Happy 20th Wedding Anniversary to King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain! Royal Guests and Relatives from around the world joined the Spanish Royal Family for the spectacular Wedding of the Prince of Asturias and Doña Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano in Madrid on this day in 2004, 20 years ago, following a Gala Dinner at El Pardo Royal Palace the night before.
The Wedding Ceremony of Prince Felipe and Letizia Ortiz was the first grand Royal Wedding taking place in Madrid since the one of his great-grandparents King Alfonso XIII and Queen Victoria Eugenie in 1906. The religious ceremony took place at the Saint Mary the Royal of the Almudena Cathedral.
The Spanish Royal Family walked in Procession from the neighbouring Royal Palace of Madrid to the Almudena Cathedral, while the bride was unable to do so due to heavy rain. Instead, Doña Letizia was driven in a Rolls- Royce.
Afterwards, the Prince of Asturias and new Princess rode through the main streets of the centre of Madrid to the Royal Basilica of Our Lady of Atocha, the Patron Saint of the Royal Family. There, the Bride offered her bridal bouquet to the Virgin, in accordance with old family tradition. The newly weds then followed to the Royal Palace where they waved to the crowds from the balcony, giving a kiss.
This moment was followed by some Official Photographs with all the royal relatives and heads of state present at the ceremony. Later, a Lunch for approximately 1.500 guests was served at the Prince’s Patio of the Royal Palace. Both King Juan Carlos and Prince Felipe gave speeches.
Princess Letizia wore a Manuel Pertegaz gown created from natural silk. One of the standout features was its high-standing collar and long sleeves. The collar and cuffs were adorned with intricate embroidery, which provided a touch of ornate detail without overwhelming the overall design. The long train measured approximately 4.5 meters and was made of fine tulle, also featuring delicate embroidery that matched the embellishments on the dress. The embroidery on the gown was particularly meaningful, incorporating heraldic symbols such as the fleur-de-lis, which is a symbol of the House of Borbón, ears of wheat and clovers. The intricate designs were executed in silver and gold thread.
To complete her bridal look, the new Princess of Asturias wore the Prussian Diamond Tiara (on loan from Queen Sofia) and a pair of Diamond Earrings, a gift from her parents-in-law, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia.
Prince Felipe wore the gala uniform of Grand Commander of the Spanish Army with the Sash and Star of the Order of Charles III, and the Collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia (wearing her Emerald Parure and one of Queen Victoria Eugenie’s Diamond Bracelets).
Six Kings and Eleven Queens were among the Royal Guests and Relatives at the magnificent Wedding of Prince of Asturias and Letizia Ortiz.
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark (wearing the Connaught Pearl Brooch) with Prince Henrik.
King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Queen Silva (wearing Queen Josefina’s Five Pearl Brooch) with Crown Princess Victoria
Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine
King Harald V of Norway and Queen Sonja
Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette Marit
Princess Martha-Louise and Ari Behn.
King Albert II of the Belgians and Queen Paola
Queen Fabiola (wearing her Aquamarine Sautoir)
The then Duke of Brabant and Princess Mathilde (wearing her Pearl Earrings)
Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan
Queen Rania of Jordan and Princess Muna, and Queen Noor.
King Constantine II of Greece and Queen Anne Marie, and Princess Irene
Crown Prince Pavlos and Princess Marie-Chantal
Princess Alexia and her husband, Carlos Morales
Prince Nikolaos, Princess Theodora, Prince Philippos, Princess Tatiana Radziwill and Dr. Fruchaud.
The then-Prince of Orange and Princess Maxima
Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg with Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume
Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien.
Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz
Prince Laurent and Princess Claire.
Prince Albert of Monaco and his sister, Princess Caroline.
Empress Farah of Iran with Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and Crown Princess Yasmine Pahlavi
The Prince of Naples, Princess Marina (wearing parts of the Savoy Pink Tourmaline Parure) and the Prince of Venice and his wife Princess Clotilde.
Prince Kardam of Bulgaria and Princess Miriam, Princess Kalina and Kitín Muñoz, Prince Kyril and Princess Rosario, Prince Konstantin and Princess Maria and Prince Kubrat and Princess Carla.
The Duke and Duchess of Braganza
Franz, Duke of Bavaria and the Prince of Prussia
Max, Margrave of Baden and the Archduchess Valerie, Margravine of Baden
The Prince zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg and Princess Anastasia of Prussia, Fürstin zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg
Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia
The Duke and Duchess of Lugo, Infanta Elena and Don Jaime de Marichalar.
The then Duke and Duchess of Palma, Infanta Cristina and Iñaki Urdangarín.
Infanta Pilar, Duchess of Badajoz, and her four children: Bruno, Juan, Beltran, Fernando and Simoneta, and their respective fiancées, wife and husband.
Infanta Margarita, Duchess of Soria and Hernani, accompanied by her husband, Dr. Carlos Zurita, and her son and daughter, Alfonso and Maria.
Infante Carlos, Duke of Calabria, and his wife, Princes Anne of Orléans, and their daughters and son, Princess Cristina, Princess Ines, Princess Victoria and Prince Pedro, then Duke of Noto, and their respective husbands and wife. Also present was Infanta Alicia, Duchess of Calabria (wearing Queen Marie Antoinette’s Pearl Necklace)
Numerous relatives of the King of Spain were present, namely the Prince and the Princesses of Orléans-Borbon, Prince Marco, Princess Sandra and Princess Olimpia Torlonia, Dona Giovanna, Ana Sandra and Maria Teresa Marone Cinzano, Tessa and Cristina of Bavaria, Princesses Maria Inmaculata and Maria Margarita of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Prince Casimir of Bourbon Two-Sicilies and Princess Maria Cristina of Savoy-Aosta, the Count and Countess Zamoisky, Princess Gloria Orléans-Braganza and the Duke of Seborge, and the Prince and Princess Czartorisky.
Also present were representatives from Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Riad, Brunei, Oman, Japan, Abu Dhabi, as well as the Aga Khan and the Sovereign of the Order of Malta, In addition, the Presidents of the Republics of Portugal, Germany, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Colombia, El Salvador, Panama, Nicaragua, Bolivia, South Africa, as well as representatives of the ex-reigning dynasties of Romania, Serbia, Portugal, France-Orléans, Bavaria, Hannover, Russia, Austria, Prussia, Lowenstein, Bourbon-Parma, Bagration, Brazil, Baden and Hesse.
This article was written by assistant editor, David Rato, who runs the Spanish Royal Jewels account on Instagram!
To celebrate their 20th Wedding Anniversary, new photographs of the King and Queen with their daughters were taken at the Royal Palace of Madrid.
