Infanta Cristina of Spain

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Happy Birthday to Infanta Cristina of Spain, who turns 54 today! The second daughter and middle child of King Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Sofia of Greece, she is the sister of Infanta Elena and King Felipe. Educated at the Santa María del Camino School, she studied political science at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and did her masters in international relations at New York University. In 1997, she married Iñaki Urdangarín, a former handball player, being made the Duchess of Palma de Mallorca for life. The couple have four children. In 2012, the the Infanta and the then Duke were investigated in the Nóos case for alleged political corruption and embezzlement, for which she was acquitted in 2017, while her husband was charged with a prison sentence of five years and ten months, and is currently serving his sentence. In 2015, King Felipe official deprived her of her dukedom, though she remains an Infanta and retains her place in the line of succession.  We wish HRH a very Happy Birthday and Many Happy Returns!

UPDATE: In 2022, Infanta Cristina of Spain and Iñaki Urdangarin decided to end their marriage:

“By mutual agreement, we have decided to interrupt our marriage. The commitment to our children remains intact. Since it is a private decision, we ask for the utmost respect”

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2 thoughts on “Infanta Cristina of Spain

  1. I think the hardest part for Infanta Cristina must have been to go through the ordeal she did without the emotional support of her whole family. Her mother, Queen Sofia, and her sister Infanta Elena, defied everyone and visited her and comforted her in her hour of need. Kudos to them for doing that. It seems like she’s finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, so maybe this year will be better. I wish her joy!

  2. Her father…the disgraced Former King of Spain is certainly no example of righteopus behaviour. He has a mistress and has been involved in shady business dealings… I feel sorry for Queen Sofia.

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