The big week of Kings Felipe and Letizia. Also the week in which they have been even more in the eye of the hurricane. Twenty years ago, the then princes said ‘I do’ in the Almudena Cathedral. A rainy and unpleasant day in which his new stage began. As expected, throughout the week, witnesses present and journalists in charge of covering the event have narrated everything they experienced. From the tensions that occurred between the Ortiz Rocasolano family to the role of King Juan Carlos and his influence in Letizia’s welcome to the Royal Family, now officially.
It was within these memories that an uncomfortable meeting between the current Queen Letizia and the journalist Carlos Herrera came to light. It was Herrera himself, in fact, who was in charge of telling it. A face to face with the queen consort that takes us back to the moments in which Letizia was affected by her strong character or the desire to protect her loved ones that she did not find in the Bourbons. What happened to make the queen angry with the journalist? His grandmother, Menchu Álvarez del Valle was the protagonist.
Queen Letizia’s anger with journalist Carlos Herrera
“A perfect locution, a fascinating diction.” Carlos Herrera told in his radio program the impact he had on attending the reading that the grandmother of the then Princess Letizia gave during her granddaughter’s wedding. Radio professional, Menchu Álvarez del Valle enchanted everyone with his way of approaching the text and the communication skills that, without a doubt, his granddaughter has inherited. Herrera had attended the wedding accompanied by his former partner, Mariló Montero.
“I went to see her shortly after to tell her: ‘Why don’t you come with me to work on the radio and we’ll do a section?’”, explained the journalist. Herrera approached Álvarez del Valle to propose a collaboration. This she, already retired, declined her offer. Although Herrera, as she explained, tried to make this happen again. Finally, the queen’s grandmother did not want to return to the environment in which she developed practically her entire career.
However, it wasn’t all there. The journalist explained how, some time later, he met Queen Letizia and she discouraged her interest in signing her grandmother for her program. “And then Letizia told me one day at a dinner: ‘But, let’s see, would you have made that offer to my grandmother if she weren’t my grandmother’?” we’ll see… Don’t start manipulating the scene‘. “That wasn’t the right question.”
The lack of protection for the Ortiz Rocasolano
One of the big issues related to Letizia and that has had very little discussion throughout the twenty years that the kings’ marriage has lasted has been the role of the Ortiz Rocasolano family. Letizia’s family was put on the front line of news as soon as the journalist’s engagement with the Prince of Asturias was confirmed. Everyone wanted to know who the future queen’s relatives were, where they came from and what they did.
Far from offering certain measures and advising newcomers, it is now that the emphasis is placed on the helplessness in which the Ortiz Rocasolano found themselves given the enormous interest generated in society. Everyone, as much as possible, tried to cope with the pressure. It was, without a doubt, the then Princess of Asturias who made the greatest efforts to leave her family out of the spotlight although she was never able to achieve it.
It took a long time and several terrible misfortunes for Queen Letizia’s entourage to find its place. Discreet and without fanfare, the queen’s parents and her sister Telma currently maintain a position much more in line with the interests of the institution than the Bourbons themselves. The Royal Family’s efforts to limit the core of the Royal Family to the kings and their daughters is the best example. Only Queen Sofía has a place right now in the representation functions of the Crown. Neither the king’s sisters, nor nephews, nor anything other than the official members of Zarzuela.
Letizia’s change, twenty years later
Gone is that moment in which Letizia Ortiz told Prince Felipe to let her speak and everyone formed an image of the queen that has taken a lot of effort to transform. The then journalist presented herself to the media as the official girlfriend of the heir to the throne and, even though it was the prince who had interrupted her partner, Letizia could no longer get rid of that tag. Her arrival to royalty was not easy for the current queen.
In two decades, The change brought about by the queen has been more than evident. Not only have the members of the Royal Family been defined, but an attempt has been made to offer a different image in their day-to-day life. From sports we have moved on to culture, from opacity we have moved on to an apparent transparency – which we will have to see is really true – and from a folksy king we have moved on to a queen who is popular and analyzed in detail.
The queen has left her mark in Zarzuela. And she has done it against practically everyone who has shared space with her. It is now that she begins to breathe a little easier. Her speeches are heard, her appearances interest. Her attacks do not stop, yes, but it seems that the queen now takes everything differently. A step aside to start giving prominence to her daughter Leonor de ella? The heir’s time to the throne began with her 18th birthday and she is only going to move forward.
The obstacles that Queen Letizia has tried to overcome
The criticism that Queen Letizia has had to endure since she joined the Royal Family has not had a clear precedent. She questioned about her character, about her preparation, about her gestures, about her physique and practically about anything. She has had obstacles in her family, in her environment, in her political family and in her nobility. The current queen has endured carts and carts and remains firm in her position.
Over the years, Letizia has managed to strengthen her position. The accession of King Felipe to the throne was the break that the couple needed. She ended the influence of King Juan Carlos and began a new stage in Zarzuela. The changes were evident. The kings, especially the queen, appear closer, more natural. Requirements on private holidays and absences in Palma de Mallorca were relaxed. The tense meetings with the Bourbons and the criticism of Letizia’s ways are over. Everything was falling into place for her.
Now we have to think about the future. How is the queen going to manage the evolution of the Crown? What role will she have in the life of her daughter Leonor de ella? For the moment, we have begun to see how the Princess of Asturias shares moments of solitude with her father. It is the king who passes the baton to his daughter in her activities, even though it is the queen who accumulates the popularity and acceptance of society. A difficult balance to overcome.
