Yesterday, Spain’s King Carlos made his final act as king – he signed the document for his abdication, turning over the throne to his son, now King Felipe. Felipe’s wife will now be referred to as Queen Letizia, and their daughters Princess Leonor and Princess Sofia were also in attendance at the quiet, dignified event. Princess Leonor is the older girl, so she will become the crown princess, which in Spain is called the Princess of Asturias. Leonor could also use her other new titles: Princess of Girona, Princess of Viana, Duchess of Montblanc, Countess of Cervera and Lady of Balaguer. Damn. Those are some sweet titles. I wonder if her little sister gets some special titles too?
Wednesday was the formal abdication declaration-signing, and then today will be the formal coronation, although it’s going to be light on jewels and gowns and such, I think. According to Hello, Felipe will be crowned, then the family will take in a military parade, then they go back to the palace and wave to crowds from the balcony. We’ll cover those photos when we get them!
I have to admit, I love what Letizia wore to the abdication. It was pretty and feminine but it didn’t feel too girly. I love that skirt. Gawd. I want it. And as I’m looking at the little princesses’ dresses, does anyone else think that those are the girlish styles Duchess Kate would prefer to wear? Light, fluttery skirt, above the knee? Yep.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
i was wondering if the Spain football team wanted to abdicate just in time too.
*Snarky snarky snarky*
Sorry fellow celebitches from Spain.. but I was gutted when I saw spain didin’t qualify. It felt horrible when happened to my team after winning the world cup.
Hahhahahaha, good one.
I don’t feel sorry. They played badly.
Speaking of the World Cup, does anyone know what those huge problems in the Cameroon team are? Because they almost had a fight on the pitch.
They played awful, deserved to go home. They got used to win and didn’t put effort. That’s what happens when you take things for granted. This way they will realize they aren’t that good and need to try and put effor just like everybody else.
My God, the Cameroonian team! They were bickering trough the entire match and then almost got into a fight. Apparently they didn’t even want to board the plane to Brasil before their fees were set.
Was Spian’s lost Casillas’ fault?
@Locke
I think Spain lost because the team didn’t work well together. You can’t fault just one player, especially only the goal keeper. The goal keeper can’t work miracles if the defence is not doing their job. They seemed to make a mess out of their own actions, stumbling and not being able to keep the ball. Chile was much much better. Not final match better.. but Spain really didn’t deserve to win yesterday.
Spaniard, we portuguese will join you sunday (considering the match against Germany…)
Of course it wasn’t solely Iker’s fault. Spain, this is what happens when you insist on your stupid tiki taka football. It can only be played with a strong team, not a half arsed team with no defence.
http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/2014-06/18/16/enhanced/webdr08/anigif_enhanced-3184-1403125173-6.gif
hahahahhaahhahah
Too hilarious!!
yeah I saw him in the stadium during the broadcast XD
Ha!
Could we get a thread just for discussing the World Cup every day? Pretty please.
I’d like that!
I’d like that too, at least a weekly post… on the world cup…. Kaiser, pretty please!!! 😀
Yes! I’d love that!!!
Yes, please!
Don’t feel bad for Spain, their economy will take off. That’s a good trade-off for the loss. Look what happened when they won 4 years ago.
Poor Prince Charles.
The girls look adorable! I love the dress worn by Queen Letizia. Its so chic. ! She has amazing style. Maybe the duchess dolittle should take some styling tips from her.
Today’s look is better wait to see it! I love the coat/dress, extremely simple with a perfect cut and structure and really elegant
She always looks great. I was a little surprised by the simplicity for such a big event – but it really was perfect. Understated, classic.
Yes–the family looks fantastic. Love Queen Letizia’s dress. I hope the Duchess is taking notes.
Looked like a skirt and top to me, not a dress. While lovely, I don’t think its formal enough for the occasion. The little princesses are adorable in their dresses tho.
@danielle All the woman at all the ceremonies were very elegant but I did think Letizia’s choice of clothes for herself for this event (a repeat outfit with only her diamond earrings from her wedding) and her daughters (pretty but informal dresses) was a purposefully chosen message for the future: frugality, professionalism, and being down-to-earth.
Thanks L, it does make sense when you put it that way! :^)
Yes, it’s a dress, not a skirt and top.
I’ve often wondered what one wears to an abdication. Now I know.
They all look fantastic.
Oh, last time I attended an abdication, I wore a lbd and nude heels. A touch of black to pretend I was “sad” but nude shoes to evoke sincerity and what not.
They all look beautiful.
LOL
they all do look beautiful.
🙂
wow, those little girls are really pretty.
i’ve been looking at google image for an hour now, and have to say, King Felipe looks better with beards.
