays the role of the supreme representation of Spain in international relations.
Felipe was born in Madrid during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco as the third child and only son of Prince Juan Calros of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark. Felipe was officially created Prince of Asturias in 1977, two years after his father became king. Felipe was formally proclaimed as prince in 1986. He was also made honorary solider of the Spanish Army at the age of 9. Felipe was educated at Santa Maria de los Rosales School and went to Lakefield College School in Canada. Later, he studied law at the Autonomous University of Madrid and he obtained a Master of Science in Foreign Services degree from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
To prepare his role as future commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, Felipe joined the Spanish Army in 1985. During the next two years, he completed his military formation at the Navy and Air Force. After completing his civil and military studies, he undertook official duties representing his father in different social and institutional events, such as chairing foundations or attending inaugurations of Latin American leaders. At one of these events with press, Felipe met TV news journalist Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano, whom he married in 2004. They have two daughters, Leonor, Princess of Asturias and Infanta Sofia.
Felipe ascended the throne on 19 June 2014 upon the abdication of his father. His reign has been marked by his dissolution of the Spanish Parliament in 2016 (so that new elections could be called), strong condemnation of the Catalan independence referendum that led to the 2017-18 Spanish constitution crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and moves towards greater transparency in royal affairs. According to a poll conducted in 2020, Felipe has moderately high approval ratings.
Early Life and Family
Felipe was born at 12:45 (CET) on 30 January 1968, at Our Lady of Loreto Hospital at Madrid, being the third child and only son of Prince Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark. He was baptized on 8 February 1968 at the Palace of Zarzuela by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Madrid, Casimiro Morcillo, with water from the Jordan River. His full baptismal name, Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos, consists of the names of the first Bourbon king of Spain (Felipe V), his grandfathers (Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona, and King Paul of Greece), his great-grandfather Alfonso XIII of Spain, and de Todos los Santos ("of all the Saints") as is customary among the Bourbons. His godparents were his paternal grandfather, The Count of Barcelona, and his paternal great-grandmother, Queen Victoria Eugenie. Additionally, he is the third cousin once removed of King Harald V of Norway, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, and second cousin once removed of King Charles IIII of the United Kingdom.
Shortly after his birth Felipe was styled infante. The dictator Francisco Franco died just over two months before Felipe's eighth birthday, and Felipe's father ascended the throne, as the latter had been appointed as Prince of Spain back in 1969. In his first official appearance, Felipe attended his father's proclamation as king on 22 November 1975.
Prince of Asturias
In 1977, Felipe was formally proclaimed Prince of Asturias. In May, nine-year-old Felipe was made an honorary soldier of the 1st King's Inmemorial Infantry Regiment. The occasion was marked on 28 May and was attended by the king, the prime minister and several other ministers in a ceremony at the infantry's barracks. On 1 November the same year, he was ceremoniously paid homage as Prince of Asturias in Covadonga. In 1981 Felipe received the Collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece from his father, the Chief and Sovereign of the Order.
On his 18th birthday on 30 January 1986, Felipe swore allegiance to the Constitution and to the King in the Spanish Parliament as required by the constitution, fully accepting his role as successor to the Crown.
Education and Military Training
Felipe attended school at Santa Maria de los Rosales, which his daughters both attended. Felipe attended high school at Lakefield College School in Ontario, Canada, and studied at the Autonomous University of Madrid, where he graduated with a degree in law; he also completed several courses in economics. He completed his academic studies by obtaining a Master of Science in Foreign Service degree from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where he was the roommate of his cousin, Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece.
As the heir to the throne, a carefully regulated and structed plan was laid out for Felipe's military training. In August 1985, a Royal Decree named Felipe as officer at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza. He began his military training there in September. He completed the first phase of his formation in October. In July 1986, he was promoted to Cadet 2nd Lieutenant. He was also named as Midshipman. In September 1986, he began his naval training at the Naval Military Academy in Marin (Pontevedra), joining the Third Brigade. In January 1987, he continued his naval training on board the training ship Juan Sebastian Elcano.
