King Felipe VI of Spain

Embed from Getty Images

Happy Birthday to King Felipe VI of Spain, who turns 50 today! The third child and only son of King Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Sofia of Greece, Felipe is the grandson of the Count and Countess of Barcelona and King Paul and Queen Frederica of Greece. In 1975, Prince Felipe became the heir to the throne (becoming Prince of Asturias in 1977) after Juan Carlos succeeded General Franco. He studied at Georgetown University with his cousin, Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece, and served in the Spanish military. In 2004, Prince Felipe married journalist Letizia Ortiz, and the couple have two daughters, the Princess of Asturias and Infanta Sofia. In 2014, King Juan Carlos abdicated, with the Prince and Princess of Asturias succeeding to the Spanish Throne as King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. King Felipe does not have any political power, but holds much influence, as demonstrated by his message during the Catalonia Crisis. I wish HM a very Happy Birthday and Many Happy Returns!

To celebrate the King’s Birthday, the Spanish Royal Court released some exclusive footage of the royal family in a video ‘Felipe VI, un Rey, un Padre‘!

30

For more information, check out:

All of our King Felipe posts

All of our Spain posts

Leave a Reply