To your question the little sister, Sofia gets the title of Infanta.
It’s Leonor getting all of his father’s titles since she is the older one and heir to the Crown. Princess of Asturias is the main one as it’s the historic title that automatically turns whoever owns it into the next Queen/King
Leonor is now the youngest direct heir in Europe! It is also funny to think that in a generation’s time Europe will have a lot of female monarchs: Estelle in Sweden, Ingrid in Norway, one in Holland (don’t know her name) and Leonor in Spain.
The only male in their group is Christian of Denmark, which is funny because Victoria of Sweden was the only female in her generation.
I remember when both Frederik and Victoria were single – the tabloids really wanted them to marry! It was too funny.
Regardless, they’re too closely related and a marriage between two reigning monarchs of different nations is impractical in this day and age.
And it wasn’t that successful in the past: Mary I of England’s husband Philip II of Spain was intensely unpopular. The only political success was the marriage between Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castille, which united two neighbouring nations into the Spanish nation in the 15th century.
In fact that was the right thing to do. Next week judge will tell if she is charged guitly and judged so he better stay away from her. She and her husband stole money (even from a charity) so they don’t deserve to be there
EXACTLY. They should be jailed, but of course, they won’t, justice is only for (poor) peasants.
For him to now be King and her a social and political pariah must hurt. Still, they did a truly terrble thing and what they are getting is better than they deserve.
It would have incredibly bad PR if she had been there – she and her husband’s corruption is one of the reasons why the Spanish monarchy is holding on by its fingernails. Wouldn’t have been a good move to remind the public of that.
Pointless people getting titles that shouldn’t exist in the 21st century. Next.
My thoughts exactly.
seriously. it’s kind of hilarious, actually. or, it would be, if the spanish people didn’t have to pay their bills (i assume every monarchy’s bills get paid by the taxpayers?). it’s so bizarre.
Well I am from Finland and it is not like our President does anything either. The royals at least get more atention. So if the royals use some of their own money and are not much more expencive that a president it does not really matter of it excist or not.
People just like the idea of royalty. IMO it’s all a bit silly.
Especially when there’s no bling! 😉
+100000000000000
+100000000000000 and 1. Yes, I counted GeeMoney’s ones (hopefully correctly).
Looking at height you wouldn’t say that there is two years between the girls. Sofia is tall apparently!
Not only did Infanta Leonor become the Princess of Asturias, she is now the youngest heiress presumptive to the throne at age 8. She is also the fourth female to become an heiress of a monarchy in Europe, after CP Victoria of Sweden; The Princess of Orange, Catharina Amalia of the Netherlands; and Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant (Belgium). There will be 5 future queens in Europe. Norway also has Princess Ingrid Alexandra, the eldest child of CP Haakon and his wife, Mette-Marit.
The Princess of Asturias and her sister, Infanta Sofia reminded me of Diego Velasquez’s masterpiece, “Las Meninas”. They look a lot like the central figure of the painting who is the Infanta Margarita Teresa of Spain. Perhaps because she is their ancestress? I’m not really familiar with the SRF so if I’m wrong, I stand corrected…
Every Euro-monarchy is wise to make way for the pap-faves (read: younger and more stylish) because PR is all the institution has now. The gossip rags are dancing jigs over this lucrative move, and so are the readers (yay!).
Those girls are cuties, for sure. The pink-princess-craze knob just got turned up to eleven in the rest of the west, though. Wait for it.
She has a good “gossipy” background. On the Today Show this morning, they said she met him on while on assignment for her job, dumped her husband, then married the Prince. But Spain has other issues they have to deal with right now as their economy is in the tank (really high unemployment, like many other nations), so they need the good PR.
Letizia divorced in 1999. She didn’t meet Felipe until 2002. She didn’t dump her ex-husband for then Prince Felipe.
She’s like millions of women today who have a past, good and bad, and who lived their lives according to their terms. I don’t see what’s really gossipy about her. She’s very private to the point of being boring sometimes lol.
Sachi
I completely agree! I think it’s really sad and misogynist for persecuting Leti for having a divorce and having a independent successful life of their own and worshipping duds, lazy, kept woman doormats like Kate for being oh so prefect and proper. It’s like being in Mona Lisa smile movie or 1950.
old prude; what a refreshing, spot on remark.
Cosign, old prude.
Queen Letizia is way older than Kate but looks a lot younger. You can set she has had some botox but mildly. She looks fab. Oh titles are ridicilous in the age we are in but still good gossip😋
May I disagree? She used to look so good but now the age (or botox or whatever that is) has got her and her face looks strange and stretched.