In July, he was named as Student Ensign at the General Air Academy in Murcia. In September 1987, he began his air force training there where he learned to fly aircraft. In 1989, he was promoted to lieutenant in the Army, ensign in the Navy, and lieutenant in the Air Force. In 1992, he was promoted to captain in the Air Force. In 1993, he was promoted to lieutenant in the Navy and captain in the Infantry of the Army.
Further promotions in 2000 were commandant in the Army, corvette captain in the Navy, and commandant in the Air Force. Promotions in 2009 were lieutenant colonel in the Army, frigate captain in the Navy, and lieutenant colonel in the Air Force.
Since 19 June 2014, after his ascension to the throne, he acquired the rank of Captain General (Commander-in-chief) of all the Spanish armies (Army, Navy, and Air Force). During the 2016 Pascua Militar, the Chief of the Defense Staff, Fernando Garcia Sanchez, on behalf of the Armed Forces, gifted the monarch with a personalized command baton, which symbolizes the loyalty of the armies to the king and the command he has over them. The piece, made by some jewelers from Leon, is made of cherry wood and the tips are adorned with silver pieces.
Felipe speaks Spanish, Catalan, French, English and some Greek.
Participation in the Olympics
Felipe was a member of the Spanish Olympic sailing team at the 1992 Summer Olympics held in Barcelona.
Felipe took part in the opening ceremony as the Spanish team's flag bearer. The Spanish crew finished in sixth place in the Soling class and obtained an Olympic diploma. He is an honorary member of the International Soling Association. Both his mother and uncle, King Constantine II of Greece, were on the Greek sailing team at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome (his mother as a substitute), and Felipe's father and sister were also Olympic sailors for Spain.
Marriage and Children
Felipe's bachelor years were a source of interest to the Spanish press for several years. His name was linked with several eligible women, but only two notable girlfriends: Spanish noblewoman Isabel Sartorius, around 1989 to 1991, daughter of the Marquess of Marino, who was viewed unfavorable by the Royal Family due to her mother's cocaine addiction, Norwegian model Eva Sannum, who modeled underwear.
Although there were some engagement rumors in the previous weeks, on 31 October 2003, a TV program called Con T Tarde announced unexpectedly that the Prince of Asturias was dating Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano, a television journalist who had been married previously. The following day, the Royal Household made official their engagement. According to the Royal House, they met in late 2002. The official hand petition was made on 6 November 2003 at the Royal Palace of El Pardo. Felipe proposed with a 16-carat diamond engagement ring with a white gold trim and gifted her with a pearl and sapphire necklace. Ortiz marked the occasion by giving him white gold and sapphire cufflinks and a classic book, El doncel de don Enrique el doliente by Mariano Jose de Larra.
The wedding, which was officiated by the archbishop of Madrid and president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, took place on the morning of 22 May 2004 in the Almudena Cathedral, with representatives of royal families from all over the world and most heads of state from Latin America present. In Spain alone, the royal wedding was watched by more than 25 million viewers, the most watched television event in the history of Spanish television.
Felipe and Letizia have two daughters: Leonor, Princess of Asturias (born 31 October 2005) and Infanta Sofia (born 29 April 2007). Both were born at Ruber International Hospital in Marid.
