Queen Letizia of Spain was born Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano on 15 September 1972 in Oviedo, Asturias.
She is the wife of King Felipe VI and has been Queen consort of Spain since his accession on 19 June 2014.
The eldest daughter of journalist Jesús José Ortiz Álvarez and nurse María de la Paloma Rocasolano Rodríguez, she grew up in Oviedo before the family moved to Madrid.
She studied journalism at the Complutense University of Madrid and later completed a master’s degree in audiovisual journalism.
After a brief first marriage that ended in divorce, she married the then Prince of Asturias on 22 May 2004.
The couple have two daughters: Leonor, Princess of Asturias, and Infanta Sofía.
Siblings
Queen Letizia has two younger sisters.
Telma Ortiz Rocasolano (born 1973) has worked in international relations and humanitarian organisations.
Érika Ortiz Rocasolano (1975–2007) worked as a graphic designer and interior designer; she died by suicide in 2007.
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Career
Before her marriage Letizia built a successful career as a journalist.
She worked for newspapers such as La Nueva España and ABC, for the EFE news agency, and later as a reporter and anchor for CNN+ and Televisión Española, where she presented the main evening news programme.
After becoming Princess of Asturias in 2004 and Queen in 2014, she focused on official duties alongside the King while developing her own areas of interest.
She has been particularly active in promoting education, culture, health, disability inclusion and Spanish cooperation and development programmes.
She regularly undertakes official visits, state engagements and patronage work both in Spain and abroad.
Accolades
As Queen of Spain, Letizia holds high Spanish distinctions, including the Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III and the position of Grand Mistress of the Order of Noble Ladies of Queen Maria Luisa.
She has also received numerous foreign honours, among them the Order of the Elephant of Denmark, the Royal Order of the Seraphim of Sweden, the Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of the Netherlands, and high orders from countries including Portugal, Japan, Italy, Germany and many others in Latin America and Europe.
These recognitions reflect both her rank as Queen consort and her public work.
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