She looks so polished and well put together – Kate looks rough sometimes, despite the great lengths she goes to (i.e. fake tan, veneers, hair extensions, heavy make up)
Personally, I think that Kate should ditch all the prop’s, and try being more natural. I think that she would be a more sympathetic person if she did. She looks so entitled to me, like she’s received bounty from heaven; and while I don’t begrudge her that, she seems plastic, and not who she really is – “common” (with the good manners her mum taught). IMO
I think Kate is always trying to hard to not appear common (and what a ridiculous distinction, “common”), this is what we end up with. I think Carole raised them to be a certain way, not realizing that the real Sloanes of today behave much more like Cressida.
OMG, I’m in love with this family! Letizia has amazing style, but I’m not surprised. The Spanish women always have a great style sense and dignity (without being stuffy). I’ve been a fan of hers for a long time, and can’t wait to follow her and her beautiful daughters!
I would have chosen different shoes 🙂
I’m surprised none of the people that usually freak out about Kate wearing nude heels all the time have said anything about it.
I noticed the shoes right away, too. I like nude heels so I guess I differ from many of Kate’s detractors in that regard, but I also thought that the complaint was not so much about the shoes themselves but the frequency with which the DoC wears them.
I am a devoted Letizia fan. This is woman is so classy, gracious, beautiful and hardworking. Please anyone just notice her for few days and tell me that Kate is doing a good job!
She got the most vicious media after her, Spanish media called her wh*re, accused of killing her sister (who committed suicide), accuse her of having eating disorder, spending too much even though she almost always wears Spanish high street brands, says their marriage is in trouble every other week even though they are the most loved up couple, accuse her of neglecting her children, her FIL and palace let media trash her yup save his criminal daughter Christina, her work is mostly not counted by the palace, her cousins accuse her of getting abortions and then Spanish media prosecute her publicly for such disgusting claims without any proof and I can go on and on and on and on.
And what she does? She comes out to work on a daily basis, look appropriate, smile and just go on doing her job. She is a real trooper and will be an amazing Queen.
Does she constantly touch her hair and flash her bum to the photographers?
That is vicious – and eerily reminiscient of the online hate that gets thrown at CP Mary of Denmark and CP Mette-Marit of Norway. I commented on this in another thread, but it seems that the commoner wifes of royalty get an unfair and vicious bashing online. It is classist and sexist, and it turns my stomach.
She is head and shoulders above Kate in all ways that matter — i.e. she seems to have a work ethic and has interests beyond what she’s wearing and how she looks. Too bad William couldn’t find someone like her instead of self-absorbed lazy pants Kate
Stop it, Jess. You are being a jealous h8ter. 😉
WOW! Seriously beautiful family!! Can’t wait to read Suri’s take on it all LOL
Those are some impossibly good looking people.
I watched a documentary on the Franco period and Juan Carlos and his role in the reinstatement of democracy in Spain – Felipe is a dead ringer for his father in his younger days.
I watched some of the clips from this informal ceremony and the parliament swearing in. I liked the understated quiet changing of the guard of the whole thing. And in that sense, all of the outfits are spot on.
The touching part for me is during the abdication ceremony where the former king indicated that Felipe should take the kings chair after signing, and they switched places. The two men seem very close. http://a.disquscdn.com/uploads/mediaembed/images/1100/4641/original.jpg
Looks like the little girls have bruises or bug bites on their legs. Cute, and nice to see that they play outdoors like regular kids.
I love bruised knees and such on children, too.
The problem is that many “regular kids” nowadays spend waaaaay too little time outdoors. They’d rather play computer games and watch TV. And the parents just let them.
Why do I feel like Duchess Kate is chucking her LK Bennetts at the mirror in her dressing room?
US Weekly has pics of her working today … she’s visiting a children’s hospice in a dress that looks like bacteria.
It was supposedly a “private” visit and they only just released the photos. More like a well-calculated PR move on Kate’s part to gain some goodwill. It’s not as though she secretly sneaked into the hospice in the dead of the night so as not to be “caught” doing a good deed, the photos were taken by professional photographers (v.s. cell phone/twitter pics).
Nice try Kate, but in order for it to be a private, not for credit event (a la Diana) you don’t release photos after the fact.
Because she’s jealous?? She can’t hold a candle to this lady.
I was wondering where Cristina was and assumed it had to do with her shady ass husband…who woulda thunk this one was gonna be worst than Elena’s Cold fish mortician looking dude, Huh?
las Infantas (now full on Princesas!?) look SO Cute!
QQ here is a little different. The little girls are the King’s daughters but just the older one&heir to the Crown is Princess of Asturias. The younger sis title is Infanta not Princess, that is just for the heir.
