10 years ago, the Spanish Royal House underwent a radical change. The emeritus king Juan Carlos abdicated as monarch and gave his position to his only male child. A decision that very few people knew about and that left citizens, authorities and institutions stunned. A few days after the announcement, on June 19, 2014, Felipe (56 years old) and Letizia (51 years old) They ascended the throne with an austere ceremony and (as far as possible) discreet. A formula with which they made clear their intention to leave behind old customs and traditions to completely renew the image of the Crown. A commitment to modernize this institution and make it much more transparentthus ensuring the future of their daughters.
Since then, kings have made many moves to mark a distance from the previous reign. One of the most notable was the reduction of official acts of the royals, especially of Infanta Elena (60 years old) and Cristina (59 years old). The reason? On the one hand, the king’s older sister had divorced Jaime de Marichalar and would have always remained very close to his father, exiled to Saudi Arabia.
On the other hand, Irene Urdangarin’s mother had been splashed due to the involvement of her then husband, Iñaki, in the Nóos Case, from whom she would also end up divorcing after her affair with Ainhoa Armentia came to light. And not only this. In addition to marking distance, she wanted to avoid at all costs the image of the monarch with his sisters. A way to mark total distance from them and their controversies which, it seems, Queen Letizia promoted. Since then, the sisters have participated in events of great social relevance, but totally unrelated to the Royal House.
Why do Infantas Elena and Cristina return to official events?
10 years after these measures and all the situations that strained the relationship between Infantas Elena and Cristina and Kings Felipe and Letizia, it seems that something has changed. Last Wednesday, the mother of Pablo Urdangarin attended the 42nd edition of the ceremony of the postgraduate scholarships abroad from the La Caixa Foundation, an entity for which she has worked for several years as director of the International Area of the La Caixa Banking Foundation.
A totally new step forward, since he had never attended these events, much less… with his brother present! That’s how it is. Cristina and Felipe coincided in this actwhere they maintained a professional attitude focused on what was important, but which meant an important change in its dynamics.
A little earlier, on June 6, we saw Victoria Federica’s mother chair the awards ceremony of the XXXIII edition of the Children’s and Youth Painting Contest for National Heritage Schools. Very smiling and with a groundbreaking and striking look, Elena showed how happy she was. to once again form part of institutional duties.
But what is the reason for this approach? What happened for the kings to accept the ‘return’ of the princesses to public life? How have you regained Felipe’s trust? To start, the time. That’s how it is. The passing of the years and the evolution of all of them has helped to mitigate the tensions and old quarrels between the brothers. We already saw this at the party of the 60th birthday of Infanta Elenawhich was attended by almost the entire royal family except for Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía due to their training.
Added to this is that Felipe and Letizia know that having a united and consolidated front is much more practical and useful. If the royal family is presented as an unbreakable unit it is much easier to maintain its stability. In addition, it is always good to have an extra hand to deal with the many tasks of the Royal Household. We saw it, precisely, during Queen Letizia’s trip to Guatemala. Being away for a week it was necessary for someone to took charge of the rest of the acts.
Queen Sofia’s role in the reconciliation of her children
Time and practicality have not been the only things that have facilitated this approach. Queen Sofía (85 years old) has played a key role in this reconciliation of which we are seeing small images. It is not surprising. The emerita has made it clear on many occasions that Her family has always been the most important thing to her. In a discreet and elegant way, just as she is, the matriarch would have been smoothing out the obstacles for her children to find their way back home.
According to ‘Monarquía Confidencial’, several sources close to La Zarzuela have confirmed the action of Irene de Grecia’s sister. “Discretion and respect for private life of the royal family have been key during this rapprochement process. Queen Sofia has taken the initiative at all times,” reports the aforementioned media.
This would be in line with the analysis of psychologist Lara Ferreiro, who called the emeritus “mother of cohesion.” “Queen Sofia is a mother of cohesion, she tries to unite all her children and ensure that there is peaceful coexistence.” […] She has done her work in the shadows and silently but look, in the end she has achieved it. […] Doña Sofía is the matriarch reconciler, she is a total mediator“explained the expert.
