Felipe VI
Felipe VI is King of Spain, having reigned since 19 June 2014.
Felipe was born in Madrid during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco as the third child and only son of Prince Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark. He was officially proclaimed Prince of Asturias in 1977, two years after his father became king, and was formally sworn in as heir in 1986. At the age of nine, Felipe was made an honorary officer of the Spanish Army. He was educated at Santa María de los Rosales School in Madrid and attended Lakefield College School in Canada. Later, he studied law at the Autonomous University of Madrid and earned a Master of Science in Foreign Service degree from the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., United States.
To prepare for his future military role, Felipe joined the Spanish Army in 1985. Over the next two years, he completed military training in the Spanish Navy and Spanish Air Force. After finishing both civil and military studies, he undertook official duties representing his father at various national and international events, including charity foundations, cultural inaugurations, and diplomatic functions. During one such event, he met television journalist Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano, whom he married in 2004. They have two daughters: Leonor and Sofía.
Felipe ascended the throne on 19 June 2014 following the abdication of his father. His reign has been marked by his condemnation of the 2017 Catalan independence referendum, which led to the 2017–2018 Spanish constitutional crisis, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, and initiatives promoting greater transparency and modernization within the Spanish monarchy. According to a 2020 opinion poll, Felipe held moderately high approval ratings. His reign has also been characterized by a renewed emphasis on constitutional monarchy, ethical leadership, and a modern public image of the Spanish monarchy in the post-Franco era.
Early life and family
Felipe was born at 12:45 on 30 January 1968 at Our Lady of Loreto Hospital in Madrid, as the third child and only son of Prince Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark.He was baptised 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, was given in honor of significant relatives and ancestors: 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 the customary Bourbons addition de Todos los Santos.
His godparents were his paternal grandfather, the Count of Barcelona, and his paternal great-grandmother, Queen Victoria Eugenie.
Shortly after his birth, Felipe was styled infante. The dictator Francisco Franco died just over two months before Felipe's eighth birthday, after which Felipe's father ascended the throne, having been appointed Prince of Spain in 1969. Felipe made his first official appearance at 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 ceremonially 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.In 1999, the construction began on a new royal residence near the Zarzuela Palace. This residence, known as the Prince's Pavilion, became Felipe's private residence in the summer of 2002 and cost 4.23 million euros.
Education and military training
Felipe attended school at Santa María 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 structured 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 Ensign. He was also named as Midshipman. In September 1986, he began his naval training at the Naval Military Academy in Marin, joining the Third Brigade. In January 1987, he continued his naval training on board the training ship Juan Sebastián Elcano.
File:TRJE15_.jpg|thumb|right|King Felipe VI in 2015 with the JEMAD Admiral Fernando García Sánchez, JEME General Jaime Domínguez Buj and the Commander of the 7th Reconnaissance Cavalry Group of the VII Light Infantry Brigade "Galicia"
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 accession to the throne, he acquired the rank of Captain General of all the Spanish armies. During the 2016 Pascua Militar, the Chief of the Defence Staff, Fernando García Sánchez, on behalf of the Armed Forces, gave the monarch 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 León, 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, 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 Mariño, who was viewed unfavorably by the Royal Family due to her mother's cocaine addiction, and 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 de 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 José de Larra.
The wedding, which was officiated by the archbishop of Madrid and president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, Antonio María 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 and Infanta Sofía. Both were born at Ruber International Hospital in Madrid.
Activities in Spain and abroad
Felipe undertook his constitutional duties as heir to the throne, hosting many official events in Spain and participating in all events of different sectors and aspects of Spanish public life. Since October 1995, Felipe has represented the Crown on a series of official visits to the Spanish regions, starting with Valencia. Felipe has held regular meetings with constitutional bodies and state institutions keeping up-to-date with their activities. He also attends meetings of the various bodies of the General State Administration and of the Autonomous Communities Administrations as required by his national and international constitutional obligations. In particular, he has held meetings with people of his generation who have built successful careers in political, economic, cultural and media circles. As part of his military training, Felipe trained as a military helicopter pilot. On occasions when King Juan Carlos I was unable to attend, Felipe presided over the annual presentation of dispatches to officers and non-commissioned officers in the Armed Forces as well as participating in military exercises held by the three Armed Services.Since January 1996, Felipe has represented Spain at many Latin American presidents' inauguration ceremonies. As Prince, he visited every country in Latin America except Cuba, which he visited as King in 11–14 November 2019. He made over 200 foreign trips in total.
Felipe has also played an active role in promoting Spain's economic, commercial and cultural interests and the Spanish language abroad. He frequently represents Spain at world economic and trade events, and is especially interested in promoting the creation of Centres and University Chairs to advance the study of Spain both historically and in the present-day at major foreign universities.
Following the March 2004 Madrid bombings, Felipe, along with his sisters Elena and Cristina, took part in a public demonstration.