Can someone explain to us ignorant of Spain’s custumes why the youngest girl would be called Infanta. Doesn’t that mean infant ? Are they going to call her that even when she’s an adult? Would a younger boy of the family also be called Infanta? Just curious.
@T.C.
“Infanta” is not reserved for the youngest. In Spain, the monarch’s offspring are called “Prince/Princess” when they are the heir to the throne. “Infante/Infanta” is the name given to the children that will not inherit it. That is why Felipe used to be Prince Felipe, while Cristina and Elena are always refered to as infantas. Now that Felipe is King, Leonor is princess while sofía is infanta.
I don’t know why we do this to be honest, but we do 😀
Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but Infanta as a title translates to something like “Daughter of Spain”. The male version would be Infante, or “Son of Spain”. They’re titles carried into adulthood, and signify a closeness of relationship to the monarch.
T.C. as Hispania explained the title of Infanta has nothing to do with age, is just the title itself.
AM you’re right 🙂
Love Letizia. Love, love, love. She’s what I (foolishly) hoped Kate Middleton would become.
I can’t wait for the coronation! Is Letizia crowned as well? I hope there’s tons of bling.
It was this morning and nope, no bling. Spain is in the worst crises ever and bling wouldn’t be appropriate. She is the consort, the king is Felipe. It was a sober ceremony and I liked it. I like Felipe and I hope Letizia improves now that she is the queen. As princess she has left a lot to be desired. Hopefully she will show some new interests besides plastic surgery and botox. Let’s see.
Felipe IV wasn’t crowned, but proclaimed, which is the custom in most European monarchies today. As far as I know it is only Britain that holds an official coronation and anointment of a new sovereign.
Both girls are beautiful but I have to admit I like Sofia’s pink dress better
She is amazingly poised and so beautifully turned out all the time–the woman never makes a false step. She just exudes class.
And the girls are appropriately dressed and absolutely adorable.
Queen of Spain… ya ya ya. I guess b/c I’m American and we don’t really care about royalty over here that I don’t get the hype over these people inheriting the throne.
I will say though that the two girls are adorable.
YES. I TOTALLY AGREE. MOST AMERICANS COULD CARE LESS ABOUT THAT OUTDATED ROYAL NONSENSE!!!!!!!!!
I think this is a great PR run for saving the Spanish monarchy. Felipe and Letizia may be up for debate (I don’t know enough to have a personal opinion), but who wants to tell those sweet little girls that they can’t be princesses any more?
That’s what happened to Beatrice & Eugenie of the BRF though they hold the titles.
actually all the exiled royal families too.
THAT ROYAL NONSENSE IS OUTDATED. THIS IS 2014. WE DON’T NEED KINGS,QUEENS AND PRINCESSES. THEY ARE NOTHING BUT FINANCIAL PARASITES.
I do agree it is outdated – and mostly nonsense, too.
(And the curtseying, where it’s still in vogue, is just ridiculous.)
I disagree that they are financial parasites. They get paid in the same way any other Head of State gets paid – like a President would in a Republic. The Presidents of France and Germany aren’t exactly doing charity work, either.
I do agree that the idea of the position of the Head of State being inherited through birth rights is outdated, and probably at odds with democratic principles, but for some countries like Spain and the UK it works, and in the end that is what matters. When it stops working, we’ll change it, just like we switched from the First Republic, back to a monarchy, back to the Second Republic, back to a monarchy again 🙂
Meh, I think Letizia’s outfit was just a liiiiittle too casual and bland. I would have preferred a nice, simple tailored suit. Or a very simple and very elegant dress.
She looks like herself but a little robotic. She needs to let up on the Botox. She used to be so beautiful and natural looking. Her daughter’s, especially the one in the white dress, are beautiful.
The girls are gorgeous, but I don’t think Letizia looks well. Her outfit is nice, but facially she looks very plastic and doll-like. No emotion in her face at all.
More to the point, Felipe is the hottest King in Europe!
I realize Spain is a more touchy-feely place than where I live, and this would be reflected even in the royal family, but I love the fact that so many of these photos are all about smooching the grandkids and getting your bro-hug on with dad.
Yes! The photo of Felipe and his dad is so touching.
The girls are beautiful and adorable. The new queen is just as beautiful.
Beautiful! She reminds me of Queen Rania of Jordan.
She does! I like them both.
I hope in 30 years when there are more female monarchs than male that a spirit of peaceful cooperation emerges and benefits the world.
The last thing Spain needs right now is a focus on the thoroughly superficial and useless concept of royalty. Serious economic reform is obviously what the country wants, and unless these silly anachronistic poseurs stop prancing around like its 1789, they are going to be sorry.