Move over, Kate Middleton...
Felipe VI is now the King of Spain and his wife, Letizia Ortiz, who has long-been compared to our Kate Middleton, is the new queen. Here’s what you need to know about the impeccably stylish woman...
1. She’s famous in her own right
Before marrying the Prince, she was a very well known TV presenter and journalist. She won an award for the best Spanish jounralist under 30 in 2002, just before she met Felipe.
2. It took a while to win the public’s favour
But after her younger sister, Erika, committed suicide at 31, the public sympathised with her. ‘Thanks to all who have felt sadness over the death of my little sister,’ she said through tears at the memorial service.
3. She was at Ground Zero
During the 2001 tragedy, she reported from the chaotic scene at Ground Zero. Before ending her career, Letizia's life was filled with heavy-hitting assignments, including one covering a story about an oil spillage in northern Spain in November 2002, where she and Felipe began their romance.
4. Her wedding dress was like something out of a fairytale
Princess Letizia's long-sleeved, collared wedding dress for her 2004 was made by Manuel Pertegaz. She wore it with a 15 foot train and she donned the same diamond and platinum tiara that Queen Sofia wore at her wedding to King Juan Carlos.
5. She’s just another mum, on a school run
A leading Spanish newspaper reported that she and her husband take their two children, Leonor, 8, and Sofia, 7, to school themselves.
6. She’s a divorcée
In 1998 Letizia was briefly married to a teacher named Alfonso Guerrero. The previous marriage caused controversy for Spain, but because it was a civil ceremony, she did not require an annulment before her roman-catholic marriage to the Prince in 2004.
7. She's a fan of recycling fashion
Though she's known for her incredible sense of style, the Princess is not afraid to wear things twice. And there’s a popular blog devoted to counting the number of times she’ll wear them. She's worn her favourite pair of Magrit suede shoes to twelve public appearances.
8. She certainly wasn’t born royal
The granddaughter of a taxi driver, Letizia is not royal by blood, but she will be the first queen of Spanish descent since Maria de las Mercedes de Orleans y Bourbon, first wife of Felipe's great-grandfather Alfonso XIII, who died in 1904.
9. She’s been under the knife
In 2008, she underwent surgery on her nose to correct a respiratory problem, said the Palace.
10. She’s the boss
‘Let me finish!’ she scolded the Prince when he interrupted her while she was speaking to reporters as they officially announced their engagement to the press. You gotta love a woman with a bit of spunk.
Got a tablet? Take the new look Marie Claire wherever you go, download straight to your iPad & iPhone, Kindle (just search the store for 'marie claire magazine'), Nook or Google Nexus for only £2.99.
