Felipe VI of Spain during Inauguration. Photo by Cristina Cifuentes – Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Facts About Felipe VI of Spain


 

Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia, was born on January 30, 1968, Madrid, Spain during the latter years of Francisco Franco regime. Felipe was the youngest child of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, who already had daughters Infantas Elena and Cristina.

Over his lifetime, the dashing monarch has held numerous titles; first being born as Infante Felipe of Spain, to becoming first-in-line Prince Asturias and then finally, His Majesty The King of Spain. As a former Olympic athlete and documentary filmmaker with a royal family lineage, there’s a lot more to King Felipe VI than meets the eye. The following are top 10 interesting facts about Felipe VI of Spain.

1.Felipe was a Member of the Spanish Sailing Team at the Olympics

Prince Felipe has participated in the Olympics, like many other royals. The athletic royal was a member of the Spanish sailing team. At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, prince Felipe received special recognition as the Spanish team flag bearer. The Spanish crew received an Olympic diploma after they came sixth in the Soling class.

Additionally, Felipe belongs to the International Soling Association as an honorary member. The Greek sailing squad at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome included both his mother and his uncle, King Konstantin II, while Felipe’s father and sister were also Olympic sailors for Spain.

Besides his sailing interests, Felipe has a passion for soccer. Since seeing Atlético Madrid win the 1976 Copa del Generalisimo Final, he has been a fan. Since 2003, the Prince also served as the club’s honorary president. .

2.Felipe VI is the Youngest Monarch in Europe

Ambassador Philippe Jones Lhuillier presents his Credentials to His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain. Photo by Department of Foreign Affairs – Wikimedia Commons

After nearly forty years, King Juan Carlos I announced his abdication in favor of his only son, Prince of Asturias Felipe VI, in 2014. Felipe, the youngest monarch in modern Europe, ascended to the Spanish throne on June 19, 2014, at the age of 46. On the world stage, Felipe stands in fifth place after the monarchs of Bhutan, Qatar, Malaysia, and Switzerland.

3.Felipe VI is the Oldest King to Ascend the Spanish Throne

Felipe VI of Spain at Aachen Town Hall. Picture by Olaf Kosinsky – Wikimedia Commons

Felipe, who is now the youngest king in all of Europe, was however the oldest prince to ascend the throne as king of Spain when he was 46 years old.

4.He Holds a Guinness World Record

Guiness World Record Logo on a station bench at Kingham. Photo by Jeremy Keith – Wikimedia Commons

Prior to his coronation in 2014, Felipe was recognized in the Guinness World Records as the tallest prince in the world. At 1.97 meters, he is 6 cm taller than Prince William of the United Kingdom. The Guinness World Records now lists him as the tallest king in the world.

5.He Used to Produce Nature Documentaries

Three of the ten episodes of a 10-part documentary series produced by RTVE in 1996 were hosted by the prince. Through the documentary Wild Spain, Felipe got a chance to showcase the flora and fauna of Spain in an attempt to indulge his deep passion for the environment and conservation.

6.He is Multilingual

Felipe speaks Spanish, Catalan, French, English and some Greek. Felipe is fluent in English because his mother spoke it to him at home when growing up. Following her example, Felipe also speaks English at home so that his daughters grow up bilingual.

7.He is Married to Former BBC Journalist Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano

Following the official announcement of the Prince’s engagement on 1 November 2003 to Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano, a television news presenter who had been married previously, the pair wed on the morning of 22 May 2004 in the Almudena Cathedral, Madrid.

The magnificent ceremony which was watched by 25 million in Spain alone was also attended by most heads of state from Latin America and representatives of royal families from all over the world. With their two daughters, Sofia, who was born on April 29, 2007, and Leonor, who was born on October 31, 2005, Felipe and Letizia have maintained quite modest lives.

Letizia became the first commoner in Spanish history to be named queen following Felipe’s accession to the throne. When her father was crowned king, Leonor was made Princess of Asturias and heir apparent, a title she would hold until the birth of her parents’ son.

8.Felipe Has Been Voted One of the Most Handsome Men in the World

Along with the likes of Tom Cruise, Prince Felipe was listed in 1993’s issue of People Magazine as one of the world’s most attractive men. In addition, Felipe VI of Spain was named the seventh sexiest male royal in the world in 2016, after princes William and Carl Philip of Sweden, according to a survey of 1,000 women conducted by the Crown Clinic in Manchester.

9.He is a Descendant of Queen Victoria

Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.Photo by Images from Library and Archives Canada- Wikimedia Commons

It is hardly unexpected that the royal families of Spain and Britain share a bloodline. In reality, their relationship goes deeper, with King Felipe VI of Spain affectionately addressing the late Queen Elizabeth II as “Aunt Lillibet”.

The Spanish monarch and the late Queen Elizabeth share great-great-grandparental links through both of his parents, the previous King Juan Carlos and Queen Sophia, as well as through Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. This makes the “Grandmother of Europe,” Queen Victoria, his great-great-great-grandmother.

10.Felipe VI was Crowned on the Same Day as Queen Victoria

King Felipe VI’s coronation took place on the 177th anniversary of Queen Victoria’s ascension to the British throne on June 19 1837. Unlike Queen Victoria’s coronation which was extravagant and pomp, featuring scepters, banners, orbs, crosses, swords, and a jeweled crown, Felipe VI’s coronation wasn’t that lavish at all.

He was only crowned king after taking an oath in front of representatives of the two chambers of the parliament, the heads of state institutions, foreign dignitaries, Queen Letizia, his daughters Leonor and Sophie, his mother and former Queen Sophia. The oath taking ceremony was not attended by the former King Juan Carlos or any foreign nobility.

The new ruler didn’t have a golden crown placed on his head. Felipe’s coronation was the first royal handover in Spain’s democratic age, signaling a change in the monarchy’s relationship with the nation.