Monday, July 19, 2010

Infanta Leonor of Spain

The Infanta Leonor of Spain was born 31 October 2005 in Madrid, Spain. She is the first child of Felipe, Prince of Asturias, and his wife Letizia. Felipe has no sons and she is thus second in the line of succession to the Spanish throne after her father. As the daughter of the heir to the throne, she is styled and titled Her Royal Highness, Infanta of Spain. She has a younger sister, the Infanta Sofía.

Infanta Leonor was born at 1:46 am in the Ruber International Clinic in Madrid by means of a caesarean section necessitated by non-progression of labour. Infanta Leonor weighed 3.5 kg (7 lbs. 11 oz.) and was 47 cm (18.5 inches) long. Her birth was announced by the Royal Family to the press via SMS. Leonor left the Ruber Clinic with her parents on 7 November 2005.

The Infanta was baptised in the Zarzuela Palace by the Cardinal Archbishop of Madrid, Antonio Rouco Varela, on 14 January 2006. Like her father in 1968, Leonor was baptised with water from the river Jordan, following the Spanish Royal Family tradition. She was also given the additional names of de Todos los Santos (of All the Saints), a Bourbon tradition. Her godparents were her paternal grandparents, Their Majesties King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain.

The Spanish Royal House confirmed on 25 February 2006 that stem cells from Princess Leonor's umbilical cord have been frozen and stored at a blood bank in Tucson, Arizona. A spokesman said this is "habitual practice" at the clinic where Leonor was born. The stem cells will be frozen for at least 15 years, along with cells from 18,000 other babies around the world. Leonor is not the first royal baby to have her stem cells frozen; Prince Christian of Denmark has had his stem cells frozen as well.

Infanta Leonor began her education at the daycare for the children of the Spanish Royal Guard.

She began her first year of real schooling on 15 September 2008 at the Santa María de los Rosales School in Aravaca, just outside Madrid. Her father is an alumnus of the school.

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