Princesa Letizia

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Delivery of the National Prizes of the Minister of Culture at Bilbao

Entrega en Bilbao de los Premios Nacionales de Cultura 2009 - EiTB Cultura Noticas

Picture Gallery

Monday, July 19, 2010

Infanta Sofia of Spain

The Infanta Sofía of Spain is the second child of Felipe, Prince of Asturias and his wife Princess Letizia. As the daughter of the heir to the throne, she is styled and titled Her Royal Highness, Infanta of Spain. She has an older sister, Infanta Leonor and is third in the line of succession to the Spanish throne after her father and older sister.

She was born at 4:50 pm in the Ruber International Clinic in Madrid by means of a caesarean section, two days after Letizia's due date. She weighed 3.3 kg (7 lbs. 4 oz.) and was 50 cm (19.6 inches) long at birth. Like her elder sister, her birth was announced by the Royal Family to the press via SMS. It was announced that her umbilical cord cells would be sent to a European private bank and to a Spanish public one for future prevention of diseases. The couple did the same practice with Infanta Leonor's cells that were taken to a private center in Arizona, which caused controversy in Spain.

The Infanta was named after her paternal grandmother, Sofía of Greece and Denmark. Likewise, her grandmother, Queen Sofía of Spain, is named after her paternal grandmother, Sophie of Prussia. She was christened on 15 July in the gardens of the Palacio de la Zarzuela. Her godparents are Paloma Rocasolano (her maternal grandmother) and The Prince of Vidin. Like her sister, she was given one name, with the additional name of de Todos los Santos (of All the Saints), at her christening, a Bourbon tradition.

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.