Titles and Styles
30 January 1968-1 November 1977: His Royal Highness Infante Felipe of Spain
1 November 1977-19 June 2014: His Royal Highness The Prince of Asturias
22 January 1977-19 June 2014: His Royal Highness The Prince of Girona, His Royal Highness The Prince Viana, The Duke of Montblanc, The Count of Cervera, Lord of Balaguer
19 June 2014-present: His Majesty The King of Spain
Spanish Honors
-Sovereign (19 June 2014) and Knight (3 May 1981) of the Order of the Golden Fleece (1,182nd Knight)
-Grand Master (19 June 2014) and Knight of the Collar (24 January 1986) of the Royal and Distinguished Order of Charles III
-Sovereign of the Order of Queen Maria Luisa
-Grand Master of the Order of Isabella the Catholic
-Grand Master of the Order Civil Merit
-Grand Master of the Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise
-Grand Master of the Order of St. Raymond of Penafort
Grand Master of the Order of Constitutional Merit
-Grand Master of the Royal and Military Order of St. Ferdinand
-Grand Master and Knight Grand Cross with White Decoration of the Order of Military Merit
-Grand Master and Knight Grand Cross with White Decoration of the Order of Naval Merit
-Grand Master and Knight Grand Cross with White Decoration of the Order of Aeronautical Merit
-Grand Master of the Royal Military Order of St. Hermenegild
-Grand Master of the Decoration of Merit of Civil Guards
-Grand Master of the Royal Military Order of Calatrava
-Grand Master of the Royal Military Order of Santiago
-Grand Master of the Royal Military Order of Alcantara
-Grand Master of the Royal Military Order of Montesa
-Plus Ultra Medal-INI
Foreign Honors
-Angola: Recipient of the Order of Agostinho Neto (7 February 2023)
-Argentina: Grand Cross of the Order of May of Military Merit, Collar of the Order of the Liberator General San Martin
-Austria: Grand Decoration of Honor in Gold with Sash for Service to the Republic of Austria
-Belgium: Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold
-Brazil: Grand Cross of the Order of Southern Cross
-Chile: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit
-Colombia: Grand Collar of the Order of Boyaca
-Denmark: Knight of the Order of the Elephant (6 November 2023)
-Dominican Republic: Collar of the Order of Christopher Columbus (24 April 1987)
-Ecuador: Grand Cross of the National Order of San Lorenzo
-El Salvador: Grand Cross with Gold Star of the Order of Jose Matias Delgado
-Estonia: Member 1st Class of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana
-France: Grand Cross of the Order of the Legion of Honor
-Germany: Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (17 October 2022) Grand Cross 1st Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (11 November 2002)
-Greece: Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer
-Honduras: Grand Cross of the Order of Francisco Morazan
-Hungary: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary
-Holy See: Knight of the Collar of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre (1 April 2022)
-Italy: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Italian Republic (25 October 2021), Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (27 June 1996)
-Italian Royal Family: Knight of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation (27 May 2023)
-Japan: Collar of the Order of the Chrysanthemum
-Jordan: Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance
-Lativa: Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Three Stars
-Lebanon: Grand Cordon of the Order of Merit
-Luxembourg: Grand Cross of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau
-Mexico: Collar of the Order of the Aztec Eagle (26 June 2015), Sash of the Order of the Aztec Eagle (25 January 1996)
-Morocco: Member Special Class of the Order of Muhammad
-Netherlands: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau, Recipient of the King Willem-Alexander Inauguration Medal
-Norway: Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav
-North Atlantic Treaty Organization Serge Lazareff Prize (2 May 2018)
-Panama: Grand Cross Extraordinary of the Order of Vasco Nunez de Balboa
-Peru: Grand Cross with Diamonds of the Order of the Sun of Peru (7 July 2015), Grand Cross of the Order of Merit for Distinguished Service (12 November 2018)
-Philippines: Grand Cross of the Order of Lakandula (3 December 2007), Grand Cross of the Order of Sikatuna (2 April 1995)
-Poland: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (24 September 2003)
-Portugal: Grand Collar of the Order of the Tower and Sword (28 November 2016), Grand Cross of the Tower and Sword (25 September 2006), Grand Officer of the Order of the Tower and Sword (23 May 1996), Grand Cross of the Order of Christ (13 October 1988), Grand Cross of the Order of Aviz (22 April 1991), Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Liberty (15 April 2018)
-Romania: Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Romania (26 November 2007)
-Saudi Arabia: Collar of the Order of King Abdulaziz (15 January 2017)
-South Korea: Grand Gwanghwa Medal of the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit (12 February 2007), Recipient of the Grand Order of Mugunghwa (15 June 2021)
-Sweden: Knight later Collar of the Royal Order of the Seraphim (17 December 1991; 24 November 2021), Recipient of the 50th Birthday Badge Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf (30 April 1996)
-Thailand: Special Class Grand Cordon of the Order of the White Elephant (June 1989)
-United Kingdon: Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (17 October 1988), Stranger Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter (12 July 2017)
Religion: Roman Catholic
