Felipe VI is the son of former King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia, and has two elder sisters, Infanta Elena, Duchess of Lugo, and Infanta Cristina.
35 Facts About Felipe VI
2.
In 2004, Felipe married TV news journalist Letizia Ortiz, with whom he has two daughters, Leonor and Sofia.
3.
Felipe VI ascended the throne on 19 June 2014 upon the abdication of his father.
4.
Felipe VI was born at Our Lady of Loreto Hospital at Madrid, the third child and only son of Infante Juan Carlos and Princess Sofia of Greece and Denmark.
5.
Felipe VI was baptized on 8 February 1968 at the Palace of Zarzuela by the Archbishop of Madrid, Casimiro Morcillo, with water from the Jordan River.
6.
Felipe VI's godparents were his paternal grandfather Juan and his paternal great-grandmother, Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain.
7.
In 1981 Felipe VI received the Collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece from his father, the Chief and Sovereign of the Order.
8.
On his 18th birthday on 30 January 1986, Felipe VI 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.
9.
Felipe VI attended school at Santa Maria de los Rosales, which his daughters currently attend.
10.
Felipe VI 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 completed several courses in economics.
11.
Felipe VI 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, DC, where he was the roommate of his cousin, Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece.
12.
Felipe VI was a member of the Spanish Olympic sailing team at the 1992 Summer Olympics held in Barcelona.
13.
Felipe VI took part in the opening ceremony as the Spanish team's flag bearer.
14.
Felipe VI is an honorary member of the International Soling Association.
15.
Felipe VI has been a supporter of Atletico Madrid since watching them win the 1976 Copa del Generalisimo Final.
16.
Later, as king, Felipe VI attended the Spanish national rugby union team's final home rugby union match in the 2018 Rugby Europe Championship.
17.
Felipe VI's 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 unfavorably by the Royal Family due to her mother's cocaine addiction, and Norwegian model Eva Sannum, who modeled underwear.
18.
When Felipe VI finally began a serious relationship, nothing was suspected before the official announcement of the Prince's engagement on 1 November 2003 to Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano, a television journalist who had been married previously.
19.
Felipe VI 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.
20.
Since October 1995, Felipe VI has represented Spain on a series of official visits to the Spanish Autonomous Communities, starting with Valencia.
21.
Felipe VI has held regular meetings with constitutional bodies and state institutions keeping up-to-date with their activities.
22.
Felipe VI attends meetings of the various bodies of the Central Administration and of the Autonomous Communities as required by his national and international constitutional obligations.
23.
On occasions when King Juan Carlos I was unable to attend, Felipe VI 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.
24.
Since January 1996, Felipe VI has represented the Spanish State at many Latin American presidents' inauguration ceremonies.
25.
Felipe VI has played an active role in promoting Spain's economic, commercial and cultural interests and the Spanish language abroad.
26.
Felipe VI was appointed a "UN-Eminent Person" by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in 2001, during its International Year of Volunteers, and continues to make contributions internationally towards enhancing the importance of voluntary work.
27.
Felipe VI is a member of the Sons of the American Revolution due to his patriot ancestor Charles III of Spain.
28.
Felipe VI swore to uphold the Constitution before formally being proclaimed king by Posada.
29.
Felipe VI is the guardian of the Constitution and is responsible for ensuring it is obeyed and followed.
30.
Felipe VI indicated as much in a speech to the Cortes on the day of his enthronement, saying that he would be "a loyal head of state who is ready to listen and understand, warn and advise as well as to defend the public interest at all times".
31.
Felipe VI changed the protocol in order to allow people to take the oath of office without a crucifix or Bible.
32.
Felipe VI warned the referendum could put the economy of the entire north-east region of Spain at risk.
33.
The Royal Household implied that Felipe VI already had prior knowledge of the Fundacion Lucus and his condition as beneficiary of the latter since April 2019.
34.
On 25 April 2022, in a move towards greater transparency, Felipe VI made public his personal assets for the first time, revealing them to be valued at 2.6 million euros.
35.
Felipe VI started using the Aragonese title of Prince of Girona publicly on 21 April 1990, during a trip around Aragon, Catalonia and Valencia, becoming the first Bourbon to use this title.