The granddaughter of a taxi driver, she was an award-winning journalist before joining Spain’s royal family, and is known to her people as the “common queen.”
So it’s perhaps not surprising to see Queen Letizia of Spain embrace a more down-to-earth approach to royal life.
Indeed, this was demonstrated when the mother-of-two, 50, literally jumped for joy as she joined the Spanish team’s boisterous celebrations following their win at the Women’s World Cup in Sydney last weekend.
Letizia cheered the side from the stands next to her 16-year-old daughter Infanta Sofia – but although Spain’s players had royalties in the audience, no members of the British Royal Family attended the match to support the defeated Lionesses.
The wife of King Felipe VI also proves her more modest demeanor through what she wears: she’s incorporated High Street fashion into her looks for royal engagements, has re-worn many outfits and is clearly not afraid to show off her very toned figure. to see.
Letizia (pictured lifting the trophy) literally jumped for joy as she joined the Spanish team’s boisterous celebrations following their win at the Women’s World Cup in Sydney last weekend
The Spanish queen – who is known to follow a strict diet and exercise routine, including cardio workouts and yoga – is often pictured showing off her remarkably sculpted arms, well-muscled back or midriff thanks to the outfits she wears.
For example, in May 2022, she showed off her toned tummy in a daring pink cut-out dress at a Red Cross event in Valencia.
While not shy about showing off her enviable figure, the royal family is also proving that her fashion choices aren’t just for the rich and famous by shopping at High Street outlets including H&M, Zara and Massimo Dutti.
An even more recognizable moment from Letizia happened when the royal family was photographed posing for photos for the BeReal app in images shared online by royal fans in January 2023.
All followers on the social media app are simultaneously notified on an unpredictable two-minute time slot and asked to post what they are doing on the spot.
The Spanish mother-of-two was meeting up with a group of young swimmers on an undated occasion when it appeared someone had received their notification for the day and dutifully posed for a selfie.
Shared in a short time on Twitter by @david_h_moralesthe royal family beaming with joy in one photo with the group.
In a video clip of the moment, Queen Letizia appears to be getting instructions from one of the young swimmers on how to use the app.
The wife of King Felipe VI also proves her more modest demeanor through what she wears: she’s incorporated High Street fashion into her looks for royal engagements, has re-worn many outfits and is clearly not afraid to show off her very toned figure. to see.
The Spanish queen – who is known to follow a strict diet and exercise routine, including cardio workouts and yoga – is often pictured showing off her remarkably sculpted arms, well-muscled back or midriff thanks to the outfits she wears.
After Spain’s victory, the players celebrated with Queen Letizia (pictured, left) and her daughter Sofia (pictured, right). Aitana Bonmati (center) receives the ‘Golden Ball’ award
At one point (photo, left) the royal man was seen dancing, slapping the air and jumping for joy. Meanwhile, daughter Sofia dressed in the Spanish flag (pictured right)
You can see her grooming her hair as she prepares for a selfie shot, before taking another shot of a group right in front of her.
On the snaps, which are undated, the royal is dressed in a fuchsia pink blouse and black trousers. Letizia’s appearance on the social media app appears to be a first for a member of the royal family.
In a 2022 profile of Letizia in El País newspaper, Spain’s Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Pilar Cancela, said: “The Queen is our most important help. I thought she was cold and distant, but she’s professional, normal and fun,” reported euro news.
The recognizable royal also comes from humble beginnings. Born on September 15, 1972 in Oviedo, northern Spain, Letizia grew up in a middle-class family and attended a public school.
While her mother, Maria Rodriguez, was a nurse, Letizia resembled her father, Jesús José Ortiz Álvarez, and stepmother Ana Togores, who are both journalists, and studied communications at the University of Madrid.
She then obtained her master’s degree in journalism and after a stint at the Asturian daily newspaper La Nueva España, she went to work for ABC, a popular national newspaper with the third largest circulation in Spain.
This was followed by a period at the Spanish news agency EFE before she got a role in the local newspaper Siglo 21 after moving to Guadalajara in Mexico.
In May 2022, Letizia showed off her toned stomach in a daring pink cut-out dress at a Red Cross event in Valencia
Another sculpted display from Letizia at the Reina Letizia 202 awards in 2021. Here she finds award winner Inmaculada Vivas Teson wearing the exact same dress
Queen Letizia of Spain posed for photos for the BeReal app in snaps shared online by royal fans earlier this year
Back in Spain a year later, she worked for the Spanish version of Bloomberg, a news channel and agency specializing in economics, before moving to CNN+.
Before meeting Felipe of Spain, Letizia was married to high school literature teacher Alonso Guerrero Perez, who was nine years her senior.
The couple married in 1998 after a ten-year romance, with the pair meeting when the future Queen of Spain was just 16.
They married in a civil ceremony in the town of Almendralejo, Badajoz, but divorced the following year after only one year of marriage.
By the time she met her husband-to-be Felipe in 2002, Letizia was working for the popular TV channel 24 Horas where, in addition to anchoring the popular Telediario 2 evening news bulletin, she reported on a wide variety of major news events.
As a news anchor, she covered live from Ground Zero after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The following year, she met Prince Felipe – at the site of an oil spill in northern Spain. The year after first meeting Felipe, Letizia resigned and their engagement was announced a few days later.
Letizia and Felipe’s wedding in Madrid in 2004 increased support for the royal family, and her habit of defending high street brands like Zara proved popular. She and Felipe had two daughters, Leonor in 2005 and Sofia in 2007.