The life of a working royal can never be described as monotonous. One day, they can be on a military ship and the next evening, at a concert. What the Spanish royals have been going to the past couple of days is a great example of how diverse a royal calendar can be.

Yesterday, Crown Prince Felipe was in the Gulf of Cadiz to attend military exercises aboard the naval ship ‘Victoria’. He interacted with officers of the ship as the exercises were going on. However, I don’t think he took part in any of the maneuvers himself. Prince Felipe, btw, …read more

For today’s Fashion Friday, we’re going to shift gears from entire outfits to a specific item in royal fashion: the clutch. These versatile little bags can carry a princess or queen’s most important necessities. Perhaps a handkerchief or tissues, lipstick and some other small makeup items, photos of the kids/grandkids? Whatever it is that they may need for royal engagements, these accessories are sure to hold.
The royal ladies of Spain and Denmark, and their pretty bags, are the features for today.

Queen Sofia and Princess Letizia (with King Juan Carlos and Prince Felipe) attended the Foreign Ambassadors Reception, at Spain’s Royal …read more

Let’s take a break from Prince William-mania for a bit, shall we? Seeing as its Fashion Friday, I put together this group of photos of Spain’s Princess Letizia as she went about her work for her country and the Spanish royal family.
Being a working royal who goes out to attend public engagements pretty much every day must bring with it certain wardrobe requirements. These everyday outfits must be business-like, comfortable, and stylish but not overly faddish. Shall we see how Princess Letizia’s work wardrobe fit the bill?

Princess Letizia wore this purple and black outfit when she visited the Universidad Autonoma …read more

The Spanish royal family once again led this year’s celebration of ‘Pascua Militar’ (Military Easter) at the Royal Palace in Madrid.

Military Easter dates back to 1782, when the Spanish Military won a big battle in Mallorca on January 6, the Feast Day of the Epiphany. Since then, the day has been set aside to honor the military forces of Spain. Military parades and a ceremony are held every year at the palace. The King traditionally gives an address, flanked by members of his family.

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80 Years ago
On January 8, 1930, Prince Umberto of Italy (right) and Princess Marie-José of Belgium were married. Prince Umberto became King Umberto II, the last king of Italy, reigning for little more than a month, from May 9, 1946 to June 12, 1946.
30 Years ago
On January 1, 1980, the Swedish rule of succession was changed to equal primogeniture, making the eldest child of the monarch, whether male or female, first in line to the throne of Sweden. Princess Victoria became heir apparent, ahead of her younger brother Prince Carl Philip.
10 Years ago
Princess María Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, the …read more

Spain’s King Juan Carlos’s traditional Christmas message was aired on Christmas eve, from the Spanish royal family’s official residence in Zarzuela Palace in Madrid. A video of the speech (in Spanish) is below.

The Spanish monarch’s speech covered a wide range of topics, including the economy and calls for unity during challenging times.
image via Zuma Press

The Spanish royal family has released their Christmas cards for 2009. The cards are a tradition for the royals, and feature photos of the children, as well as greetings for a merry Christmas.
These two images immediately below show the card from King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia:

Click through the gallery for a look at the cards from the families of Crown Prince Felipe and Crown Princess Letizia, Infanta Elena, and Infanta Cristina and Iñaki Urdangarín.

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images via the House of His Majesty …read more

Spain’s royal family has closed out the year with final audiences at the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid, Spain.  King Juan Carlos, Queen Sofia, Crown Prince Felipe and Crown Princess Letizia attended the last meetings with Spanish nobility and members of the Spanish National Heritage Board.

As the year winds down, we get to see one more outfit from Princess Letizia. This is all-lavender, from her fitted jacket, dress and shoes. I love the details on the bottom part of her dress.

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It’s been …read more

The family of Spain’s Crown Prince Felipe had a pre-Christmas family outing today. Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia took their daughters, four-year-old Princess Leonor and two-year-old Princess Sofia, to the ‘Los cuentos favoritos de Mickey’ (‘Mickey’s Favorite Stories’).

The Disney Live! presentation features favorite Disney characters, including fairy-tale princesses Snow White, Belle and Cinderella. The show is being held at the Congress Palace in Madrid, Spain, until January 3, 2010.
Princess Leonor and Princess Sofia are just like any other little girls in the world, who love Disney characters. The only difference is that they don’t have to pretend at being princesses… …read more

Spain’s King Juan Carlos and his family are hosting the visit this week of Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet and his wife Tran Thi Kim Chi.
King Juan Carlos, Queen Sofia, Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia welcomed their visitors at the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid today. A luncheon at the palace kicked off the three-day visit.