Meet Queen Letizia of Spain, the world’s most stylish royal
Queen Letizia of Spain is fast becoming one of the most talked-about royals in the world. Here's what you need to know about her.
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She is one of the world’s most stylish royals, is a favourite of Queen Elizabeth, and counts Kate Middleton among her social circle.
Meet Queen Letizia of Spain, the former journalist-turned-royal and wife of the country’s monarch, King Felipe.
Letizia, 46, has often been branded the Spanish answer to Kate Middleton.
Known for her prim and poised personal style, Queen Letizia shows impecabble decorum in the public spotlight that is reminiscent of Australian-born Princess Mary of Denmark, royal experts say.
And much like Meghan Markle — the former Suits star turned Duchess of Sussex — Letizia had a successful career before she married into the Spanish royal family in 2004.
She worked as a journalist for Spanish newspapers ABC and La Nueva España, before moving into broadcast news with roles at TV networks CNN+, 24 Horas and TVE.
Letizia — whose father was also a reporter — covered the September 11 terror attacks as well as stories in war-torn Iraq.
And like Markle, she was previously married (her first marriage to Spanish writer Alonso Guerrero Pérez ended in 1999) but still had a fairytale-worthy royal wedding.
Born Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano, she married King Felipe, 51, in 2004 with an elaborate ceremony at the Santa María la Real de La Almudena Cathedral in Madrid, wearing a silk gown by local designer Manuel Pertegaz.
On marrying into the Spanish royals, she was given the title of Her Royal Highness The Princess of Asturias, and became Queen in 2014 when her husband became King.
The couple have two daughters, Leonor, Princess of Asturias, 13, and Infanta Sofía, 12.
Queen Letizia often rubs shoulders with the British royals, including at the annual Order of the Garter Service this month.
Wearing a sleeved white mid-dress by Spanish brand Cherubina and a black netted veil on her face, Letizia was seen relaxed and chatting to Kate and Camilla like they were girlfriends at St George’s Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
“She’s on very friendly terms (with the British royals). The Queen is very fond of her,” said Giselle Bastin, an expert on Spanish royals.
“Letizia seems to have been taken on as the favourite and she gets on very well with Catherine and Camilla,” Bastin — a Flinders University associate professor of English who specialises in the royals — added.
“It feels like she's a part of their community. When she was at The Order of the Garter ceremony last week, as an official guest, they were all greeting each other like they were old friends.
“And they are … they do see quite a lot of each other in the formal context.
“She seems to have blended in very, very well.”
Just like Meghan was partially prepared for public life because of her Hollywood acting training, Letizia was also seemingly TV ready when she married into royalty.
“She’s one of those people who has made the transition from a commercial world into a highly-circumscribed, confined world, really,” Bastin noted.
“Her former (journalism) experience has certainly made her understand the importance of public presentation and how to use the media to preserve a brand.
“She’s used those skills to good effect because she’s been quite exemplary in the role.
“She understands that she has to be very dignified and royal, and how important the public images is.
“Her former job, which was about presenting stories publicly, has held her in good stead.”
It’s a contrast to Sarah Ferguson and Princess Diana, who married into the British royals at a young age and with limited experience of life outside the palace.
“Unlike Sarah Ferguson and Princess Diana who were all at sea when they entered into the royal enclave, Mary and Letizia seem to have come in better prepared,” Bastin said.
“They’re more grounded, they were older when they came into their royal roles, and they had more of a sense of who they were before they moved into the royal system.”
Just like Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and Princess Mary, Letizia has become a style icon of the modern royal era.
She’s known for mixing designer pieces with affordable high street items, with a regal wardrobe spanning Prada, Stella McCartney, Hugo Boss, Loewe and Caroline Herrera, to Spanish luxury brands Felipe Varela and Massimo Dutti, and chain store Mango — a similar style ethos to her friend, the Duchess of Cambridge.
Case in point: this week, Letizia wore a belted turquoise Hugo Boss midi-dress at the Royal Palace of El Pardo in Madrid.
The frock, dubbed the “Dadoria”, retailed for $A825, and was a familiar look for the Queen of Spain, as she had already worn it in March for a state visit to Argentina.
She teamed it with a vanilla-coloured clutch and pointy stilettos by Spanish label, Magrit.
Letizia is rarely seen in casual attire, with the closest she has come to denim being a trench coat-style jeans dress by Hugo Boss.
Celebrity stylist Elliot Garnaut said Queen Letizia’s dress sense was “considered and refined”.
“Queen Letizia reigns supreme in the fashion stakes of European royalty,” Garnaut said.
“She manages to be extremely fashion forward while still adhering to the dress standards of a member of a royal family.
“She plays with tailored separates regularly, and her jewellery choices are always artistic.”
He said Letizia’s style was sleek and daring, and although similar, Letizia avoided the sometimes dowdy choices of the Duchess of Cambridge.
“The British Monarchy can lean towards very traditional in their outfit, jewellery and hair choices,” Garnaut told News Corp Australia.
“In some instances, and albeit we love Kate Middleton, (she is) borderline daggy.
“Queen Letizia is a far cry from this realm, solidifying herself as a modern day fashion icon.”
Both known for their love of midi-length dresses, floaty florals and sleep silhouettes, there are similarities, in particular, between Queen Letizia and Princess Mary’s approach to royal life.
“They are so well-groomed. It’s that awareness that they’ve gone into the royal role aware that they have to appear a certain way and that they can’t dress like a Kardashian, for example,” Bastin told News Corp Australia.
“It’s almost as if the Spanish and Danish royal houses, though they are less famous than their British counterparts, seem to have put a capital ‘r’ onto regal,” she said.
“Mary is poised and formal when she is in public, but she still retains a warmth. But perhaps the British royals are trying to be terribly accessible and that might be the contrast that you can draw — Letizia and Mary seem to do the princess or queen job very well.
“They’ve read the handbook on how to look like a princess.”
One thing’s for certain: Queen Letizia certainly plays the part.
Originally published as Meet Queen Letizia of Spain, the world’s most stylish royal
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