King Felipe VI
On 18 June 2014 King Juan Carlos signed legislation setting out the legal framework for his son to replace him as King of Spain. The ceremonies were kept frugal in response to the country's economic woes. The formal abdication by 76-year-old King Juan Carlos paved the way for his 46-year-old son to be crowned King Felipe VI.
His Royal Highness The Prince of Asturias, Felipe de Borbón y Grecia, is the third child of Their Majesties The King and Queen of Spain, Juan Carlos and Sofía. He was born in Madrid, on 30 January 1968, at Nuestra Señora de Loreto clinic. In the sacrament of Baptism, he was given the names of Felipe, Juan, Pablo, and Alfonso de Todos los Santos, in memory, respectively, of the first Bourbon King to reign in Spain; of his paternal grandfather, the Head of the Spanish Royal Household; of his maternal grandfather, the King of the Hellenes; and of his great grandfather, Alfonso XIII, King of Spain. His godparents were his grandfather, His Royal Highness Juan de Borbón, Count of Barcelona, and his great grandmother, Queen Victoria Eugenie.
Crown Prince since his father was proclaimed King on 22 November 1975, he received, on 22 January 1977, the title of Prince of Asturias, together with those of Prince of Girona and Prince of Viana, corresponding to the firstborn sons of the Kingdoms of Castile, Aragon and Navarre, which were united in the 15th century by the Spanish Monarchy. He also holds the titles of Duke of Montblanc, Count of Cervera, and Lord of Balaguer.
In 1981, he received the Collar of the Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece, granted by His Majesty King Juan Carlos, Head and Sovereign of the Order. By virtue of Royal Decree 284/2001, of 16 March, the Guidon and Standard of H.R.H. The Prince of Asturias were created, and his Coat of Arms, his Guidon and his Standard are described.
On 30 January 1986, when he turned eighteen, he swore loyalty to the King, before the Spanish Parliament, taking an oath to discharge his duties faithfully, to abide by the Constitution and the law and ensure that they are abided by, and to respect the rights of citizens and the Autonomous Communities, fully undertaking his institutional role as successor to the Crown.
On 1 November 2003, Their Majesties The King and Queen announced his engagement to Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano. The religious wedding ceremony was held on 22 May 2004 at the Santa María la Real de la Almudena Cathedral of Madrid. They have two daughters, the Infantas Leonor, born on 31 October 2005, and Sofía, born on 29 April 2007, both in Madrid.
He went to Santa María de los Rosales School until 1984, for his Infant, Primary and Secondary education. He completed his Secondary education by studying the last year—the equivalent of the university entrance course—at Lakefield College School, in Canada. From September 1985 to July 1988, His Royal Highness trained at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza, where he pledged allegiance to the Flag on 11 October 1985.
He spent a year at the officer training schools of each of the services, obtaining military training at the Military Naval School in Marín, and at the General Air Force Academy in San Javier, successively, and was given the commissions of Infantry Lieutenant, Navy Sub-Lieutenant, and Air Force Lieutenant.
From October 1988 to June 1993, he studied at the Autónoma University of Madrid, where he graduated with a degree in Law, and also studied diverse subjects relating to the degree in Economic Science, in order to complete his education in this area. In September 1993, he enrolled in a Master's Degree Course in International Relations at the Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service of Georgetown University (Washington, DC), from which he graduated on 26 May 1995.
On 04 May 2010 the 42-year-old was automatically promoted in all three branches of Spain's armed services. The ranks he currently holds in the Spanish Armed Forces are that of Army (Infantry) Lieutenant-Colonel, Navy Commander, and Air Force Wing Commander. He is a helicopter pilot, qualified for instrument flight in Air Force Squadron 402. He has his helicopter pilot's wings for both the Army and the Navy. From September 1999 to June 2000, he took a refresher course in Security and Defence.
After completing his academic studies in the United States, Prince Felipe has fulfilled the institutional commitments deriving from his status as Crown Prince, both in Spain and abroad, and he participates in the most important events of the different sectors and areas of Spanish public life. In 1990, he began to make a series of official visits to Spain's Autonomous Communities, in order to gain more profound knowledge of Spain and become closer to all Spaniards.
He holds regular meetings with the Constitutional bodies and with the main institutions of Spain's Central Administration and Autonomous Communities, to learn about their activities. He grants public and private audiences to a large number of people from the political, economic and cultural spheres, and from the media, in order to be informed of national and international affairs. ??
His Royal Highness is in close contact with the Armed Forces and with the Civil Guard, following a program of activities that includes giving commissions at the Academies for Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers, attending exercises and manoeuvres, visiting units, centres and institutions, and, since 2010, attending military audiences. In addition to keeping in touch with his classmates at the Military Academies, Prince Felipe is informed about current military affairs through private audiences with senior Military and Civil Guard Officers, and through working meetings.
The Prince of Asturias carries out many activities abroad, playing a very active role in promoting Spain's economic and commercial interests. He is also especially interested in promoting knowledge of Spanish language and culture, through support for the network of Instituto Cervantes centres and the creation of Chairs to spread knowledge of the history and current reality of Spain at the principal foreign universities.
To this end, he makes official visits every year, accompanied by the Princess of Asturias, to an Ibero-American country and to another country in the European Union, the Middle East or the Far East in which Spain has strategic interests. Since January 1996, the Prince of Asturias has represented Spain at the swearing-in ceremonies of the Ibero-American Presidents.
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